Greeting Students!

On the morning of September 1 a little magic appeared in my life. When I went out to feed my rescued Russian tortoises, I saw a tiny clump of dirt moving around, then I realized it had feet! To my astonishment, there was a precious, little, perfectly formed baby tortoise, slightly bigger than a quarter. Every detail was a perfect replica of the adults, but in miniaturization. He even has tiny toenails. This is my first experience being a “mother” and all sorts of ideas ran through my mind.....”what do I do??? What does he eat? Will the adults step on him? Will he tumble in the water dish?” Oh, so many things for a mother to worry about. I picked him up and just marveled at this new little lifeform. He was so “new” he even had what appeared to be damp yolk on his tummy. I separated him from the adults, put him in a large shoebox with soil, made a little cardboard house, and used a lid off an alfalfa sprout container for a water dish. And I put in a dandelion leaf in case he was hungry. However, he was quite rollypolly, being fed well while in the egg. A day later he got hungry and took his first meal....biting big triangular chunks, one after another, off the leaf. What an appetite!

On Sept 5 we were leaving for a trip to a spa-hotel in the desert. I couldn’t leave him behind! I agonized what to do, and decided he had to come with us. Our room had a patio, so my husband and I took turns guarding the box so “Homer” (my friend provided the name) could get sun but wouldn’t get snatched by a roadrunner or crow. Everything wants to eat a tortoise! Every time we left the room, we brought the box inside. But then I worried - hot patio, chilly air-conditioned room, oh dear, will this give him a cold? I was also worrying about the maid...what would she think when she found a box of dirt? So I tracked her down, showed her my little guy and said “no vacuum!!!” She smiled and laughed, so I knew he wouldn’t end up in a vacuum bag. Whew!

He now resides in a big cage, has a better cardboard house, and a “swimming pool” sold at pet stores for hermit crabs. He loves his little house, and he cruises around his enclosure, checking things out. He’s an early riser and is frequently up when I stumble into the kitchen to brew my coffee. Seeing his cuteness is such a great way to start my day. Welcome to the world, little one.

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Every two years the Misti Washington Gourd & Basket Guild hosts a fabulous two-day conference in Encinitas. The “8th Gourd & Basket Weekend in the Gardens” will be held May 5 and 6, 2007. This popular event offers a variety of classes in basketmaking and gourd art taught by instructors from all over the United States. Workshops are held outside on the beautiful grounds of Quail Botanical Gardens. A brief line-up of classes is on the guild’s website http://baskets gourds.com/. Keep an eye on the website for an update of full class descriptions and photos. Registration begins Jan/2007.

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A student discovered a product that helps her hands while weaving and I wanted to pass along the info. Clearshield II Lotion protects your skin without affecting the sense of touch and allows your skin to carry out its normal functions, including perspiration. Within 5 minutes of applying this non-toxic biodegradable barrier, Clear Shield II creates an invisible resistance, protecting the skin from many irritants. It will not wash off, but rather dissipates over a period of four hours as skin cells are sloughed. It also contains moisturizing ingredients - lanolin, aloe vera gel and vitamin E. The literature says you can use it while preparing foods like onions, garlic and fish, to keep the smell off your hands. I’m thinking it’d be a good product for gourd artists to use when cleaning and decorating the gourds. Here’s a website where you can get it....
www.jhine s.unfranchise.com Item # 6621
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Well, that’s it for news. If you’re looking for things to do, please look below where I’ve listed some events in Southern California. And of course, my class schedule is listed below too.

Happy weaving and gourding! Nadine

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TORRANCE
November 5, 10am - 4 pm
Southern California Handweavers Guild presents their Annual November Show and Sale at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, 3350 Civic Center Drive.
Admission $5 Knitting, weaving, spinning, felting, dyeing, exhibits, demonstrations, vendors, fashion show. Contact Nancy Boerman for more info (310) 316-0910 or www.schg.org/festival/

OCEANSIDE
Quilt Visions 2006
November 12 - January 21
An international contemporary art quilt exhibition. This show is consistently amazing and I can hardly wait to see this year’s art quilts. Reception November 11 from 5-7pm, $8 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside (760) 721-2787 www.oma-online.org

SAN DIEGO
The Museum of Man in Balboa Park currently has two exhibits that sound very interesting..... “Guatemala! Celebrations of Weaving” showcases textiles made by women of the Mayan villages in Guatemala. The exhibit includes examples selected from 30 villages located throughout the country.
Through April 27, 2007.

