I took a felting class with Susan in July (see my post on Felting Class) and it not only was lots of fun but I came home with a cool felted purse and totally in love with the art of wet felting.  It didn’t take long for visions of  sharing this wonderful experience with others to keep me awake at night. Fast forward to a phone coversation with Susan and an invitation to come teach in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire which she accepted… and we already have four students eager to take the class.  All of this within less than two weeks from our first conversation about putting a workshop together!

So here are the nuts and bolts for Saturday, October 17, 2009: Susan will be teaching from noon to 5 p.m. The cost for her class is $50.00 and the merino wool needed to make a purse or felted vessel will be available for purchase at a very reasonable price.  Estimated amount of merino needed for a purse is only about 3 ounces or so. Class size is limited to eight students. Susan’s classes are always full; in fact, the one I took had eight students and a waiting list of seven more! So for anyone interested in a fun, productive intro to wet felting…wisdom dictates signing up early:)

For more info contact info@artfeltdesigns.com. Register now and guarantee your spot in the class.

Last  Sunday was a really great day!  I traveled from New Hampshire to a small town in Maine to take a class in “wet felting” with a very talented teacher, Susan Mills.  http://www.susanmills.net.  Her work is way above and beyond the ordinary…it’s not “cutesy”; nor is it traditional, though the art of wet felting has a long tradition behind it.   I’m including a link to a fascinating video showing Mongolian nomads making felt from the wool of their flocks.  They use felted wool for many things but probably most important is as a weatherproof covering for the yurts that are their homes.  That is also shown in the youtube video.

But I digress…back to my first official felting class.  The drive into Maine was beautiful and so was the weather, which if you live in New England, you know we have been a little scarce on that this summer.  There were eight of us in the class and it was a fun, friendly group of gals.  Several of the students had taken the class before, so they were ahead of the game.  One very talented woman brought a couple of lovely bags she had made in the past.  A photo of one of her bags is included in this blog; it was exceptional.

We had a choice of items to make: a hat, purse, mittens, or vessel.  We all chose to make a felted bag and I came prepared with a bunch of sketches but couldn’t decide on a definite style ’til the last minute. First, of course, came a demonstration of the technique and then it was our turn to apply it.  I won’t bog down in details here…instructions on wet felting are easy enough to find in books or on the internet. 

We only had time to make our patterns and do the felting so we took our creations home to put the finishing touches on.  Since I made my bag and the strap in class, I only had to attach the strap and add a couple of clay embellishments I made.  As you see in the photos, my taste runs along the lines of ethnic or world-fusion art.  African influences show up in my work frequently and this purse is no exception.

I’m intrigued with this medium and am not surprised that I want to plunge right in.  But as my son said, “Sooo, what about your jewelry and other work???”  Ahh, there’s the rub (and that is not a veiled reference to the felting process:)

Just a quick note about our carding party.  We have some beautiful alpaca fiber from Crown Point Alpaca Farm (Thanks Val!) which Shannon & I want to wet felt.  She has a lot more experience with wet felting that I do.  Amanda was there too…not sure if she wants to felt her share of the fiber or not.  She has access to a spinning wheel but needs a few lessons:)

Carding wool or exotic fibers is basically just combing them again and again until they lock on to one another and form what is know as a batt.  I’ve posted a photo of some of the batts we did that night.  There’s lots of info on the internet on how to wet felt and also a better explanation of carding than

 I’ve given I’m sure.  I’ve wet felted a couple of  purses and Shannon has done lots of scarves and other things.  Susan Mills is an amazing felt artist; I love her work.  Check out her website:  http://www.susanmills.net

 We had a lot of laughs that night, not to mention Chicken Tortellini Soup, fresh strawberries Amanda brought & sweet watermelon courtesy of Shannon.  All in all…a fun, productive evening.

Somehow I had the urge to finish that with “late September back in ’64.”  But that’s an old song and another story.  Today’s story is the Yurt Raising (yes, I said ‘yurt raising”) where I had a booth and sold my wares with my good friend & fearless booth mate, Shannon.  Held at Crown Point Alpaca Farm in Strafford, NH , it was a beautiful drive from Wolfeboro.  Neither of us had ever seen a yurt being built so we said “Well, let’s try it; it could be fun” and it was.

