1.  Read a book or two-  I have recently finished Death in the City of Light and In the Garden of Beasts.

2.  Start finding time to knit for myself-  I’ve picked back up the lace table cloth that I started knitting (and have been knitting on and off again) on over 14 years ago.  I am almost finished with it by the way!

3.  Find more time for exercise- I’ve gotten back to Derby Lite skating each week this month after missing 5 weeks over the holidays.  I could feel the burn the first day, but it’s been feeling wonderful, especially the fun of our Rave Night skate last Thursday complete with mirror ball and glow sticks!

4.  Take a class for myself-  I’ve been going to Whispers From the Moon’s Art for the Soul Series on Friday mornings.  There is nothing like tapping into the creative energies of a group art class.  Lisa at Whispers takes you on a journey to touch your soul’s deepest message through the process of setting an intention and following the creative path.  I’m always amazed by the insights I come away with from her workshops as well as the peace I feel after a morning being creative with no goal other than to enjoy the process.

So, I’ve been trying very hard to be a little lazy.  That is easier said than done however.  In January I have gotten caught up on paying bills, reconciling bank statements, cleaning at home and the studio, getting some overdue electrical work done, setting doctors appointments for myself and my kids, taken my son back to college, taught several classes and birthday parties in the studio, put together a new list of studio classes, set budgets for 2012, and planned for Summer Art Camp.  But it has been at an easier pace.  I’ve also, slept in a little later some mornings, stayed away from my computer and email, let the bathrooms stay dirty and not gone into the studio every single day of the week.

So, now it is getting near the end of the month.  I feel a little like I’m falling behind.  I have several projects for customers that I need to get completed.  I need to really get moving on the plans and organization for the Summer Art Camp in the Arts District.  I need to get the income tax stuff off to the accountant.  I need to, need to, need to.   So , that is my plan for tomorrow.  Get it all done!  Then I will still have a few days left in January to goof off.  And oh yeah, February has an extra day this year to play!

For us Columbus Day means time for fun in the studio!  The kids had the day off school, so they channeled their energies to create some spooky Halloween decorations!  We started the day with our “Day’s Off School” in the Oak Park Arts District  program.  A fun group of children came in and felted a spider-web complete with a big black (woolly) spider!!!  Using grey pencil roving they “spun” a web and with wool roving they laid out a big black spider on top.   After some wetting, soaping, rolling and rubbing they ended up with quite a creepy felted wool decoration.

After lunch we had birthday party for Ella.  She and her friends went wild with the sock monster project!  First they made stuffed and stitched Jack-o-lanterns.  Then they came up with some pretty crazy sock monsters!  All in all a really fun day off of school!!

Remember – Veteran’s Day is just around the corner.  Where will your child be????  Schedule now for some fun time in the studio~~~~

hand spun yarn

Of the many things we did in the studio this summer, one of the most fun for me had to be spinning with a drop spindle.  In the past I had always thought that it made no sense to spin my own yarn.  Really, does it make any sense to add another level of time and effort to the creating of an item?  As an artist it is already a challenge to create and then set a monetary value on an object or garment that reflects the time it took to make it.   But we were doing the Children’s Fiber Art Camp in July and it seemed like it would be a great learning activity to have the kids build their own spindles and learn to spin with them.  So, with a dowel, a rubber bumper and a tiny cup hook we made a simple tool that has been used for hundreds of years to spin fiber into a strong filament for use in our textile projects.  What I didn’t realize was how totally relaxing the process was going to be.  We started with simple and cheap materials for our first attempts.  Ripping strips of newspaper and spinning it was a huge success.  We created a strong paper string.  Of course we ended up with ink on our hands, but the paper string would be great as a creative ribbon on gifts or for other crafty packaging projects.

Next we hand-painted some wool pencil roving that a customer had donated last year to the studio. (Thank you again anonymous donor!)  It was rather scratchy, coarse wool and some had been moth eaten.  But it dyed up beautifully and was easy to get the hang of spinning with.  When I plied it with softer, finer yarns it became somewhat more pleasant and could be used for decorative items, if not for wearable pieces.

Dropping the spindle and watching it wind up the fibers over and over creates a relaxing rhythm.  No real thoughts or worries can distract you as you keep a steady drop, spin and draw of the fibers through your fingers.   It is easy to stay in the moment and becomes almost meditative.  It isn’t exactly a method suitable for mass production, but you probably could have guessed that.  It is however more about the process than the product.

We are offering a Wild & Wooly Wednesday class series this fall for adult students (why should kids have all the fun?).  This Wednesday, September 14th we will be painting and dying wool yarn and roving with acid dyes.  Next month, October 12th we will be building drop spindles and enjoying the Zen of Spinning.  November’s second Wednesday will be Nuno-felting basics and in December we will be creating for the holidays with Needle-felting.  Join us for one or all 4 classes.  They are sure to relax and unwind you as well as stretch your creative abilities!  Please visit our Studio Class page for more information and to register for these and all of our scheduled Fall Classes.

It was so much fun to see the excitement when the students saw their designs come to life. On the last day of camp the young designers presented their final designs just like the professionals!

During the camp planning it was joked that maybe it should be titled “Dream Busters” camp.  (If they see the reality of the behind the scenes, they might be scared away from the fashion world.)  In reality Germaine and Pam saw the joy of the fashion world reflected in the students work,which provided fresh inspiration and renewed joy in the work they do every day.  Stay tuned for Fashion Design Camp 2012.  Plans are already in the “design phase”!!!

