SPRING!
Today as we are working on this newsletter, the sun is shining outside our windows. The leaves are beginning to work on their Spring glow.
Soon my kids will begin to tease me, apparently, I never stop talking about the magnificent vibrancy found in the greens of Spring. I’m not talking about salad, I’m talking about the leaves on trees. The crocuses and daffodils are all up. It is so wonderful to see the earth’s rebirth again.
The start to this year has been spectacular. As many of you know I went to India in January with Charllotte Kwon of Maiwa and some of her staff, Sophena Kwon, Danielle Bush and Tim McLaughlin. We were joined by Gale Anderson-Palm from Rimby, Alberta and Catharine Ellis of Woven Shibori fame. When Charllotte invited me to accompany them, it was a dream becoming reality and as anyone who has ever been to India will tell you ~ you are changed for life. I loved it and I hope to return someday. I went for the textiles but my favourite thing about India turned out to be her people. India’s people, are what I still think about everyday. Their immense generosity and kindness, even though most of them have so little is simply staggering. I have so many stories to tell but I am still processing and in time I hope to share most of them. I know that I am not good at keeping up with the blog, but little by little the stories will appear, I promise.
Field Trips
I brought back 2 suitcases of stunning fabrics and I took over 2000 photos which I’m trying to put into a few slideshows. I would love to share some of this with you. If you’d like to organize a group visit (minimum of 6 people) to hear a few stories, see a few pictures and touch some fabrics, please give us a call and book a date.
When I got back I hit the ground running. On my 1st weekend back I taught Twills on 4 for the Denman Island Weavers Guild. They were very considerate and patient with my jet lag. The next week we prepared the studio for the first retreat of the year, Colour & Design. It was awesome ~ 8 weavers … retreating for 5 days … lots of weaving … food, wine and laughter.
Up Next!
JST will be at Fibres West in Abbotsford this Friday and Saturday, March 18 & 19. We will be taking a good sized booth, but every year we are missing things that some of you want. If you have specific requests, drop us a line before Wed. @ 4:00 and we’ll put it in the van for you!
April 1 & 2, JST will also be at the Vancouver Island Spinner’s and Weaver’s Retreat being held at the Grand Hotel in Nanaimo. The Vendors are open to the public so, even if you’re not participating in the retreat, come for a visit!
Our second Colour & Design retreat here at JST starts April 11. There is still one spot left for that lucky someone. Just give us a shout at 250-537-9468 if you’d like to sign up.
Check out our Retreat Schedule for openings in our other workshops throughout the year. There are just a few spots left, so be sure to let us know if you’re interested.
March is Mohair Month! ~ 10% Off
All of our brilliant Mohair is on sale this month. Here are just four of our 34 stunning colours.
Online Patterns
After years and years of production weaving Jane has decided to put all her designs into patterns and make them available to everyone. We are trying to put a few patterns up each month. We have just added 3 Chenille Scarves to our online store. Our patterns give you all of the information that you need to get weaving right away. Every pattern Jane writes exemplifies all the design theory she teaches in her workshops. Not only will you make a beautiful piece, you will also learn great design technique.
Jane Stafford’s Helpline
Every week Jane gets email from her students and customers asking questions. We have decided to make her answers available to everyone. There is now a new button on the homepage called Jane’s Helpline. You can ask your questions anyway you want, on Ravelry, in an email or on the Help Line. We will publish the answer on the Helpline so that everyone can see it. Your questions will be anonymous, so don’t be shy! Sometimes it takes a few days to answer your questions so please be patient.
Remember, we are always here to help :^)
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