Another sale goes in the record books!

Ah, the last day of the sale and I am the wrapper!  That means it is my job to "wrap" the purchases.  Hell, I showed up with my microphone and a tune all composed:

"Hey there people, see the threads!

 Check out the hats for your heads!

The fleece is spun so you can knit!

Come on in-this is IT!"

Well, they put a stop to that sort of "rapping" very quickly and showed me what I was actually put here to do.  And here is my first "wrap"!

And here is the lady who is proudly carrying it home!  Wonderful lady and very happy!

And here we have two of the honchoes who would not let me do the "rap music!"On the left is Joanne Caldwell and on the right is Carole Snow.  They are but 2 of the many people who keep the sale running smoothly and make it possible for the lazy little Lou to set home and still make money!

 

This is Hannah Guthrie who was the sales lady on this second shift.   I know Hannah when I see her, but never her name.  This gave us an opportunity to get to know each other better.  She uses my butters, so now I can deliver to her instead of her waiting a whole year to get her hands on it.  I very much enjoyed working with her today.

And I got to help do the "take down" and visit a bit with Sue Seufer.  She does lots of different things and can spin like no one's business!  That is me sucking up to a real artist below!

Now the place is about to get completely empty!  I need to add here that no good deed goes unpunished.  I was trying to move a naked mannequin across the floor to the front door without putting my hands on her inappropriately.  To make a long story short, her arm fell off and whacked me right across the mouth.  How I am going to explain this one to my friends at church this morning is beyond me, but if any of you have an idea, please, do share it with me!

But one more thing before we leave.  We sold chances on a rug and this was the winner!  I did not get her name, but look at that smile!   Happy woman!  Nice rug! 

And so to bed!

 

 

 

Play pretties from the Vail Hotel.

I am pretty sure this was made by Marilyn Hoisington.  If I ever figure out how to do this, the world will be my oyster!  Now, let's see what else is hanging out here at the Vail.  Bear in mind that my information that I should put with the items is out in the car, and it is dark and scary out there.  I will try to put names on stuff tomorrow, but for tonight, just enjoy the pictures.

This is a weird looking bird and I am betting that Janet Anslovar had a hand in this.  If not, I will correct it tomorrow.  Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow!  Mother taught me that.

This is made of wire and I poked my tiny little finger on one of the wires.  Need to be careful around sharp wires. Mother taught me that also.  That and not to run with scissors.  I listened to mother and that is why I am still alive today!  It is gold and red wires.

Button made from an antler.  That is too cool!

Bookmarks?

An apple that used to be a gourd.  I made that!

This is almost see through.  I like the little pieces of color and the texture is subtle.

Ok, I am going to grab a glass of milk and go to bed.  I promise I will do better tomorrow.  (Bet you have heard that before!)  And you will hear me say, as I disappear from sight,

Merry Wednesday to all and to all a good night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Handwoven Holiday Sale is open at the Vail Hotel!

I jumped up this morning, ran through the shower and headed off to the Vail Hotel in Historic downtown Pueblo to work my shift at the sale.  First I had to have Patty Lynn braid my hair and this time she braided the ribbon in with the hair.  Cute, huh?

Here is the Handweavers Sale sign against the backdrop of the beautiful, historic Vail Hotel.  Did you know Clark Gable spent the night there with Carol Lombard, his wife at the time?

This is one of the beautiful stained glass windows that are in the room we have the sale in.

This shot is out the window towards the El Pueblo Museum.

 

Out this window we can see the Sister Cities Plaza.  Behind it is our Senior Center (SRDA)  Lots of demonstrations have taken place here over the years and I might have attended one, or maybe two.  Maybe.

But in here is a real demonstration!  Here we have Marilyn Hoisington giving a demonstration on the floor loom. I do not remember what this pattern is called, but it is on the 4 harness loom.  Since it is the  Hand weaver's  sale, we are always in search of people wanting to learn to weave.  We also do spinning, felting, crochet, knit, basket weaving, dying, and decorate gourds.

This is a close up of what they are working on today.

Over the next few days I will introduce you to a few of our ladies.  Not many men in our guild at all!

This is Colette Wright who is honchoing the upper room, where all the bookkeeping stuff goes on and I am glad she is doing that and not me!

Each year we set aside a "donation table" and the proceeds from that table go to a worthy cause.  This year they are going to Los Pobres Migrant Center in Avondale and dear Sister Nancy Crafton dropped by today to leave some brochures.  I love that woman. 

These are the ladies running the checkout table today.  Tomorrow we will get more personal!  Stay tuned!

But for tonight, a good night to you all.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, I think I did this right!

