3. Three Considerations for Faster, Easier Coiling Post 3.

Yesterday, we introduced the three considerations and talked about number one.

Today we will begin #2, a look at tools, a very important part of coiling.

Common tools used by coilers:

• Scissors
• Sewing needle
• Pliers or grabbers
• Binder (actually a material, because it is “used up,” but we will call it a tool so I can cover it under #2!)

Scissors generally should be small and sharp. Embroidery scissors are good. Sawing away at whatever you want to cut takes extra time and leaves ragged ends in your work. If you are using scissors to prepare your core material, they should probably be large and very sharp. Sharpness is key. Find a scissors sharpener, or buy new scissors. Blunt scissors are hard on your hands, and take extra time.

Sewing Needles. I don’t know why a #16-18 blunt needle is the most often used needle for coiling, perhaps because the most popular book says it is what is to be used. Perhaps it is because it has a large eye, which will accept raffia and other broad binders. I suppose the blunted end is SUPPOSED to push the pine needles aside, rather than piercing them and making raggedy snarls on your basket. But, in my opinion, the #16-18 blunted needle far from the ideal coiling needle.

If you are coiling normal sized baskets, and using something like pine needles as a core, you should be using the largest possible needle for speed and accuracy in coiling. I use the biggest needle the project will allow, and really love for them to be at least 2 inches long. A larger needle is ergonomically sounder. It is better for your body. It is easier to grasp and to find when pushing through the coils (on the other side of the coil.) This both saves time and it saves your little clenching and clasping muscles. You may not be having trouble with them now, but eventually, almost everyone does… read>>>>repetitive motion injuries: carpal tunnel, etc. Also affected by aging and joint deterioration.

Using a large needle also means you can either grasp or push your needle more easily, with less damage to the needle. This is important. I like YARN DARNERS for my work. They have a sharp point, and an eye large enough to accept yarn (hence the name.) I still try to push my needle in between the pine needles, I try not to just puncture them all. But the larger smooth needle goes through the pine needles more easily, and allows for faster coiling.

If coiling miniatures, the needle should still be as long as possible, though fine so as not to tear the core. I prefer quilter’s golden eye basting needles, which have a large eye to accept many binders, are slender enough for miniature projects, and are still about 2” long.

Sewing Needles should be sharp and not corroded, to reduce drag. The exception to this is when you want to specifically use a blunted needle, because your core material is very fragile. In this case, buy and use a blunted large needle, don’t use a sharp that has gone dull. There is a huge difference.

I also recommend the use of curved needles when a needle will not "reach" where you want it to go. Curved needles come in all sizes. If you inadvertently bend one of your favorite straight needles, don't throw it out! They make great curved needles.

I would love to hear about your favorite needles and cutting tools, please leave a positive comment here for everyone to read! Thanks

The next post will continue talking about tools.

New Bases Fresh from the Kiln!

For those of you who have been patiently waiting, new bases have just been taken from the kiln, and are being listed in my MakeABasket.etsy.com shop! Get them while they are hot! I will be continuing to list throughout the upcoming weeks, so watch for your favorite motifs! Thanks for all the suggestions on facebook, I have listened to what you requested! ~ Pamela

2. Three Considerations for Faster, Easier Coiling Post 2

Thanks to those who read my rant yesterday and to Donna, Jan, Tony, and Cazcat, who made positive comments. It sounds like we have a bunch of like-minded coilers out there. So, on to the three things I think you should consider if you want to be able to coil faster and easier:

1. Your Attitude
2. Your Tools
3. Your Habits

Yes, it is all about YOU. No accusation. Just: What works for YOU. Not for your teacher, or your friend. People are different, and you need to figure out how things work for YOU and only YOU.

The first thing to examine is your attitude: are you open minded? Or are you “by the book?” If you learned “from a book” and are still doing everything exactly the way the book showed you, then you are conforming to another person’s idea of the “best” way to coil. Don’t get me wrong. It may be that the book’s way IS the best way FOR YOU. But only YOU can determine this. YOU determine by trying different things if you don’t think what you are already doing is working. But first, you have to be open-minded. You have to be willing to consider that there is more than one possible way to do EVERYTHING.


The next post will be about YOUR TOOLS.

I would love to hear about your learning process, please leave a positive comment here for everyone to read! Thanks

1. Three Considerations for Faster, Easier Coiling Post Number 1

In this series, hope to address how to make coiler faster and easier. If you are already content with your method of coiling, and your skill level, you may disagree with my philosophy. I understand this, and I acknowledge your right to be different from me.

The people I would like to reach are those who are struggling with coiling. Those for whom the methods already tried seem cumbersome or just “not quite right.” People who love the idea of coiling, but cannot seem to make things work YET. If you are one of those people, this is for you. If you are not one of those people, you are also welcome to join us. Positive-toned comments are welcomed, as this is meant to be a helpful thought process, and not a debate on “the way to coil.”

