Waiting for the storm to pass

Collage of six images from top right clockwise: rust-printed tote, Tiffany & Caine tired but happy in the woods, the ragtag front display for the Askew Goods booth, Looking Glass Falls, upholstery pouches all lined up, blurry but pretty Queen Anne’s Lace (Wild Carrot)

There is a thunderstorm raging outside and I cannot sew. This is due to hearing too many stories of distant relatives being struck down by lightning doing mundane things like sitting on a porch swing or watching television near an open window. So when the skies go black, I turn off my large metal industrial machine and find other ways of occupying my time. I have had a lot of time at my disposal recently as my day job is teaching third grade and here in America teachers are unemployed for two months out of the year (our contracts are for ten months which I like to remind Caine of when he says how nice it must be to get a summer vacation). And yet, despite the surplus of minutes I still have neglected this space. I have no excuse besides for us moving house & studio in June and spending the time after that preparing for our biggest market, The Big Crafty, up in Asheville, North Carolina.

I have a lot to say about our journey north, which also doubled as a honeymoon (absolutely appropriate considering that we got married on a day sandwiched between two markets and went directly from the courthouse back to the studio), but I will write more over on my Substack. I also want to share about our upcoming Guest Artist role at the Artisan’s Guild Gallery here in Gainesville and our short-term Saturday booth out at Haile Farmers’ Market from next week until the end of September. I want to discuss the new direction we are headed in now that we have shifted from simply being bagmakers to being textile artists and surface designers. I want to talk about how we struggle with the word ‘artist’. I want to talk about our calendar heading into the holiday season and our plans for 2027. I have a lot, basically, to say and I promise, I will discuss everything in detail. But for now, the storm has passed and I can go back into the studio. And considering that we have an open studio this weekend (12-5 7/18 & 7/19) as members of the American Craft Council, I need to get things ready for those interested in seeing our little corner of the world. I will be back, I promise.