spring-y announcements

I hope your weekend was rejuvenating. Often times, I feel like I spend Saturday and Sunday catching up on laundry, cleaning, sleep and work. Somehow I managed all of that and still had time for a lot of play. And this morning I woke up to blue skies and a weather forecast that has me singing! Spring is definitely in the air...

Two related and lovely announcements for this new week:

1. Jennifer Ackerman of Craftsanity interviewed me for her podcast series a few weeks back and it's now live.  I shared about the process of creating my second book and revealed it's evolution. I hope it gives some insight into why and how I channeled a huge life challenge into something positive. So with a bit of a vulnerable "gulp"- I invite to grab a cuppa and give a listen.  Here's the podcast. Thanks Jennifer, for a lovely talk!

 2. There are now signed copies of Hope, Make, Heal in my Etsy shop! You can find them here.

And a local reminder that Ellen Abrams and I will be hosting an Equinox workshop on Sunday, March 20th.

All the details are right here.

Mindful Making

Ellen Abrams and I have been friends for many years... raising our children in the same small community and always wishing for more time together.  As a marriage and family therapist, with an established meditation practice, Ellen began offering weekly groups for people working through grief a few years back. In her lovely words- she began running "trauma informed mindfulness groups as a place to explore oneself through the lens of kindness and to develop, with support and connection, practices that cultivate a positive sense of self, equanimity, and nourishment". 

 I was writing Hope, Make, Heal and deep in the process of examining my own loss and how it impacted daily living. I signed up. Right away!  It was a game-changer. With her guidance, I discovered new ways of finding peace within, even during the most turbulent times. What a useful tool... for everyone. I invited Ellen to contribute meditations to the book I was writing. And she did! They begin each section. 

Collaborating with someone you love and respect is always exciting... so we're not stopping!  We're joining forces to merge mindfulness and creativity into a live workshop. It's going to be so good!

Sunday March 20th 1-4 pm 

Vernal Equinox

Trumansburg, NY

What a wonderful way to celebrate the first day of spring! We will make Open-hearted Journals, Lights for the End of the Tunnel  and/or Inner Altars. These projects from the pages of  Hope, Make, Heal will beautifully support a new (or renewed) meditation practice. All supplies will be provided. Additional personal items will be suggested in an optional materials list.

Fee: $75

(Scholarships available)

For more info and to register email:

mayaluna(at)yahoo(dot)com or

ellenabrams1(at) gmail(dot)com

walnut basket

I couldn't wait for the weekend to sew up some of the walnut dyed rope!  When I woke me up far too early this morning (darn kitties!), I used it as an opportunity to run down to my studio. Can't wait for the weekend to spend some more time stitching. As much as I adore indigo and enjoy turmeric- the subtler shades of black walnut suit me best. Kind of in love!

 There's still a few spots in my rope basket class next week at Craftstitute. So excited to spend the evening teaching how to create my favorite vessels. Sign up here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

rope baskets at craftstitute

 At Craftstitute  on 10/21 at  6:30-9PM

Yes, it's on! I'm teaching at the end of next month. What a great opportunity to learn how to make the best holiday gift ever… if I do say so myself!

Register here.

Workshoppin'

Happy September! I just finished up August with such a bang- what a fantastic weekend it was teaching with Cal Patch at Craftstitute with these amazing women! We carved and printed the first day and then sewed the next. By Sunday afternoon, everyone had their very own one-of-kind folk dresses and all the skills to make more in multiple variations with any print their heart desired.  Talk about satisfying work… for all of us!

 Craftstitute is such a great place to create in… the walls of windows, huge tables and tons of outlets are  a crafter's dream. And not to mention the fabulous covered porch so we could do all of our fabric printing and cutting outside on more big tables… so good! Lunches were delicious picnics… created by Macro Mamas and served on "the veranda", as well. We were all nourished in every way!

 

Oh Cal- how lucky we were to have this inspiring teacher make a guest appearance in Ithaca! And how blessed I am to have her as a dear friend. I dare say that she had enough fun to swing back for another weekend of sewing some time in the near future. Which is a good thing, because I'm not the only one in my family that adores her… how can you not crush on a brilliant and down to earth sewing teacher in a chicken dress?

*****

Feeling so lucky to finally have such a fabulous local teaching spot! I'll be teaching some new Craftstitute classes very soon so stay tuned!

Cal is coming to town!

