Thursday, September 6, 2012

Felting Challenge Invitation!


My sisters came for a Labor Day felting party and between the conversation, laughs, nibbling and Vana Tallin, I managed to share a couple of the techniques I learned in Sachiko's workshop with Wendy and Roby while Joany & I made bags for Anniemae Koenen's upcoming Felt Yurt Bag workshop here. The bag is incredibly dull....a perfect canvass for stitching....but it used up the last of a jet black Karakul lamb fleece I had. So I feel really good about "finishing something up"! Yeah....one less thing to store.

As a result of this Labor Day diversion,  I confess I haven't made a lot of progress on the two bags I'd been so focused on before...so still neither the Cotswold nor the Quilt Squares (shown left) is quite done yet. I did at least get a handle on it...but still a closure and some final stitching to do)!

And now I've got to turn my attention to the next "challenge" that my little felting group and I are working on.

Are there any felters out there reading this that are up for joining our "challenge"?

 I want to invite any of you who are felters to join our little group thru this blog! These 4 friends and I meet  monthly to motivate, inspire, show & tell, and  trouble shoot our felting endeavors  (and share a few laughs, catch up, eat!) . Plus, each month we pick out a "challenge" from a hat (which we filled with bits of paper listing all sorts of ambiguous felting ideas we wanted to explore). Then we reconvene a month or so after we've each had a chance  to explore/play with that "challenge" on our own. When we get together again we bring our sample challenge to the meeting and share our thoughts & experiences of the challenge with each other.

It's a great way to make yourself explore some new technique, design concept, color, or other element that you might not undertake on your own.  You know...stretch your creativity a bit. And for me, its a great way to force some samples....I have a way of jumping right into a big project because my time feels limited and this forces me to work samples, which is a good discipline.

Anyway, it occurred to me after some conversations at Sachiko's workshop, that other felters might like to participate - virtually!  So if you're interested, our "challenge" this month is

"6 inches square"

We're meeting on the 23rd of the Sept., so if you are so inclined to explore something within that challenge description, send me a photo of what you explored along with any comments you may have about it and I'll post it on the blog that following week along with the "live" group's challenges/comments.

And if anyone has any "challenge" topics to contribute, we're open to ideas. In the past we've done "texture", "self-portrait", "inlay", "interpreting photographs", "blue", "whats in is out"....just to give you an idea of the range of ambiguity!

 Anyway....if you're so inclined, we'd love to have you join us! Just email me your challenge at northeastfiberarts@gmail.com