Happy Mother's Day!

Moms can fix just about anything. It's magic, I swear. I don't know where they find this magic power, or how they do it, but they can mend just about every hurt in our life. From a young age, we've been brought up with the notion that if we run to them with our problem, they can fix it. From boo-boos and band-aids, to broken hearts and broken dreams, moms have mended our hurts, our whole lives long. And through it, they've taught us about always having hope and always trying. 

So, I have a story to share. Surprised? Hahaha... 

About a month ago, a neighbor called us at the shop with a request. Their childhood teddy bear was in pieces, could we repair it? My mom graciously said sure, sight unseen. Well she wasn't there the day they brought in this little treasure. 

They came in and explained it was her baby toy, and was 70 years old. She wanted to have it back together so her grandkids could see it and enjoy it. It was lambswool, soft and wooly and truly unique. 

It was in pieces. One arm was dislocated, the other arm was simply missing. The face was flapping and the head, well ... to put it gently...was "hinged" . I was afraid the pelt it was made out of was dry-rotted and would start disintegrating if one touched it. I was scared to death to even touch it.  This is the stuff nightmares are made of... headless teddies, dragging one arm along the cold bedroom floor, trying to smother you in your sleep. I left it in the bag, and managing a bleak smile, I told them my mom would be in touch. 

"That darn mom of mine", I thought, when they left. "She's one to commit to something even when she hasn't seen it beforehand. She'll promise the world. And this little project, why, it will become mine, you see, and I'll be left using my creative juices and magic powers to work a healing miracle of Jesus on this ancient relic". I really didn't think there was hope for it. I was afraid of doing more damage to it than help, and I felt like maybe the memories of 70 years should stay with little teddy rather than perform life-threatening surgery. It's like when the doctor says, "Why dear, you are 95. This surgery could make you live another 10 years or kill you". What choice do you make?

I explained all this to my mom when she came in and I showed her the teddy. We both flinched a little as it's head flopped back, but she cheerfully said she would fix it.

A week later, they brought in the other arm in a little ziploc baggie and now we were starting to look like the laboratory of Frankenstein. Upon examining,  it looked like the stitches were a cotton thread that had frayed and broken, and it could be fixed up with some gentle sewing. And maybe a little of the cotton batting would have to be removed for things to fit together once again. Minor reconstructive facial surgery, but what the heck? 

She shared it with our little stitch group that meets on Fridays and we were split about 50/50. Half were on my team, believing we should preserve the integrity left and not face surgery in it's advanced geriatric state. The other were with mom, believing anything is possible, and while we're at, why not make it more fabulous and knit it a little sweater! 

Judging by the picture, you can see who won. 

I will admit, I was amazed. One, to see it in one piece. Two, to see the hope that my mom displayed for such a small little thing. Three, to see how people jumped in with caring hearts and willing hands to touch someone's life. 

This teddy meant so much more than just a child's toy. It was a lifetime of memories, but most importantly, an example of how moms never give up and always hope, always persevere, always trust the best can come out of every situation. You see, a teddy bear needing doctoring was just like a lifetime of my mom doctoring our hurts. Her whole life has been giving her the skills to be a mender, a comforter, a fixer of broken things. 

Why did I think a teddy bear would be too much for her to fix? I guess I underestimated those mom super-powers. They are still alive and well, even though her kids are well into adulthood. We'll never lose the need for the mom-fixer-upper in our lives. 

Love you Mom, 

Natasha 

Unveiling of the Super Coop!

Here it is! The chickens couldn't be happier! And I'm pretty thrilled too!  

A New Year, A New Nest... Part Two of Three

When I started talking nests and New Years's organization, I bet you didn't see this one! I meant it literally! My husband and I are proud to be backyard chicken farmers. I'll give you the long and short of it. I thought having a handful of hens would be lovely so we could have... 

1. Baby chicks ....who doesn't want cuddly, fuzzy, chirpy, adorable baby chicks? 
2. Eggs! Quiche, scrambled, over easy, poached, angel food cake, egg salad, all this home grown goodness! 
3. An educational-interactive component for our homeschool classes, open house, CSA members picking up produce each week
4. A live entertainment feed... kind of like cute animals on Facebook, right here in my backyard, 24/7 

Great reasons, right? Hubby was pretty excited about it too. He was a little hesitant, however, because I was getting these little bundles of joy and he didn't have a coop built for them. I told him not to worry, they would live in a box for a while. (It's a good thing this wasn't a real baby!) 

