Gosh, is it just me or did life get busy all of a sudden?

I've been kind of quiet on social media for awhile until just the other day--but I'm still here, plugging away in the studio and at the laptop.  Read on a for a recap of recent weavings, new workshop dates added to the schedule, and preparations for the Big Mama of fiber conferences, Convergence! 

I did a little poll on Instagram and Facebook asking folks which arrangement of this 3-part piece worked best.  You've seen it in progress on the loom, and since then I've been dithering about whether to stick with the original layout, with the panels hung separately and offset from each other: 

Molly Elkind, Faraway Nearby, (c) 2022.  Cotton warp, wool, linen, metallic, kudzu wefts.  

Or this one, suggested by my good friend and talented fiberist Julia Stephens, which has more of a collaged feel.  The plan here would be to weave a small inset piece that looks like that yarn wrap in the center top.  

Molly Elkind, alternate view 1, Faraway Nearby, (c) 2022.  
Cotton warp, wool, linen, metallic, kudzu wefts.

A few people suggested this arrangement, which I had tried before and discarded.  But this time around I'm liking it a lot better.  

Molly Elkind, alternate view 2, Faraway Nearby, (c) 2022.  
Cotton warp, wool, linen, metallic, kudzu wefts.

(Please excuse the amateur photos--works in progress!)

The popular vote at first was to stick with the more traditional arrangement, the first one, but lately the third one, just above, is gaining traction.  It's been great to hear everyone's readings of the piece and I'm grateful (though still dithering a bit).  If you have an opinion, please chime in by commenting below!  

Speaking of helpful feedback, my small feedback groups have been going great.  There are three groups of 4 to 6 weavers meeting now on Zoom, once a month, to share their work and get and give feedback.  We also discuss a tapestry or art-biz topic every month, and I throw out a suggestion for experimenting and expanding skills each time as well.   (This is optional, not homework.)  There's one opening in the Monday group; comment below if you want to know more.  

I've also been doing a few more small pieces in the SkyGrass series.  I will be taking these to Convergence as well as some other small work to sell on Saturday night 7:00-7:50 pm.  It was a lot of fun to use Japanese ramie bark yarn from Weaverhouse to embroider a blue grama grass seed-head on the first of these.  Definitely planning to do more experimentation with stitching and weird fibers.  

Molly Elkind, untitled, (c) 2022.  5" x 5"  
Cotton warp, wool weft, ramie stitching

Molly Elkind, untitled, (c) 2022.  5" x 5"  
Cotton warp, Churro wool weft, linen and metallic stitching

Molly Elkind, untitled, (c) 2022.  5" x 5"  
Cotton warp, wool weft, linen, wool and metallic stitching

As you might guess, these are all inspired by the little gold/taupe seed-heads of the native blue grama grass.  The middle one incorporates hand-dyed indigo Churro yarn from the good folks at Tierra Wools.  

At Convergence next week, I'm teaching three times.  On Friday, July 15, I'm doing a full-day class, Weave a Minime, which is full.  On Saturday morning, July 16, I'm offering a 3-hour seminar, Your Tapestry Superpower:  Sampling--all about the various kinds of sampling you can do before sitting down at the loom to make for a less frustrating and more time-efficient tapestry weaving experience.  No loom required for this class.  And in the afternoon on Saturday, I'll present The Contemporary Tapestry Scene:  Trends & Traditions.  This is a 90-minute slide show surveying the field of contemporary woven art.  There's plenty of room in the Sampling class and in the slide talk.   Register here.  

I'm thrilled to report that the remainder of 2022 and 2023 are shaping up to include quite a bit of both in-person and virtual teaching.  You can see my entire teaching schedule here, but here's a quick rundown of recently added opportunities: 

August 20, 2022:  Zoom lecture for Weavers' Guild of St. Louis, Finding my Voice in Fiber. 

October 1, 8, and 9, 2022:  Zoom class sessions for Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance (SEFAA) on Building a Color Palette.  This class offers practical advice (minimal color theory) on selecting a palette for your fiber piece that supports your  intentions, whether it's tapestry or another fiber art medium.  A feedback session will be included in the three session/six hour workshop.  

Nov. 5, 10 and 12, 2022:  Zoom workshop for MidAtlantic Fiber Arts Alliance (MAFA).  This is a brand-new workshop entitled Weaving Landscape in Tapestry.  I'll present a number of approaches to responding to those special places in our lives with woven tapestry.  Six hours spread over three sessions, including feedback.  

July 20-23, 2023:  In-person workshops at New England Weavers Seminar (NEWS), in Worcester, MA.  I'll be offering Collage to Cartoon . . . and Beyond! and Collage:  Design Tool and Art Form.  

You can read more about each of these classes on my website's Workshops page--click on the blue-highlighted titles there to open a PDF with all the details about each workshop.  

It hasn't been all work/no play.  Sam and I spent a wonderful week kayaking and whale-watching in Puget Sound in June.  Thanks to fellow tour members for these photos.   

I hope you get a chance to do meaningful work, connect with your tribe, and get outside and play this summer.  Join me here next month for a full report from Convergence.