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



 

Bark Cowl

On every walk, I fall behind the rest of my family, camera in hand taking pictures of grasses, barks, water, frost, colours....whatever catches my eye... The images live in my hard drives...my computer and my mind, until they are ready to come to life in a new form.

 This cowl, and surfacing pattern is derived from just such a walk...I've been holding this one up front in my imagination for a while...These barks are from a beautiful walk we took down in Burgoyne Bay early in December...what amazing surfaces....I love the random patterning....

 And the maker of these inspirational surfaces...caught! 

 

I hadn't looked at my bark images before making this cowl...and now on reviewing them I'm looking forward to working more with this pattern...more opening, more shadowings, more depth and dimension...and a new collection for this Fall....

This piece was made seamless with resists in white, with some black to create shadowing...then dyed after felting...Such a pleasure to be making! And then a fun photo shoot with my beautiful and talented friend Rachel in downtown Ganges! I love the way the cowl can be worn in many ways to show different expresssions of colour. Designed to be worn over a sweater or coat, with the option of pulling up over the ears as a hood when the weather requires...

I have an unexpected afternoon free, and I'm heading for the studio to work with this surface pattern some more....
Warm wishes,
Fiona

Joomchi Felt Reflections

This is my most recent in the series of scarves/wearables I've been making, inspired by the Korean art of Joomchi- a paper art form and process.  The exploration has culminated in pieces that hold three aspects of surface

design...all of which have a basis in geology.... a relationship between rock and water....Erosion and the forms it leaves behind....and leads into thoughts of the land and how it shapes us....

 In the midst of this felting exploration, we spent an afternoon on a local beach at low tide...and these beautiful rock formations were exposed. I'd never seen them at this location before....and what an amazing mirror they are to the joomchi/felting process...plus the symbolism inherent in the eroding of rock....

 

And in the same place...the simple layering of shales....

 Worn edges in the stone....layers....and like a topographic map of our well earned experiences.....and in felt, still reflecting the ideas of pockets...long sinuous veins of space....

And then the conglomerates...composites of materials bound together by pressure and time....how perfect! In another beautiful island spot, there are amazing examples of conglomerate rocks...when I get back from the retreats, I'm going to take some pictures....and explore these ideas some more....

So very much enjoying this thought/felt play.....a perfect lead in to the upcoming retreat sessions!

Warm wishes,
Fiona

Joomchi Felting 2

  Felting with resists to create interesting surfaces....an exploration in materials...I'm enjoying tossing around in my head the language of another craft, Joomchi,  while exploring this feltwork...the making of pockets....

 Using different materials to create bubble and pockets....tyvek, high thread count quilting cottons, woven interfacing, non woven interfacings, cotton battings.....I stretched a layer of silk habotai over the wool and resists.....

  Fully felted ....the resists are all light and flexible, and the piece is very wearable....and very beautiful when held up the the light. The cotton batting resists did get caught in the nuno felting process and compressed a little, but less than then surrounding felted surfaces....all still very oceanic somehow....

 In relationship with the last surface of openings....a different kind of pocket......I love the patterning of the two together....seperate in sections and overlaid....

  These will become part of the dress (coat)......that plan has been revised a bit, and I'm going to be making a new bodice section this week....I will tell you all about it.....but for today....heading out to the studio right now to make the Joomchi scarf.....a combination of these textures combined in one piece....
Happy creative fall energies flowing.....I hope yours are too!

Warm wishes,
Fiona

Summer Colours-July

So it's not quite tomorrow, as in when I said I was going to post the finished pictures of these.....but taking into account summer time, island time and Fiona time...I'm feeling pretty happy to be only a day out!

The dye pot called for a bright poppy.....a blend of orange and pink....that I can only call Happy....If I wanted to wear something that perked me up on low days, or reflected my spring on up days...this would be it!

And one scarf in a blend of purples into greys....it's quite rich and delicious! These will all either be available in the studio, or at ArtCraft....

The bag I started off dyeing in bright chartreuse and Happy coral.....But it just did not feel right and I couldn't live with it...

I overdyed the red side with some turquoise and purple and.....voila.....

Luckily this  bag was created with very durable Norwegian C-1 and Icelandic wool, and very thoroughly fulled.....because....my special felting and dyeing guest, Ginny Huber, arrived in the midst of the process and I completely forgot it was boiling away on the stove! I usually do all my dyeing and steaming outdoors, but I've run out of propane and all the island visitors are scooping it up as fast as it arrives! Lucky, lucky, lucky.....that I remembered...later than sooner! The bag was quite happy, simmering away...no harm done, and it is very well fulled...and the dye is very well set! Grin!

I'm liking these simple stitch patterns these days, and this bag just called for a few stitches.....I really like it.....but it's for the shop! More dyeing tomorrow (which may be anytime in the next week, in case you're just getting to know me! )...

Warm wishes,

Fiona

Catching up....

 Oh My! I've been in and out of town....preparing for gallery shows, preparing for fiber trade shows, preparing for studio visitors.....a summer whirlwind of wool and colour....
  But now I'm back....and not going to any more (far away) shows until late September, so I can settle in to an island summer, regular studio hours and some felt play....
  I'm starting work on a new interior design line this weekend (very exciting!) and need to get a few staples made for the studio shop before immersing in that direction...

