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Thursday, May 29, 2014

Samples

My Dad taught me never to use the word "hate"  - but I am allowed to STRONGLY DISLIKE and very frustrated with my new computer and Windows 8 - I've been using computers and photo software for a very long time but trying to work with this operating system is awful and eats up my time!!!  

Enough of that, for those of you who are interested, the workshop at Sara Felts in Vancouver had to be postponed - Vinitha put so much effort into making it work, but arranging for the machines was getting way too complicated so we decided that it was best to put it off for the time being; it WILL work out again but the next time will be much more simple and I'm ready!

I'm still working on achieving a good routine for work here in our new home - I admit that there are lots of distractions and travel; the time goes so much faster when you are having fun :-) and a lot of the fun we have been having is spending time with our adorable grandsons who are just 30 minutes down the road and we know that road well :-)

I've met some lovely creative souls and have joined a fiber group, FAB (Fiber Arts Beaufort).  We are having a show and sale in early October so besides workshop samples, I've been making lists (growing daily) of ideas for items to show and sell.  I thought after I retired that I'd have tons of time, well I do have more free time but I have sooo many creative ideas and not enough time for them all so I have to schedule and focus on each or I'll get nothing done - in the mix there is felting (of course), hand stitching, joomchi, dyeing, collecting leaves/flowers for eco printing/dyeing and gardening (add to that jewelry experiments).

I'm also teaching in Portland, Oregon, in mid-August, for a guild that meets in Charleston in September, and for the Baltimore Weavers Guild in November, so I've been working on another vest sample to ensure my pattern will work for students.   If you are a feltmaker and enjoy creative sewing, you have no idea of how much fun it can be to make felt fabric, decide how to best utilize the most interesting focal points in putting together a piece of wearable while learning techniques that can be utilized in other projects; you can truly get lost in your imagination, texture and color.  I find the process extremely liberating and relaxing working on a piece of wearable art that tells it's own story of what colors and textures you most enjoy.  Anyway, these pictures are of a new work in progress in the green/blue range.







Working with Mulberry Paper - Joomchi Beginnings

I've found another obsession - just can't get enough of Joomchi!  I'm completely enthralled by the way that working with simple mulberry paper and water can produce such lacy results and I have BIG plans to work with these pieces further.  I took a workshop a few years ago and the process really intrigued me.  If you want to know more, I love the book Joomchi and Beyond.  Basically, the process entails layering mulberry paper/water and lots of squeezing and the process reminds me very much of felting.  I'm still very much in the experimental stage and the ideas for enhancements and display are dancing around in my head!