Living the Woven Life

Threads are a part of my daily life

I have just finished a one year position

as part of the Mirrix Looms

Social Marketing team.

I must say it was quite an honor to work

with Claudia and Elena.
An extroidinary Mother and Daughter team.

I learned a lot about marketing,

social media and how to even use a new

blog software called Hubspot.

Everything in life is a learning experience,

is it not?

I wanted my last blog post for them

to be one that was heartfelt.

I believe I accomplished that ...

I entitled the post

"Living the Woven Life"

and I spoke about how it is to be

a Tapestry Weaver today,

what it involves

and how it is to live a life

creatively each and every day.
How to slow down and
truly enjoy the weaving process.
For me, it is a gift to have returned
to this art form, and I am grateful.

Rather than state it all here

I would love for you to visit their site

and read it,

even if you aren't a Tapestry Weaver,

I do believe you will enjoy the read

and apply the thoughts to other parts of your life.

You can find the post HERE . . .

My handwoven pouch giveaway 

I wanted to do something special for Mirrix Looms

and I created this handwoven pouch necklace

and wrote two blog posts about how it was

designed, created and woven.

At the end of this month,

a lucky winner will get this pouch,

full of love and inspiration tucked inside.

In a previous blog post of mine,

I wrote about the joy of giving to others ...

you can read HERE ...

It's certainly been a heartfelt week for my family and I.

I lost my precious Father n Law,

who suffered from ALS with strength and dignity.

 Emotions are flying right now,

and trying to put into words how I feel can't be done.

How important it is to live your life well,

to be content with where you are at this moment,

to treat others with consideration, love and respect.

I promise you can't go wrong if you do.

I am hoping that your week is filled with good things,

and happiness finds you at every corner.

Donna Lee

Creating something for someone else

My finished woven pouch

I have been working on this Handwoven Pouch

for a few months as a fun blog post/giveaway

for Mirrix Looms.

I have had the pleasure of being a part

of their Social Marketing Team this past year,

and I wanted to finish my commitment with a fun weaving project.

A year flew by and I enjoyed being a part of the

Mirrix Team immensely.

I had such a fun time working on it,

and as I was creating the piece,

I was learning new weaving techniques along the way.

Tapestry Weaving is all about learning

and growing in this art form.

From the beginning design and planning stage, 

to choosing the correct sett and fibers,

learning to fix and reason out my mistakes along the way, 

visualizing a finished product,

and learning to take some weaving shortcuts.

Weaving, Learning and Taking Notes

I have learned so much from being a Tapestry Weaver,

so any time that I can spend at my looms

is a wonderful thing!

I am a Seeker,

always looking for ways to learn something new,

experience new things

and share my knowledge along the way.

Tapestry Weaving is a gift to the soul,

a quiet path taken with myself.

Adding some Rya knots to the front flap

As I finished the project I had designed,

I wanted to do something for Mirrix Looms,

as a way of saying thanks for the past year.

Thanks for choosing me among all the applicants,

for trusting my written word on their Blog each month,

and for supporting my efforts.

I decided to give the pouch away to one lucky winner!

Claudia and Elena (Mother and Daughter team of Mirrix)

 were thrilled with the idea!

So they decided during the month of June,

to give a discount for Spencer Treadle sales,

and at the end of the month,

they would draw a name of one PERSON who had purchased

a treadle during the month of June ...

honestly I can't wait to see who wins!

Sometimes we need to give to others,

Pay it forward ... It just feels right!

That's what I wanted to do with this fun project!

So inside I tucked a message ...

"Weave Tapestry"

I included a pink quartz stone ...

extending a gift of calmness and clarity.

There was a lot of love tucked inside.

Small treasures inside

I learned a lot from this project:

*How wonderful it is to design something

from start to finish

*To work out design ideas on my own

*I know I love weaving fine settings

with beautiful silk threads

*How good it is to share your work with others

*Sharing your knowledge, weaving and talents

with others is a good thing.

*Creating something for someone else feels down right awesome

I look forward to the end of June,

may the recipient love the pouch when they receive it,

as much as I loved creating it.

When you are given the chance to share,

please do it!

Giving is a good thing;

not for the recipient but for YOU!

Growth comes when we extend ourselves,

give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Donna Lee

A Happy Little Woven Piece

In my last post a few weeks ago, 

I was just beginning to work on a 

small tapestry face.

It was a project I had wanted to try

for such a long time.

I had recently finished weaving

my Eccentric Woven Eyeglass Case

and my sweet Mirrix Loom was sitting empty

and ready for a new warp!

I had just added the Spencer Treadle

(an electric foot pedal)

to my 22" Zach Mirrix Loom,

and I was eager to give it a try.

I put on a small 3" wide warp,

sketched a small face

(inspired by my sweet friend Mindy Lacefield)

you can find her online class on painting faces

right here

Instead of using paints, I was going to create with fiber!
(I even used some of my handspun yarn for her hair)

Each morning before work

I sat at the loom and wove a little before my day began,

sometimes a coffee and scone helped me along!

Boy did I learn many lessons during this tiny

weaving project ...  I didn't think something so

small could teach me so much!

It's definitely not as easy as it seems

I had to learn to adjust to an electric pedal for sure

Even with a small cartoon behind, the design might change

Tapestry continues to kick my butt

I am learning and growing stronger as a Tapestry Artist

I love this weaving process so much

Mirrix Looms are amazing for sure

I made some mistakes, but I also learned how to correct them

I am inspired by other Tapestry Weavers

that make this look so easy

So meet my little "Ruthie"

dedicated to the amazing

Ruth Collier Manning

who inspires me with her weaving,

her gentleness and her wonderful faces.

She makes it all seem so effortless!

One day I will have the pleasure of

taking one of her classes in person!!!

I'm kinda in love with her!

I wonder what my next little person will look like,

can't wait to start another one!

Have a great rest of your summer ...

I'll return after Labor Day with a more regular blog posting.

I told myself I would return to my big tapestry the beginning of fall,

and I have to put a new warp on my Mirrix to keep working

on my online class with the amazing Rebecca Mezoff!

Summer time is meant to have no rules and no deadlines!

It has been a special time of being with family, my puppy,

taking the time to rest the soul,

rejuvenate my spirit,

and prepare for the fall!

I did all that and more!

Donna Lee

Tapestry Artist

(well ... Learning and Discovering Tapestry Artist!)