Open Air Felting!

Wild and Woolly wall hanging workshop in Jullian

From Fluff to Felt-More Student Work

Flexible Felt Bracelets

Felting on Whidbey Island

To work in a room with lots of natural light is always a pleasure. But to also have the most peaceful and beautiful views out of the windows was a real treat.

Together we spent four fabulous days of felting. Beginning with the basics of Nuno Felt,

we moved on to scarves, then felted rope bracelets and cuffs, and finally........

Stringy Thingys!

Nothing could give a teacher more satisfaction than happy participants,

enjoying every minute........

and being delighted with their efforts.

Thanks to all of you for a wonderful retreat!

A very special thanks to Beverly Ash Gilbert for making it all possible.

More Felted Rope Bracelets

The beaded ones.

My Best recommendation

I'm often asked by my students to recommend a good book on felting. Without hesitation I point them towards Christine White's wonderful book, Uniquely Felt. I consider it a felting bible of sorts. Well written and illustrated, it answers every sort of question one might have regarding felting and fiber. Check it out on Amazon, or in your local book store.

Wire and Wool

The endless possibilities of felt!

Details

I am drawn to the richness of

Nuno Felt and all the elements

used to embellish it.

Sharing Felt

Rabenfilz is a unique felt blog that I like to follow, and who follows me.

This elegant piece is an example of her work.

I feel quite fortunate to be able to connect in this way with others around the globe who are making felt, and feeling about the process and the material as I do. How else would I be likely to see the work of a felter in Spain, short of going there?

A fabulous idea, but not always possible.

"the slow process of felting is my daily meditation",

Rabenfilz

I could not have expressed it more perfectly.

Little Felter

Never too young to learn to felt.

First blush of felt pride!

Talmadge Art Show in the rain!

Yesterday was another great Talmadge Art Show here in San Diego. In spite of the threatening weather, we had a fantastic turn out. The growing reputation of this show, in it's 20th year, brought lots of new people and old friends out on a rainy day to see the best in art and quality craft items around.

New this show, for me, were my new art batts. A specialty item for sure, or so I thought. But, as I commented to a fellow felter, the soft almost magical quality of the carded wool was so compelling, that I sold many to people who were not felters or even crafters, but just wanted to take one home! They were the first batts I made on my new drum carder, and I discovered that everyone found them as delicious as I do!

Set up is always a challenge.

I love the mixing and blending of my felted pieces with Burt's leather.

Cob Web Scarf

The lacy, silky quality of the Wenslydale wool makes a luxurious wrap.

Wenslydale

I bought this soft and silky Wenslydale roving in Taos, at the Wool Festival two years ago. I've had it stashed, taking it out to admire it's lustrous beauty from time to time. My plan was to make myself a delicate shawl or scarf of thin cobweb Wenslydale, and tomorrow is the day!

Little Nuno Clutch Bags

I really enjoy experimenting with all sorts of materials when I make my nuno felt. Doing small pieces gives me the opportunity to play with lots of different materials, yarns and fabrics of all kinds. I have even used pieces of those soft plastic mesh bags that onions and potatoes come in! You never know if a fabric or other element will work in nuno felting until you try. That's what I tell my students, and that's how I was taught.

I got into making these clutch bags in preparation for a workshop I am teaching with Jeannette Cook next January. It is her annual San Diego Beach House Bead Retreat. I will teach the nuno felt clutch the first day of the retreat, and over the next several days participants will do free form beading on their purses under Jeannette's expert tutelage. All this while staying at a beautiful beach house on Mission Bay, steps away from the surf! I think there are still spaces left. Just go to this San Diego Beach House Bead Retreat link for more information.

I dipped into my husbands leather stash for the front of this bag.

All it needs now is a felted rope strap,

and it's ready to go!

The felted rope makes a strong and handsome purse strap.

Off to the studio now

to make a felted rope strap for this one too.