Mosaic Rug Making Workshop

This past month has been a whirlwind of learning new things and meeting new felting friends. I learned that world class felters, Mehmet (from Turkey) and Theresa were coming to Maryland, I jumped at the opportunity to take classes.

The first one day mini workshop was spent learning the Mosaic technique and was held at Sharon Janda's home in Potomac, Maryland. Although Sharon and I spoke a few times via the Internet, nothing prepared me for her fabulous studio equipped with every possible piece of felting paraphernalia imaginable!. . . and her room of hand dyed roving was a joy to behold! A complete storehouse full in the most splendid colorways - - what a pleasure to the eye . . . and to the hand too if you had an opportunity to sink your fingers into it. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera with me so you'll have to believe me when I tell you just how fabulous her studio is and what a caring and wonderful hostess she is. There were about seven of us each busy creating our individual designs with guidance from Mehmet and Theresa. I won't soon forget the fun Sharon and I had throwing and rolling our rugs down her driveway (our rugs were rolled together in the same Turkish mat)!

Confession time: I feel like such a "Dunce" every time I take a class, as I make things too complicated and I also love lots of detail which makes me take w-a-y longer than everyone else! but, I although I feel intimidated when I look around and everyone else is ahead of me, I'm never sad for long as I've learned new techniques and what I should and shouldn't do next time. Since it was Spring, I decided that I wanted to make a robin-red-breast -- but I didn't have enough time to really make him the way I wanted (one day isn't long enough for this class) so he looked a little like Humpty Dumpty except the brick wall was on his breast and he only had half of a wing (poor thing)!!! I'm needling in some detail -- could I have made flowers that are more organic and thus forgiving - nooooo - I had to choose something that had features that move around when felted -- like a neck and legs that got short (the rug shrinks by 40%). I have no idea whether or not the detail I'm adding will felt properly when I finally get time to roll it again - but I'm posting a picture of little robin in progress and will post another after the rug has been rolled - he's a spunky little thing - eh?