The year of tapestry Highlights for 2023 continues with July being a month of sampling. No surprises there. Most of the year seemed to be focused on various aspects of the design process. I was sampling heavily for Murmuration this month along with working on ideas for the ATA postcard exchange.

And progress on the random weaving, an intriguing tapestry that was capturing my focus.

Along with these projects, I found myself driving to town way more than I liked (which is in all reality…once every two or three weeks!) Between physical therapy for my neck and infrared sauna sessions for my whole body, I often went in not weekly, but daily! Probably because my husband noticed this (he knows how I dislike leaving my studio) in August, he suggested we buy our own sauna. And we did. PT ended, too, so by the end of August I was back to being my little happy self, avoiding trips and getting more studio time in.

Rising was steadily progressing this month and causing me to ponder … it was such a new way for me to work.

By the end of the month, I was ready to send off my postcard weaving, too.

September’s highlights included a visit with Jo Morasco in her Lawrence, KS studio. And a little more progress on “Rising”.

October was filled with travel. Seriously. First, a trip I’d been planning for a while - to Santa Fe. Originally, my daughter and I were going to meet there. This evolved instead (over years) into a busy fun-filled week of hanging out with Molly Elkind, visiting with more tapestry friends from around the area, and finally welcoming my college roommate, Carol Ward, to spend the last few days with me. We figured out we hadn’t seen each other in person since 1978. It was a wonderful reunion and we picked up right where we left off.

I wish I’d taken more pictures during those days. I met with many other wonderful tapestry artists, too- just neglected to get a group photo. Next time! It was a visit I hope to repeat again.

Only a few days after arriving home from Santa Fe, my husband and I left for Peru. We explored the country on our own for a few days before the Maximo Laura workshop began. I’ve written about that here and even did a zoom presentation you can view here, so check those out if you want to read/hear more.

But I will share some inspirational images from the trip here!

Getting home early in November from the workshop, I promptly became very ill and spent most of the month recovering, then gradually getting back to “Rising” and that workshop sample I’d begun in March.

December began with teaching a 3-day Soumak workshop at the Yarn Barn in Kansas and ended with foggy morning walks, my continual source of inspiration.

Not my most productive year in terms of tapestries woven, but it was an important one in so many other ways!