For those of you who have questions about needle felting, I will have a table set up to answer your questions, give you tips and share tricks at the next Potwin Fiber Artisans Open Stitch night-Wednesday, May 30th, from 7-9pm at the Potwin Presbyterian Church located at 5th & Washburn.

Bring the project that is vexing you, and the tools you have been using, and I’ll bring along samples of the tools I use with successful results for comparison. No fee-just come to Open Stitch and “Ask Anna”!

I had the opportunity to assist my friend, Cathy Anderson, and her godmother, Peg Hazlett, in throwing a bridal shower for Cathy’s soon-to-be-daughter-in-law Betsy. No games were allowed, Cathy’s rule, so I was the one designated to be the “crafty organizer:. And, while the creation of a bridal quilt is nothing new, in fact is very traditional, we had fun with our interpretation.

Peg purchased a number of fat quarters in the colors of the wedding, blue and yellow, and I prepared muslin squares for embellishment by the shower guests. Each guest was invited to utilize fabric markers to create a message, a wish, a prayer, or just to pass along a family saying. They then chose the fat quarter they wanted to accompany their message, and I’ll be creating a quilt for the happy couple to be displayed at the wedding in July.

We have 16 message squares, and 16 plain squares-enough to create a cuddle quilt for two! Here is a collage of the squares and the sentiments:

I’ll post more progress photos as the quilt progresses!

Come one Come all to the Spring Fiber Bazaar for the Northeast Kansas Potwin Fiber Artisans (PFA) this weekend, May 4th & 5th, at Potwin Presbyterian Church, 5th & Washburn in Topeka!

I’ll be teaching a needle felting demo at 10:30 a.m. and would love to see you there! Check out all the details below:

Spring Fiber Bazaar flier

Anna

That’s a very good question. Several years ago, I had entered an online giveaway at Phat Fiber, http://www.phatfiber.blogspot.com/, on the advice of my friend, Cathy, who thought it would be right up my alley. I entered, and not too much later, when my family traveled to Albuquerque to visit her family, I found out that I had won the giveaway-a 4 ounce hand painted roving of wool. Now, understand, the reason I entered was because the colors were beautiful but I had no thought of what to do with it figuring I wouldn’t win the roving. What was I going to do when this “roving” thing arrived?

Well, it arrived a short time after we had returned home, and I was gobsmacked! (For those of you who are unfamiliar with this British slang, it roughly translates into amazed-flabergasted-awestruck.) This wool was SO soft, and the colors which had first enticed me to enter the giveaway were even more intense and gorgeous in person. AND….4 ounces of wool is a LOT of wool to play with, let me tell you!

I had seen a little needle felting kit at the local Hobby Lobby and thought, “I could do that!” so off to the store I went to purchase my $4 kit which included 2 needles, a piece of foam to use for a base, and a little pamphlet explaining how to needle felt. As Jackie Gleason used to say (I know, I’m aging myself badly here), “and away we go!” Less than 2 months later, I had explored needle felting by using up a fair amount of the roving, played with adding fiber to fabric, found a local group that sold bits of colored wools and added to my stash, and had created dozens of bracelet cuffs, coffee cuffs, and little “paintings” of fiber! I had also worn the barbs off the two needles which came with my kit!

Around this time, I was searching for yet more instruction on felting, and happened across the Harveyville Project, http://harveyvilleproject.com/, serendipitously located within 40 minutes of my home, and they were going to be holding FELT SCHOOL in a short time! Well I got my funds together, scheduled the time off from work, cleared my personal schedule at home, and was off to an intensive 2 day workshop featuring instruction on everything felt, with special guest felter, Shannon Okey (http://www.knitgrrl.com/). We received hands on instruction in all aspects of felting, from preparing fibers, to laying out wet felt projects, to nuno felting and shibori felting, to needle felting….let’s just say that if I felt pretty solid with my skill level before Felt School, afterwards I felt positively empowered! That was the day I became @FELTIT

And the rest of the story is that I’ve found the medium that pulls together all the loves of my creative life: beading, sewing and stitching, jewelry and accessory making, clothing embellishments, card making, well, the list goes on and on. This past month 3 of my fiber paintings have been featured at the Art Institute International-KC Campus, I’ve participated in numerous fiber fairs and bazaars, and I have begun teaching others to love the world of felting,

And the story is just beginning!

Anna

FELT THIS! Needle Felted Bagette (mini-bag) class-$15

Monday, April 9th, 6-8pm, Potwin Presbyterian Church

Supplies you need to bring:  Felting needle(s), foam base, two or more ounces of wool fibers in colors of your choosing, yarns or embroidery floss to coordinate with size appropriate sewing needles.  (A limited number of needle felting kits with needle, small foam base and 50 grams of fibers will be available on the day of the class for $15.)Instructor will have assorted threads and floss, as well as embellishment options available at class.

Create a sheet of wool felt and learn how to transform it into a bagette with a couple of folds and a few stitches.  No experience is needed for this class as you learn how to blend and combine different colors and textures of the fibers to create a a mini-bag. By the end of this 2 hour class, you should leave with your bagette ready for additional embellishment with beads, buttons, or whatever you choose.

