There is no excuse for lack of posts, but lots of reasons for me not writing...
One of my goals this summer was to clear the garage of all fiber that needed to be skirted and cleaned. The weather cooperated enough for me to get through 20+ bags of fiber. Unfortunately, I lost a great deal to moth infestation, but even with the loss, I have LOTS of wonderful fiber to spin this winter. I still have about 6 bags/boxes to sort, but considering how much I started out with, I'm pretty happy to have accomplished so much.
Our dream is to someday transform our garage into my 'studio'...that is my incentive to keep the fiber process moving so my spinning/weaving/sewing studio will someday become a reality (and it won't have to be emptied of bags of fleece to start the process!).
This summer I also taught needlework classes to four lovely ladies. We started with knitting, moved onto needle-felting, and tucked in a bit of embroidery. It has been a joy working with such eager learners and I hope to continue offering such classes. There is a possibility that I'll be teaching similar classes as an after-school activity at a local Christian school starting this month.
The Unadilla Artisan Guild has kept our whole family busy with Katelyn managing lawn care (with occasional help from Marc), Rachael creating needle-felted items, Wayne working on glass, and me keeping inventory rotating/increasing. Wayne has done a lot of 'manning' the store during the summer hours. It's been a rough year for our little shop and unless a miracle happens, it looks like the Guild may be closing its doors on December 31st. BUT there are still lots of items to make and provide for the gift giving season so we're not slacking off on production.
Unadilla has an annual Fall Festival in September, which we have been a part of for several years. This year was our best year ever resulting in good sales and special orders.
Abundant Blessings Farm was also invited to provide inventory to a new boutique The Happie Place near Albany, NY. We started supplying inventory there October 1st and look forward to see this new boutique flourish.
We took a very quick trip to Maine in August to enjoy a family reunion. It's always great to get home to see family even if it's a short trip. I got my annual dose of "salt air" so I'm recharged until my next visit. :-)
This month we'll have a booth at the Oneonta Community Christian School's annual Vendor Fair. Last year we were invited to fill in a vacated booth reservation. Our participation in the event led to the summer needlework classes. We look forward to being a part of this event and supporting a great cause.
