Concepts in Couture.

Feltmakers North workshop participants had the most wonderful learning experience last week end, we had Liz Clay over for two days. The workshop was very relaxed and calm, fun filled but at the same time we learnt such a lot!
Everyone produced their own unique pieces which added another dimension to the week end.

Dympna beautiful bag to which she was going to add leather handles.
We came to the workshop with our felt already made. This was a new slant to feltmaking workshops, and was a very pleasant change, it meant the whole time we learning new techniques and being creative, the rolling and rubbing had been done beforehand!!

                     Ann (our Chairperson) sewing her felt bag.
Some of us brought our sewing machine to speed up the construction.

                                    Helen tacking her bag together.

This is Liz's bag, so you can see she has attached lovely fine leather handles.

Another of Liz's design, a cool little bag with uneven handles, so that one handle loops through the other one for carrying!

Liz's scarf.

The room was awash with colour, and it was great to see some people branching out and using colours that they would not normally use!

Sarah decided to go big so she made another piece of felt in the workshop, pretty clever two handed action!

Jane was using fabulous wool she had obtained from etsy, the colours were fantastic.

Deirdre is adding the finishing touches to one of her pieces, a beautiful waterfall scarf in forty shades of green.

                                  Mary hard at work.

Now back to Sarah, I dont usually focus on one person in my blogs but i think everyone at the workshop was impressed with Sarah's work so it seems a shame not to share, the story. So this is the flat felt ready for construction.

This is the bag sewn together, I hope you realise the bag is on its side (sorry I cant turn the photo round?) The bull rushes were amazing with the 3D ripples on the water.

The second side had a water lily using Liz Clay technique , truly original!

Here I am having a wee chat with Dorothy, that is an added bonus in Feltmakers North, everyone is very friendly and helpful to others. A girl told me one time that she had read the blog for a good while before plucking up the courage to come along as we all seemed so good at felting! There are a few excellent felters in the group, but we have mixed abilities but everyone is willing to help and share, so if you are thinking of coming along please do!

This is me modelling Liz's amazing jacket from one of her own patterns, we are hoping we will get Liz back to take this workshop with us! ( I was being directed by the photographer on how to stand!!)

                           A very happy group of Felt makers!

So dont forget our next felt in is on September 17th when we will be using silk in felt making, the meeting starts at 10.00 with Coffee and renewing your membership, or becoming a member, or you can just pay for the morning session. We would love to see you all then. Fiona Harvey.

Great Opportunity!

Hello everyone!

 Are you missing our monthly sessions?

 Well two places have become available on the wonderful Liz Clay's workshop on July 30 and 31st! Liz is a very talented tutor from England who is coming to share her knowledge with us. The workshop is being held in the Scout hall in Hillsborough so very handy! If anyone is interested email asap at feltmakersnorth@gmail.com 

Resisting!

The June Felt in was another fun day with Felt. This month we had our own Dympna Curran teaching us about resists. However the session started with our show and tell. Dympna had brought in some beautiful meditative beads, that she had made. Some had seed beads added to them and some had embroidery, all were lovely and much admired.

The girls getting stuck in.

Dympna showed us how to make a small purse using a resist. For inspiration she brought in some beautiful examples of work  that she had made.

First she showed us how to to lay out the fibres on the resist, then showed us how to add some decorative additions. 

Everyone enjoyed the session and the results were very pretty and colourful (see below)

My thanks go to Jane Fox for this report on our June Felt in!

Isn't it great when you are in a lovely friendly group of like minded people! This was emphasised to me this week, when Tina sent me this lovely lamb photo!

How cute is this wee fellow!

Enjoy the summer everyone, and for the lucky few who are on the LIz Clay workshop in July, I will see you there. There will of course be a blog post about it!

Take care.

Fiona Harvey.

Take a Nosey!

Take a look at our diary dates there are some interesting workshops coming up, so get the dates written in your diary!

Next Felt in is June 18th with Dympna who is showing us how to use a resist, should be a fun morning, hope you can all make it!

Summer love, what a cute photo I couldn't resist sharing this with you!

Fiona Harvey

6th AGM

Our sixth AGM was a well attended event, we got through all the business in a fun and relaxed manner. Then the members of Feltmakers North were provided with a talk from two delightful daughters of the Silk Road. Ranee Gai-ail (Gail Cooke) and Ranee Fee-onah (Fiona Harvey) of the princely state of Lis-buhrn, dressed in beautiful silk saris, who spoke on the fascinating subject of that most luxurious of materials- silk.

 Gail and Fiona showed us the silk cocoons and gave everyone their very own to take home. I have put mine in the green house to develop my very own silk farm!(Not really!!) We were made aware of silk farms and the ethical silk production.
                                 

Later in the talk Gail and Fiona explained how the silk we use in feltmaking can be bought in various forms, cocoons, rods, throwster waste, rovings, hankies, chiffon, gauze yarn and a myriad of other products.

The girls handed round plenty of samples, we looked and handled, examples and samples showing how the silk can be used to enhance and decorate our felts.There were so many varied examples of silk materials used to strengthen our felts and provide a delicacy and drape not possible using wool, all present were excited. There were plenty of samples to ooh and ahh over.

Pulling out a silk hankie!

Knowledge was passed unstintingly from the two ladies to us, their enthusiasm for this wondrous material and deep understanding of its properties encouraging us all to think how we might use this luxury fibre to best effect  in our own feltmaking!

Thanks ladies for a fun and informative talk AND for selling the saris afterwards!!

Sarah Jarden

My thanks to Sarah for writing this very amusing account of our AGM and also for taking loads of photos of the day!! After the talk we had our usual lunch and a good old chat, it was great to catch up with everyone. Here are a few more photos.

As requested by Mandy and Lesley my dog Pudding wearing her coat! (Not a good photo she was being a bit of a diva and wouldn't pose!)

Websites that were mentioned in talk 

www.treetopscolours.com.au

www.wollknoll.eu

Please remember we haven't finished for the summer we still have another Felt in on 18th June taken by Dympna on using a resist. Happy felting.

Fiona Harvey 

Dawn Edwards workshop

Hello everyone! I am just wondering how I am going to condense all I want to say about this workshop, as there is so much to tell! Those of you who know Dawn will know what I am talking about, Dawn Edwards is a wonderful tutor and person. We had such fun learning from her, with such a lovely relaxed and calm atmosphere!

Before the workshop started I presented her with her prize for our photographic competition!

Of course it was a sheep!

After an informative demonstration, we were all dying to get started, so we selected our wool and prepared our resists!

 Laying out the fibres.

Dorothy was almost submerged under a pile of fibre at one point, but survived and produced a beautiful vessel!

Leah working hard!

As with every group, we have some colourful characters and this is reflected in their work! I wonder can our members work out who made this one??

Hard at work!

Of course a wee coffee break was important!

The completed pieces lined up!

Elaine Mc Combe made this fabulous swirl design on her vessel.

A very happy, creative and fun bunch of felt makers!

Happy Chairperson Ann McCullough at the end of an extremely successful workshop with Dawn Edwards.

Just a wee quick reminder about our AGM which is on Saturday 21st May, for all the members, we will get through the business asap then there will be a talk on Silk by Gail Cooke and Fiona Harvey. Lunch is included and we will also have our first bring and buy!! So you will be able to stock up on the must needs for felting !!

Look forward to seeing you all there!

Fiona Harvey