From Sheri’s
Studio….
I will be back in school soon
enough. Summer always goes so fast, but I was
able to do most everything on my list; such as, spend time in the sun reading, get Pronto
Pups (corn dogs) and ice cream at the local stand (Dairy
Treat if you are ever in Grand Haven, Michigan), plus eat at a few of our favorite
summer hot spots. My husband and I even
traveled again on the Badger, a coal ferry ship across Lake Michigan. I won the 1st
game of Bingo winning a massage for my husband! We joined relatives on business in Wisconsin
to show them Door County-fish boil, shops, fireworks!
I
went antiquing with one basket girlfriend, attended a daughter’s wedding of another
and traveled to a Scrapbook Convention with yet another. I enjoyed going
“junking” (garage sales) and to the Flea Market on Wednesdays. I went to visit
my sister; Kathy’s new Quilt Shop in New Era, MI. (www.fabricquiltscissors.com)
and even went out to lunch several times with my Mom.
I took my granddaughter, Katelynn to the zoo and Back to School shopping. I
framed Artwork for the permanent Gallery Collection at the High School where I teach and
bought a 12’ outdoor sculpture for the front entry with wonderful donations. I did
some weaving and crafting at workshops–all of which was truly inspiring.
Our
yard looks very different as we were only going to take out 2 trees; we were growing moss
in the back yard and on the roof, but ended up taking out about 42! Now you see our house
from the road. A well and underground sprinkling was put in. I have now been planting
“sun” flowers and redoing all my plants. I felt so excited as I worked one night
and saw several “lightening” bugs a few nights in a row. This really brought me
back to my childhood days of trying to catch these bugs; since we had such a hot summer,
they were out flying about.
So yes, this Summer has flown by and I
have enjoyed the moments. Now this Issue will get you ready for Fall weavings.
My “Apple for the Teacher” is a fun
challenge in shaping your basket. Woven in natural and then tossed into a red dye pot,
this basket can sit or hang on your door or wall. A stem, leaves, and raffia is added to
complete this Back to School basket for kid’s treats or your favorite Teacher’s
desk.
My “Southwest Rabbit Trail” is a sturdy
basket with a foot added on the base and a grapevine lashed to the rim. Southwestern
colors are twined in the middle and leather rabbits and beads are tied with waxed linen as
accents all around the sides.
My “Snake Charmer” is a unique Gourd that
was selected to wood burn design patterns of a black diamond snake. Taking my
Granddaughter to the zoo inspired me to complete this project. Katelynn loves snakes and
even petted a real snake out of its case! Although snakes are not my favorite of
God’s creatures, this was a fun learning experience.
Cherilyn
(Braun) Fontana’s “Placemat Sampler”
features over/under weave, twill, twining and triple twining in techniques used with
various textures to create this placemat. Weave 1 for your table’s centerpiece or a
set for everyone’s spot at the table.
“Flower Gathering Basket” by Cherilyn
(Braun) Fontana is a good exercise in shaping with the base twined right into the curved
walls. An 8” hoop is used for the handle and features twining, triple twining, dyed
accent, a scalloped braided border on the inside and a Gretchen border on the outside.
“Kid’s Pencil Basket” by Cherilyn
(Braun) Fontana is a super starter basket for the new weaver or makes fun, fast gifts for
the pro. The drilled wood base is inserted with dyed round reed spokes and woven with
under/over weave. A simple attractive border completes this functional basket. But
this pattern can only be seen by going to my Website www.justpatterns.com;
then going to the Pattern Exchange Page. (There you will find
this patterns along with over 35 other patterns that you can print out for your own
personal use. No Computer? Ask a friend or visit your local Library.)
Hope
you enjoyed Summer and look forward to the change of seasons with Fall’s arrival!
Happy
Fall!
Weaving
Wishes!
