New Beginnings on Off the Wall Friday

The Fiber Art Studio, John C. Campbell's Folk School

 I want to thank everyone for the grace you've shown me as I took the summer off from blogging.  One thing I have learned after having a blog for 15 years is that blogging seems to go in cycles and it's not a bad thing to just go with the flow.  I actually thought of stopping.  Most of my favorite bloggers have.  I get why though.  After so many posts there isn't a ton to say.  My husband talked me out of it.  He reminded me that this blog isn't just about posting interesting content (although I do try - honest!).  It's served as a journal of my creative life  - the good - the bad - and - the ugly.

Also, I'm the kinda person that can only seem to have one big mission at a time.  This summer, I was

acclimating to a my new job and helping my team get back on track.  Let me tell you...after working for my last company for 12 years and from home for the last 7, the change was a lot.  Just working in an office environment after being gone since...let me see...1993 was a lot.  Funny though, as much as things change, things still seem to stay the same.  I've learned that career changes can be exhausting and very fun.  Fun at any time is great, but at work it's especially refreshing.

Soooo thank you!

But on to new beginnings!  The biggest news is that I signed up for next year's vacation which will be our anniversary week in May.  We are going to John C. Campbell's Folk School where I'll be taking Rug Hooking and my husband is going to learn about bee keeping.   We can't wait.  FINALLY the two classes that we both really wanted to take fell on the same week.

From the JCC Website!

Learning how to traditionally hook a rug has been on my bucket list since I was 25.  At the time I was an environmental engineer who went around and did all sorts of safety work.  One day, I was assigned to do air testing at a senior center about 4 hrs south of my house.  There I met a senior lady who came every week to work on her hook rugs in the rec room.  She was kind enough to teach me all the basics about hooking a rug and then let me hook with her.  I was totally fascinated.  The idea that you could recycle wool clothes, cut them into strips and make them into the rugs was amazing.   I was never so sorry to see my 4 hr air test come to an end, but I promised myself that I would some day get back to really learning the art.  Not much after, I got a quilting book by mistake and was off on another mission.  Still rug hooking has been waiting for me to try it out again.  

The fascinating thing about rug hooking though is that it's a great partner with both traditional and art quilting.  It's all hand work but I can easily use all my design skills to create my own designs.  Plus  - go figure - you can dye wool just like you can dye cotton and silk. Now I don't think I'm going to drop quilting to become a hooker - do they call them that?  Well you know what I mean.  

Everyone has a bucket list and with me looking at 60, it's time I started on mine.  

It's funny how new things can get your creative juices flowing again right?

That's what's new with me...

What Have You've Been Up to Creatively?

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