alh designs

Tunisian crochet

2012-02-15T07:45:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Well, once again I have gotten behind in my writing...oh how time flies. Since my last post about TNNA I have been doing Tunisian Crochet. It was something I learned there last year. It has finally caught on at the shop and two weekends ago I held two classes. It is such a fun and easy technique. One lady I have spoken with from the class already has her scarf done. I will be holding more classes on this technique and posting some pictures of projects you can do with it.

This past weekend I was able to attend the Pittsburgh Knit and crochet festival. It is always energizing to see so many beautiful yarns and fibers! It was exciting so see new funky and glitter yarns. Those who know me, know I love to glitz it up! I had the pleasure of meeing Steven Berg from the Yarn Garage! What energy.....I am currently working on a project using Plymouth Yarn's Joy Prism. What fun....it's like knitting with a ribbon instead of a yarn but it is very easy. I can't wait to show off the finished product. I was pleased to meet a lady who does really cool things with the continuous weaving method. This is something I do and you have seen the looms in the shop. The pieces were very wearable and stylish! Of course there were so many yarns....and yarns....and yarns....of every kind and color! My head is just spinning right now as so many projects are going through my head. Look for some of these new yarns and projects to show up at the shop!!!!

New Things From TNNA

2011-06-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

I had such a good time at TNNA in Columbus, OH. There was so much to see and so many different kinds and colors of yarns!!! I took some really great classes and met some awesome people. Deciding what not to buy was the big question. I had my list and started down each aisle. I did pretty good until I hit aisle three. My list suddenly got longer as I took in all there was to see. By the end of the first day I was exhausted and my mind was on overload! When I got back to my room I laid everything out on my bed and sorted what I had done and what I still wanted to do the next day. I am happy to say that I did not go overboard but there will be plenty of new yarn and rovings to look at over the next few months. I am looking at stocking looms and spinning wheels in the fall. If you have an opinion on this I would love to hear it. It has been awhile since I designed a new Baltimore Album in wool so have been working on that. There will be some in wool applique and I am trying some in needlefelting to see how that will look. I am excited and have only just a short time to get so much done before returning to my teaching responsibilities in at the end of August!

Jordana Paige Trunk Show

2011-03-31T10:34:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to bring this trunk show to my customers. www.jordanapaige.com I love any kind of purse or bag and ones that have multi-functions are even better. I also like to find those that are of high quality without costing me an arm and a leg...so to speak :-) With the Jordana bags I feel I have found just the one! The trunk show will be at Anita's Homespun Treasures http://www.anitashomespun.com/ from March 30-April 9th. You can view all the styles and see the color cards. Orders will be taken and if you attend the Bag Party I am hosting on April 2 and place an order there you will receive a 10% discount. In addition if you listen to the "sales pitch" regarding these gems you are eligible to place your name in a drawing for a $10 gift certificate. So if you love a party then stop by on Saturday....demos, tips & discussions will also be going on.

New Yarn!

2011-02-23T12:05:00.000-08:00

Superwash yarn is finally here. Great colors from Malibrigo. Rios in 10 different colors. A worsted weight yarn...210yds per skein. It is so soft and the hand-dyed look is just fabulous!

It all starts here!

2010-08-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

This is how it all starts...out on my front porch.
This is how I actually dye the wool. I like to to do it outside when the weather is nice. I don't have a dye room set up in my studio....what a treat that would be! On a good day I can dye about 10 yds of wool fabric... if everything goes well. This works really well as I can then go about my business at the house.

THE RESULTS!!!

This is where the fun is...Dyeing the wool. It is always amazing to see what will come out of the dye pot. The color cards are not always reflective of what you get....After two weeks here are the results. More then 25 yds of wool fabric has been dyed. Aren't the colors great! I just want to dive in and get started creating something. I am in the process of creating a new fall wool applique wallhanging. I can not wait to get started.

Weaving & Spinning

2010-06-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

I have been working hard to finish this shawl I have had on the loom for several weeks. They are all a good idea when you start but about 3/4 of the way through you begin to wonder "why did I start this project". It will be beautiful once off and I am so close to putting on the fringe. I have been spinning for a new shawl and am eager to try this new idea. I am finally using the new Clemes spinning wheel I bought at the first of the year. It has a very Large Jumbo Flyer & bobbin and I am using it to ply my singles together. It is working great. Of course I am also trying to clean and throw out stuff...but get side tracked with creating!!! Well off for some more cleaning!

Birthday Celebration!

2010-06-12T04:40:00.000-07:00

Today we are celebrating my mother-in-law's 80th birthday. It is a very special day as she has cancer and we pray that we will celebrate 81. Family and friends are coming from all over the country. It will be a joyous event.

