Holy Moly! It has been too long, hasn't it!?!?

Somehow we muddled through 2020 when I wrote my last blog post. As we reflect on that year we realize we ended up with Covid, probably picked up flying back from having done the ACC show in Baltimore. Lucky me! I got to sit next to a passenger from Brazil on that day (February 25th, 2020) who let me know he was “really, really sick”. This was before testing and yes we both came down with something. Richard had the lighter case…I’ve been dealing with some of that pesky long Covid stuff. But as mentioned above, we muddled along. We did a couple of local pop-up shows up in Jackson (Hole), WY. And managed to make some sales doing virtual shows. But we really, really missed the live events and our artist community. We survived thanks to the Wyoming Business Council who gave us a very generous grant and many thanks to our bank, the Bank of Jackson Hole, who made getting our PPP “loans” so simple. Seamless. Effortless.

2021 was the beginning of the turn-around. We did many shows in person and did really well. We thank our “regulars” for returning to buy things and getting to use those Max Bucks. And I’d be remiss if I failed to mention one of our long-time regulars, Andrea, for ordering a quilt. We love our customers who have certainly turned into friends over the years.

I’m posting two pics: one of the two of us taken in Annapolis when our daughter and her family lived there. And there’s also a pic of our youngest fan. He came into our booth at the Plaza show in Kansas City last September and asked his grandma if he could have these pillows for his Christmas gift!

Sometimes We Do Take a Break

No sooner had our son called (or so it seemed) than he and his son and daughter were on a plane out of Charlotte headed to Wyoming for a visit. It was not quite a spur of the moment trip but it was done in a wonderfully quick amount of time. We were thrilled, but mildly cautious, about the three of them flying out here in this time of COVID-19. But we had an incredible visit, the weather mostly cooperated, and we were busy from sun-up until sundown (and out here that’s a long day with the sun rising just before 5 am and setting after 10 pm). Here are a few highlights from their visit. And soon I will be posting pics of new work. Oh, and Richard has been busy getting outside projects completed…. things that we’ve never had the opportunity or time to do.

Just down the road from us is the Periodic Spring in Afton, WY. Due to too much run off it was not intermittent but rather a very bold stream.

Hardly a more scenic backdrop anywhere. We live just south of Grand Teton National Park so it was an easy and fun day trip.

No trip to Jackson with kids is complete without a horse driven wagon to a chuckwagon cookout.

And here we are! Standing in front of Le Grande Teton!

Masks on (sort of) in downtown Jackson.

We Have the Best Clients....

We have the best clients….and many have turned into friends! Several weeks ago we shipped out a cut and pieced wall hanging that was 3’x7’. It went to a couple in Sunriver, Oregon who found us at a show in Bend, Oregon several years ago. We received a package from them the other day. Inside were these notecards she made from close up photos she had taken of the handwoven fabrics that were incorporated into the hanging. A photo of the hanging can be seen on our page of pillows. Thank you to Margaret Ward!

New Work From My Better Half.

Pamela here. As you already know, my husband works with me on the weaving. But what you probably don’t know is that he is an amazing and extraordinary artist as well. Once he figures out the technique he can pretty much do anything. Anything. I will begin to include his work in these blog postings since he doesn’t have a website and isn’t on IG very much or FB (at all).

These two pieces are Digital Vector Drawings. They are not photographs. The first one is a scene from an afternoon walk we took last winter. And the one with the airplane wing is from a flight we took coming back from an art show on the east coast. It’s called FOA (Fly Over America) and is looking down on the prairie of eastern Wyoming.

Redundance. Printed on 100% rag fine art paper, mounted on foam board. $450.

FOA. Digital Vector Drawing. Printed on aluminum. $450.

If you would like to purchase either of these let us know by way of our email address.

Springtime in Wyoming. At last. And Scarves and New Pillow Ideas.

As you can see in the photo we have turned the corner with the weather. After a long and snowy winter (over ten feet of snow on our property this year) we can see the grass again and it is green! When we took this photo last week there was just the tiniest bit of snow left. It was totally melted on May 4th.

Now let’s show you some of what we’ve been busy working on.

Africa in Orchid and Walnut. $210.

Africa in Orchid and Mardi Gras. $210.

Africa in Lime and Mardi Gras. $210.

Africa in Lime and Iroquois. $210.

Jazz and Steps in Perfect Blue and Persimmon. $240.

Jazz and Steps in Beach and Hazelnut. $240.

Zig Zag in Walnut and Passion. $190.

R E D in Sunflower and Paprika. $190.

And one last thing. We are going to come out with “single field” pillows. The face of the pillows will be all handwoven and no black border. The backs will be our black faux-suede that we have been using for years. And they will be filled with a beautiful synthetic down insert. Sizes are still up in the air as the pricing. Stay tuned.

And to tempt you a bit more we have a new home idea in the works. Stay tuned. We are pretty excited about this one!

If you see anything you like on the blog posts please email us and we’ll get you set up. As always the scarves ship for free.

Still Working!

