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Originally posted on Flextiles:
Phew! It’s been a tiring couple of days setting up the Women of the Cloth show in the Jeannie Avent Gallery in East Dulwich. Last year we had four artists; this year we have seven (though two don’t take up much space). Most of the setting up was done yesterday, but…
I had a lovely day out with my sister Women of the Cloth this week – read about it on Kim’s Flextiles Blog. Brilliant feltworks to see …
Another Women of the Cloth outing yesterday, this time to the Spring Knitting and Stitching Show at Olympia. It’s smaller than the October event at Alexandra Palace, but there’s still plenty to loosen the purse strings!
(Overheard conversation: Wife to husband: “You never let me look at the wool.” Husband to wife: “But you look at so much of it!” What was he expecting to see at a show dedicated to knitting and stitching?)
For me the primary reason to go to the show was to meet Ariane Mariane, a German felter who lives in Paris and who is running a joint workshop with Maria Friese in July, which I’m planning to attend. At the Knitting and Stitching Show, Ariane was exhibiting as part of the Silkfelt Collective’s Mermaid Project. Five different felters each produced a very different take on the story of the Little Mermaid.
Ariane created…
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When I’m in the midst of running a feltmaking workshop I am always amazed at the wide variety of colour schemes emerging on the table. I always have a full range of colours to choose from, as well as some beautiful silks and yarns for embellishment – it’s like an adventure playground of colour! I love it every time.
Feltmaking allows us to explore our creativity with freedom and does not require particular skills in the way that drawing or painting do. So, those familiar feelings of uncertainty, anxiety & lack of confidence are replaced by curiosity about the process, enjoyment of the colourful materials and a general feeling of wellbeing.
It’s fun and expressive – everybody goes home with one or two pieces of beautiful material, made with three simple ingredients – dyed sheeps fleece, olive oil soap and water – oh, and a bit of rubbing and rolling!
We start with flat pieces of felt, which make lovely table mats or even framed artworks.
Then we move on to learn 3D feltmaking processes using resist templates. Start by making a decorative bowl, a beret, a hotwater bottle or tablet cover, a tea cosy. Whatever you fancy. Again the fascination is in the process and the creativity in the choice of fibre/colour/shape & form.
One of my most popular feltmaking workshops involves making a pair of slippers which hug your feet. This is achieved by putting the slippers on when they are almost finished, and rubbing them into the actual shape of your own feet. A workshop in the summer saw 8 pairs of slippers made in a day, and this picture is a good illustration of what I mean when I say I’m amazed at the range of colourschemes people choose!
So, come on, unleash YOUR creativity in 2014 by learning feltmaking – a wonderfully expressive, tactile medium which is so versatile you can keep on learning new things forever!
If you don’t see the workshop you want in my listings, do email or ring me and I’ll see if I can set a date either at a weekend or during the week.
An exciting start to 2014 in my household is eldest daughter’s wedding! Needless to say the planning and making involved in this has replaced quite a lot of my own textile making time over the Christmas hols, but for a good cause. We have all been busy making garlands and bunting with paper hearts cut out of old books, searching for fabrics for wedding outfit, going out suit shopping with the men, thinking about champagne. Great fun!
It’s a winter wedding, so we’ll all have to wrap up warm in cosy cardis and gloves – champagne and canapes on a Routemaster bus picking us up from Brixton registry office – Virginia spent her teens coming home from nights out on the 159 night bus, which was a Routemaster at the time, so it’ll be very familiar.
Over Christmas I did manage to make one needlefelted Woodpecker, who matches the colours in this picture. Maybe he should be attached to the bus in some way!! New workshop dates to be added very soon for Spring 2014.
HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my loyal workshop participants, and welcome to new ones.
November & December workshops will be with Women of the Cloth at the above event at Sprout Community Arts
Come and make some Christmas gifts or decorations – buy some of our own handmade gifts
Join Kim and I, along with several other textile artists/makers for a weekend of colour and texture during which we will all be practising our crafts for you to see. Take part in workshops, get some early Christmas presents or just wallow in the creative hubbub on 5th & 6th October at 27 Mount Ephraim Lane, SW16 1JE. Look forward to seeing you.
Woohoo! I’m currently a featured artist on the home page of Lambeth Open!
This annual event, where artisans across Lambeth open their studios and workspaces to the public, is on 5 and 6 October.
I’m going to be exhibiting with Women of the Cloth at Carol’s lovely house in Streatham. As well as selling her felt, Carol will be running workshops, including needlefelting.
And we’ll have some guest artists exhibiting with us, including Zuzana Lalik, who specialises in geometric embroidery, upholsterer Virginia Tuck, and needlefelted dogs from Janet Thompson.
Women of the Cloth will be at 27 Mount Ephraim Lane, Streatham, London SW16 1JE on 5 and 6 October, 10am-6pm.
This summer has been full of workshops – Indian embroidery, in my home studio and at Serendipity Tea Rooms , always sets people a challenge. We have concluded that it takes an average of three tries before the technique of sewing on a shisha mirror actually sinks in, then the fun can begin. Embellishing with beads, coloured threads, buttons and sequins – it’s all very absorbing. Time flies …
Choosing colours & eating biscuits!
Then there was a felt fish workshop at Streatham Festival’s Make your own Fete at the Railway Pub, with Crafty Pint and Flaming Nora organising such a brilliantly creative day for what seemed like millions of local kids on a hot sunny day!
Kids’ felt fish drying in the trees, Make yr own Fete @TheRailwaySW16
Needlefelted garden birds is always a popular workshop and this summer has been no exception with workshops at the Railway Pub and another two coming up NEXT WEEK at Serendipity Tea Rooms on 22nd August and then with Makerhood at the Southbank Centre’s Village Fair on 24th Aug
A flock of happy needlefelters and their birds
I even got to take part in a workshop myself learning Willow Weaving with Crafty Pint tutor Geraldine. I absolutely loved it and took home four different finished items, all set to experiment with incorporating willow weaving into my feltmaking or vice-versa. Can’t wait to have some time to do that- I think my needlefelted birds are going to like the willow bird feeder!
Willow bird feeder
In between workshops, Kim Winter of WordPress blog Flextiles and I joined forces as Women of the Cloth for the Lambeth Garden Museum Summer Tumblr, which was a treat of a day spend in the knot garden in brilliant sunshine with lots of other artists/makers demonstrating our crafts and selling our wares. What a relaxing day we had in a beautiful place chatting with like-minded souls and interested visitors.
Women of the Cloth, Kim & Carol, @GardenMuseumLDN Summer Tumblr
When the summer of workshop fun is over, we Women of the Cloth will be taking part in the Lambeth Open studios weekend on 5th’6th October when we’ll be joined by several other textile makers for a housefull of colourful cloth activity. Watch this space for more details to come.
I have been out in the garden in the sunshine, both last weekend and this one, doodling with felt and stitch for forthcoming workshop ideas. Last weekend it was needlefelted birds for a workshop I will be running with Crafty Pint in July in Streatham.
This weekend I was doodling with thread, thinking about some shisha mirror work for my Indian Embroidery workshop on 6th July, also in Streatham, but in my home studio. Who knows, we might even be able to stitch in the garden if the weather is fine.
I get to do such lovely things, and then share them with people. Couldn’t be a nicer way to spend time … Do join one of my workshops if you can get to south London easily. I love to pass on new skills and ideas. Enjoy the rest of the sunshine. x
Carol's Creative Workshops 
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