Wool Flowers

2010-06-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

I taught a class at my quilt guild this week on making these cute flowers out of wool. They are so easy to do. I will be making up kits and selling them at the shop in all your favorite colors!

New yarn--yeah!

2010-06-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

New yarn came today and you can see it on facebook. Nice ribbon yarn in 5 colors. Would knit up fast on size 11 needles. I am going to weave a summer shawl. Well done for the week here at the shop. Going home to plant a few more flowers. Just not enough color!

Fiber..fiber..fiber!!

2010-06-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

Samples of Pencil Rovings at the shop.

I just love fiber. No matter what other crafts I do, I always come back to the fiber. I wiped the dust off the wheel and have been spinning. I am stepping out of my comfort zone and trying to make some real novelty yarns. The key I guess is to just be fierce and don't worry about the rules. I think sometimes we worry too much about doing it perfect that we limit ourselves to just jumping in! I'm in with both feet!!!!

"Remember Me" pillow

2010-05-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

I finally got my pillow top done. Today I will sew it together and get it stuffed. Tell me what you think.

Flowers!

2010-05-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

My forget me not pillow is coming along. I have to attach the leaves and embroider the trendils. I am going to make some flowers out of wool strips. They will make nice pins or embellishments to a bag or jacket. I have some pretty pink I am going to try it with. Look for a picture tomorrow.

My Pillow Weaving

2010-05-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Well my pillow did not get finished but wanted to share a picture of the top anyway. I have always wanted to try this weaving with fabric. I used my felt and just started cutting. This is a patriotic time of year so wanted to do something red, white and blue. You will find it on the porch in one of our new lawn chairs. Stop by and see the collection and enjoy some time chatting on the porch. We have a lovely space hear. Yesterday we were watching the chipmonks scurry around and we have a mother bird with babies in a nest in the rafters of the porch. She was not happy that we were setting there and could not get back to her babies! Well on to finish my Forget me not Pillow.

Happy Creating!

Pillows, pillows, pillows!

2010-05-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

Well I am in a pillow mood. I am making some new designs and putting together a pillow using a weaving technique. They both are coming out great. I hope to have pictures for you tomorrow. The weaving technique will be a class. More details to come. Well off to sew!
Anita

It's my birthday!

2010-05-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

I have been very lax on keeping updated here. So being my birthday I thought today was a good day to start new. Since my last post I moved the shop to Pittsfield and share and old housewith a quilt shop. It is working out very nicely. my yarns, fibers and hand dyed wools fit in great. It makes for a nice fit. Right now I am working on wool applique samples and thought designing some new pillows would be nice. Pillows are quick and easy and nice to change out with the seasons. As soon as I have one I will put a picture up. I decided to do some things for myself!!! What a great idea. so I am making a piece from the Arabella collection from Pat Sloan--Bella's Blooms. I am goint to change out some of the applique pieces for my hand dyed wool. It will look great in my living room. I need an up date and the bright colors of this collection will be great. Well off to get ready for my birthday cookout.

A Positive Response

2009-07-03T06:01:00.000-07:00

I have been to two quilt shows with my new pattern and the response has been very positive. Some did not know that the applique was in wool until I pointed it out. When they realized that it was wool they seemed to ohhh...and ahhh....that much more! I am diligently working on my second piece. I am very close. I can't wait to show you this one! I am getting ready for another quilt show next week. This is the Red Door Quilt Guild in Meadville, PA. This is their second time doing a show. It should be a good time. Of course I will be taking the Baltimore Beautie in Wool there as well.

Well off to sew!!!

What I have been up to!

2009-06-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

Well I have been busy since my last post. I went to Quilt Market in Pittsburgh in May. That was an awesome experience! I saw several wool vendors and got some new patterns for the shop. If you can, stop by and see them. I have new kits as well. Last weekend I went to TNNA and that was another awesome experience. Lots of yarns of course but did find some new felting things and great thread for working on the wool applique. I have been doing some designing. I have always been interested in Baltimore Album quilts and have always thought I could make one in wool. So I began playing around with the blocks and have created some simple wall hangings to start with. A pattern company saw my block and wants to publish the patterns. I will tell you more as we go on. In the mean time here is a sneak peak as the first wall hanging. I just love it!

I dyed all the wool fabrics myself. In fact, I have been dyeing up a storm and have many new great colors. You will find softer more muted color choices. It is something the rug hookers have been asking me for. There will be more new things to come as the weeks go by!

Enjoy the nice day!!!!