We will turn this blogspot into a place to showcase our newest work. It’s not everything we’ve been working on only because many of the pieces are already featured in the main part of the website under “Scarves”. But for anything out of the ordinary this is where you’ll find them. We love to make things and since the weather is just now cooperating (though there IS snow in our forecast within the next few days!) and we haven’t been able to work outside at length yet, well, we are still at our looms.

Deep V and Steps in Orchid and Coral. $240.

Deep V and Steps in Passion and Paprika. $240.

Deep V and Steps in Acorn and Persimmon. $240.

Deep V and Steps in Iroquois and Tangerine. $240.

New Work!

I almost titled this post New Work in the Time of Covid19 (NWITTOC19) but I thought it would be too depressing. Instead it is simply New Work! and the exclamation point is important. To me it signifies that I am moving on. Moving ahead. I fumbled around a bit for several weeks trying new techniques and new yarns but in looking back on that I probably would have been better off sticking to what I knew and loved weaving the most: Shadow Weave. The familiar is what I needed the most and that in turn allows me to weave in an almost Zen-like rhythm. So while I am working up to weaving in brighter colors I am introducing, here, four new pieces, all rather large format, still in bamboo fiber. All in neutrals to accentuate the patterns. Stay tuned: I’ve got some really bright ones on my loom at the moment. If you are interested in purchasing any of these simply email me.

Empire in Reverse, 100% bamboo fiber. 15” X 80”. $240.

Empire, 100% bamboo fiber. 15” X 80”. $240.

FreeBands in 100% bamboo fiber. 15” X 80”. $240.

FreeWeave in 100% bamboo fiber. 15” X 80”. $240.

Art and Craft in the Time of COVID-19: Gratefulness

Where does one begin? When one has lost the mo because one is assuming that all the summer shows will be a thing of the past. When one tries to feel encouraged about any ray of hope that maybe, just maybe, some of the shows one has applied to (but mostly has not gotten the results of the jury yet) might be able to proceed as “normal” (what IS the newest normal?).

We are grateful to have the time to experiment with new techniques and fibers. We are grateful that so far all of the orders that have been placed are not cancelling. We are so grateful for the artist community we are a big part of. We are grateful that we live in such an incredible place. We are grateful that for the most part we will come out of this OK. We are grateful that we are fairly solitary as a couple and we are used to social-distancing…before it became a “thing,” a word that will possibly become the Word of the Year. We have always been able to “make do” in times of trouble. We are grateful that we make things. We are grateful that being able to make things keeps our brains busy. We are grateful that we know how to plan ahead…that’s a big one these days. And of course we are grateful that you seem to like what we do.

Stay tuned to see what Richard has been working on. Something new having to do with weaving. A big commission. Stay tuned.

And below you can see what Pamela has been playing around with. It’s called Deflected Double Weave. It’s very time consuming and she still does not have the kinks worked out yet. Again, stay tuned.

We thank each and every one of you for being a big part of our support system.

Getting Ready for a Show- Redux

Well here we go again!

Please join us when we take our work on the road for our first show of the year! We will be showing our work at the esteemed American Craft Council Show in Baltimore, Maryland next week, February 22-24, 2019. Take a peek at their incredible website for a look at some of the other artists showing their museum-quality work. (craftcouncil.org) You’ll find us tucked into our cozy booth (305) filled with color and texture. This year we will be reviving an oldie-but-goodie and adding a couple of pompom pieces, as well as several new designs.

Getting Ready for a Show

This is what it looks like getting ready for a show..... Here you see the contents of "show worthy" pieces Pamela was packing up before we embarked on our first show of the season to Lake Oswego, Oregon a few weeks ago.  The scarf box (110 scarves are in there!) were transferred to two big suitcases.  The camo bags have three king-sized quilts and the plastic bags (vacuum sealed) hold about ten of our new pillows.  And all of this plus our actual booth structure and four concrete booth weights still fit into the back of our Jeep Commander. 

Summer Shows... Here We Come!

We would love, love, love to meet you somewhere along our summer tour! Here is a list of where we will be:

Lake Oswego, Oregon.......6/22 - 6/24

Jackson Hole, Wyoming........7/13 - 7/15

Park City, Utah.........8/3 - 8/5

Sun Valley, Idaho....8/10 - 8/12

Kings Mountain (Woodside, California)...... Labor Day weekend, 9/1 - 9/3

The Plaza Art Fair (Kansas City, Missouri)....9/21 - 9/23

Did We Mention We Now Have Pillows?

We are so excited to announce that we have a line of beautiful/handsome pillows available. We did a "soft opening" of them at our locals-only Christmas show in Jackson last year. People had so much interest in them that Richard decided to go ahead and produce many more and they made their official debut last week at the ACC show in Baltimore where they were very well received. We can make them according to the colors/patterns you like.... you can buy one or a dozen. Make our day! You won't be disappointed.

And It's Off to the Races!