Weaver Guild Christmas Party!!

Now if you will click on that slide show it will get very big.  then you will be able to read what they are also.  I did not put names on them because that would take way to much of my valuable time.  Suffice it to say a good time was had by all!  A better time was had by these two!

Joanne Caldwell brought some wedding punch which contains a quart of Tequila.  She omitted the Tequila since we were all driving, but these two did not know that!  This is Donna Graham and Cathy Coatney who normally are very quiet and sedate, you know respectable members of the guild, but for some reason it was laugh at Lou day and I did not say anything to get them started.  I was my usual quiet sedate self.  They were discussing Mistletoe and I may have made an off handed remark, but I can not be sure.

So, any way, there was lots of very good food there and if you ever get a chance pop in on a pot luck hosted by a bunch of gabby women trying to out do each other.  I am thinking of joining a lot of these womens groups so I can get big and fat.  Or not.

Just want to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to my Handweavers Guild of Pueblo.  Probably not going to see most of you until the next meeting, so this is for all of you:

May your joys be many,

Your heartaches be few.

And may the dear Baby Jesus

Sprinkle Star Dust on You!

Smiles, Lou



As promised!

Joan Archuleta and who is that with her?

Well, I'll be darned!  It is Joan and her lovely daughter, Sheryl and the twin grand daughtes, Sophia and Anna!  Come to see Grandma!  Grandpa Ruben is probably home warming up the television and rooting for the Raiders!  Bad Ruben! Not really.  Ruben is a publish author as well as a very accomplished sculpter.  And he used to be police chief or something along that line.  I do not know that personally, only what I read in the papers!  (I am a very good girl!)  Goes to show our Guild ladies do have a life away from the loom, spinning wheel, sheep  and whatever else occupies their fingers and minds.

 Now take a gander here at a couple pieces Joan made.  On the left is a purse and on the right are 2 mats.  This woman is one of the best Navajo weavers I have ever had the chance to encounter.  I am dieing  to go to her house cause I know she has a "walking loom" and I do not even know what one is.  Her rugs do not hang around long so I do not have any pictures to show you.  You might check over on Facebook cause I think Ina has been snapping pictures all week and she actually takes very good pictures as opposed to mine.  She would never zero in on a purse in front of an open window and expect that to come out good.  But that is just a small part of my charm!

But to show that wool is not her only medium, here are a set of placemats she produced.  They are very nice and she did the hem stitching on the ends which is always a very nice finish.  I do it cause it is easier then trying to catch all those thread and tie knots in them.
Now, to show her softer side, last year she was busy knitting helmet liners for our brave troops in Afghanistan.  They were  wool and made out of either drab olive or black.  She gave me the directions and I actually made one and started a second, but I never got them over to her and now I do not know where they are.  (See why I make lists?)
I am very proud to count Joan as one of my friends in the Guild.  There are probably about 85 ladies in our Handweavers Guild of Pueblo.  They come from small towns around also.  I probably know about half of them well enough to call them by name if I met them outside the meeting room.  I would love to be able to spend a day on each of them so you would know them also, but you know how this blog works.  World AIDS day is coming up and I have that to cover.  And life presents me challenges every day, that I must tell you about or pop open!  So here is the deal.  I am going to bring you one or two spaced out over the month.  That way I can pique your interest in my Guild. (Isn't that cute how I call it MY Guild?)
Course I ran into a small problem when I would say "Can I put you on my blog?"  Quick answers...."NO! Now get outta here!"  And some really got firm with me.  LOL! 
Come see my ladies at the sale.  There are only 4 days left!

Sharon Pollock is on the hot seat today!

Let me see how the old memory is working today.  Well, I know this is Sharon Pollock.  I know she comes from Colorado City, which is just up the road a ways.  The "road"  is I 25.  I 25 is one of the nations supply lines from Canada down to Mexico and vice versa.  And according to the paper I see it is not all legal trade either.  I am not really sure Canada exports a lot of merchandise into Mexico, but I only read headlines anyway.
Ok, now I think I remember.  This is Merino and if you click on my pictures they will get bigger.  This has a lovely design and check out the edges on her work.  They are as even and her tension on the whole thing amazes me.  I may have her come hold my little paw and teach me a few tricks.  My edges usually look like a drunken caterpillar laid them out!

