Woven Spirit Studio

Summer garden's gifts

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 13:27:16 -0700

I am feeling the joy from all the gifts from my garden and local environment. Have been keeping my hands busy making - from lavender to wreaths to willow baskets. I feel such gratitude with this abundance of local materials

Dyeing with garden's flowers

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 13:33:23 -0700

I grew several black knight scabiosa plants this summer. Harvested them daily and dried them. Then let the magic unfold in the dye bath.

Earth Offerings continue

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 11:44:45 -0700

I continue to find joy in cutting flowers and finding other seeds and leaves from my garden, to create with and to offer up in gratitude to Mother Earth.

Dyeing in my backyard

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 13:38:19 -0700

I have been xperimenting with creating colors from plants and trees that grow in my backyard or nearby. Above photo is with redwood pine cones and black scabiosa flower. Below is with blackberry leaves

Below: Dyepot with redwood pinecones

Dyed yarn with yarrow, eucalyptus leaves and redwood pinecones

Earth Offerings

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 15:06:42 -0700

My journey with the Earth Offereings continues. As the spring days roll into summer and the garden is blooming, I so enjoy wandering the garden, seeing what catches my eyes, and asking a few plants to give flowers for the next Earth Offering. I sweep or rake the area beneath the redwood tree. I create an intention for the offering and begin the journey, of placing the flowers, leaves, grasses and seed pods onto the earth. When the earth offering feels complete, I once again connect with the intention, and blow it into the offering, and set it free into the world.

The Caribbean Blues

Sat, 13 Feb 2021 11:58:27 -0800

I just received a commission for a tapestry that would remind my friend of her years in Jamaica in the Peace Corps, next to the Caribbean seas. We were there together in the 80"s and spent as much time as possible near the ocean. The colors have lived in my heart since then, as a palette that brought me joy. To start off this piece, I decided the first step was to create the colors. I went back to my notes on Sabraset dyeing, from my workshop with Rebecca Bluestone, many moons ago. Then started creating different depths of shade with two colors - yellow and turquoise. I felt like a mad chemist, measuring and mixing colors to create what I saw in my heart as the palette of the Jamaican coast. Now to start drawing.

Earth Offerings

Sun, 13 Dec 2020 13:36:11 -0800

I started to create these earth offerings, after the Almeda Fire, which started 3 blocks from my house, and tore through our valley in September. I walked to the pond the day after the fire. Ash covered my shoes as my heart ached for the loss and devastation from the fire. Intuitively I started to collect flowers from my garden and take them to the burned areas and make mandalas around the burnt trees. I gathered seed pods and acorns, leaves and pines needles to create these offerings. I sent prayers and gratitude to Mother Earth, for healing and the transformation that comes with fire.

Living Energies

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 17:14:42 -0700

Just completed this little tapestry - honoring the living energies. While in Peru, many moons ago, studying with Juan Nunez del Prado, we visited various ruins and sacred spots to practice exercises to connect with the living energies of the earth, water, the wind and the sun. This piece plays with our ongoing dance with the living energies.

Summer dreaming

Sat, 13 Jun 2020 09:57:51 -0700

As I move into the summer days, I feel a subtle shift after spring this year. Feeling grounded from all the garden time and being called to new explorations in weaving.

Garden is flourishing with the recents rains. Gathered flowers from the garden, to create an offering for the beautiful redwood tree that graces our backyard.

Recently cut off my tapestry of the "Living energies", finishing the ends now. Empty loom. Pulled out a book, "Lucy Lewis" and was flipping through the pages. Found the signatures of Lucy, Emma and Dolores, my dear teachers from long ago summer days in Idyllwild. Sensed a desire to create a piece to honor them. Started a drawing, inspired from ancient Pueblo pottery images. Got lost in the design and felt a shift in me. That place of exploration, discovery and joy. Wandering in a new inner and outer landscape. The piece has a ways to go before it makes it to the loom, and the adventure has begun.

My Navajo loom is calling to me. Have not worked with her for years. Gathering her parts and then creating a chunk of time to warp her up. I remember one of my Navajo teachers telling me that once you start warping the loom, one does not stop to eat or drink or answer the phone, until the warp is completed. A journey into the inner workings of the cloth. The warp being what holds the piece together. Resonating with this.

A Woven Blessing

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 19:00:44 -0800

I warped up a little tapestry loom to practice a new technique - fringeless weaving, similar to the Navajo style of weaving which I love. It was a great online class by Rebecca Mezoff and Sarah Swett. I then waited for inspiration of what to create. Last weekend I participated in an online healing/blessing ceremony for Australia and all its inhabitants. After the ceremony, inspiration pulled me to my loom and yarn pile, and I wove this piece. While weaving I continued to call in/send blessings to Australia. Now this piece is like a prayer flag, with its blessings continuing to flow to Australia.