So the chicks come and live in a box for a few weeks. Then a bigger box. Then a dog crate. Then into their custom built "a" frame structure Jonathan built for them. Our nine little chickens get named, loved, adored and petted by all. They grow up to be pretty friendly little critters. Jonathan is their main caretaker, so they like to follow him around the yard when he does chores, which is adorable. 

Well summer lived on a very long time this year, but it doesn't live on forever, and soon it got cold. Their little summer home got covered with a quilt and a tarp and we installed a heat lamp. They were now happy as can be. But then they started laying! Beautiful brown eggs in a communal nest in the corner. It was then we knew it could wait no longer. A real chicken coop must be built. The little ladies had to have a winter home where they could be snug and safe, and must have nest boxes where they could lay their golden eggs. 

I begged my husband to make me one of those "Pinterest-y" coops. "Darn Pinterest", many a husbands have sworn..."Now she won't be happy until it looks like this cutesy little idea". I'm sure many husbands have hammered thumbs, spent small fortunes at the hardware store, clocked in precious man-time hours and even are shamed by the thought of their work going onto a "Pinterest Fail Board" (gasp!) 

Would you know, that he listened to me? And he is building me the most amazing coop for our little hens. He is building it with so many little details, all right out of his creativity, imagination and construction knowledge. All of this means so much, yet what really means the most is the fact he is doing it out of love. 

Ladies, sometimes it might take more time, effort, money or patience than you have or would have used. If someone is doing something special for you, stand back and appreciate it. Compliment them on their progress, their ingenuity, their strengths. Tell them how it makes you feel to see their efforts. Ask if they need your help or even just your company. Pinterest might inspire but love is the motivator. See through it all, and cherish the actions taken to demonstrate that love. It might not even be something lasting and it might not make it to Pinterest, but it makes a relationship stronger and that is the stuff that lasts. 

I love my husband for embracing this whole backyard chicken dream, but most of all I love him for listening to me and cherishing me. It was worth bringing nine fluffballs into our flock for that alone! Next blog post.... the unveiling!!!

Meeting a Superstar!

Meet Cassie Stephens , art teacher extraordinaire. I first learned about her, literally a few days before the National Art Educator's Conference. I was meandering around the internet, as that happens far to often to us, and I came across her picture. 

I stopped in my tracks and I was like, who is this? She looks fun! And she is WEARING FELT!!!! I totally have to meet her now. In the hubbub of the next 72 hours of packing and prepping, getting to the show, setting up, dealing with the Union Teamsters and such, I kind of placed it in the back of my mind. 

Well, lo and behold, I was talking to the vendor coordinator of the Illinois Art Educator's Conference, and who should come walking up across the aisle but Ms. Cassie Stephens herself? In her wonderful, colorful glory, she definitely had the aura of a superstar. So the gal I was chatting with, casually glances over and says, "Have you met Cassie Stephens yet? She loves to felt too! I'll introduce you to her". 

So that's how it happened. Cassie is one of the nicest, most genuine people and crazy creative. An elementary art teacher and blogger, she really makes art come alive for not only her students, but a whole cyber world of her devoted fans- many of whom are teachers drawing ideas for their own classrooms.  

We chatted, and I learned that she had taught a needle felting embellishment class a day earlier at the conference. She said everyone in class was asking her if she had heard of Esther's Place! We laughed and said "where have y'all been my whole life" (well she said it that way in her charming Nashville accent). I really felt like I met a kindred spirit. 

The lesson I learned from Cassie? If you love something, love it with abandon! Go after it in a big way. Forget what people will think. The right people will love it. You will be a star, one that illuminates and lights the way for others. A superstar! 

Warm Feet, Warm Hearts

This past week I enjoyed the honor of teaching a class at Esther's Place for felted slippers. I feel like there is nothing more luxurious, or indulgent, or feminine, than a pair of cozy slippers that are fun, colorful and you! They are needle and wet felted and shaped around your feet so they fit you perfectly. With dozens of colors to choose from, and hundreds of combinations, one could literally warm the feet of everyone in her world and not exhaust the possibilities! 

