Terra Textures-Surface Design in Felt Workshops

 Katia Mokeyeva and I are absolutely delighted to announce a workshop series to be offered this April at the Okanagan School of the Arts in Penticton, BC.

 The idea is to create a mix and match workshop combination where students can chose an assortment of classes, learn very different felting styles from two enthusiastic, supportive teachers, while creating a complimentary collection of felt wearables. We work from a similar starting point...nature as our inspiration and the space that feeds our creative spirits....and from this core, we then work quite differently in every way...in design, layout and felting process....but both with an emphasis on surface design.   We will both be offering  two  x one day accessory classes, plus a three day garment class on the weekend.

The Okanagan School of the Arts at the Shatford Centre in Penticton is a perfect location for our workshops. Lots of room and a very supportive space, in a beautiful natural setting. Lake, mountains, orchards in bloom, vineyards...it's quite idyllic....


Full workshop information and registration through the Okanagan School of the Arts will be available On December 15th, 2015. I'll send you the links when that happens.

It really is very exciting! 



Warm wishes, 
Fiona



 

felt::feutre artwork

  As many of you will know, felt::feutre has been my big undertaking for this year....It is a fabulous and awesome project....and mammoth!  I work on the felt::feutre project at least 2-3 hours a day most days...there are so many components...and all of these components are what will come together in the last week of September to create a fantastic event....

For my part, the lists are getting more detailed, so that I can have every little thing attended to when the time comes so I can relax into teaching my classes and spending the evenings with the other feltmakers.  The exhibition is all set, today I'm meeting with someone who will be able to help organize the FELT fashion show, the community sculpture invitation is out, and I just need to get the approval of the local Arts Council to approve the site for the installation. Check.Check. Check.

 

And all of this work, in service, is amping up my personal creative world too....while all the organizational work is keeping me from my felting table more than I would like, I do have some amazing projects in the works that should be making their way to the felting table this week...so very exciting! 

I have not been writing much about felt::feutre here- and I only just realized this, this week. I think it is because I write about it so much in other places- emails, the website, facebook....It sometimes feels like I am always writing about it...but not here, and you may be interested too!

I've got a big morning today- a large order to ship, an exhibition proposal to finish and send in, and then my FELTfashion show meeting at lunch....

More felt tomorrow- I have a new feltwork outside to show you!

Warm wishes,

Fiona

New Year - New Projects

  It is a bright, new, shiny year...and it is going to be fabulous! So far every day has been filled with excitement, momentum and pure pleasure! And lots of work...but in the best possible way.
  I have launched a new project: felt :: feutre- a celebration of feltmaking in Canada. I wanted to find a way to unite and promote feltmakers in Canada.   Even with the internet, our country is so vast and our population is so small. Having lived on both coasts now, I wanted to find a way to heighten awareness of our talented artists, our wonderful fibre farms and retailers, and our ongoing feltmaking events and workshops. A resource that provides information and inspiration that covers our whole geography.   
  The project includes a full resource based website that will be fully bilingual...currently in translation, a week long Canadian feltmaking event with 5 days of workshops, an exhibition of Canadian Contemporary Felt, exhibition catalogue, fibre sales, and studio tours. Canadian Felting Week runs from September 25th- 29th, and is held this year on beautiful Saltspring Island, BC. Next year I plan to bring to bring the event to Eastern Canada, and hopefully, the North, to have made it as accessible to as many feltmakers as possible. 
  The workshop details will be announced by January 23rd, with registration opening on February 1st.

  We have an amazing group of Canadian feltmakers teaching- Andrea Graham, Marjolein Dallinga, Ulrieke Benner, Jessica de Haas, Laurie Steffler, and Judith Dios. And myself! 

  Just like all the best projects, since beginning this work, it has just flowed seamlessly from day to day, with each organizational piece clicking into place!
The website is still under construction, but you can see it here:
www.felt-feutre.org/  and on Facebook here:
www.facebook.com/pages/Felt-Feutre/

 There are several other big projects in the works, and I feel quite determined to see them come to life this year and confident that they will!

  Wishing you all a happy new year-one of fulfilled dreams, gorgeous fibre arts, 
and contentment in every moment!

Warm wishes,
Fiona

Pure Potentiality

  I need to order a large amount of wool for the studio this summer...mostly for getting ready for the One of A Kind show this November. I've been trying to decide exactly what wool to get, then came across a solution... a smaller order...a sampling of wool breeds to experiment with before making the big wholesale order commitment....

  And it came in this week...wonderful customer service and quick delivery from the World of Wool.

  And inside...a box of pure potentiality. I love getting a box of white raw materials ready to be transformed. Wool, cottons, silk...it's all so delightful and inspiring...

  In this particular box.....Falkland, Finn, Norwegian, Icelandic (truly a world of wool!) all for bags and purses...