“Body Ornamentation: Artistic Representations of Self”, will focus on the many different types of body ornamentation in various cultures around the world. The human body is the canvass! This exhibit presents the beautiful designs and artwork used to decorate the body.....adorning, body painting, tattooing, scarification, and piercing. Continues through March 2007.

4th Annual San Diego Arts Festival
November 24, 25, 26
San Diego Convention Center www.a mericanartfestivals.com High-quality contemporary craft and fine art.

Celebrations 3 November 6- December 30 A Celebration of Small Art Quilts by Pacific Quilt Artists Opening reception with the artists on Friday November 10 from 6:30-8:30 pm.
Location www.lajollafib erarts.com, 7644 Girard Avenue, La Jolla. (858) 454-6732.

Learn how to coil a beautiful basket around a polished stone. The stones are an easy way to start a basket and also make an ornate center. Students will learn how to weave so the “swirling” stitches are identical on both sides of the basket. The coiling technique can be used to weave virtually any plant in your yard. Pine needles & waxed linen thread provided. Basketry is a great way to channel stress and recycle from nature! Repeat students are invited to attend to learn more advanced techniques if you don’t mind waiting until after I get the beginners started!

Dates TBA

Contact Nadine (760) 944-9369

Learn how to transform worn-out clothes, leftover scraps of fabric or yarn into beautiful baskets. Delight your children by turning their out-grown clothes into a keepsake basket! Rag baskets make great decorations for the home, holidays and gifts for friends.

• Nov 4 • Saddleback Adult Ed www.goadulted.co m class # 1215 • 9-2
• Nov 5 • Poway Adult Ed (858) 668-4000 http://ww w.powayadultschool.com
• Nov 19 • Grossmont College (619) 660-4350 • 10- 3
• Dec 2 • Valley Center Adult Ed (760) 749-4218, class # 201301 • 10-3

Students will learn how to make a beautiful amulet necklace using waxed linen thread and a weaving technique called twining. No tools needed, so this is a great traveling project. This ornate necklace incorporates beads in the weaving, and also in a lovely cascading tassel. You can use your pouch necklace to hold treasures, such as crystals or written prayers. (see photo below) Students have an option of weaving a pouch, or weaving over a polished cut geode (I have available) or a miniature basket.

"You can learn how to make this project at any of Nadine's home workshops
Dec 10

Students will choose a gourd from a large selection and learn how to safely clean, carve and prepare gourds, then how to woodburn (tool provided) designs, texture and shade, plus basketweaving around the rim (choose from a variety of plant materials) and embellishment using glass beads, feathers, pods and shells.

• Nov 11 • MiraCosta College (760) 757-2121 x 6820, class # 7163.21 • 10-3
• Nov 12 • El Camino College www.eccom munityed.com or (310) 660-6460, class # 7610 • 10-3
• Nov 18 • Valley Center Adult Ed (760) 749- 4218 • 10-3

The organic Lavender Fields are located about 45 minutes north of San Diego. Students will treated to a personal tour of the farm's Navajo sheep, llamas, weavings, and the oil distillery. Hand-made lavender products are available for purchase. For more info about the ranch see www.TheLavenderFields.com To enroll in a class contact Nadine at lovetoweave@co x.net or (760) 944-9369.

• FRESH LAVENDER BASKETS * Will be offered Spring of 2007

Make a spectacular, fragrant wreath from freshly harvested lavender and other plant materials. Location * www.l avenderFields.com

TBA

Students will receive a personal tour of the ranch - the llamas, Navajo sheep, oil distillery and more!

In Victorian times, fresh lavender flower heads were bundled together and woven with satin ribbon. The flower heads were then captured within the ribbon and wouldn't shed when dried. These fragrant 'wands' were then placed between layers of clothing and linens. Throughout time this technique has been used to bring the aroma of fresh lavender into drawers and closets. Gently squeeze the wand to refresh the fragrance.

Will be offered Spring of 2007