Flunked

OK  I have to admit it,  I flunk at managing a web site and at creating a sales spot on Etsy.  Having said that I have to tell you that I really don't care.  Not going to lose sleep over it or cry about it.  No one will notice or care.  There are so many web sites out there I have saved the cyber world from an overload.  LOL  Actually I have been very apathetic about the whole thing.  First of all the Web site costs me $$ a year for a lot of nothing.  I did a pretty good job setting it up then later came back to it and can't manage changes or links without getting professional advice.  So if I can get them to give me a refund, yes they already charged me for next year, I will shut that down.  Then the Etsy account.  I can hardly keep my rug stock up enough for my local markets, so why do I want to bother selling on line, shipping, keeping track of all that stuff. 
So by flunking at Cyber advertising, I have actually freed myself up a lot of aggravation. 
See I took a class in Cottage Industry Marketing.  Loved the class and tried to transition my book store over into a weaving studio by following every single thing I learned.  Turns out I did need about 75% of what I learned, but have learned that I needed to modify things to what I personally needed.

So here is my thought for today!  A little something I made a few years ago.

Hello from Weaver Birds Rugs

Since I have a FB for my Weaver Birds Rugs, this site sits with no stories.  But you don't put everything on  FB.  Well some do but I try not to.  I have a cute story about a student I had in my shop last week to teach weaving.  It was just a simple basic weaving class with me providing everything.  She ended up with a nice 5 foot table runner.  After she got home, she sent me a message that her husb was really impressed as he thought she would come home with a pot holder!!!!  She was beaming when she left.  I love teaching someone a new skill that they had no idea they could do.
I have acquired a couple antique looms this past year.  One is a huge Studio loom.  here is a picture of it.

It has a number on the front post and I sent the info in and got it registered and just found out it was built in Davenport Iowa in Dec. of 1957.  I thought it might be older.  It weaves really good.

I am still writing a monthly column for a local paper, I use about half my space sort of as a personal blog with info of whats going on with my weaving, farmers market and my shop and guild events.  Then I review a couple books.  I do have I few followers I have found.  Cool.

Seeing purple

Yummy shades of purple to put on my Wolf Pup loom next to make some tote bags. I sent 23 bags to my friends shop in Iowa for her to sell.  I also have a huge stack of rugs that I wove this winter.  I am ready for Farmers Market that will be starting up May 7th.

Three busy weavers

Three ladies learning to weave in my weaving studio/book store. They were very intent and quiet, which for these gals was a real feat.   Each one took home their projects.

Books are thinning out.  I am trying to decide if I will have a big sale this summer and clear them out.  I would like to have at least one wall free of books and shelves so that I can hang some antique weaving things I have.

  

I am still a work in progress.  Did you know that God made cracks to let the sun shine through?

Weaving Web Site a work in progress

I have been working hard the past few days to get my Web Site set up.  Being an "I can do it myself" person I have really struggled with it. I refuse to pay someone else to do it.  So I won't post a link to it just yet till I feel it looks presentable. 

In the mean time I try to find time to weave a little each day.  In this picture you will see a set of rugs I took off of my loom this week.  They are woven from cotton mop yarn in a twill pattern.  And when I say mop yarn I really mean it.  While visiting a friend in Iowa this past summer she acquired a truck load  of this discarded yarn, from a mop factory that went out of business. My friend is a recycler like myself so had to put it to the test.  We wove a sample rug, washed and dried it to see if it would shrink and it did not.  The rugs aren't very heavy but should be great for the bathroom or in front of the sink.

Keep smiling, it will make folks wonder what you are up to.  

Multi colored denim rug

This is a multi colored denim rug that I will be putting on Etsy soon.  All of my rugs are one of a kind, as I consider myself a random weaver.  I really don't like following patterns and doing precise rows.  I like to make up a rag ball and they see how the colors fall.  Sometimes I use just 3 or 4 colors but you never now how it will look till you weave.  Having said that, one of my goals for this year is to try some new warping patterns.  The warp is the "strands of carpet warp that is the foundation of the rug and the fabric is woven thru the warp.

This rug shows the strips running vertically as the warp. I believe this one is from a set I made for a friend out of assorted men's khaki  pants in greens, and several shades of tan. Will be very durable. OK enough weaving lessons for today.

Selling rugs and watching eagles

Since this is a new blog that I will devote to my new business, WeaverBirds Rugs  I would like to tell you a tiny bit about myself today.  I am a retired nurse and have been weaving for about 10 years.  When I retired I opened a small book store.  I have a blog for that business at 
 http://readagainbooks.blogspot.com/   But I wanted to create a site devoted entirely to my weaving.  I have sold off over half of my used books and torn down the shelving in center of the room.  I still sell books that are on wall shelves.  As a result I have room for several floor looms and some table top looms.  It is my get away place and I am able to teach weaving.  So thats a summary of what is going on.

I was invited to set up my sale table at a local quilt show today.  It was located in a tiny town here in SW Mo. and I didn't have very high expectations at all.  Population is less than 150 residents.  But the bald eagles stop over here for a week or so the end of every January.  The event brings quite a crowd with their fancy camera.  The conservation group put on informative displays to educate the young and old alike.  I couldn't believe how many came into the building to see the hand made quilts and was very pleased to sell 6 rugs and a couple of my hand woven totes.  They said "I hope you come back next year," and I said  "I hope you invite me"