So I have plenty to get started on for my studio sales, plus get an idea on what will be best for my finished products. I have a plan...as soon as I get my felting table clear again  (it's going through another chaotic period, but is slowly regaining it's orderliness!), I'll make four bags, same style, same time....so looking forward it...I hope to start tomorrow.  This will give a great push forward on my feltgathering breed sampling project also.

  And last of all...I'm saying goodbye to my studio companion....a mannequin I borrowed for a photo shoot from Ulrieke Benner, a fabulous feltmaker here on Salt Spring.  It was so nice to have her in my studio, ready for draping and photography at a whim...I have to find one soon....She just made everything feel so finished....

  On to clearing up the felting table, and getting my new bags laid out...

Warm wishes,

Fiona

Craft Resolutions 2012

 Now this is my kind of resolution! This might work for me!

I have some grand, and not so grand craft aspirations for 2012...

  I'm going to learn how to crochet. Properly, I mean. I know how to... I've taught people how to... I've even taught people how to carve their own crochet hooks. I taught my sons how to crochet, and they have beautiful, hand dyed, crocheted pencil cases, still in everyday use.  But I'm more of a knitter, and have only used crochet as an accent. There are so many beautiful and inspiring crochet blogs that I love to read....so much colour! It's time. I'm going to figure out this crochet thing, and make a blanket.....

Do-able....

  Launch feltgathering.com.  Domain is purchased, web hosting is in place.  I just need to set up the pages. I hope to have it live by February 2nd. This will be a resource website that has information for felt makers on different sheep breeds, their felting characteristics, projects and links to sources for different wool breeds.  I've talked about it here several times...the first months wool is in the studio already or ordered...now it's going to happen!  Yes!

Do-able....

   Start doing Craft Shows again. One of A Kind and Circle Craft. I've had a two year hiatus while moving, and this November I was so missing setting up at this type of show and being inspired by all the creative people there.

  I had a most exhilarating day yesterday. The felt ideas were a-swirling, and my sketchbook quickly filled with drawings and scrawl and a new fine felt product line for Fall 2012. Lots of shibori, raw locks, over dyeing, stitches....I started working in this direction with my work for WinterCraft this year....and now it just feels so complete and ready. Can't wait to start! Oh! and this isn't even a resolution, but I'm a total last minute person. I usually start getting ready for One of a Kind in September....but I've already started for next year! If I make being more organized and pacing myself better, a resolution, I could check it off already! Grin!

Do-able...

   I'm going to add ten new wholesale accounts to carry my organic/plant dyed wool line, Kattikloo, next year. And completly renew the website... time for a change! This is a fun colour outlet for me. I never have any time to actually knit (or, ahem....crochet) anything from this yarn (which is the softest, most lushest yarn I've ever felt!), but I do love dyeing it. Between this and felt sales I should be able to keep us afloat while we are building our house this year (but that's not a resolution!:)

Do- able......

   And I'm now older and wiser enough (it was my birthday just the other day, you see!) to know that anything more than this, will not be do-able!  There are so many things I'd like to add....like to think I will do this year...but older and wiser for me means being at least a little bit realistic. I think I can balance this all, with a little homeschooling, family meals from scratch, some exercise (now that would be a resolution- but I don't dare make it!), my work for Living Crafts.....just thinking that all this doesn't leave much time for sitting on the couch reading a book... that would be a novelty....and something I  would love to do....for myself, and only myself....no financial or creative motivations....so I'll add it in! 

  Allow for some couch sitting/book reading time! Any book recommendations anyone?

Do-able....:)

 Do any of you have a craft resolution you'd like to share? I'd love to hear it! We're posting a series of these over on the Living Crafts Blog this week also, if you'd like to read about what some other creative types plan on getting up to this year!

Happy, happy, New Year to you all! May it be full of joy, satisfaction, colour, and creativity!

Warm wishes,

Fiona

Felting with Wool Locks

Mmmmm...I've been wanting to work more with wool locks and felting...I got to play a bit with this with some new pieces I've been making for WinterCraft.

This is the layout for two scarves. I love laying out the layers of white. It's so serene amd perfect.  There is an underlayer of fine merino, then I used lengths of plastic resists since the locks are quite fine and would probably felt into the surface. On one side are Blue Faced Leicester Locks and on the other are Mohair. Then another layer of merino roving on top...Once the pieces were around the prefelt stage, I cut them apart, down the middle, so they could be finished individually and the cut line would felt also.

 This is the mohair lock scarf, with some shibori stitching done before dyeing. It's so nice to wear...and works well as a shoulder wrap also. It would so dramatic to wear with an evening dress....if one had occasion to do so!

I have some super amazing Racka locks I bought recently from Namaste Farms. I so want to try these out this way with a wild and black sweeping line of locks on a scarf.....or jacket! That is my planned birthday project! A new felt jacket.....

 Aren't these wild! I had never heard of Racka sheep until very recently. This came as a great reminder to get the Felt Gathering online project underway for January. Very Exciting!

Back to the studio and some little felted birds I am making...

Warm wishes,

Fiona