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:
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.
Imagine a beautiful nuno felt wrap
Annas Place of Holding 