In my opinion, coiling is a very personal thing. It matters how your body is made, what you are comfortable with, and the overall goal of the activity. I coil for relaxation, and for personal expression. For me, what WORKS is the most important thing. I do not believe in rules, I do not believe in “the way things are done.” The only thing I care about is what works for me. You should only care about what works for you, too.

I have heard teachers say, “That’s just not done.” This, in my opinion, is a cop-out. If you cannot articulate a specific reason why something is not done, then it is “not done” just because you don’t like it. That may be a good reason for you to do something a certain way, but it is not a good enough reason for me. I want to know WHY. I think students should ask WHY whenever a teacher says “we don’t do that.”

I want to make it very clear: I am not advocating large scale rebellion against teachers everywhere. When taking a class, always remember you are paying to learn the teacher’s expert technique. Obviously the techniques she is teaching work for her, and for others who have learned from her. You have to give it a “good shot,” and do your best to learn the methods she espouses. If you are in a class, you should make every effort to do what the teacher teaches for the duration of the class. Then, after you have gone home, sort out what works for you…keep what works, and don’t worry about the rest.

So, this series is written primarily for the self-learner, one who is learning from the internet and reading books.

There is nothing quite like learning on your own. A person who has “reinvented the wheel” through self-learning is a wonderfully educated person. She may not have as many perfectly finished products as one who learns with the guidance of a teacher, BUT the self-learner knows what does and does not work for her. This is very valuable learning.

When I first started reading Judy Mallow’s book, From Forest Floor to Finished Project, I was enthralled! I could not believe the beauty of her baskets, and it sounded so easy! Then, when I began trying to duplicate what I saw in the book, I thought, “What’s the matter with me? Why can’t I do this?” My baskets looked nothing like hers. My stitches did not spiral, my baskets were ill-formed, the pine needles refused to lay flat. I was very disappointed. I really needed someone else to talk to about this! But I couldn’t find anyone living near me who coiled.

That is how the Pine Needle Group was born. The Pine Needle Group is an online circle of cyber friends. We are based on the yahoo group email list at http://groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/pineneedlegroup . This is the place where I learned that I was not the only one who could not do things “by the book.” Through the years (eleven years now) the Pine Needle Group has served as my sounding board, my teacher, by companion to learning. They are an amazing group of people. The yahoo groups’ companion website is www.PineNeedleGroup.com . Please join us, and enter our continuing conversation….we focus on coiling. It is because of this website and this group that I have grown from an all-thumbs loner learner to an emerging artist and teacher. I think you will find it a nurturing environment, too!

The next post will introduce the three considerations for faster, easier coiling.

I would love to hear about your learning process, please leave a comment here for everyone to read! Thanks

Woven Architecture

Ah, the wonders of the internet. Woven structures are not new…and here are two amazing woven bridges….

One as nature wove….


One as man imitates….

Both amazing! Would you dare walk them?

A new Path for Artists and Patrons

IBXarts.org and find out what is happening
within the Arts community of the Inner Banks. This Month:

A lovely article, not just about what is happening on the Inner Banks of North Carolina's art scene, but remembering the Public Works of Art Project that helped bring relief to artists during the Great Depression, and highlighting InkStone Gallery.

InkStone Gallery's feature for October includes feature: Weaving Transformation about artist Pamela Zimmerman (hey, that's me!)

Escape Window

Just when I thought perhaps I needed a new perspective, I found a new window…

I am reminded of sunlight through trees in the forest, shadows and mysteries. Vines are creeping through from the other side, and pulling me in….aaaaahhhh! I will make a coppery vine basket while resting there.

I am so honored to be wearing this marvelous work of art! For more of them, check out Down to Earth Pottery on etsy.

Wonderful!

What's That In My Shoe?????

OOOOHH! Something is in there....

Can you see it? (click on the photos to see them larger) My dog was chasing something, and suddenly there was something VERY COLD in my old leather sandals, pressed up against my arch...I hobbled to the door to hollar for my camera. It was a chilly little anole, one of the cute little lizards that live in our yard. This one was resting somewhere and my dog must have caught it. They normally will not move when they are that cold, except to creep out to bask in the sun.

I let him nestle his cold little body against my foot for about 10 minutes, hoping to help him out. Finally, i slowly removed my sandal. I was pretty sure he was okay, but still crossing my fingers i had not crushed him....

he did not move when i slipped my toes out.
...and there he is. I knew he was okay. He little sides were heaving still, and his left eye was rolling all around, looking for that dog...I set him up on the railing of the deck, where the dog MIGHT not go (she is pretty agile) and looked more closely.


You can see where he was warming against me, his back is turning green.

About 10 minutes later, when i hobbled back to check on him, he was gone....
Perhaps this is him, peeking out from the shutters? So glad he got away! Since then, I have rescued 2 more from inside my house, in addition to a large tree frog! I suppose our windows are not tight enough, and we have them open, to catch the wonderful autumn air! Thank goodness for quick & gentle hands, we haven't lost one yet!

~pamela