On the left is a hand dyed scarf that Sharon made.  On the right is another she made and went to a lot of work tying this into a knot that the ladies have learned to tie and I have not as my attention span is not that long.  I have even forgotten who taught them how to do it, but I knew at one time.  Oh, I remember, it was Jennifer some one.  Hang on and let me go to Youtube and see if I can find the video.  It is called Jennifer ties one on.   Found it.  I will post it at the end of the blog. 
Back on topic.  As I recall, both of these scarvers were white and she hand dyed them at one of Joanne  Caldwell's "Dye Party's".  Remember when we used to throw Tupperware Party's?  Now we just throw Tupperware.
I know Sharon has worked two days at the sale already.  Maybe more.  She is a very good salesperson.  She is a Guild Lady!  And I am very happy I got the chance to work with her at least the one day.  I enjoy working the sale as it gives me a chance to get to know all the ladies better.  So here we have Sharon at the end of her shift and I could be wrong, but I think she may have dozed off on me.  My stories do get a bit boring!



See ya tomorrow!!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiB6HtZNXb8

Betty Kochevar, one of the Grande Dames of the Guild.

Here is our lovely Betty standing by the perpetual calendar, which we are selling at the sale going on right now!  Now when I say Betty is a Grande Dame it is not to be pronounced Grand Dame.  The "a" will be soft as "Graund Daume".  See?  This woman is every inch a lady!  Know up front that classy ladies rarely befriend me, but the ladies of the Guild are different.  See I have to give you a lesson in ladies here.  Women fall into three classes mostly.  There are women, ladies and then the "B" words.  Most of the females in the Guild land right smack in the lady category.  They all have a rather genteel quality about them which is not something that can be forced, but rather something deep inside that is a part of their very being.  Imagine when I first stumbled into a Guild meeting.  Oh, dear!  But most of them accept me without question and actually seem to like me just the way I am.  So, I hang out with my ladies of the Guild!
But this is about Betty and her endeavors.  I forgot to ask her how long she has been with the Guild, but I bet it is a long time.  (When you meet Marilyn Hoisington  I will give you more history.)  Betty was there before me.  She lives over in Joanne Caldwell's neck of the woods and more on that little fox later also.
And here are pictures of Betty showing off some of her work.  Top picture is a Christmas Ornament.
Then a very beautiful scarf of which I did not get a very good picture, but you have come to expect that, haven't you?
Bottom is a beautiful blue vest, which I thought pretty strongly about stealing, but for some odd reason, the women of the Guild bring out the "not being bad girl" side of me.  Bet if I asked her for that she would give it to me.  Sure hope it sells , but the chances of that happening are very good.  Stuff is flying off the shelves.  I think we are going to set a new record on our sale.  I think I heard someone say this is our 27th sale.  Same time, same place every year; the first weekend in November at the Historic Down Town Union Avenue District. 
But once more I do digress!  Back to Betty Kochevar.  I do not ever recall not seeing a smile on her face.  And what I know about her  life is pretty much zilch.  I know she has a husband and that exhausts my knowledge of her home life.  Oh, wait!  This woman is a fantastic cook!  Course most woman that weave their own clothes are not going to be picking up a lot of fast food on the way home from anywhere.
So for the sake of brevity, let us bid a fond farewell to our little Betty and let me go do some thing about that mess in my kitchen!  See you tomorrow; same time, same place!

Tara Matthews is showing off her wares today.

I would like you to meet Tara Matthews.  She is showing off a something or other here that you pull over your head.  She told me what the name of this is but the vacuum between my ears was so loud I missed it.  I think it is like a shawl kind of.  I do know it was very pretty and very soft.  She did a very good job, but then she does very good work.

Now this is a very lovely scarf.  Tara likes to makes scarves and I like to buy them so we have a lot in common there!  Tara has been with the Guild off and on, sometimes here and sometimes moved a way  for about 15 years.  Oh, I like her fingernails!  I usually dine on mine.

When the elections are held next month, I think, Tara will be our second vice president.  First we have a president, then a vice president and then a second vice president.  I think that is how it goes.

Can you see that purse back there?  I did not get a very good picture of it, I am sorry to say. The colors in it are abosolutely vibrant.  Now, what else did you make Tara?

"Oh, let me see!  Hmmm.....I forgot."  I know that feeling Tara, so don't feel bad!  I have never seen so many handwoven pieces in one room before.  I do not even know where mine are.  So I want to thank Tara Matthews for being my subject for today.  And a very good subject she was!

OK, I am going to call it a night and hit the sack.  Remember to set your clocks back an hour.  One year I set them the wrong way and I was two hours early for church.  Course I had 3 grandkids with me and they were little and just figured I was old and addled so I just let them think that.  But now that I am old and addled I have to act like I am not or they will revoke my park pass!!

Have a lovely evening and I will see you tomorrow when I once more go the Vail Hotel and run down some innocent little Guild member and embarrass her to tears.  I am so worthless!