Silk Scarves – Part 2

December 24, 2018December 24, 2018mulchandmorecrafts Leave a comment

I have been hand dyeing and painting silk scarves for several years now. The exact techniques that I use are hard to describe and will vary depending on how I want to “play with color” on that particular day :). The results range from pastel to very bright, from structured to random.

Then comes the challenge of taking pictures that accurately represent the colors that we see in real life.Dealing with silk, changes in the light will reflect differently, not to mention the differences in peoples monitors. Of the following pictures scarf #17 is a good example, the purple on the bottom part is actually much deeper/brighter and gradually lightens in shade towards the middle (the name sign is white in all of these pictures.) But even the color of the table is different than the realistic color in the other pictures. Think I need a light box?

57″ x 10″ priced at $20

57″ x 10″ priced at $20

57″ x 10″ priced at $20

72″ x 9″ priced at $25

78″ x 9.5″ priced at $25

Now to try to move the picture below into this space…I need a refresher course on picture sizing and placement!

76″ x 9.5″ priced at $25

68″ x 14″ priced at $25

71″ x 14.5″ priced at $25

68″ x 14″ priced at $25

58″ x 10.5″ priced at $30

These (and more) will be going to the craft shows with us in the Spring unless they find homes before then. (You can contact me to check on availability)

I’ve ordered more scarves to dye so I’d appreciate your comments, to learn which styles and colors you might prefer to see.

Wishing Everyone a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

No, but I was Almost Ready!

May 3, 2017mulchandmorecrafts 4 Comments

I only forgot one “important” item at Saturday’s craft show! Since I sell my hand dyed wool by the ounce, it helps if I have my scale with me! I didn’t have, so I put out very little wool (thinking I wouldn’t sell any 🙂 The wool customers (spinners) that wanted some were very understanding and accepted my estimate of how much was in a ball. My scale now goes to the top of my list for the next show!

Here’s three skeins of yarn, fresh off my wheel.

hand dyed merino wool hand spun.

And here is our show set-up. Son and I shared one space while husband had a space across the aisle from us.

magnets, prints and canvases

Cliff’s corner

candles and hats

wool and yarn

Meanwhile we look forward to the next shows, more organized packing, and warmer weather. Have a nice week everyone.

Am I Ready?

April 28, 2017mulchandmorecrafts Leave a comment

“Am I ready?” is the question I ask myself every year as the craft shows start. I spend a week making lists, crossing off things as I get them ready, adding two more for every one crossed off and still have the feeling I’ve forgotten something. This process continues until I have the two inside shows under my belt, then starts again until after the first outside ones….adding tents, weights, camping gear to the already bulging trailer.

I can’t really say I’m stressed, I know I have the important things together. I think it’s more excitement to get back into the routine of things after not having a concrete schedule for the winter. I’ll report back after the first is done!

Blog Avoidance?

April 16, 2017April 16, 2017mulchandmorecrafts 9 Comments

Don’t know why I haven’t been posting as regularly as I had planned? I don’t have writer’s block as I have many thoughts written down in notes. Maybe it’s the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day and I need a few of those for sleeping?

Craft shows are approaching! I have copies of our schedule printed for handing out to those interested in where we will be. I’ve revised my candle scent listing brochure, adding more scents (that will eventually be discontinued) to my sale column! This also meant relabeling all my inventory boxes and sorting through over 100 scents (does that explain why I am trying to cut back on my variety?) Plus I’ve been making more candles, printing their labels etc. Hopefully I won’t have to make candles between some of the back-to-back shows.

And I’ve been dyeing!…lots and lots of wool fiber 🙂 Tonight I finally took the time to edit the many pictures I’ve been taking of the finished colors. And I’ve spun a few sample yarns, changing the look of the colors by plying them with different colors.

And I managed to achieve these each of these two-tone results in the same kettle of dye!

And for a visual hint of how this was done, the following two pictures are of the same roving;

And the latest two color-ways;

Most of the above fiber will be available at craft shows for $3.00 per ounce (both the Suffolk roving and the Merino top is about 8oz per batch/colorway). If you would like to purchase some to spin, contact me and I can list it for you if it’s still here.

Hope everyone will continue to follow and realize, as I have, that I will probably always be a sporadic writer….too many irons in the fire…which reminds me, I need to plug in and do some new wood burning! Til next time, enjoy your lives, and hope you had a Happy Easter.

Last Craft Show!

November 16, 2016November 16, 2016mulchandmorecrafts Leave a comment

It’s been over a week now since we did the last craft show of our season for this year!

Entering The Train Depot

It was a first year fiber show that I didn’t find out about until our fiber show that was the end of September. In spite of common wisdom that warns against first year shows, late advertisement for vendors, and a 200+ mile drive to a region of the state that we haven’t explored before I decided to send in an application! I’m glad we did!

The organizer communicated well, asked for pictures of our set-ups and products, and responded promptly to all my questions. The show was held in buildings of a historical museum in Port Sanilac and we needed to be able to fit our display around the furnishings of the buildings. After seeing my pictures she placed us in the Train Depot and let me know that I should be able to use my grid-wall (a display that I didn’t think I would be able to use there) but gladly brought. While this was going on I was busy trying to downsize what we would bring to fit into the suburban. After hauling a trailer full all summer I didn’t want to chance dragging it there and home if there should be a snow storm. (Michigan weather has been unseasonable this year with 50 degree temps instead of the normal cold, but they are saying snow for this weekend!)

Left side of our display, with my shawl and wheel.

dyed fiber, yarns and knitting, nestled around their glass display case and Ben Franklin stove in the back corner.

