Tapestry Camp ... How I spent my summer vacation

Our greeting when we reached the top!

How lucky I was to spend five days this past week,

July 22-26, 2017

at Tapestry Weaving Camp

with Rebecca Mezoff,

an amazing tapestry artist and teacher!

It was held at the Colorado State University,

Mountain Campus,

in Pingree Park.

(Elevation 9000 feet!!!!)

I left home at 4:00 am on a Saturday,

and returned at 2:00 am on Thursday morning.

It was so worth the travel journey to get there!

You see studying with my online teacher in person 

has been on my bucket list for quite some time,

and the journey I walked before the workshop,

well ... let's just say I was having my doubts

as to whether I would actually get there!

But I did and it was a dream come true for me!

I bought a special woven journal for the experience

and began writing in it right away,

at a beautiful Starbucks in Fort Collins,

waiting for Rebecca to pick me up!

(By the time I returned home, the pages were

quite filled up with notes, sketches and things

I didn't want to forget!)

"Being a Tapestry Weaver is certainly a gift"

 I just loved seeing this sign!

 "Blue Spruce" cabin ... My home for the journey!

 What a beautiful campus it was!

Our days were full for sure...

First day was traveling and settling in,

and getting my body adjusted to the high elevation.

We gathered after dinner at the lodge where our classroom would be,

 getting to know each another,

sharing who we were, our tapestry journies

and what brought us to the retreat.

We were all so happy to be there at that moment.

The first thing we saw when we entered

the classroom were tables of yarns,

full of colors and arranged by weights,

different brands ... 

what a feast for the eyes!

We were free to try whatever we wanted,

it was a candy store for weavers!

Yarn Yarn Yarn!

We settled into our places for the duration

and began class the next morning!

Each morning we woke early,

and breakfast was served at 7:00.

The walk to the dining hall was always

full of laughter and great conversation!

Of course, I had to stop along the way

to take a few photos!

Thanks to my rookie Carole for taking this photo in the Aspens!

Each day we had time to weave,

Rebecca gave incredible lectures and slide shows,

Rebecca gave demos of weaving techniques,

we laughed, encouraged each other, shared our work,

shared resources and ideas.

Then there were times you could hear a pin drop it was so quiet,

as we were all working hard on our tapestries.

There was no cell service, limited wi-fi and no email.

"The out of touch" was a refreshing lesson to learn.

Here is a pic collage of each full day I was there,

you can see glimpses of my experiences each day

that I created for my Instagram:

(I didn't get to post till I came down off the mountain)

Final Day!

On the second full day we hiked up to Denny's Point,

and I must say it kicked my butt,

but it was so worth it!

We took time to stop, enjoy the beauty,

drink water, take pictures

until we reached the top!

We were constantly on the search

for our next tapestry inspiration.

There is so much beauty around us,

if only we will see!

Ready to head UP!

Tapestry Hikers here we go!

The view from the top

Just sit here for awhile, rest your weary self!

 Another view from the top

Small treasures everywhere!

So I guess you can see I was thrilled with

each and every moment of my Tapestry Camp.

Rebecca put so much effort into

making it such a great learning experience for us,

and we learned from her, soaking up all of her knowledge.

She never held back and shared freely;

how I appreciate that in a teacher.

If you ever get the chance to take a workshop from her,

GO FOR IT!

You can also learn from her with her online courses,

and just invite her into your home,

anytime you like!

 A Demo of Eccentric Weave (my favorite)

My view for the slide lectures

Rebecca wearing the Tapestry Cuff I brought to her!

So much to say,

So much I experienced,

and I will never forget the awesome time I had.

Now I am home and remembering it all,

trying to put it into words just doesn't do it justice!

Whether it was taking my loom outside to weave,

or finding a quiet moment to spin,

gathering with an amazing group of weavers,

spending time with Rebecca,

creating a tiny little tapestry,

that took hours to create,

it was all so worth it!

 My 8" Mirrix Lani came with me on the plane

 My color gradation work and some pick and pick in between

 My Tapestry family for five days ... how I miss them!

 Spinning with a view and finches everywhere

I only know I left a small piece of my creative heart

in Colorado!

Thank you Rebecca for having the gift of teaching,

the knowledge to share,

and a heart as big as can be!

My heart was full!

Thanks for sticking with me,

I know this was a long post,

there was just so much to share!

Hoping your summer vacations are wonderful too!

Till next time . . .

Love more, Rest your soul

and find time to be creative,

Somehow!

Donna Lee

Returning to the Needle

A work in progress

I have been working on a beautiful sampler 

for months now.

It is titled

"Quaker Seasons of Friendship"

and was created by Designer Pat Ryan
a Crown & Thistle Design.

