Category: up-cycling

June 8, 2016

Happy birthday to me!

Spot #55 was mine this week. And for most of the summer, I believe. We did pretty well filling up the 8'x10' space, I think. — Spot #55 was mine this week. And for most of the summer, I believe. We did pretty well filling up the 8’x10′ space, don’t you think?

Sunday was my birthday; it was also my first time vending at Albuquerque’s Rail Yards Market. Since I managed to sell a piece, it was a very happy birthday for me. Sure, it wasn’t a huge mat – it was a mug rug and matching mug – but it paid my table fees and gave me a nice boost of confidence in a new place.

Tortillas, tamales, fritters, rooibos teas, mustards, breads and pastries, jams and mustards. It was all there. — Tortillas, tamales, fritters, rooibos teas, mustards, breads and pastries, jams and mustards, and more! It was all there.

For those who have never been before, the Rail Yards Market runs from 10:00 in the morning till 2:00 p.m. Thank goodness, because during the summer, it’s getting pretty darn warm here in Albuquerque. I think we hit 94 or 95 that day. The market’s incredibly well run. It fills with locals and visitors both. I managed to meet a guy who came from Newtown, Connecticut. That’s one town over from where I grew up!

The Old New Mexico Bird House Company offered all kinds of funky stuff for the yard.

While most folks weren’t all that familiar with rug hooking, the response was definitely favorable. That I was hooking while I sat there was, as usual, a great conversation starter. (Even for the once-upon-a-time latch hookers. 🙂 )

How many of you have had the problem of the neighboring booth being a jewelry maker? Pam Schroder and her husband Tom were selling her chainmaille jewelry. Nice! She's the Bling Weaver. — How many of you have had the problem of the neighboring booth being a jewelry maker? Pam Schroder and her husband Tom were selling her chainmaille jewelry. Nice! She’s the Bling Weaver.

The place has a great vibe what with the entertainment venue being about 30 feet from where I sat.This past Sunday brought us belly dancers and singer-songwriters. Aromas from Jamaican, New Mexican, and other foods waft through the place from nearby food trucks and stands. Besides different arts and crafts, you can pick up whatever produce and flowers are in season.

UNforunately, I didn't get this lady's card, but she also proved that fiber is alive and well out here in New Mexico. — Unforunately, I didn’t get this woman’s card, but she also proved that fiber is alive and well out here in New Mexico.

I have a week off and then, come Fathers’ Day, I’m back. I”m looking forward to it. (Even Tom didn’t complain about sitting there people-watching.) I’ve got a few things to tweak and some signs to make based on would-be customer comments and such. Folks asked when I’d be returning, something I’m taking as an excellent omen. Till then there’s more hooking to be done!

Don't these make you smile??? They're made by WInnie and Wades Upcycled Hippie/Redneck Art. Love that name! — Don’t these make you smile??? They’re from Winnie and Wades Upcycled Hippie/Redneck Art. Love that name! They certainly helped make my birthday a happy one.

March 30, 2016

Experimenting

Experimenting. I’ve got plenty to do this week, still I find myself trying something new. Last

Rug hooking with old sheets. MY new Anderson frame came in handy as the backing is so stiff. — Rug hooking with old sheets. My new Anderson frame came in handy as the backing is so stiff.

Thursday, I started a new rug. One on latch hook backing. Made out of old sheets. This re-cycling – or the more virtuous sounding “up-cycling” – thing has really grabbed me. I’m hoping it’ll grab buyers too when I start selling at the Rail Yard Market in June. Rag rugs are in vogue these days, you know.

Experimenting with old bed sheets. The loops pull smoothly and give a "fluffy" look. — Experimenting with old bed sheets. The loops pull smoothly and give a “fluffy” look.

I’ve included a couple of pics to show how it’s going. The design is simple, paisley-like, as I needed to see how the sheets would hook up before I went crazy. The strips are about a half-inch wide. No need for real precision here. Savers (a used goods store that I frequent) provided the sheets. I’m hoping to find brighter colors next time, though these are fairly desert-esque. That’s fitting for here in Albuquerque.

The desert colors will work nicely in a bedroom or bath.

I’ve sleeved and handed over “Ribbons Over Albuquerque” to the “Colors of the Southwest” fiber arts exhibit. It runs this weekend at the Garden Center (in itself a very cool place to visit) here in town. I’m looking forward to the show’s opening Friday evening along with the artists’ reception. Saturday, I’ve been tasked with demonstrating. That means that I need to get on the stick and finish prepping my next piece. (I figured I’d show them rug hooking in its more traditional form, so I’m leaving the sheets at home. And using t-shirts. 😉 ) Because I sew my binding on before I hook, there’s a needle and some thread in my immediate future.

Before I head back to that mat, though, I need a favor. Yesterday I created a Facebook page for my Adobe Wool Arts guild here in Albuquerque. It’ll let us share what’s going on in the guild as well as communicate with all the hookers out there in cyberspace. If you’d be so kind as to give us a looksie at https://www.facebook.com/AdobeWoolArts/, we’d be ever so grateful. Feel free to comment, share, educate, whatever. And then LIKE us. We love meeting new friends.

How much experimenting do you do when you hook?

The official rug of the Adobe Wool Arts guild here in Albuquerque. Wish I'd gotten here in time to help hook it. — The official rug of the Adobe Wool Arts guild here in Albuquerque. Our Facebook page only shows a tiny part of it. Wish I’d gotten here in time to help hook it.

August 10, 2015

Sourcing materials in a new town

So, even though we’ve completely upended our lives, and we’re in full house-hunting mode, some things don’t change. Thank goodness! The rug I (barely) started before I left home, I mean, Massachusetts, has been helping to keep my anxieties at bay. And I’ve made such good progress on it (despite the fact that I consider myself a s-l-o-w hooker), that I needed to source more materials.

The sanity-saving, hit-or-miss rug. Wonder where the inspiration for the color scheme came from? Hoping to put it on the floor in the new house.

All my wool, yarn, and t-shirt stashes are currently sitting in a truck rocketing through Texas by all calculations. I know this because we talked to the driver this morning after signing a lease at a storage facility. Knowing there was no way I’d access them for the few months we’d be looking for a new place to call home, I’d purchased a bunch of t-shirts before I traveled. I love working in t-shirts. The available color palette is pretty inclusive, and it’s much cooler in the summer – New England’s and New Mexico’s. Plus, the chance to up-cycle something and make it beautiful and useful makes me giddy.

Welcome to my new Savers on Carlisle Boulevard, NE, in Albuquerque.

Back east I tended to source shirts at Savers. I’d usually pay $1.99 to $3.99 per. And with America always getting bigger, scoring X-larges was pretty easy. I’d fretted about finding a similar market out here in Albuquerque. No need! Turns out that Savers is three miles down the road from our rental house. The kid and I headed there this afternoon. I got the goods, and she picked up a Stephen King novel. It was a good day for all.

What’s currently making your day? How do you deal with the loss of a vendor?