Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

This is an outfit I made about six years ago.  I was doing a trunk show presentation for a quilt guild.  With that gig scheduled for March 17th, I needed something appropriate to wear.  I love having an excuse to make new clothing.

I received an invite to a St. Pat’s party THIS year (2022) and I was good to go!  I had my outfit, and, a small collection of socks to choose from.  I accessorized with the socks and jewelry pictured in the last photo.  

P.S.  The party was fun!

Floor Loom Weaving at Home: First Project

After taking a weeklong weaving class at Sievers School of Fiber Arts last summer, I decided it was time to get brave!  I started this project in July of 2021, one month after the weaving class.  This project was done on a Wolf Pup LT loom, purchased used, in 2020.  I did not yet know how to weave on a floor loom at the time I bought my loom!  The Wolf Pup, made by the Schacht Spindle Company, has an 18" weaving width.  I had researched small floor looms before purchasing a loom.  I bought the loom via the facebook group "The Weaver's Marketplace".  My husband and I drove to Iowa to pick it up.

 

The following photos tell the story of my first project.  Enjoy!

The warping board was one of many accessories that came with my loom.  Winding the warp is the first step in weaving! 

 

The wool yarn that I decided to use for the warp is hand dyed.  The color is “Great Grey Owl”.

I relied on notes and photos from my June 2021 weaving class to jar my memory on how to dress a loom.  I warped the loom from front to back.



A peg, attached to the side of the loom, is inserted in the frame of the beater to hold it upright while warping the loom.  The peg is pulled out before weaving is started.





Sleying the reed involves pulling thread ends through the reed.  One thread goes through each slot.







Lucky for me, the back beam can be removed on my loom.  This makes threading the heddles easier.






Getting the warp ready for weaving.

I used two treadles for this "plain weave" project.  Remaining treadles have been dropped to the ground (so they don’t get in the way).

Weaving has commenced!  The weft is composed of assorted art yarns, along with some of the same yarn I used for the warp.  I was not using any pattern for this scarf.  It is a spontaneous, organic creation! 

Finishing and mostly finished!  I like the undulating edges.

“Brasstown Boho Skirt”, May - June 2022

I’m looking forward to teaching my “Brasstown Boho Skirt” workshop in 2022!  This one week class takes place May 29 - June 4, 2022 at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC.  This class immediately follows my weekend class, "Vintage Denim Jacket with Boho Flair". 

This easy-going class is just right for those who know the basics of operating a sewing machine.  Ideally, you can bring your own sewing machine.  If not, the school has machines available.  Some rotary cutting experience is recommended.  You may or may not finish your patchwork skirt in class.  If you do finish it, you can choose to model it at the week’s end student exhibit!   If you don’t complete the skirt, you’ll leave with instructions for finishing it.  Send me an email if you have any questions about the workshop:  fiberotto <at> gmail <dot> com.  Somewhat cryptic to keep spammers at bay.  Registrations and general questions are handled by the Folk School (1-800-365-5724).

I do a lot of garment sewing and I often use cotton batiks for clothing.  I've made outfits out of many of the fabrics shown below.  You'll see some of them in Brasstown.  I used batiks exclusively for my first skirt.  

Early stages of the Brasstown Boho Skirt:

Finished skirt is featured below!  It's colorful and fancy free . . . as Boho should be!

With the amount of sewing I do, I often have leftover scraps.  Once in awhile I'll buy small lengths of fabric solely to use in one of these skirts! 

Photo: starting a skirt made with cotton prints:

I used an orange/white origami print for the border at the bottom.  I love this print.  I purchased it at Bless My Stitches Quilt Shop in Murphy, NC on a previous trip to Brasstown.

The mostly pink skirt shown below is a slightly less full version of the Boho Brasstown Skirt.  Generally my Brasstown Boho skirts are comprised of a spontaneous and random collection of fabrics. In this case, I opted to use mostly pink fabrics.

Relive your hippie days and wear your skirt with a denim jacket, denim shirt, or a T-shirt!  Add a beaded necklace or a macrame bag to complete the look.  Once you finish your skirt, wear it as you tiptoe through the tulips, enroute to a Folk School dance!

 

You can choose to pair your skirt with a T-shirt, blouse, or jacket.  And of course, you can tuck the top in if you so choose.  The elastic waist makes this a comfortable skirt to wear!

Photos:  Fun ways to wear your Brasstown Boho Skirt:

"Vintage Denim Jacket with Boho Flair", May 2022

I invite you to join me in beautiful North Carolina in late spring of 2022.  I'll be teaching a weekend workshop at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC.  Workshop dates are May 27 - 29, 2022.  My workshop is titled "Vintage Denim Jacket with Boho Flair".  This workshop will be followed by my one-week class, "Brasstown Boho Skirt".

Sign up for my workshop and you'll gain numerous ideas for transforming your denim jacket from boring, to bedazzling!!  Shop your local thrift shop for an unlined, light to medium-weight denim jacket.  Prewash your denim jacket, then gather embellishment supplies, ie lace, beads, buttons, etc.  You will be sent a supply list at registration.  

The following photos are eye candy to get you excited about this easy-going, casual workshop!  Note: I use hand sewing most of the time to embellish my garments.  I hand wash or spot clean my embellished garments.

The denim garments shown below are crying out to be embellished!

 

 

I purchased the jacket shown below at a Maxwell St. Days sale here in Madison more than twenty years ago. It was just begging for some ornamentation.  I dug through my extensive collection of trims, lace and beads to create the Boho look I love!   More photos of this jacket follow.

 

 

 

The jacket shown below was also a sale find.  It is decorated with seed beads, bugle beads, a button, a patchwork square, and my favorite embroidery stitch, Raised Chain Band, around the patchwork square.

 

 

 

The next jacket shown is embellished in a more subdued fashion.  I applied vintage tatting, enhanced with seed beads, on the collar and cuffs. 

 

The next jacket shown was purchased at a local Goodwill store.  I love the aqua color.  I do not love the weightiness of the denim.  Lesson learned:  heavy denim does not lend itself to hand embellishment.  I trudged onward with this one, using vintage trims and pieces from my stash.  I used a vintage crocheted motif on the back of the jacket, adding seed beads of different sizes to the mix.  Vintage lace trims the collar.  I applied hand dyed contemporary rick rack to either side of the front zipper.  "Baby" rick rack was used along some of the seam lines.

 

 

The jacket shown below was featured in my blog post of March 15, 2021.  View that post to see details of how this jacket was embellished!

While not a denim jacket, the cotton/poly blend shirt below was brightened up with some Boro stitching.  I used Perle cotton (size) #8 for the stitching.

The following photos show some of the "ingredients" I like to use when decorating jackets or other garments.

 

 

All text and images ©️Suzanne Myers Otto