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Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving from Erindale Tapestry Studio!

2020 has not been an easy year, but there are many things for which I am thankful this season, and many exciting things I'd like to share with you! Whether you're a past or present student, an art collector, or part of a folk school, you'll be sure to find something special below and a chance to share some joy. Stay safe, and Thank You for being a part of my creative journey this year!

I am Laura Berlage, an interdisciplinary artist with a passion for liberating the creative soul. I am dedicated to creative resilience during these trying times--join me in this initiative!

Gratitude in a Difficult Year
2020 has been a cakewalk for nobody I know. We’ve all met changes and had to adapt. We’ve faced off with loneliness, frustration, anguish, and betrayal. We’ve suffered illness or helped to support our friends and loved ones through illness, or both. And there has been loss—real loss—of lives, of time together, of chances to get away from it all, of sleep, and of peace of mind.

It would be easy to chock off 2020 as a year of grief and loss, but Thanksgiving urges us to renew our practice of gratitude, no matter which year it may be. The practice of gratitude builds resiliency—a trait we can all cultivate during difficult times. Focusing on what we don’t have or what we’ve lost creates self-feeding loops of mental negativity. Over time, the negative becomes all we see, leading to cynicism and depression. Cultivating gratitude helps us acknowledge what is good and meaningful, even in the darkest places. It doesn’t mean that we ignore the painful or turbulent aspects of the situation, throwing on rosy glasses and carrying on as if these aren’t happening—it means that we allow the light into the darkness and celebrate it, no matter how small.

Saturday was a big day! My piece "Trout and Swallows" was featured in Amy Oxford's beautiful and impressive new book "Punch Needle Rug Hooking: Your Complete Guide to Learn and Love the Craft". This is the first time my art has been published in a real book--so excited! If you love punch needle rug hooking Oxford style, this is an excellent resource to have in your library. Thank you Amy for that amazing day we had together in Vermont that launched my practice into this new medium, and thank you for valuing my work and including it in your new book.

Order the Book

Things I'm Grateful For This Year

Health. I am grateful to be healthy and alive, and that my family is healthy (or recovering) and alive through this pandemic. I am grateful for good, wholesome food grown and raised on our farm to help us stay healthy and vibrant. I'm grateful for my creative practice, which has been pivotal in helping me feel grounded and alive through the changes and stress. Tending our body, mind, and soul is the work not only of surviving the hardship but thriving despite the hardship.

New felting kits on the horizon--Winter Critters! Cardinals are already live, with chipmunk, arctic fox, mouse, snowy owl, and squirrel coming soon! You can find the full array of currently available felting kits below.

View Fiber Arts Kits

The Internet. I must admit, facing a pandemic lockdown without the internet would be incredibly more painful and hampering than the current situation. I’d never heard of Zoom until COVID, and now I use it every week to connect with my fiber arts students across the country and even in Canada. Zoom has allowed me to see my grandparents in Minnesota and to share the farm with them. And the internet has supported our farm's new e-store that has allowed us to completely transform how we do business. Without the internet, it would have surely felt like our world imploded.

So many great new classes coming up! And I'm happy to welcome partnerships with three new folks schools--Vesterheim Folk Art School, Textile Center, and Ely Folk School.

Upcoming Zoom Classes

I'm continuing to schedule additional classes for Q1 of 2021, but here is the list so far. As some are already filling up or filled, please register promptly. To register, click on the name of the folk school to link to their registration page. Looking forward to seeing you in the Zoom classroom!

