For Midwest Felting Symposium Ottoman

Here is the ottoman for the Midwest Felting Symposium in it's early stages. The fibers have all been hand dyed and in the case of the yarn, hand spun. I've made several of these, but this is the one I am currently working on. It requires the wet felting process yet, which will be done this weekend. Come Monday, I should have the end results to share with you.
If you are thinking of taking the class with me at Symposium, it's not too early to start planning your designs, and colorways. I'll try to have as many templates as I can possibly get done. If you have ideas, please feel free to share them.
For more details on Midwest Felting Symposium, see previous posts or just type it in your browser. So many wonderful teachers there, great amount of talent!

Shalom

Flatbed felter and prefelts

While teaching at Morning Star Fiber Mill awhile back, I had the opportunity to see their flatbed felter in action. Pretty cool thing. Karen and JC ( mother and son team) work in tandem to get things done around the mill. After the classes, JC and I designed this banner. It is made of merino and hand dyed merino with the lettering made of lopi yarn JC made it up on the flatbed felter. It could be hardened more, and will be if I get my shoulders back. However, if it has to stay this way for a bit longer, I am still quite pleased with the results. It measures approximately 4x3 feet.

Morning Star Fiber also produces some nice prefelts. The prices are very reasonable. I'd like to purchase a prefelt from them, then design a garment from it and finish the felt myself. JC and I are still not sure on the thinness that can be achieved on the flatbed felters. I think the recommendations on the manufacturers instructions are for one pound per felt. I'd personally like to try to make them thinner, but it's not my machine to ruin should I be wrong. YIKES!

It's Easter Morning! New Batts and Gertie Balls!

It's Easter Morning Beautiful Day! Dad and his wife will be here for dinner, we're awaiting their arrival. Should be a very nice day with them.

I am gearing up for the trip to Columbus, WI. this next weekend. This is one of the spinning batts I've made to take with me. I was putting them up on Etsy for a bit, but it is so much more fun to see them in person. The sales on Etsy were great, but got to have some stuff for these other wonderful women I am about to meet in Wisconsin. Should be so much fun. Have dyed up some special batts as well. Oh, they are so pretty!

Got the Gertie Balls in for the hat making classes. I've developed a needle to wet felting technique when a Gertie Ball as the resist in the wet felting process. Works so well. They'll be up on Etsy soon!
Easter Blessings!

Vernal Equinox,... or The Season of Mud and Orange Cones

The moon was wonderful last night, nearly full when I went to sleep. I think the moon is wonderful all the time, but the clarity of it in this Michigan sky was especially nice. The sunset and moonrise were wonderfully in sync as Jim and I left the restaurant last night. Maybe it was because I was having dinner, alone, with Jim, maybe it was the clearness of the sky, perhaps it was looking at the last "winter moon", but no matter why, it was worth writing about! While I appreciate all of the season in Michigan, the moderate Spring and Autumn are dearest to me.

Here in Michigan, Spring brings with it return of many birds, many ducks, geese, humming birds,and the much loved song birds. It also brings a great season of mud and the Orange Cones. The state becomes covered in Orange Cones as the road repair time begins in earnest. If you come to visit here, be forewarned!

I've been dyeing a lot, getting ready for the Spinning Retreat and Greencastle. I love this colorway because the color split in the dye pot. I first saw this effect in some roving that I'd purchased from Ruth Walker at Midwest Felting Symposium. I was fascinated by that. Now I seek it. I wish I had the time to spin this fiber. I am using it it a felt, but I think a yarn would be pretty as well. While not the "springiest" photo one could post, there is snow, dirt, green and a bit of blue in the roving... Yeah, that pretty much captures it from my vista.

Happy Spring

St. Pat's!

In honor of St. Pat's a bit of the green... Hand warmers of hand dyed merino and merino/silk felt flower.

FIRE in the SKY!

Who needs more inspiration than the Hand of God? ( Be sure to click on photo to enlarge.) This was right outside my window this morning! Stunning!

What's in a Name?

The website is up about the Midwest Felting Symposium. I am so excited about this event. I get to see my buddies, see wonderful felts, learn a bunch of new stuff and feel really good about this medium.
While I was waiting for the symposium site to load, I went to Susan's Fiber shop website. There on the page where she shows off her pretty babies, was one named after me! She's too cute, don't ya think?



Well, seeing this pretty Teeswater baby being my namesake, I thought I should take another peek at what this name Suzanne means.

Here ya go:
Suzanne
French: SUSANNA

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Dutch, Biblical

Other Scripts: Сусанна (Russian)

Pronounced: soo-ZAN-a (English) [key]
From Σουσαννα (Sousanna), the Greek form of the Hebrew name שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (Shoshannah). This was derived from the Hebrew word שׁוֹשָׁן (shoshan) meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose"), perhaps ultimately from Egyptian sšn "lotus".

