Osborn Fiber Studio

This is Rhinebeck weekend.

I have never been to Rhinebeck. At this point, it’s looking pretty likely that I never will go Rhinebeck. My life just doesn’t involve going to major Sheep & Wool festivals anymore, and that’s OK. But for some reason, the fact that Rhinebeck is always the middle weekend in October is fixed into my mind, and I always remember it. Like that ex-boyfriend’s birthday that you remember on odd years.

I was observing/lamenting all this out loud to Jared (leaving out the ex-boyfriend bit), wondering why such irrelevant information would keep coming up in my mind every year. Is there something I’m supposed to do with it? Should I spin something or start a new project, just to observe the knitterly part of fall? Or is there no point?

His suggestion was much more sensible. Mark it as a time to do something crafty, that is relevant to my new life.

So I did.

Yesterday, when all our chores were done, I rolled out the purple sealskin, pinned to it a little pualuk pattern given by a friend, and cut out the pieces.

I love cutting things out! I think cutting pieces out is my favorite part of sewing. I may have bought N more paper doll books just so I could cut the pieces out. (Imagine my dismay when they were all punch-out paper dolls. Dumb.)

You will observe that, logically, cutting a furry skin with scizzors produces a lot of cut hairs, and fuzz everywhere. I did think about the lay of the hairs (would you call that nap?) when I was pinning the pieces, but not when I was cutting. After a sheepish post on Facebook, I have gathered that I am supposed to use an exacto knife or ulu to cut a sealskin.

Oops. Well, that’s why my first project is small.

I was as economical as I could be with the pieces (with the caveat that: I have no idea what I’m doing), but I still had some sizeable leftover bits. I tried cutting the bigger leftover pieces into stars and flowers, to hot glue onto headbands or something, but the nap made this a challenge too.

Two projects: One ready for hot glue, the other ready for some sewing time. ACW starts tomorrow! Rhinebeck weekend no more: it’s Sealskin Weekend.

Addendum: To the extent that I blog about this project at all, I will be intentionally vague about the process and patterns. There is a history of fashion designers coming from the south, learning indigenous designs, and using them in their own designs for profit. I will not willingly participate in or enable such activity. I am doing this entirely for my own participation and edification, and sharing it for family and friends who want to come along as I learn more about life in the North and the amazing people who live here.