Off To Finland

In the wee small hours of tomorrow morning I will set out on a trip to Finland!
Along with a group from Louth Craftmark, I have been invited to Lapua in Finland  as part of a craft exchange program. We will demonstrate our craft techniques to Finnish makers and also to the public.  Our hosts have a very full five days planned for us so between demonstrating, visiting craft studios and museums and ‘getting to know Lapua’, I reckon we will be exhausted at the end of it.  But I know for sure it will be an exciting and enjoyable trip, and I will return inspired and enthused as always when involved in Craftmark initiatives.  Other makers going are Mia Mullen, Cathy Prendergast, Garrett Mallon, Terry O Brien, Janice Gilmore and Colette Mullholland. Also coming are Sarah Daly and Ciara Mc Feely from Ctaftmark who have done all the organising for the trip. Must go now and pack!!  Will tell you know how it goes………..and I might even have a few pics too!

Remembering the joy!

On Saturday last I worked on  my new swingtags designs, computer work, slow and unsure, but I did make progress.  So watch this space for furure announcements on that score!

Over the last while I seem to have been working on a lot of aspects of my business, like updating my website catalog and learning about Web2.0 (and writting blogs)…………..but not getting a lot of weaving done.  So on Sunday I took myself out to Swallow Studios and sat myself down at a loom.  The warp had been on it for a couple of weeks, while I was busy elsewhere, and I was feeling the need to finish it and get the scarves knotted and washed.  And this was my frame of mind as I sat down to weave, I wanted to ‘get the warp finished’.

So I prepared some colurful bobbins and began to weave. I got into a rhythm of weaving, thread by thread, inch by inch, scarf by scarf. I was enjoying it.  And I remembered the joy of weaving, doing what I am good at doing.  And it is a joy.  I had got the buzz again! 

It is easy to get absorbed in the daily running of the business, of simply making it work.  But it is that joy in what we do that makes us tick. And I think my customers buy a little bit of this joy and passion for colour when they choose a scarf or warp.  It is oh so important to hold on to this connection in these days of mass production, it is what makes us different and unique. And Swallow Studios is certainly unique!

look out for the purple swallows on the wall!