In the New Testament this is the name of a woman who ministered to Christ. It also occurs in the Old Testament Apocrypha as the name of a woman falsely accused of adultery. The prophet Daniel clears her name by tricking her accusers, who end up being condemned themselves.
***end of definition***
I wonder which way she'll want it pronounced. She's so cute!

Anyway, check out the website on the symposium. It's just too wonderful to miss!
BTW, did you know that a woman in Michigan can use all of her names, maiden and married?...and it is legal? WOW!

Blatant Promotion and I'm going!!!!!!!

Ya-Hoo-Hoo-Hoo! I am going to the Spinning Retreat! Yeah! (Can you tell I am looking forward to it) I'll be a vendor there, but may spend most of my time felting. I'll always be a "beginning spinner". While I love the process, the rhythmic motion, the end result, the tactile experience, the whole of it, I am still most passionate about felting...and do not tire of it at all. Since I don't knit, spinning for me is just spinning for the sake of spinning, and selling the yarns. When I make felt, something happens inside of me that is akin to achieving "perfect pitch". (If you've heard me sing,you'd know that would be a miracle!) I love making felt!

I have stuff to get ready for at Symposium (see previous postings on Symposium) and this will be my opportunity to get it done. I'll have help. Eugenie will be there; she is a great felter. I'll need much of her help to get this done. My shoulders are killing me! Just when I feel like I've made progress, I do too much, and am out of the activity mode for a week or more. This is so getting old....come to think of it, so am I!

Anyway, here is the scoop on the upcoming event. Wouldn't it be great if you were one of the 50 people there. When you're with Susan, you're having a great time!

Susan's Spinning Retreat
March 28-29-30
Fulling exotic fibers - Buffalo and more
Bead yarns
Share Ideas
Navajo three ply bead yarns.
Shibetti Dyeing - Betty Shober is developing a new way to dye your hand spun. Bring a skein to dye. Or you can dye a 4 oz batch of white roving. $5.
Navajo Three ply
Sirrit rug making techniques
raided Rug using roving(shepherd rug) Friday make the roving rug-Sat wash and felt the rug.
Why have muddy multi dyed roving when you spin learn how to spin to eliminate getting mud.
Beginning knitting techniques. Bring some handspun and learn to knit.
Come to Susan's and see new lambs.
Pease register and let me know if you are spinner who can help a newbie. We wish to do team help.Advanced spinner to take a newer spinner to help them if they need it.
Now you know how to spin. What do you do with the yarn. Learn to do knitting with your hand spun.
Try your hand at drop spindles.
Come meet new spinners. Spin till you drop.
A weekend of delightful spinning fun.
Work with others to learn to spin better you will be given a buddy helper if you are new to spinning and want the help.
You must bring your sense of humor to come to the retreat we do alot of laughing.
Registration starts 9:am each day. Classes start 10:30 am. ends ?
Columbus Super 8 Hotel
Reserve your room now call 1-920-623-8800 Rooms around $70. You can share with someone.
Join us sign up today.
$40.Come by for the day only for $20. Share an idea about spinning and save $10 on the retreat total $30.
Drop in and visit $10 (Ten Min to three hours).
Vendors $40 plus $40 for the retreat total $80 to come and vendor and attend.
Please call and let me know you are coming to the retreat or 920-623-4237 e-mail susan@susansfibershop.com

This was all taken right from Susan website. Go there, sign up, come have fun!

Spring Cleaning...Beating The Rush!

There are so many little bits of fiber floating around here, needing to find a home. I've decided to get these bits together to create one of a kind spinning felting batts. I've got most of them listed on Etsy. Some of them are stunning, some a bit more silly. I think folks will have fun with them. I hope they will, I had fun making them. I tend to "gather" fibers form my travels. Sometimes I have great plans for them, but by the time I get to them, the plans have changed, or I've used some of it in another project. This is a way for me to clean up around here and still provide a quality product for others.

Since I've damaged my shoulders, spinning has become a great challenge for me. I would spin these up myself to make some great sock yarn. Yearn to make yarn :(( again! Moreover, I long to felt, but that is out of the question too. I try to not do too much, but that is so not easy for me! If I am not busy, I am sleeping.

Dyed up about 2100 yards of sock yarn this week for my buddy Jan. She got it and loved it. I so glad. Sometimes I am concerned that though I might like something, doesn't mean someone else will. She gave me creative liberties, I was still concerned. She said she loved it, so we are both delighted! YEAH! Wish I had taken some photos of it! What was I thinking????????

During this "down time" I am am preparing for the upcoming Fiber art events. One in particular is the Midwest Felting Symposium. If you have opportunity to make it there, it is a DON"T MISS! It is Wen-Sun INTENSE felting with incredible artist, technicians, vendors, food, classes, and gallery. If I could only do one show a year, this would be the one. It is out of my ability to describe. I love it. The energy, talent, fun....WOW!!!!!!!!!!! The website for more details is: www.midwestfeltingsymposium.com I think that the information on classes and instructors should be up in the next few days. The classes will fill and close soon, so if you are remotely interested, monitor the sight. You can also contact www.susansfibershop.com Susan is hosting the event.