I look at this blog as cheap therapy. This week, I have a lot to unload. The Pandemic certainly impacts us all. Worrying about an invasion of tiny viral bugs has us all on edge. My studio has become both a refuge and a place of work. As work, I make masks. Making masks is repetitive and not quite what I had in mind for a part time job BUT it almost pays the rent. However, while I’ve been madly sewing masks, clothing moths have been silently chomping on a small portion of my fleece and yarn. It wasn’t until a moth fluttered by my nose that I started to pay attention to my art supplies. Those tiny little boogers! They were multiplying in select fleece. They especially loved the brown undyed fleece. So did I. It’s now in the dumpster with three other giant full trash bags.
When I first discovered the moths, I researched the Internet for ideas of what to do. My stash is quite large as I quilt, sew, spin and weave in the studio at the mill. Unwinding and rewinding, washing and drying all forms of fiber was not realistic. I decided to battle using a homemade solution of equal parts white vinegar and water with 12 drops of lavender essential oil. I used a spray bottle to clean as I vacuumed and swept my way through the studio. I bagged all my fleece and yarn in gallon, quart and extremely large ziplock bags. To make it last through the next few months, I ordered fresh lavender and cedar and filled mesh bags to throw into the large bags and hand throughout the studio on the shelves with stacks of material and on the racks of completed art. My studio smells lovely, at least to me.
This process took a few weeks of heartache for the loss of lots of hard work carding, spinning and dyeing and a renewal of my commitment to my art. I now alternate my mask making with days to just create. Like the blog, I rarely have guests and shows these days. Sometimes I wonder what drives me. Then an idea of a new piece surfaces and start to pull together an assortment of materials to bring it to life. Maybe someday I will commit to advertising and marketing when I find the time. Until then, I will battle the heat, hard work and pure joy to bring to life new ideas.