North House Folk School

Dec 3, Balsam Wreath Seminar
Dec 10 and 12, Needle Felt a Santa (sold out)
Dec 11 Balsam Wreath Craft-Along
Jan 14, Needle Felt a Squirrel
Jan 21, Needle Felt Arctic Fox
Jan 22, Painting with Wool Dala Horse (shown above)
Jan 28, Needle Felt a Chipmunk
Feb 4, Needle Felt a Cardinal
Feb 5, 12, and 19, Felted Wool Rug (releasing after Thanksgiving)
Feb 11, Needle Felt a Mouse
Feb 25, Needle Felt a Snowy Owl

Marine Mills Folk School

Jan 17, Needle Felt a Sheep (releasing soon)

Vesterheim Folk Arts School

Dec 17 and 18, Nisse (gnome)--Sold Out
Jan 7, Needle Felt Arctic Fox (releasing Dec 10)
Feb 18, Needle Felt Lady Nisse/gnome (releasing Dec 10)
Mar 11, Needle Felt Nisse/gnome (Releasing Dec 10)

Ely Folk School

Dec 13, Needle Felt Arctic Fox

This last week wrapped up an intense but empowering three-part course on Celtic Cabled Crochet, where students made a beautiful scarf and shearling-lined headband in a woven Celtic knotwork design. Great job class!

Time. Many things couldn’t happen this year because of the pandemic—hosting our summer music concerts at our farm, having in-person classes—but the lack of these events meant that time was freed up in new ways. We were able to work projects on the farm that had languished because there just wasn’t time to get to them, and I could have a little more time for my art practice. Because I didn’t have to drive several hours each way in order to teach (say at Duluth, Minneapolis, or Grand Marais), I could actually connect with more students via Zoom and only have to walk up the stairs to our fiber loft and turn on my newly-rigged technology booth. Time is a most precious element, and time at home can be time very well spent. We certainly never wondered what we were going to do with ourselves, not with a farm!

Here come the felted dogs! I've been busy being Santa's elf (shhhh!), so meet June, Bonnie (x3), Sid, and Alazar. I have three more on the waiting list, so if you need a felted dog gift in your for Christmas, don't wait too long to chime in!

Felted Dog Options

"The Bonnie’s are awesome. She [the dog] had her nose in the bag and is totally obsessed. So will need to keep them stashed away for now." ~Terri

"Blaze came and we love her! Thanks so much!" ~Justine

Empathy. Yes, there was cruelty and rebuke and many other unsavory moments in this year’s mix, but the moments of empathic connection shine through. Even the smallest conversation outside Farmstead (our farm's shop and my gallery) as folks picked up their orders and we checked in with each other brought much-needed connections of shared concern. For some, it’s easy to tear other people down, but empathy calls us to see in each other our shared humanness and be there for each other on the journey. Sometimes the contrast of anger and hatred made the moments of empathy all the more savored and meaningful. I hope that we can continue to build more of the practice of empathy together.

Spreading holiday cheer across the distance with charming felted woodland friends.

Announcing the Holiday Gift Guide!

Each year, our farm creates a delightful, curated holiday gift guide. This year, that is now fully hosted on our e-store! Erindale Tapestry Studio creations and kits are a shining feature, from wearables to projects, fine arts to tiny treasures. And we can ship! There's also all sorts of deliciousness from the farm and much to explore. Know that any purchases from our Holiday Gift Guide directly support my studio and our farm, with no middle-industry taking its percentage. Every item and package is infused with love, and you can even order gift wrapping service (that's my task too). Looking for a customized gift this year? Let's chat!

Holiday Gift Guide

So many beautiful and festive pieces worth highlighting--how to pick? Peruse for yourself and see what's your favorite!

Where does your gratitude practice find you this Thanksgiving? Don’t just save it up for this one day—spread out your gratitude practice throughout the year and see how it impacts your perspective and your resiliency. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! ~Laura

The Yurt Gets New Sidewalls!

Thank you everyone for your expressions of concern when the rodents chewed their way into my studio yurt this fall and made a royal mess of my favorite place. I was able to order new sidewalls, and we were fortunate to have a nice stretch of weather in early November for the installation.

Now, at last, the loom is unwrapped and work can resume on the Zen Cranes tapestry.

Visit Erindale Tapestry Studio Website

Thank you for reading this newsletter! I hope we may stay in contact to inspire creativity, expression, and learning. Please feel free to forward to anyone you feel may benefit from knowing about my studio and offerings. Best wishes to you on your creative journey~Laura Berlage, Erindale Tapestry Studio