The weather was beautiful, the organizer and all the volunteers were helpful and friendly, and from the number of people that came through, advertisement had been good. We were placed next to a couple who are always our backside neighbors at the other fiber festival so we enjoyed their company as well. We did splurge for a motel and ate out (instead of our normal camping) but this first year show didn’t charge a fee. Next year they are but we signed up to repeat it and will look for cheaper lodging.

smaller grid wall but still held hats, hand dyed yarn and some soft sculptures (needle felted)

Son’s display of needle felting and copper shawl pins with neighboring booth in the background.

Now that the shows are over I have been catching up on a couple of custom orders, looking forward to posting more often, doing some more dyeing, knitting, and maybe even finding some time to weave!

What are your plans for this fall and winter season? Would be glad to hear what you are planning?

Still around….

August 30, 2016mulchandmorecrafts 2 Comments

I’m still around and reading a little bit. Have been taking pictures but not taking the time to get them on the computer. I have been dyeing yarn and roving, making candles, and printing prints of my husband’s art, washing table covers and repacking for each new show. Soon most will be over and I’ll take the time to catch up on how everyone spent their summers and share some of the high-lights of ours.

Until then stay busy and happy everyone!

Time Crunch

June 28, 2016mulchandmorecrafts 3 Comments

As I warned in an earlier post, craft shows and gardening would be cutting into my blogging time. I hate to admit, I’m not even able to keep up with reading all the wonderful blogs that I’ve marked to follow, but will try to catch up this fall.

Between the last two shows I caught sight of this rainbow in our back yard.

back yard rainbow

The rest of the pictures are some of the things I’ve been up to between shows, the latest dyeing hanging on the line.

orange and leaf green now plied with the black and ready for the shows to find a new home

dyed wool top, will be my demo spinning at next show

thick and thin wool and nylon when dyed gives the most wonderful jewel-tones

close-up of colors in bright sun-shine

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

What Could Have Been

June 16, 2016mulchandmorecrafts Leave a comment

What could have been but THANKFULLY was not!

At last weeks show we set up Friday night and slept dry through a rain storm. Sat was hot and dry with a little wind picking up when we closed.

a part of our display.

Notice in this picture how close the large tent (which also had vendors in it) is to our 2 10×10 tents.

wind won!

We heard the wind pick up more during the night but we were snug in our trailer. The next morning this is what we found when we went to open! Luckily no damage was done to anyone’s products, but the tent was dismantled and they were relocated to two smaller tents that had remained up.

glad we weren’t closer

ours still up, but wind was billowing it.

One of the large tent poles missed our tent by about a foot. It was still so windy that we waited to open and my husband decided to sketch some of the re-en-actors instead of opening his tent. Once we put up all of our sides it wasn’t as bad, but his canvases wouldn’t have stayed hanging.

sketch of hand-sewn wigwam with trader

sketching cannon on the hill

Tweaking our Display

June 6, 2016mulchandmorecrafts 2 Comments

For our show Memorial Day weekend we had a double space with one on the end of the aisle, with woods behind us.We do change our arrangements from show to show depending on our location to traffic flow.

This set-up we were very pleased with as it gave customers plenty of room to walk in and look. Although we have two tents my husband doesn’t quite get a full one since I put my candle table in his but facing into my tent, which I share with our son. With him having the end space, he was able to hang canvases facing in and out, and as you can see from the pictures he rearranged his grid walls during the two days. (I’ve tried to pair the same views with the changes that took place)

For the other tent, the tour starts as you enter and look to the left, then continues around until you exit again by the candles.

DSCN3598-1

Forgive me for not labeling the pictures, if any need clarification just leave a comment. There’s only one picture I missed taking, the wood burning hanging on the front part of the wooden yarn shelves.

Last Weekend’s Show

May 22, 2016mulchandmorecrafts 2 Comments

Last weekend’s show was a morel (mushroom) festival.We set up Fri morning for the three days. Friday it was somewhat cold, but it is May in Michigan, so we prepared with our winter coats. (Problem; my finger-less gloves kept getting caught in the wool I was demonstrating spinning with.) At almost closing time the brave souls who had ventured out had slowed to a frozen trickle, so I took my wheel back to the car and we prepared to close.

An outdoor event meant my husband’s paintings needed to be packed safely away for the night, maybe a plastic over my yarn, table skirts raised to keep them from wicking ground moisture up to the displays, and finally we finished by dropping and zipping down the sides.

It started a cold rain as we finished up, so son and I sat with the car heater running to warm up. Luckily I had spoken to one of the food vendors and he was staying open past closing time. We chose a delicious smoked turkey sandwich (hot) and retreated to our warm “dining car.” (Husband had left before the rain started for his part-time job, and then home !) Son and I were “camping” in the car (actually a suburban) and the utility trailer- (I have a mattress in it!) We were “parked in” for the duration, so driving to a local restaurant wasn’t possible and we didn’t want to get wetter walking! Especially when the weather is iffy I prefer being closer to our set-up for night-time security.

Saturday I put on flannel lined pants and as many jackets as I could, happy to have brought my felted hat! High temperatures were in the 30’s (F). Whitecaps were blowing in from as far out as we could see, and by closing time we had decided to break down and lose vending for Sunday! We weren’t the only ones, as many tents were close to blowing away. (In case of weather show organizers will normally agree with that decision 🙂

Sales seemed slow, but after adding things up, better than I’d thought! Sunday we awoke to SNOW!

Those white specks are falling snow!

I did return to the town to discuss a custom order that had been initiated in a conversation on Sat. (glad she took my number to call) and I have started work on it.