100th Blog Post!!

Well I hope you all enjoyed our wee video, showing what the committee gets up and what is involved in putting together our programme for the year! The list of activities is extensive, committee meetings, testing ideas for workshops, weighing wool out for workshops, applying for finance, doing the books, making tea and coffee for tired felters, doing the books, lots of paperwork to mention just a few of the tasks involved, not to mention taking photos even when people don't want them taken!!Also please watch this on a computer and not a phone to get the committee in their full glory!! I laugh every time I watch it!

So this is our 100th post and I am delighted to say we have readers from all over the world, so "HELLO" to everyone in the  USA, Canada, Russia, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands and Moldovia!!

Now down to the latest news on our exciting workshops. First of all the Hanky Panky workshop with Nancy from Treetops Australia is fully booked with a waiting list! There are a few places left on the Residential with Jeannette Sendler so hurry and get your application in, so as you don't miss out on the fun!
Our next Felt in is on Saturday 21st March Joanne will be showing us how to needle felt a small item, which will be a great morning of fun and learning, we look forward to seeing you all there. 

Woops! I was nearly in trouble, I would like to thank my very patient daughter Vicki McGuinness for all her help and advice on putting together the video!!

Fiona Harvey

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       Announcing Applications Available!!! 
I am pleased to announce that the application forms for Feltmakers North's next two workshops will be available from Tuesday 3rd March, Jayne will be sending them out by email, if you do not get one and would like one email Jayne at  burgess.j@hotmail.co.uk

The first workshop is a Two day Residential on the beautiful North Coast and is being held in Portballintrae Village Centre, The tutor is the lovely Jeanette Sendler, some of you will know her as we have had her several times to tutor us. Her calm gentle approach suits all ranges of abilities!The dates are Saturday and Sunday 6th and 7th June!

We will be making a hat with a choice of styles, and there is the option to stay in The Bayview Hotel, Portballintrae, which is a small but friendly hotel with good food! (Good food is important after a busy day felting!!) The cost of the workshop for two days including materials and a light lunch both days is £100 for members and £140 for non members. We are grateful to LAAC and lottery for some funding for this project!

The second workshop the tutor is coming all the way from her home in Australia, its Nancy Ballesteros from Treetop Colour Harmonies! Nancy will be showing us how to make a scarf using some of her amazing silk hankies. The workshop is being held in the Scout Hall in Hillsborough and is on the 31st July and 1st August. The cost of the workshop is £115 for members and £145 for non members, this includes some Treetop materials (no Lunch included)We are grateful to the LAAC and Lottery for some funding for this project.

We are very lucky to have two exciting workshops lined up for the next few months, places are limited so get your applications in quickly to avoid disappointment, the closing dates for applications is 31st March. 
I hope you are successful with your application and I know that if you are you will have a wonderful time, I am really looking forward to them!
Just have enough room to add a wee sheep photo! I couldn't resist this one as I thought it looked like Carrick a rede rope bridge on the north coast but its not!

 Rather them than me! See you soon next felt in March 21st at 10.15!
Fiona Harvey

Busy but fun filled Saturday!

Elaine McCombe one of our committee members took the morning felt in!

We had a busy morning with Elaine, she was showing us how to make holes in our felt, on purpose! She demonstrated two two techniques one using a resist, and she added in lots of interesting fibres to create a textured piece!

Bronwen carefully laying out the fibres, before she made her holes!

Here is Leah enjoying the morning session, while modelling her pink sheep name badge made at last months Felt in.

This is the Chairperson (me) giving out our new Feltmakers North pens which advertises our blog, I was also asking members to suggest names for our exhibition, which we will be holding in October in The Island Arts Centre, Lisburn. So if any members have any ideas you can email them in to me, I was very pleased with the response on Saturday we had some very good suggestions, and some very funny ones too!
After a quick lunch Gail Cooke our secretary took our first "Start from the Start" workshop. The idea behind these workshops is to give beginners good instruction and to learn a good technique, so they can move on with confidence!

We Had twelve every enthusiastic girls, some of whom had done a little felting and some complete beginners! Gail had the idea to make a small collar, rather than just learn to make a square of felt, the girls were delighted with this plan! The workshop took on the form of step by step instruction so no one would get left behind!

A few of Gail's inspirational sample collars.

On this one Gail had made a little zip broach to hold it closed!

Sarah gentle rubbing her wrap, she had chosen a cyclamen pink wool to work with!

Photo above and below shows some of the lovely embellishments added to the scarves! These were inspired by the colourful samples Gail had brought along.

Everyone worked hard and were able to go home with a lovely collar, which they would shape and dry at home. Going by the comments on the evaluation sheets this was an enjoyable experience which they would like repeated, so watch out for our next Start from the Start workshop!

The Year of the Sheep!