Alpacas, and turkeys, and goats…oh my! Critters everywhere…and I never knew that Alpacas make the softest sort of cooing sound.  It was actually kind of calming and quite a contrast with the turkey gobbling, chicken clucking & goat bleating (is that right…do goats bleat??)  Anyway, it was a new and wonderful experience for us; loved watching the children that were there, chasing the turkeys (yikes!) and cuddling baby ducks. 

Thank you to all our customers that found us there; we appreciate it, especially given the rural location.  Of course, the food was outstanding too…pulled pork & all sorts of good eats.  We enjoyed the wool spinning demonstrations; she spun some lovely oh-so-soft yarn from alpaca wool (or is it fur, surely it can’t be “hair”.)  There were also skeins of handspun yarn for sale.  Shannon had her wonderful felted scarves there; her “summer scarves” are light as air and look like watercolor paintings.  I had just a few felted items – purses & don’t laugh…a felted rock.  Well, I call it a paperweight but it has a rock inside and is rather impressive I think.  Of course, it goes without saying (altho’ I am saying it) that we both had our jewelry & more fiber art on display & for sale.

I’m sure Paul from White Mountain Yurts appreciated all the willing workers that came to volunteer their help. Watching a yurt raising is magical; in the morning there was just a wooden platform and by afternoon it was almost done.  Finishing touches will be added tomorrow, Sunday.  Val & Gary who own Crown Point Alpaca Farm were gracious hosts and made everyone feel at home.  All in all, it was a successful show and a beautiful day weatherwise as well.

Color Me Cool

Here’s a sample of the results of my “playtime.” I’ve always loved making things…well, not just ‘things.’ It has to be a statement; it has to be unusual and I have to want to wear or use it myself.  In fact, I think that may be a problem.  I have many pieces I’ve made that I can’t bear to part with.  I can’t let go…is that a character flaw??

However, in my defense I have to say there is a fellow artist I sometimes do shows and Open Studios with who does the same thing.  We both love wearing our own jewelry and I suspect that we are not alone.  I should do a poll asking other jewelry artists if they get so attached to their work that they keep more than they sell.

Of course, all this leads to jewelry boxes, dresser tops and earring trees absolutely overflowing.  So sometimes you just have to say “Enough!” and find good homes for your babies.

Regarding “It’s Therapy!”…Don’t you just feel good when you create something all your own.  The theraputic value is a huge factor is doing what I do.  That’s why I don’t do production work; well, that…and the fact that I may be just lazy.  One day while doing a show with the friend I mentioned, she summarized both our feelings.  People were in our booth, admiring our work and paying compliments.  So, in an aside to me she said: “They don’t know it but we’d be doing this whether people bought it or not.”  We both laughed but it is totally true; the joy of the creative process is just too addictive.

That leads me to the opening of a brand new gallery on Main Street in my hometown of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.  After coming back from two months in Punta Gorda, Florida (can’t believe I missed all the blizzards), a local painter & photographer asked to include my work in their new venture.  Sandy Martin’s gallery will open April 1st (I know what you’re thinking) with the Grand Opening to be May 30, 2009.

I was excited while down in Punta Gorda (a beautiful and very artsy little town) to experience their Gallery Walk.  What a party!  Everyone was so friendly; stopping on the sidewalks to chat with strangers & checking out all the galleries and boutiques.  My sister Trese and I had a great time sipping chai tea at a candy shop, sampling wine at a gallery and, of course, shopping!

I came back home really wishing that our small resort town could do something similiar.  There is so much natural beauty here; Wolfeboro sits on the shores of one of the largest lakes in New England.  And…it has drawn a lot of very talented artists in all sorts of media, so it already has a lot going for it.  But the addition of a Gallery Night would be such fun for all the visitors we have in summer and such a boon for local shops and restaurants.  Stay tuned to see how this idea takes off!  There is already a huge buzz surrounding this idea.  I think we’re up for it!

For me personally, my visit to Florida was profitable as well as fun.  Since my sis and I were both wearing some of my Art Jewelry as we were browsing in a gallery, the owner asked if they could have some of my work there.  That same night two upscale boutiques said they would love to have some as well.  That was flattering but I really didn’t take enough pieces with me on the trip.  But I was thrilled with the attention my “rox” neckwires got.

So here’s a shout-out to my son Kerry who has been encouraging me to enter the world of blogging.  He and his wife, Taylor, have some beautiful shots on their blog:  www.birchblazephotography.com.  I plan to post some photos of my art soon but if you’ve seen their site…be warned, there is no similiarity.  He didn’t acquire that talent from me!