A Wonderful time at Trilogy...

On Sunday, August 10th, I was afforded a wonderful opportunity to share my passion as well as my new store and teaching academy  with the community of Trilogy.

I was excited to see that my passion for multi-generational teaching was warmly embraced by the attendees, as we discussed having auntie/niece, grandma/grandson, even grandpa/grand-daughter and daughter knitting sessions, or perhaps a soap felting session as the holidays approach?  

It warmed my heart, especially since I was blessed to live near the most wonderful grandma in the world - mine!, that so many grand-parents have relocated from all over the country to be near their family. What lucky grandchildren!

I am looking forward to seeing this dynamic group of individuals again, either in a class or stopping by my boutique to just say hello!  Perhaps the wonderful lady who bought one of my hats will pop her head in the door sporting it!

Hopefully all our paths will cross again,

All my best,

Catherine 

"Where do you buy your fabric?"

This is a question that I get all the time and I take it as a true compliment!  The fabric I use to make my garments, hats, scarves, pillows, etc., all starts with a form of yard work.

Everyone on our farm pitches in and has chores...including our goat herd!  Here you see the kindergoat dairy goats - Latte and Espresso (that provide the milk for our soaps) and the angora and cashgora fiber goats - Barista, Chai, Frappuccino and half-n-half that supply us in beautiful fleece. (think we live near Seattle or something?)

"my daughter resting on Chai before the work begins"

Twice a year, in the spring and fall, the fiber goats all get a shearing.  This is a welcomed event to them, since each fleece can weight up to 15lbs and is extremely warm and itchy, not to say dirty!  When I teach children about the fleece, and they comment on the dirt and smell, I ask them how their hair would be if it was never washed nor brushed for 6 months and they lived outside?

"half of Chai is done...more to go!"

One would be amazed at how heavy those shears are!  They become especially heavy when you are also maneuvering around a 125lb goat! At least we are electrified and do not have to use scissors, as we did in the beginning!

"Chai thanking his hair stylists!"

It takes about an hour for us to shear, per goat.  We are sure others do it faster, but we find that we enjoy the time spent with each animal, and they get a "pedicure" at the same time...we call it going to the "Foothills Farm Spa".

"all sheared out!  Need the people spa now!"

After 3 - 4 goats, one's back begins to definitely fatique!  We have found that we can really only shear 3 at the most, so usually daddy...Barista...gets his own day!

We leave the leftover fleece on the ground for the birds and small animals.  Our resident barn swallow family has been using our fleece for nesting materials for the past several years.

So, as you can see, I take it as a compliment that the fabric looks so effortless...oh, how looks can be deceiving!

All my best,

Catherine

Live Performance!

I did it!  

Meticulously I held the photograph from the Dress Rehearsal and replicated exactly as Debi Kennedy had set-up for me.  Fortunately she had drawn a detailed schematic for the very first thing to set-up, the tables, we couldn't figure out how to get the 3 tables in that small space...voila!  We had the drawing!

Not having a sign, for I had not seen a design that represented me, I scrambled the week before when I came up with the idea of using a dresser mirror frame from the local goodwill!

EF Printing in Duvall helped bring my vision to life...they scanned my actual hand-made fabric, took meticulous measurements, and using my logo, created what I had dreamt of.   I love it!

It is always a wonderful and exciting feeling knowing that my work will be traveling the country as well as locally.  Whenever a customer purchases one of my fiber works, I take a picture of them wearing it.  I photograph each of my pieces, but not until it has found a new home, and then it goes into my personal scrap book.

(sometimes, unfortunately, I get so busy talking with a client that I forget to photograph!)

Thank you to everyone that came to my "live performance", you helped make it truly memorable!

All my best,

Catherine

 

A Tuesday Dress Rehearsal Performance...

My good friend, Debi Kennedy, who is a professional retail/display designer, came and spent a wonderfully sunny and warm afternoon on my farm walking me through "dress" rehearsal.

Deb directed our every move like a seasoned symphonic conductor.   My incredibly supportive husband, Dan, had all the large "percussion" instruments covered as he hoisted and lifted on cue.

