Bryony Studio

On Mondays, I'll focus on color palettes. Most of the ones I'll show are from my journeys, so over the course of year, you'll be able to see much of my home town regions. Today's palette, however, comes from Wales on a early autumn day. I tried to capture the feel of the early morning coolness as well as some of the color I found that monochromatic day.

Beginning Monday, I will focus on color palettes called the Monday Moods. Part of this is an exercise in creativity, part of it is out of sheer necessity. Each of us tends toward a color theme in life. In my family, blue is the predominate color. The walls are light blue, my sister and I have blue eyes, the furniture leans to blue when we can purchase it for the color we want. Crabapple Blossom - in hopes of Spring I like the color purple which is still in the cooler colors. My favorite colors, by the way, are black, purple and silver. I like a splash of blue like turquoise, but it's a splash. For me, much of my color choices lean towards my clothing choices because I have a hard time finding any warm colors that look good on me. Oddly enough, white is one of the hardest colors for me to wear. As the year progresses, I'll focus on different seasons and themes, but eventually, we'll have quite a few color combinations to choose from for clothing and design. Why wou

In recent years, I've tend to stay away from purchasing certain items through the store. Some of the purchases are because I can make the items like scarves and quilts. Others are because I need too make the items like skirts. Still others are made because of a particular color combination I want. Then there is the uniqueness of the item - I don't necessarily want to be like everyone else. Other times it boils down to wanting quality. Soap from Chicory Farm My family values quality. We may not always have a lot of stuff, but what we have will last a few generations. I understand craftsmanship, and expect to pay a little more for it. The long-term benefit of keeping the item makes the item worthwhile. Where I grew up in the Lancaster County region of Pennsylvania, people understood this concept: pay a little higher price for something that will last longer. We realized that paying a hundred dollars for a table which would last maybe five years was less valuable than pay

As one develops an artisan studio things come up. Unexpected things that blindside you, and whack you on the head, and make you reconsider everything you've done. Things like ... reality. Niagara Falls, January 2014 Reality is mean because it gives us facts like gravity. In the real world, if I jump off a cliff, I will fall and most likely hurt myself. In fantasy, I can fly. Reality limits us in ways we didn't expect, but those limitations can always be harnessed. I might not be able to run and jump off a cliff without falling, but with the knowledge of wingspan and winds, I can fly with hang-gliders and parachutes. Sometimes in the process of building a business or expanding a business, reality whacks us right between the eyes. It looks and feels like Niagara Falls in winter: cold, miserable, wet, and somehow mesmerizing. We know how reality limits us, but within those limitations, we also sometimes see the means to fly. Recently, I had reality brought forward. A

To give you a little background on the business, over the next couple of Saturdays I'm going to explain why I chose this path. Bryony Studios focuses on creating handwoven clothes and accessories for twenty and thirty something women. One of my Wraps The accessories I create be they poncho, wrap, shrug, shawl or something else are for every woman, but I specifically chose the plus-sized fashions for clothing. Why? It's simple - there was a need for quality items of artisanal value in this group. The other reason - it's my size. I'm considered plus-sized, and even as I lose weight to gain a healthier life, I will remain in the larger sizes because I'm tall (5'9") and curvy. Local, Fair Trade Clothes I've always struggled with my weight as many women do. We can take three approaches to our weight: (1) force our bodies into the "ideal size" even if that size is unattainable, (2) ignore our health, or (3) accept our bodies and limita

I have odd dreams. Always have; always will. I always picture myself doing these crazy things or having cool adventures ... must be a writer/artist thing. One of the dreams I want to do is to create  handwoven garments. This dream is part of the reason why I've started Bryony Studios. My inspiration comes from my family. 1945, Wedding Photo Don't my grandparents look lovely? I want to focus your attention on my grandma's wedding dress. She made that dress - not just sewed the dress, but wove the material for the dress. How cool is that?! Cooler still, we have the dress to this day. I can walk over to the closet and pull it out. It's a beautiful gown, simple in its design, but absolutely beautiful. Grandma was a short, well-endowed woman, so neither my sister nor I can ever wear the dress. Because I knew Grandma had made her wedding dress, I knew I could make clothing of my own as well. It was something I wanted to try because ... well, just for, I suppose.

Greetings, and welcome to my site, Bryony Studio. This is a place where you can come to see what I'm working on in the studio whether a journal, wrap or top. I am a fiber artists specializing in woven clothing and accessories. St. Patrick's Day Warp Currently, I'm transferring items around while working on moving from my current location into a new location. As I go through the process, I'll let you know. I also happen to be a writer of fiction, and if you visit www.bridgettenibrian.com you can see some of my novels, and previous fiber work. Come by as you have the chance to visit and chat, and see what's new in the studio. Don't mind the dust or the mess because from them beautiful things emerge.