I stayed up late last night, working in the studio, enjoying a margarita and a movie and catching up...three new topography scarves, and a Norwegian/Icelandic bucket purse....felted above....

  .....and now fulled completely and ready for dyeing....That's the bag resist below the bag.  I felted metal rings into the body as a closure and to attach the handles. I like this finish...it's very clean and simple and I like that it is integral to the felt.  What colours shall they become?  Better warm up the dyepots and let inspiration strike....I'm feeling a strong draw to vermillion and coral orange these days....I'll post the finished results tomorrow (when I'm also having a special studio visitor-and  maybe some dyeing together!)...


Happy Summer Days!
Warm wishes,
Fiona

Sculptural Scarves

This summer I'm exploring ways to incorporate as much three dimensional texture as possible into my work. It such a fun experiment...I love that I can be making items to sell, while playing..... These experiments often involve trips to the hardware store...hardware and building materials seem a good combination with feltmaking! And lead to some very interesting conversations in the shop, which I'm sure they are quite used to on an isalnd of artists! For this texture it involved finding wiring that would hold it's shape while being very lightweight.  The scarves can be folded, twisted, wrapped and crimped into any shape the wearer desires...simple...dramatic....traditional or wild.....The wool is ultrafine organic merino....and it is so soft and luscious...delightful!

A few wearable sculpture possibilities....I like to think that the wearer can feel like an artist when they put on this scarf....that they can take a moment to create a wearable art piece that reflects their mood in that moment... or maybe where thay want that mood to go...That the wearer gets to partake in the creative process, as well as a the maker....

As always, these are all handfelted in white, then overdyed...I love this process....I love the whiteness, and everytime have to re-commit to myself, my sensibilities, and my love of colour...

I want to make an extra large version of this scarf for myself, for exuberant wearing at shows...and just for when the mood strikes...Plus I'm seeing sculptural bags and jacket lapels....so much to make! But first I have to finish my fibre art bike....next posting!

Warm wishes,

Fiona

Salt Spring Island Studio Opening!

The Studio is now open!

 The retail studio space is now open and welcoming visitors....Most days from 11:00am- 5:00pm.

344 Fulford-Ganges Road-Salt Spring Island, BC. Do stop in-I'd love to see you! 

A little tour of the inside...

Felt Purses, Scarves, Cowls, Lighting, Shibori Felt, Shibori Silk and Organic Cotton Scarves, some art pieces, still works in progress...

 

 

My little organization, planning and cash area.....and two new art pieces, still to be finished....more about them soon!

Yay! It was such a lot of work in the last few weeks, finishing the last details. It is the most lovely space to work. I have all my finished feltwork available for sale, plus a full range of my Kattikloo line of handdyed yarns and fibres.
Happy, Happy!  And now out to the studio!
Have a lovely weekend!

Warm wishes,

Fiona

Upcoming Workshops at Fibres West

I'll be teaching three classes this Spring at Fibres West in Abbotsford BC.
For more information and to register, visit the Fibres West website: www.fibreswest.com

Friday March 16th, 10:00am -1:00pm
Nuno Felted Scarves: During this hands on class, we’ll create a gossamer light, wool felt scarf in a luscious combination of silk and merino wool. Nuno felting is a wet felting technique that encourages wool fibres to migrate through fabrics, bonding them into one unique textile surface. We will explore many aspects of nuno felting, from making the sheerest of textiles to using nuno to create great surface texture for other projects. Everyone leaves with their own finished, wearable art. Suitable for beginners.
Class fee: $45.00
Material fee of $15 includes: silk fabrics, merino wool and embellishments in a wide range of colours, plus print instructions. Please indicate your general colour preference on the registration form. Additional kits will be available at the workshop.

Friday March 16th, 1:30pm -4:30pm

Felt Surface Design: In this class we’ll play with as many combinations of felting and surface design as we can fit in to the time we have together! Nuno patches in silks and cottons, protrusions, shibori shaping, slashes and holes, prefelts, pockets, clamping…… We’ll each create our own wet felted art cloth sampler, that can be later made into a great needle case, bag front, or further embellished and mounted as a tapestry.
Class Fee: $45.00
Materials fee of $15.00 includes: silk fabrics, merino wool and embellishments in a wide range of colours, plus print instructions.

Saturday, March 17th,  10:00am-4:00pm
Felt Bags: 3-D felting with resists: Felting is a great medium for making bags - beautiful, unique, and durable. 3-D felting involves using plastic resists to create seamless hollow forms, in any shape you desire. This technique is commonly used to make slippers, hats, sculptural works as well as one of our favourites – hand bags! We will cover resist making, and felting on a form. We’ll be using the best sculptural tools, Norwegian C-1 and Pelsull. We’ll be adding all sorts of individual ornamentation, silks and cottons, ruffles, protrusions and prefelts, all while making your own personalized, functional art.
Class Fee: $90.00
Materials fee of $35.00 includes all wools and embellishments in a wide range of colours, leather handles, plus print instructions.