Surface Design in Feltmaking Online Workshop

  I'm so excited to be able to offer the Surface Design in Feltmaking workshop  in an online format.  It's taken many months of thinking and planning to get everything in place, with the teaching materials presented in a way that I feel best meets the needs of the students. 
  It's so important that each idea is well covered, with every question answered, every pitfall troubleshooted. I've gotten there, I hope, with a combination of instructional PDF's with lots of pictures and detailed, clear text, a video demonstration, plus private blog area to share finished projects, questions, answers and inspiration.  

  This is an intermediate level class-for those with some feltmaking experience. If you are a beginning feltmaker, I will have a free introductory mini class available in the last week of January that will prepare you for this workshop. 

  This workshop is for people interested in deepening their knowledge of fibres, learning new techniques to add to their craft or art practise, or those just wanting to have some fun exploring new ideas.  We make a 6 x 6 inch sample for each new technique to build a fantastic resource library, or inspiration board and then implement these techniques in a finished felting project in the last week.

The class is six weeks long and is delivered in one week modules for this session:

Week 1:Fibres and Surfaces
short and long fibres, combining felting and non felting fibres, shadowing,silks and cottons-quilting, folds and ripples, photos and text
Week 2: Surface Resists
wool breeds, plastics and foams,  craters, pockets, loops and bridges, gems and beads, tape,
Week 3:Nuno Felting Inclusions and Resists

Week 4: Wool and Prefelt Additions

prefelt, pencil rovings, yarns, locks, spikes, cones, blossoms
Week 5:Surface Alterations
holes, multilayered hills and ridges,carving, lace, shibori stitching and anemones
Week 6: Individual project
Each student will pick out the elements that they most want to explore further and integrate these surface design elements in a felt project like a scarf, bag, wall piece, sculpture. 

New material will be available each Sunday, with about 4-6 hours of student time required for design and feltmaking. You can decide when you work on each module. Work on one design element each day, or dedicate a day to work through the material all at once. As well as by email, I will be answering questions and giving comments throughout the course on the private blog, allowing all participating students to learn through one another's projects.

  The full materials list will be sent out with confirmation of your registration.
Materials kits with everything required for the workshop can be ordered up until January 15th, for delivery in time for the workshop starting date. 

If you have any questions about this class please just email me! 

Please note: This class is now full. 
Only use the registration link below if you have already contacted me regarding the workshop.
I will be offering this class again in April and September 2014! Thank you to everyone for the enthusiastic response!

Workshop Dates:
February 2nd- March 9th,
Online materials and resources will be available to students until August 1st, 2014

Workshop Fee: $125.00

Surface Design, now and in 2014

 

These last two weeks I've been making the last arrangements and samples for my 2014 classes, which will have a strong emphasis in surface design.  This is such an exciting topic, and my favourite theme for exploration in the studio. 
The spikes above are a new addition to the curriculum and one I love...sharp metallic gleamings in a landscape of soft, matte fibre.

 It is a challenge to fit in all the design elements covered in the course in a single piece. Just in the actual physicality of making it all fit, but also from the design aesthetic of having some cohesion and a beautiful finished project. These island samplers really do feel like maps of mythical worlds....

The Surface Design book will be at the printers by the first week of February (I shudder to say anything about this project after picking it up and leaving it multiple times over the last two years...but this time- it is for certain!) I'm finishing one chapter per week over the next two months.... I'm also building online classes that will be available next spring.

 This was my 30 minute felt project for this week...playing with surfaces and resists....I think I'll call it Territory.  A little soft and welcoming, a little threatening and unknown...a space to be navigated with attention.

  Next year is coming together beautifully, with a nice mix of teaching, exhibitions and creative breathing spaces.  
Surface Design classes upcoming in Texas, Colorado (Full),  Vancouver, Salt Spring, Wisconsin, and Ontario so far...
A post is coming with all the dates, details and links....

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

SaltSpring Island Fall Felting Retreat

Foxglove Farm, SaltSpring Island, British Columbia

 

October 19/20/21st, 2012  10:00am-4:00pm + evenings

  

The British Columbia retreat will be hosted at the very beautiful and charming Foxglove Farm. The farm is located on one of the original homesteads on the island, surrounded by hundreds of acres of protected forest and agricultural fields, bordering Maxwell Lake. An idyllic, inspiring and very relaxing natural setting.  There is accomodation available for up to eight people in the three cottages.

 

All of the retreat details are available on my website here and on the retreat page of the blog here.

It's going to be a beautiful woolly October! I can't wait!

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

Bold and Dramatic...

Ahhhh...First Felt of 2012 is finished....I'm so happy with the results....It feels like a just the right starting point and direction to head in for this year.

My peacock blue plans ventured into inky midnights...

 My red (to be purple) mini pocket disappeared into the depths-The purple becoming barely discernible but the pocket is still there- perfectly unobtrusive and ready to hold secret messages....Paua shell bead at the pockets edge...blue and shiny...meeting the wild, now raven black racka locks...which reach out over the nuno linen to find the partially eclipsed shibori moon on the tunic side...

 Neck details adorned with dyes and red stitches and a paua shell bead...

 Shibori moons on the back and side...in honour of the moon under which this was made....(not indigo dyed...although I did fit in my full moon indigo dyeing day this past weekend....).

The finished tunic is simple and dramatic...artistic and bold....and I'm so ready wear it this year....

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