First we have Miss M and Miss S.  They’ve been in to the studio the past couple of summers.  At age 8 they had big ideas for what they wanted to sew this summer.  First I had them draw their design and label the features of the garment.  We had two lovely strapless dress designs with layers of ruffles.  Now, I explained that as a designer sometimes what you envision and what you end up creating can be quite different, but that sometimes the results are better than you could have expected.  With that we drew up the flat pattern pieces and calculated their fabric needs.  Off they went with grandma to the fabric store to purchase an “under” fabric of a knit jersey and an over fabric of sheer “delight”!  Miss M chose bright pink with silver sparkles and Miss S chose the same fabrics in deep blue.  Miss M’s design had wider layers of ruffles starting higher on the dress and Miss S had a dropped waist with narrow ruffles layered on the skirt only.

These girls came a total of 5 three hour lessons and 3 two hour lessons.  We gathered and ruffled and inserted invisible zippers.  They were so thrilled with the results!  At the last lesson we even had time to create embellishments and accessories.  We melted the edges of our flower petals with a candle and made flower accessories including a choker, bracelet and pin.  What a fun time they had and what beautiful results.  I can’t wait to hear where they wear their gowns.  I bet they will be the envy of all their friends!

We also had Miss J and Miss E come in to the studio to sew and create this summer.  Miss J made this very cute plum and print tote bag and a pair of pajama pants.  Miss E made fleecy pillows for everyone in her family and a cute cotton purse!  They also had time to do some needle felting too!

The students have learned everything from zippers and button holes to gathering and hand stitching and I’ve learned to stay patient even when I’ve helped pick the same seam out to fix it three times and when I’ve had to fix the bobbin thread yet again, because someone forgot to lower the pressure foot!  It is all worth it when you see the results and the smiles.

Grandma Vicie's Butterfly quilt, via Kelly Larson

We are opening a new show titled “Lady Ga-Ga”, Lady Generations – Generating Art…. honoring our maternal family we have invited female textile artists to show their personal artwork and the work of their mothers, sisters, daughters and female family members. Artist statements which explain, explore and exalt the creative influence of the feminine family circle will be included. Participating artists include: Kelly Larson, Gina Lee Robbins, Jessica Roble-Cinelli, Jude Wroblewski, Bonnie Prokopowicz, Pamela Penney and more.  The show continues through July 9th.

For our opening reception this Friday May 20, 2011 at 6:00pm – 10:00pm.  We will be offering refreshments and celebrating spring!  All are invited and we will be offering a gift to the best dressed “Lady Ga Ga”!  Please join us for a fun evening.  If you can’t come Friday, stop by the district on Saturday when the street is closed for visiting artists and musical guests!

And this group of 10 girls created Sock Monsters by cutting, stitching, stuffing and embellishing a crazy sock!  Some of them even created a birth certificate for their monster (just in case it ever wants to run for President of the US!)  We had some crazy creatures!

If you would like to schedule a birthday party for your child, just email pam@pamelapenney.com and we’ll help you pick an age appropriate project, a date/time, and we’ll plan the fun for your group!

But now back to Maria.  She was a hesitant model when she came in to my place to find the right thing to model for the show.  This one of a kind tunic was perfect as it is almost as “green” as she is!  I created this tunic from salvaged and pieced cashmere and wools that are collected from damaged old sweaters, primarily from Oak Park’s own Economy Shop!  They collect the sweaters that have holes and stains and let me purchase them at a good price.  The sweaters don’t get thrown away just because the resale shop can’t sell them and I get a good deal on cashmere!  Maria felt so good in the tunic and she looked great in it!  And look how cute Oscar Moran is in his outfit from Majamas (also located in the Arts District).   The luncheon was very nice and a great way to see all that Oak Park has to offer.  It is also a great way to promote local shopping.  And I really enjoyed sitting with Holly, Elva and Patrick from Visit Oak Park too.  All in all a lovely luncheon today in Oak Park!

Eiffel Tower, Paris

I’ve been back from Paris, France for 5 days now and I can’t get “back to normal”.  First, I ate so many wonderful meals there that nothing here can compare.  Of course, I have a few extra pounds to work off despite the fact that we were walking from morning to way into the night each day while there.  And we did climb all those stairs to the top of Notre Dame!  There were so many beautiful and inspiring things to see and do in the city that I will not try to cover everything in one posting.  Let’s just say I’ve come back with my head spinning with new ideas and enthusiasm.

on top of Notre Dame

The boutiques and shop windows alone are enough to keep me going with new ideas for the gallery.  The art galleries and seeing the fine works in the Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay and the Rodin Museum will also continue to influence my artwork in the months to come.

For now I must work on getting back to the routine of everyday life here and find a way to bring a little of the Paris experience with me!!!

The second garment was for Brenda.  She brought me some lovely cashmere and wool sweaters to work with.  And that was a couple of years ago!  I don’t know what happened exactly.  Somehow, this project just didn’t get off the ground.   I was just blocked with how to proceed on this.  I think I was worried about it not being what she wanted.  But once I got rolling this one too, was a lot of fun to create and Brenda looked perfect when she tried it on.  It has definitely gotten me on a roll again and I am currently working on several new garments.  It is so easy to get wrapped up in business, bookkeeping, store keeping, organizing, and let the creating time get pushed onto the “back burner” as they say.  It was nice to put creating time back on the priority list and I am looking forward to sharing some more new things with you soon!