Every year, at about the same time, we embark on a cross country trip to Baltimore to take part in the American Craft Council show. We've been doing this show for nearly thirty years and if you have never been, you might want to consider checking it out. It is an indoor show with hundreds and hundreds of "museum quality" crafts. We store our booth at a friend's home which allows us to fly in, rent a car (our preferred rental is a Chevy Impala because of the size of the trunk), and we commute back and forth from northern Virginia up to B'more. You're probably wondering how we get our work to the east coast....we can fit seventy-eight scarves into two carry-on suitcases. We leave a couple of quilts at our friend's home and this year we had a box of pillow inserts shipped there and Richard will carry sixteen pillow covers in his backpack. We have this all worked out. So tomorrow afternoon we will be flying out of the most beautiful airport in the world (!)....Jackson Hole, WY. We'll be flying out in wind and snow and landing in DC in rainy and mild weather. 

In the meantime check out the show: www.craftcouncil.org

We will be posting our 2018 line at the beginning of March.

Our Lives in B+W in Seven Days

OK, lots and lots of people are presenting their lives in black and white for seven days. The idea is to challenge others to do the same. It's a pretty easy task with all the filters available on our Camera+ app for our phone. Here we go:

The MOST beautiful hay field ever. Antelope Flats in Eastern Idaho.

Beautiful clouds. Looking from Pamela's studio window.

Fly-over country. Perhaps Nebraska. Flying back from the ACC show in Baltimore last February.

We LOVE to bake and Richard LOVES to bake bread.

A stormy sky looking out from Pamela's studio.

Rambutan. One of Pamela's favorite fruits. Difficult to find in Wyoming but one day the grocery store had them!

Just a view from our home.

Pillow Talk

We have been wanting to debut a line of pillows for a very long time. We carry around "quilt swatches" from show to show to let you know what other designs we have created for clients. You have asked us to make a line of pillows and now we have. These are a very generous 22" square with a synthetic down insert. If you've never felt synthetic down you are in for a treat. They are as yummy as down but will hold their shape better. Plus, no feathers to poke through the cover. Take a look! See what you think!

Mid-century modern.

Soooooo, let us know what you think. Any of our scarf designs can be made into pillows. You can choose colors and designs. Easy!

Learning How to Weave an "H"

Sometimes you just want to "reach" a bit, even if you are in the middle of getting orders out. That was the case a few weeks ago for me. I was bored. Pre-summer doldrums. I had warped up my loom with an extra length with which to experiment. Imagine being able to weave letters! Corporate gift ideas exploded in my head! Great birthday ideas! I had the design Square Squared on my loom and after weaving up a bunch of that design I thought I would change it up a bit. Thus became the "H" scarf. It so happens one of my granddaughter's names begins with that letter and so a project was born!

And there you have it!

Come See Us This Summer

We have our summer schedule all settled! After a few hiccups these past two months we are now looking forward to a lovely summer at these shows.

Jackson Hole, WY..... We do three local shows but this is by far the largest one. Art Fair Jackson Hole. July 7th, 8th, and 9th.

Crested Butte, CO......We haven't done this show in a few years but we love showing here. A small show in a wonderful place. Crested Butte Arts Festival. August 4th, 5th, and 6th.

Sun Valley, ID....Again, we haven't participated in this show in a couple of years but are eager to return. Sun Valley Arts and Crafts Festival. August 11th, 12th, and 13th.

Bend, OR..... Such a great show! We are excited to be returning again this year. Art in the High Desert. August 25th, 26th, and 27th.

We look forward to seeing you somewhere along this Western Swing!

A New Year. Some New Things!

Here we are well into 2017. Right now we are finishing up all the things that go into making up a new line. New color combinations....many! A few new designs....more to come as we add a new, more complex loom to the ones we already have. Look for crazy new patterns as we experiment with twice as many possibilities with our new-to-us 16H loom. We hope to have it here by March and up and running by April.

We have finished weaving all we can do in time for The Big Show: American Craft Council show in Baltimore. This will be our 28th year and one that we really enjoy doing as long as the weather cooperates on both ends. Our work has been woven, washed, and dried. It has been labeled and tagged and even photographed. All that is left is to pack it up in our two carry-on bags. We hope we will be able to fit everything in. Flying out of Jackson Hole into DC where we store our booth...and get to stay with friends. We will become morning commuters for five days as we drive a rental car from Northern Virginia up to Baltimore, a trip that generally takes about fifty minutes.

Fingers crossed it all goes well!

(A sneak peek at some new work on the loom.)

Small Business Saturday Sale!

We are excited to announce our first ever SBSS! We are trying this out with some of our men's designs and may extend the dates and designs. Join us on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for sale prices on some of your favorite scarves!

New Updated Website.....At Last!

Here we are almost at the end of the year. This summer just flew by! Company in June/July and shows in August/September put us on the road from Jackson,WY to San Francisco to Park City,UT to Bend,OR and finally Portlandia. We even ate our way up the Oregon coast in between shows. And miracle of miracles, we were not rained out at any of them.

We are always trying new things here in our studios. Experiments give way to new scarf lines. There is even talk about a pillow line for next year using our beautiful handwoven bamboo material.

And now, at last, we have made it easy for you to shop with us with a convenient shopping cart! Free shipping as well.

So take your time to look around. And, if we can get focused, we will be updating this blog on a more regular schedule. If you have questions we are almost always here. If you have an idea for something you would like but you don't see it on the site let us know and we will try to make it work.