I, on the other hand, just sat in the audience with my mouth agape watching the performance and incredible story unfolding, all the while clapping and saying "oooh, aaaah".

Catherine

Visit me at Bellevue...

Time is running out...there are not enough seconds in a minute nor hours in a day to get all my creative ideas transformed into reality.

No sooner do I see a newly bloomed flower than I am mixing dyes in a pot attempting to replicate Mother Natures perfect "periwinkle".  As the silk and merino quietly absorb the colors, I feverishly am laying out design patterns in anticipation of a newly created garment...purse...pillow...hat...table runner?

Please come visit me at the Bellevue Festival of the Arts.  I will be directly across from International Jewelers store doors on NE 8th St.

Catherine

Realizing a dream...

As early as I can remember I used to play "store" in my Grandma Esther's kitchen.  She would let me pull out all her spices and canned goods and arrange them on the 1950's formica countertop so that my customer (Grandma Esther) could happily "buy" her groceries from me. 

We would use pretend money that I would make from scratch paper. She always helped "restock" the shelves...a customer and employee all-in-one! Everything she bought was in the small size so that little can of Hershey chocolate syrup and small jar of mayonnaise was perfect for a little 6 year old's store.

Now that can of chocolate syrup and jar of mayonnaise have transformed into purses, scarves, hats, vests, pillows and even soap. 

Every time I  enter the store it feels familiar, perhaps because I have "stocked" these shelves for nearly 40 years.  The only thing missing is my all-in-one employee...

Catherine

Bellevue here I come...

Much to my delight, I have been accepted into the Bellevue Arts Fair.  Having been a patron of the fair for over 20 years, I am looking forward to the priviledge of seeing the inner workings of an art venue with such an outstanding reputation.  Both my textile and soap were accepted, for I had to submit each separately, and this is exciting for Bellevue does not usually carry bath/beauty products...only art...but they saw in my soap what I do...textural art!

The fair days are July 25, 26 and 27 from 10am to 8pm.  I do not have access to booth set-up until Thursday night after 10pm so being the morning person I am, this will be the biggest hurdle!

From here on out I will be busy washing, dying, spinning, felting, draping, cutting, sewing, beading, soaping!

Please come visit me at the fair.  I will be located directly across from International Jewelers on Bellevue Way, facing their door.

Off to work!

Catherine

Soap a textile?...

Can soap be considered an art form, and a textile one at that?
I believe so.

The kindergoat- milk soap I make is obviously created with the eye of a textile artist, which I have been learning from my dear friend and mentor, Pat Showalter. Pat worked with textiles specializing in using small hand-dyed batches of fiber to create images that are as full of depth, color and texture as a painting.



Her work is displayed throughout the country.





Migrating from the textile world as she became involved in the development of the Kindergoat breed, she began soap making all the while retaining her textile design elements, which is
part of her personal- fiber make-up: color, texture, attention to detail and beauty.



This she is passing on to me, and it has been great fun as I "experiment" alongside her and ask..."can we try and match this?" and she enthusiastically replies, every time, "why not? Can't hurt to try!".







As a consequence, this unique kindergoat-milk soap can, in fact, be considered a textile.

It has all the color, texture and luxury of a finely made garment as it lovingly drapes the body.

Catherine

Still catches my breath...

When I first saw Kaela's pictures, I literally gasped! I asked her to photograph some of my work so that I could have an accurate representation of the depth of color and texture. She did it!
Kaela, who owns Serendipity Photography in Duvall, WA does amazing work. I knew her from a family portrait session she did. She took the photos in my profile. We had a lot of laughs trying to keep the goats still...the secret...peanuts behind the cello!

With spring quickly approaching, my fiber has been sitting idle for the time being as I have been busy pursuing my other passion, piano.

I have been busy working on several musicals as well as accompanying in several local school districts, teaching and playing for the Sammamish Symphony.

There are just not enough hours nor seconds in the day to do everything, so my textile world will have to go on hiatus until summer.


Besides, the fruit trees are beginning to awake...

Catherine