Today is the Chinese New Year, which is the year of the Sheep, this gave me a little excuse to show you some lovely sheep I photographed this week! I saw them in a field near my house and jumped out of the car to take their picture, sadly for the poor sheep they thought I was going to feed them and they all came running over to me.This worked well for my photos but not so well for the poor sheep!

They are very cute!

Well I am looking forward to seeing you all at the felt in which Elaine is taking I think it will be a great morning!!! I am also looking forward to meeting all the new people coming to our first "Start from the Start" workshop in the afternoon!

Saturday 21st February, Hillsborough Village Hall at 10.15 am  for the felt in, see you there.

Hello to those of you who read this blog and wonder about coming along some Saturday, please do we are a friendly bunch, its open to everyone over the age of 18 and on "what to bring to a felt in"page there is a list as to what is required if you want to take part. Hope to see you soon!

Fiona Harvey

Name Badges.

It was Deirdre's turn to take the felt in and this month we were making name badges, however here is Deirdre modelling the infinity scarf she made at Fiona's workshop.
The show and tell was good with Gail and Jayne showing their wall hanging from the Jeanette Sendler workshop.

 A close up to show the detail of Gail's wall hanging.

Jayne with her completed wall hanging, which she had backed to give added support.

Deirdre had prepared sample name badges all using prefelts, which had then been needlefelted to add a design or a name, also some beads were used for decoration. 

Here are some of the name badges at the end of the session, some finished and some to be finished. The idea is we will wear them every month so as we can learn all names of new and existing participants! Sarah very kindly provided some Wensleydale and Boarder Leicester curls It was a very relaxed morning with Deirdre encouraging everyone to develop their designs. 

My thanks go to Ann Mc Cullough for sending me the photos and some text!

Keep checking the blog for release dates for our exciting workshops, our two day hat workshop with Jeanette Sendler and also our workshop using silk hankies with Nancy Ballestros from Treetops Australia!
Keep warm and you know a good way to do that is to Felt!!
Fiona Harvey  

Exciting Workshops in 2015!

     I thought I would get early, and wish everyone a Happy New Year! 
We have two exciting workshops to announce for next year, the first being a residential week end up on the north coast, with Jeanette Sendler. It is a two day hat making workshop, on 6th 7th June and as Jeanette is also a milliner it sounds like an amazing learning experience!

For those of you who think a residential week end sounds scary or that you need to be an expert, well sorry but you are wrong! It is a chance to go away relax, completely switch off from every day stresses etc and indulge yourself being creative and learning new skills! In fact this time with it being only two days you dont need to stay over unless you want too. Although I would advise you to make the most of the fantastic location of Portballintrae. Which is right on the coast, the room for the workshop overlooks the sea, and the scenery is breathtaking! Plus The Bayview Hotel, Portballintrae provides a very comfortable and friendly place to stay!

You will be amazed and delighted with what you are able to produce at the end of the two day workshop!

Nancy Ballesteros will be taking a two day workshop in Hillsborough using her beautiful silk hankies on 31st July1st August, we were so pleased when we invited Nancy, and that she was able to take us up on our offer! Her hand dyed wool, silk and silk fibres are sensational, with colours to suit everyone, this makes it difficult when ordering from her, as everything is so cool!!
When the details are finalised which will be soon I hope. I will let you know that the application forms are available, so keep reading the blog! 

Had to end with a wee sheep photo, although its very frosty outside I hope we dont get too much white stuff, although it does look very pretty!

Take care everyone and see you all in January at the Felt in!

Fiona Harvey

Christmas Celebrations!

No Christmas party is complete without a tree, above is our little felted tree!

After a good show and tell Gail started off the session, explaining two different ways to incorporate Silk paper in to felt. She had made a few more squares for our friendship blanket, which was great! Despite it being a cold and very busy Saturday the turn out was amazing and it brill to see everyone! 

Then I proceeded to demonstrate how to make a small purse adding some silk paper. The festive atmosphere was enhanced, by Gail singing the odd line of a Christmas song at random moments! X factor watch out!!

Mandy decided to make her purse to coordinate with what she was wearing.

A few of the beautiful finished purses.

The silk paper looks really well, as every colour under the rainbow was used!
After all this hard work we were ready for a light Christmas lunch that the Feltmakers North committee had organised, and it was very tasty!

I don't know about you but this year has flown by (may be a sign of getting old?) So that brings Feltmakers North activities for 2014 to an end. However we have a very exciting programme for 2015, including a residential week end in hat making, and another exciting workshop news of which will be released in January so keep checking the blog under the Felt in workshop section! We are also having a brilliant workshop after our felt in, in February and it is suitable for all beginners or those of you who want to refresh your techniques, application forms are available from email burgess.j@hotmail.co.uk
I would thoroughly recommend this workshop its called  "Start from the Start"

Well all that remains for me to say is Happy Christmas and New Year, and we are looking forward to seeing you all in January 2015. Of course I couldn't go without attaching this little photo, how cute is this lamb?