Fiber Fun

The girls modeled for the Kansas Association of Weavers and Spinners (KAWS) Conference last weekend. The items on display there were really inspiring. I'm neither a weaver nor a spinner, but it is an art I find appealing. 

Gatherings like this always get me to thinking about my mother. She crocheted, and she often did things like embroidery. Mostly she sewed. Clothing. Dolls. Teddy bears. She was extremely talented and could put together just about anything you could dream up without really using a pattern or instructions. She often cobbled patterns together. I would "design" my own dresses for special occasions and my mother always made them just right, even my wedding dress. I pulled a picture from a children's book for the skirt and sketched the top from images in my head. She put it together perfectly. It was a Cinderella dress, almost literally!

When I go to these things with my kids, I always think about how much my mom would have loved it. She would have loved that my children willingly and enthusiastically participate, but also she would have loved the energy of the group. I look at things thinking about what would have inspired my mom. Sometimes I find myself chatting with her in my head. "Oh mom, look at this! Look at that!" I like to imagine what she would have gone home and made herself after attending such a conference. 

Anyway, I was blown away by the items the girls modeled at the KAWS conference. Gorgeous stuff. I should have taken notes on who made what, but I was just sitting back and enjoying watching my girls work. It looked like they were having fun.

I have trouble wrapping my head around how these patterns are made. Beautiful!

Munchkin #1 (left) said the white shawl and hat were really warm. I liked them. Maybe what I'm going to look for in my next winter wear purchase. This piece, unfortunately, was not for sale, but many of them were.

Hats & scarves! There were quite a few, but most of the pieces they modeled were larger.

This is the display of 4-H work. Munchkin #1 put it together, but it was a collection of work from a number of kids in the fiber arts project.