Felted eggs

2009-04-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

Well we can finally feel spring in the air. It is so nice to see the flowers out and the grass is greening up nicely. With the change of seasons comes new inspirations. For the easter and spring season I have been needlefelting eggs. A simple technique of using the felting needle to punch fiber into styrofoam eggs. They can be as simple or fancy as you want. I did some classes recently and it never ceases to amaze me at the creativity of students in the class!!! Check them out.

Now I working on a line of hand-dyed, hand-spun yarn. I have learned alot in the process, mostly how long it takes to have a mill spin the yarn for you. So I decided for this first batch I am going to be spinning it myself. I will be posting pictures as we go along.

Happy Creating!

Anita

Sheep

2009-03-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

Well, it has been a long hard winter! I can not believe it has been this long since my last post. But it is finally starting to look like spring is coming. Many things have been happening in the shop...more yarn...more projects...and a nice new look inside. I will be posting some pictures in the coming days.

For Christmas I asked for a sheep...one that was easy to take care of. I wanted a wood carving of one for outside the shop. So in January when the weather broke we got the log to the man who make carvings using his chain saws. Finally two weeks ago we picked it up. I think it is really CUTE!!! Dresses up the place a bit. Check it out...

Bag Pattern

2008-09-25T05:48:00.000-07:00

Well I have done it! My Classy Bag pattern is finally done and ready to print.

I have learned alot about using a digital camera and publisher in this process. I will be debuting it at the Chautauqua Quilt show this weekend. It has been a stressful couple of weeks but after this weekend I hope to get back to the creative side. There is a fiber and quilt show in Meadville in October and I want to showcase some new fiber items. I hope that you will stop by my booth at Chautauqua. I am in the Hotel lobby...so you can't miss me. It will be a great weekend with Eleanor Burns coming as the main speaker. So I am off to finish some things and I will talk to you after the show!

Anita

Quilt show 2008

2008-09-21T05:35:00.000-07:00

Hello:

I belong to a quilt guild called the Happy Scrappers. We are having our quilt show this weekend and oh MY...what beautiful work there is!!! We have is every other year so there is time to build up a stash of quilts, wallhangings and wearable art. The workmanship this year was outstanding. We usually have some type of guild challenge for the show and then there is viewers choice on the work. This year the challenge was using the log cabin block somehow in the piece and then applique. Of course with my love of wool, I knew immediately that it would be appliqued in wool. I had this vision of a fish pond. so I made one big log cabin block with white on one side for the sky and blue water on the other for the pond. I added a extra pieces to each end to get the length I wanted and then just had fun with the applique. There were 16 entries in this category and I am proud to say that I place SECOND!!! You can see the piece below. I am so excited that I placed. Now I have to decide where I want to hang it! I also entered another piece and it placed FIRST!!! This piece also placed first at our local county fair. That piece is going to hang in my office at the University. I have had lots of compliments on the color choices. Well off to the second day of the show!

Have a great day!

Anita

My Website...

2008-09-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

Happy September:

Hard to believe we are heading into fall already. The leaves are turning and these are some of my favorite colors. I don't like, however, that it is so cold at night I have to close most windows! If you got here by way of my website then welcome!!! I am so excited to finally have it up and running. There will be much more to add as time goes on but we had to start somewhere. So check it often as well as the blog and see what is going on at Anita's Homespun Treasures.

Happy Creating!
Anita

Spinning again!

2008-08-10T05:32:00.000-07:00

I have been having fun spinning some new yarns. I am excited that I have an etsy.com store now http://www.alhdesigns.etsy.com/ I have posted some of my handspun yarns on there. Here is a sample of what you will see.

This week I will be dyeing wool fabric as I need to get ready for the upcoming quilt shows. Fall will be busy and with being back to school time will be precious!

So I will post some pictures of the dyed wool fabric next. I just love the dyeing process. You never know what is going to come out of the dye pot!

Anita

Spinning & Weaving!

2008-07-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast the summer is going now. Soon I will have to think about going back to my full time job of teaching at the University...no more playing for awhile then. And playing I have been doing. I wiped the dust off the spinning wheels and have been trying my hand at some chunky spun yarn. What fun I have had doing this. I dyed a whole fleece into three different colorways and getting ready to spin up some for the next scarf I am making. I also purchased a new rectangel loom. After several trials to get going I finished my first one. Check it out:

I have another one on the loom and am spinning some wool and silk to make another one. They really do up pretty quickly. I am surprised but I like it. Well off to finish knitting a purse that needs felted for a class project. More to come later!

wool quilt!