I have the most exciting new workshop to announce today! For the first time ever, Cal Patch and I are teaching a class TOGETHER! If you are free on August 29th- 30th you real need get yourself over here for a lovely weekend workshop filled with printing fabric and then sewing it into a new dress- right here in Ithaca at Craftstitute! Cal and I have been teaching at Squam together for many years… but never together! She's one of my favorite people in the world and a simply amazing teacher- this is bound to be an incredible workshop! We've been dreaming about doing something like this for a while, and then all of sudden the location and time fell into perfect alignment thanks to Craftstitute's Robin and Lisa and their excitement to get us together too.

You can read all about it at Craftstitute and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. Hope to see you in my neck of the woods soon!

 Yaaaaaaaay!

baskets and skirts

Happy Monday friends! It's the last full week of school around here and I'm hustling to make the most of it in my studio. Summer is definitely upon us and there's been swimming, horseback riding and ice cream cone eating aplenty… but I haven't slowed down my sewing machine. There are baskets listed for the first time in my shop!  They are each naturally dyed in summer hues of water and sunshine. I've also listed some feathered indigo pouches. YES!  Go take a peek right here.

On Saturday I taught some lovely ladies how to refashion a t-shirt into a skirt at Craftstitute. I'm in love with their studio space… Clear, clean and flooded with natural light from gorgeous windows everywhere. 

We're talking about another rope basket class, so I'll keep you posted. Ithaca is a fabulous weekend destination this time of year!

Have a great start to your week!

new classes!

There's a new place for crafty/diy folks in my town! Hello Craftstitute! I'm so excited to finally have a local venue for teaching. And I'm jumping in right away with…. I bet you can guess!

Yes, rope baskets. Come spend the evening getting your coil sewing perfected into vessels. Next up will be a wonderful way to usher in the warm weather- summer skirts!

 

Rope basket details here.
Summer skirt details here.                    

If you are out of town and would like to take a class with me on a weekend… shoot me an email, and I'll bet we can come up with a schedule. This first rope basket class is intentionally on weekday evening so all of us locals can frolic outside during the beginning of sunny weather!

printing and stitching at squam day 2 & 3

When I created the Printed Pouch workshop, I hoped to create a class that would invite hand-sewing out on the docks or on back porches of cabins. The pristine setting of this retreat beckons you outside. Over the years most of my classes have focused on machine sewing. The sound of 15 engines is exciting... but I wanted to offer a slower, quieter opportunity for folks. 

 Weather was our friend for the last two days, and I got my wish! Sure, we spent a bit of time in our beautiful classroom with windows looking out onto the lake... carving and printing.

But there was lots of stitching lakeside!

 And more gorgeous pouches were created! Here are just some of them!

Look at these lovely women! Their printing and stitching were pretty spectacular too!

re-entry

It's never easy to adjust to the crazy end of the year schedule that awaits me when I return home from Squam each June. This year, feels smoother. Although I just spent many days perched above a stunning lake and nestled in woods, there is often little down time for me. Very much like being home. Surrounded by beauty, but often rushing about. I made a practice of waking up early and going to the dock every morning. I returned in the evening. These moments of quiet and stillness bookended my days and created a sense of peace that I am planning on replicating now that I'm home.  

I've certainly been known to slip outside at the crack of dawn or take a beautiful sunset shot, but I've never made it a conscious act. I'd like to make this an intentional practice, at least while the weather beckons me out in bare feet.

 Stay tuned for posts this week about the workshops I taught and the amazing folks who graced my days...

Squam- June 2014

Bare branches and piles of fluffy snow are romantic in December, but they get old quickly.  I know that next June I'm going to be aching to sit on the dock of my favorite lake. The Squam Art Workshops for 2014 have just been announced! Registering now is a wonderful way of investing in yourself and your soul... and creating a sense of hope during the long stretch of winter ahead.

I'm teaching a brand new workshop that I'm super excited about! We'll be be carving stamps, printing on rescued textiles and stitching up a variety of little pouches. The emphasis will be on hand sewing. Leaving machines behind offers makers the ability to create in any location. Squam's pristine setting will be our "second" classroom. So if you'd like to be crafting at the water's edge or sitting on a forest trail... you will be free to roam with needle and thread!

We will be learning new skills, gaining fresh insights on our creative process and making deep connections with those around us. It truly doesn't get much better than this! I can't wait to meet you in June... so many dear friendships have been born through readers translating our online correspondence into a real life experience... looking into one another's eyes is always my favorite way to SEE. You.

So come sew and print with me! Click here for all of the details.