One of the joys of teaching is the ability to bring together perfect strangers and through the act of sharing art, an afternoon and a skill, meld the group together. Our conversations ranged from horses to homeschooling to tea tasting and beyond. We shared smiles, advice, laughs and hints. Old memories were shared, while new memories were being made.  We were all different, but at the same time, we were all the same. 

So at the end of the day, we all had a beautiful pair of slippers and some warm feet! But I think we also had warm hearts. That is the kind of warmth that is kindled from one person to another, in the simple act of sharing ourselves. We forget that in today's world that teaches us to be so very guarded and protective. So as we melt away the cold iciness with our warm hearts, we're changing things little by little. So remember....sometimes the tiniest of actions can really mean so much more! 

Nothin' Wrong with Yesteryear....

A good woolen mill is at the heart of what I create. If I don't have access to the high quality milling that transforms wool from the sheep's backs into beautiful roving as I know it, I wouldn't be able to create the exquisite fabrics, wearables and wall art I do. It's important that there are local mills transforming local fibers into a product that we can work with. It takes many steps to be able to get the roving I work with; a mill helps to complete this circle. 

Our main mill is Zeilinger Mill  in Frankenmuth, MI and they too are over a century old. I haven't made it up to see the folks there that transform our sheep's wool into beautiful roving, so stumbling upon this wool mill was the closest to seeing some antique milling equipment that I've been. 

The wool has to be washed (scoured) and then dried. It then goes through a picker, a machine that fluffs it up in preparation to be carded. The video above shows picked wool getting run through the carder, and then being made into a large quilt batt. They can also run it through a drafter at the end to thin that batt into the strips of roving we use called roving. Once back from the mill, I do the dyeing and blending for my art and for customers at Esther's Place . 

The thing that astonished me the most was how beautifully this beastly machine ran. Though it looks like a hundred tiny parts cobbled together and all running in chaotic rhythm, it has a smooth peacefulness to it, at the same time. Slow and steady, it runs on the same principles that have kept it running for over a hundred-fifty years. The outside world has changed around it; cars got faster and more fuel efficient; telecommunications got clearer and more sophisticated; computers can now reside on our wrists and run our lives, more or less. While the pandemonium of technological advancement gained momentum around it, this machine kept making; kept doing what it was invented to do. 

Sometimes there was nothin' wrong with yesteryear. While our world demands things instantly, can we find a beauty in the slower, steady pace of times long forgotten? Watching the rhythm of monotony, it can lull us into a place 150 years old, a place that is productive in a simple yet complex manner. How I love the machines of yesteryear! Their nostalgia never ceases to charm me. 

Welcome

Fuzzball is one of two kitten mascots of Esther's Place. Outdoor cats, they were a new addition this past Summer, and we had all intentions of keeping them here at Esther's Place to get them socialized before taking them over to the farm to become barn cats. Well, it turns out they captured our hearts and guess what? We have a barn here at Esther's Place too! More specifically, a "carriage house", but to them, it's a two story jungle-gym playground. Hay in the loft for sweet-smelling sleeping, lots of boxes of wool to climb around on, and even an old Allis Chalmers tractor with a nice little seat for a resting spot. They get plenty of food and water and treats every day, and they run out to greet customers with great enthusiasm. They are also always there for my daily dose of "warm fuzzies" and a perfect break when I'm busy creating.

So Fuzz and his brother Gingersnap are a fixture here, they live a life of "shop mascot" and I think they are pretty happy with that.  All our neighbors love and adore them too, so I'm happy to spread a little kitten-kindness in this corner of the world. 

Other human fixtures here include myself, my husband Jonathan, my mom Donna and a host of friendly fiber folks who love sharing their skills, talents, ideas, creativity with our community. Our farm, just a few miles down from the shop, is where my folks live, along with my dear, 90 year old grandma, and my brother, when he is home from college. We have a diversified small farm, raising sheep, producing for a CSA, growing hay and providing educational tours and classes about sustainability. Put this together with the fiber arts studio in town, and you get a picture of what we're about! I'll be sharing in the blog some of the things that inspire my creativity. Enjoy!