2008-06-06T05:45:00.000-07:00

Well today I hope to dye the last three colors for the wool quilt. I have been cutting all week and everything is done to date. When the last of the dyeing is done I will be ready. Looks like a good turn out. Today I am also making our first block. When I get it done I will post a picture of it for you to see. Everyone is so excited and anxious to get started. In the mean time I finally got the computer fixed and some pictures sent to the weblady for the website. This has been a long time in coming. So many things to do and so little time. Now with the weather finally approaching 90 degrees today....working with wool won't be as much fun!

Happy creating!
Anita

Wool quilt

2008-05-29T05:30:00.000-07:00

I need to recognize Erica Kaprow as the designer of the wool quilt "Summertime". Someday I hope to have designed my own!
Anita

Summertime!

2008-05-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I can't believe 2 months has gone by since I last wrote. I did well at the show. It was quite an eye opener. Since then I have done 2 quilt shows and have spoken at many sewing and quilting quilds. I also was a vendor at a doll show. So fibers continue to be everywhere. It has really been an exciting year so far and looking forward to much more. Now the focus is getting the kits ready for the wool BOM quilt. It is called summertime and it is done is bright colors with a black background. I will post a picture of it. So I will be doing lots of dyeing for that one. Also with the weather finally breaking I will be making some more felt.

Going to the doll workshop has gotten my mind going again on making dolls. As I get them done I will post pictures of them. As a vendor there the ladies really liked my dyed mohair. I'll be dyeing more of that as well.

Off to create something...I won't wait so long to write again!

Anita

almost ready!

2008-03-26T15:11:00.000-07:00

Well the vehicle is almost all packed for the show. I was not sure if it would all fit but I'll have some room to spare.While I have enjoyed making all the bags, and I still have many ideas I did not do...I think I will be ready to move on...if only temporarily...to something else. Playing with the fibers for felting has made my fingers itchy to get back at the spinning wheel.The weather is warming so that means I can also get back to playing with the wet felting machine. Lots of things to create! I'll take pictures of the show and my booth and let you all know how I made out. So until next time...Happy Creating!!!! Anita

More about me...

2008-03-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

Well I told you that I learned to knit when I was in third grade. After taking home ec in high school I was hooked on making clothes and did so for most of my high school years. All my money went into fabric and thread. I guess I got an early start on creating a stash. My dream was to alway have my own dress shop with my own designs. Well quite a few years later I have a shop but it is a fiber art shop. I never thought I would have a shop where there would be spinning, weaving, felting and every kind of supply imaginable to create just about anything your heart desires. I do not have sheep as yet but my husband has not said no!!!!I was asked recently if I ever feel like just going to the shop and playing. I said ABSOLUTELY!!! and in fact just that week I had let myself grab and take whatever I needed just like the designers on Project Runway! I have become so addicted to that show. So my dream is becoming reality slow but sure and I am doing some designing and will share some work with you soon. Well off to create something! Anita

Bags and more bags

2008-03-12T05:55:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! Well I am on a roll with making purses and bags of all kinds. I just finished another knitted bag that I will felt today! This one will be fairly large. Big bags seem to be in style right now. Here is one of my knit/felted bags:

I am having fun though and the ideas keep coming...sometimes faster then I can keep up with my hands. My brain feels on overload sometimes...but I wouldn't have it any other way. Right now I am making a group of small purses that I think young girls would like. I get to use a lot of fun fabric for those bags. I have been using my embellisher to needlefelt different things to bags. Here is a small one that I did with felt I made myself and then dyed it with koolaid. After I needlefelted yarns onto it and made a small little clutch:

Neelefelting can be used to make wall art like the small wallhanging that is in my header.I took pieces of wool batting and roving and needled them on in a random fashion I used silk organza to make the flowers and stems. I finished up with some thread painting. The fun was in adding the embellishments. I call this Grandfathers Flower Garden. My grandfather had the best roses in the county! Here is closeup of the flowers in this piece.

I hope you enjoy looking at my work as much as I did creating it! Have a great day...off to make more purses.

Happy Creating!

Anita

Welcome to my Blog!

2008-03-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

Hi!
I am so excited! I have finally created a blogspot. It is something I have been wanting to do for sometime. First let me tell you a little about me. I have a fiber art shop. There I teach spinning, weaving, felting, wool applique and rug hooking. I love working with wool, so most of the fiber in the shop is wool related. I dye my own wool fabric and some of my yarns. I carry alot of roving and batting for felting and spinning. I also make my own felt. I have a needlefelting machine as well as a roller wet felting machine. So the possiblilites for me are endless. Right now I have just started another project of designing purse patterns. I hope to have the first one ready by the end of March. This is a big step for me and I am very excited. Soon I will post some pictures of my work and what the shop looks like. A website is in the works so hopefully I will tell you all about that soon as well. So welcome and I am so glad you stopped by. I will have more for you to look at next time!
Happy Creating!
Anita