FELT THIS! Wet Felted Nuno Gauze Wrap class     Minimum number of students=4      $75

Saturday, April 21st, 10-4pm, Potwin Presbyterian Church

Supplies you need to bring: An old towel to transport your wrap home, and four or more ounces of dyed wool roving-NOT SUPERWASH! I recommend merino or BFL blends of no more than 30% other fiber like silk or bamboo.  (Instructor will bring soap, bubble wrap, and other tools for wet felting and will provide the cotton scrim-cheesecloth-for your wrap. Dress in comfortable clothing that could get wet and non-slip shoes)

Create a lovely wrap using the nuno felting technique to “laminate” the cheesecloth with the fibers you bring to class. Explore the technique, and different design possibilities as you layout your fibers in an incredibly thin layer, and work them into the fabric to create a one-of-a-kind wrap to be worn in every season of the year.

CONTACT INSTRUCTOR TO RSVP YOUR CLASS SPOT.

FELT THIS! Needle Felted Beads class-$15

Monday, April 23rd, 6-8pm, Potwin Presbyterian Church

Supplies you need to bring:  Felting needle(s), foam base, an ounce or two of wool fibers in colors of your choosing.  .  (A limited number of needle felting kits with needle, small foam base and 50 grams of fibers will be available on the day of the class for $15.)

Have fun creating beads from wispy fibers in amazing colors. No experience is needed for this class as you learn how to blend and combine different colors and textures of the fibers to create a beads you can later use for bracelets, necklaces, or earrings. By the end of this 2 hour class, you will have several beads completed, and ideas for turning them into unique jewelry.

CONTACT INSTRUCTOR TO RSVP YOUR CLASS SPOT.

Ask anyone, it’s is really not like me to be so quiet…REALLY!

That being said, I have been busy with quite a few things related to my fiber life:

There is a show being held at the gallery of the Art Institute International, Kansas City campus, from April 2 through April 30th featuring the work of educators who also happen to be creators of art. And I wrangled my way into the show! Right now, three of my fiber paintings are being hung for the show beginning next Monday. I would love for any of you who can to stop by and check out the show. There is a reception on April 19th which will have the artists, including moi, in attendance to talk about our work, our creative process, etc. Please cone by-I’d love to tell you about this thing called felt that I absolutely adore!

Art Institutes International, Kansas City

http://visit.artinstitutes.edu/SERCH/Dynamic/multisteptest.aspx?RIFID=2715&SOURCE=PSGSR&CID=GOOGS_AIWA_0911_SRCH_001&type=b&net=search&pcrid=5011801362&keyword=kansas%20city%20art%20institute&rank=1t1&account=kc

8208 Melrose Drive, Lenexa, Kansas

Thursday, April 19, 2012, 5pm-7pm

Spring Break was last week, and it brought rainy days and organization and preparing for future classes-all in all a productive break! I also laid out 4 felt paintings (although one of them will be a bag, I’ve decided) and topped my last day of break by rolling out all four paintings-2400 rolls! I am STILL aching a little from the 4 hours of cardio workout, but the results are great. I am working on the embellishments now, and will have pictures to post within the next couple of days.

So-that’s what I’ve been up to, what have YOU been felting?

Anna

So, day 1.5 out of the past 3 days with migraine, and it is subsiding, thank goodness.  However, it necessitates spending the remainder of my day in my darkened room. That being said, I have to prepare for a needle felting class tomorrow evening and for another scheduled for Friday afternoon.

So it’s time to gather up the materials and supplies needed for the Cup Sleeve class tomorrow:

mats upon which to felt the sleeve blank

felting needles and needle felting kits

embellishment ideas and options

several cuffs for inspiration

For Friday (and I have yet to hear from any students wanting to take the class) I need to gather up the supplies needed for the Create A Felted Creature Class:

mats, kits and needles like the aforementioned class

chenille stems and pieces of foam to use for armatures

poly fiberfill to build up the creature’s “innards”, saving the pretty fibers for the skin

embellishment ideas and options

After I’ve gathered up these supplies for classes, I’ll be taking a close look at my felted, or more appropriately, fulled wool supplies. I have a custom order for a bag in purple, and I scored some beautiful wool at Fabric Recycles in Overland Park, KS last week. They are located in the strip mall at 93rd and Metcalf, and they have all kinds of thrifted fabrics for purchase, as well as threads, notions, patterns-pretty much a smorgasbord for fabric junkies like me! I found two beautiful pieces of wool at the shop that I’ve fulled in the washing machine over the past day. The tweed-y fabric fulled beautifully, and I’ll be cutting out the pieces for the bag. We also stopped at Hancock Fabrics where I  found about 4 yards of a wool jacquard in a leaf-y design, periwinkle and copper! The design fulled up in such a textural manner that I know it will make some beautiful bags.

So, migraine bad, but spending the day in a darkened room working with wools is a good thing. If you haven’t taken one of my classes yet, take a look at earlier posts for the schedule of classes for March and April and give me a holler at annasplaceofholding@gmail.com to reserve your spot in class. I’d love to share my love of fiber and wool!

Until next time, FELT This!

Anna