I first saw it hanging on the shop wall

of 

"Dyeing to Stitch"

my local needlework shop.
(An amazing shop that I took for granted for years)
I chose a beautiful hand-dyed vanilla linen
and variegated hand dyed silk called Berry Cobbler
by BelleSoie

My sister and I both began the piece on the same day,

she has completed and framed hers already
and it is a beautiful accomplishment.

I on the other hand am just a quarter of the way done ...

I am savoring each stitch.

 I have also learned that I can't "stitch along"

with anyone.

I must go at my own pace.
My timing is my timing.
I thought stitching with my Sis would motivate me to stitch more.
It did in the beginning . . .

But I did learn that, I don't want

to stitch under pressure or deadlines,
or along someone else,
it just doesn't work for this little stitcher!
My needlework relaxes me
and I pick it up whenever I can find the time.

This sampler was to be my return to needlework,

after a very long journey away.

Hard to believe that in 1990,

I was the founder of the

Tidewater Sampler Guild,

where women who loved stitching, 

antique samplers and their history

used to gather

at the Historic Francis Land House

here in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

I stitched for years and then slowly 

let my life get in the way,

my focus had changed.
Wow that was over 25 years ago!!!!!!!

I've realized now

that sometimes we must walk away from something,

in order to return to it.

So in between working three days a week,

teaching Zentangle®, Tapestry weaving,
raising Josie (my 8 month old Lab)

and loving on my three grand babies,

finding the time to stitch is a sweet luxury!
I did find time to sew this adorable
pin cushion to add to my needlework box,
I love it!
The linen I stitched on had the polka dots on it!

Pattern by The Scarlett House

This past weekend I attended the

Dyeing to Stitch Spring Fling Retreat

at the beautiful

Greenbrier Country Club.

The guest teachers were the design team

of Blackbird Designs,

Barb Adams and Alma Allen   

and they were so amazing!

Two creatives who are the best of friends

and share the love of the needle!
How delightful these ladies were!
How lucky we all were to get to spend time with them
right here in Virginia Beach!

Barb and Alma

We first created an adorable pin cushion box.
It was a lot of fun and lots of laughter

could be heard around the tables!

When our boxes were complete,
Kits were handed out and 
we began stitching the pin cushion,

that will be tucked inside.
(here is what the finished piece will look like)

During the retreat we were also give two other kit designs.
I've got a lot of stitching to do!

Sampler Kits

We created our own pin designs for our cushions
and had fellowship around the tables

with other needlework "enthusiasts"
I plan on making more of these!

My pin designs

I am so glad that I attended this event.

Ann and Pat worked so hard to create

an incredible experience for all who attended!

They sure did succeed!!

My goodness the treats kept coming,

one surprise after another!

The highlight gift was a handwoven basket

created for each attendee,

by 1803 Ohio Farm Basket ... a treasure!!!

The food was delicious,

the teachers were stupendous,

the atmosphere was happy and joyous,

the attendees came from all over the country.
New friendships were made!
We ended with a count of 97 for dinner
on Saturday Evening,
the perfect ending to a perfect day!

Thanks to Ann and Pat
of
Dyeing to Stitch
for a wonderful experience!
One I know I will not forget.
I am sure I speak for all the attendees!

There were over a hundred attendees
to this wonderful weekend.
I heard so often throughout the day
 how lucky we were to have
such an amazing Needlework Store so close by.
I have taken that for granted over the years,
not any more!
Ann and Pat work hard to keep their shop
well stocked with the latest in materials, fibers,
tools and patterns from amazing designers.
They have an open door "You are welcome here ...
pull up a seat and stitch with us for awhile" 
feeling to their establishment.
Apparently that isn't found much in
needlework stores these days.
It was good for me to reminded of that.

I know the saying
"What goes around comes around"
is used an awful lot.
This statement couldn't be more true for me
and my stitching life!
It was always there,
it went away
and now I have returned to it,
I have come full circle.

My stitching treasures

I continue to pursue the Arts that soothe my soul,
Knitting, Stitching, Tapestry Weaving
and my Zentangle® process.
I am always finding moments to calm my heart,
feed my soul
and find joy in the quiet still moments!
I am just so happy to have found
those individuals that share the same passions as I do,
the fellowship makes it all so worth it!



Donna Lee

Teaching the Art of Mandalas

Last Saturday, July 26, 2014

we gathered together for yet another

Artful Spirit Workshop

at the beautiful

Virginia Beach Resort Hotel.

We were smaller in numbers this time,

but it was such a wonderful and intimate group!

(We have been in this room before)

I firmly believe that attendance numbers don't matter,

and those who are meant to be there, will be there,

at the exact moment they should be,

for there are lessons each person needs to experience,

in their own time.

We gathered early morning,

and found our own special table

to begin our days creative journey.

This workshop theme Suzan and I presented

was all about Mandalas.

We are both passionate about this art form,

it's history and the benefits they provide

while creating these gems.

(My dear friend Suzan and Artful Spirit partner in Creativity!)

We started with a small warm up of sorts,

watercolors, circles, designs, 

watercolor crayons, ink

just allowing ourselves the gift of play.

We are all so busy in our lives,
how wonderful it was to allow ourselves the gift
of one day,

to play and be creative with others!
Leaving our lives behind for a short while.

(Watercolor play)

(Concentration happening here!)

We then created a mandala

from our watercolors,

our ink drawings.

We had words, words, words everywhere

and each participant

created an intention, or saying in their mandala.

We were very pleased with the results.

(Gathering our work in the circle)

I can't take credit for this technique,

for I first learned it from the amazing

Louise Gale and her mixed media mandala class,
(being offered again in October 2014)

I learned so much from her
and other courses I have taken.
Studied different techniques
and made them my own.

I was sharing what I learned,

how I made it my own style

and shared with others.

I am sure in return, our students today

will take what they learned from

Suzan and I and make it with their own styles.

We played with watercolor brushes,

different sizes and then painted a second mandala,

adding our ink drawings in the center

and more affirming words.

(More circle time with our finished work)

Each time we created and finished a piece,

we gathered together in the front of the room,

creating a mosaic with our finished pieces,

this is something I always do with my Zentangle Students,

taking the time to admire each others work,

and commenting on the lessons we learned.

I had created a nature mandala 

for all to enjoy,

explaining how fun this is to go out into the world,

create a mandala from nature,

walk away from it

and leave your gift for others to enjoy!

(Just a little nature play)

The amazing Shelly Norris,

then shared how we can create our own mandalas

with beautiful stones,

sharing the benefits of each gemstone

and their meanings,

what fun!

Shelly is doing amazing work with 

her gemstone business
Ms. Shelly's Rocks

and it was so fun to have her with us this Saturday!
It was the perfect addition to our creative day!

(Shelly teaching us about rocks and gemstones)

We then shared a beautiful lunch together in 

the hotel restaurant overlooking

the Chesapeake Bay,

fellowship is important

and I loved all the conversations

happening around the table.

We even created our own

mandala centerpiece for the table,

symmetry, symmetry, symmetry!

(Lunchtime centerpiece)

After returning from lunch,

I peeked in the room 

and noticed one student stayed in the room,

eating her lunch she had brought,

and kept on creating,

she was truly loving every moment.

I had to capture this picture!

It truly warmed my heart.

(How I love this photo!)

We then tried something new,

Mandalas on art boards,

something I have been selling on my own

little Etsy shop for quite some time,

(Happy Lights and examples of my own work)

I was now sharing my techniques with others.
I truly love working on these art boards,
they are so easy to work with
and take a variety of textures and paints.

You can find my original pieces for sale here

(My sis was in deep concentration)

(My demo at the table)

"Leave Your Mark"  a beautiful finished piece

(My happy daughter-n-law Lauren)

We used 8 x 10 art boards,
already spray painted with stencils,
then each attendee picked the one they wanted,
and created fun backgrounds with
all kinds of colors and textures.
After drying, they then drew their own
mandala designs over the painted surface,
each one was beautiful and had their own style!
I was so proud of them!
So much talent and exploration in one room.

(Love the colors and designs happening here!)

(Mother and Daughter creating together ... LOVE!)

Another completed work

Taking a quick pic of her beautiful piece

I have saved the best for last ...
our community mandala.
Each attendee was given
"a slice of the mandala"
to work on throughout the day,
we then brought them together
and Suzan mounted our pieces into a whole,
when we gathered and saw the finished product,
I think it truly took our breath away.

Created by one of my Zentangle students ... can you tell???

Our finished group mandala ... totally took my breath away!

We talked about community and coming together,
living with an artful spirit
and the joy of creating
of course we had to take our signature group picture
with our toes around the mandala
(cause not everyone is comfortable taking a pic)
it's become An Artful Spirit tradition!

We then surprised our attendees with a drawing,
and one lucky girl
Susan Pease
was our winner.
The joy is always in the giving!

It was an amazing day,
a creative boost,
a time of love and fellowship
and as always
I can 't wait for our next one!

We meet quarterly,
Our next gathering of creative spirits
will be Saturday, November 1
and the theme will be
Artful Spirit Collage
(aka Soul Collage Techniques)

See you there!

Donna Lee