Felt Underfoot in Grand Rapids

Oh my, to have the chance to work with / for Janice Arnold as she puts this felt piece together is so much fun! Jone and I went there early this morning . We cleared the area of chairs and tables, measured the dimensions, measured the grid and awaited Janice. We were her "chalkers" for the lay out. Jone and I had to leave at noon, but I am going back up in a few minutes and I'll take more pics of the process. I wanted to stay all day but just had to get some orders shipped. There were wonderful feltmakers there when we left, Mary Wallace and Deb Lueders from Wisc., Dawn Edwards from Feltsoright.com in Michigan and more were on the way. Just wanted to share some of the photos....so far!

These photos are not in order, obviously! You can see the lay out and the swing dancers that showed up at 8:PM to start to dance the wool. It was amazing to see so many people there to take part in the event. Janice was definitely tired, but you could see the joy on her face! She did a very good thing. I hope the memories last a long, long time for her. I know they will for me!

This is the article published by the paper about the event:

Felt Under Foot Artprize Dance - Breaking a World Record

A Community Felt-Making Experience (and experiment) by artist Janice Arnold - creator of Chroma Passage at GRAM.
Chroma Passage has been in the top 25 piece of art since the opening of Artprize.

When

:Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 10am - 10pm
Where

:Rosa Parks Circle and Grand Rapids Art Museum
Note:

Join artist Janice Arnold as she prepares to create the world's largest piece of handmade felt on the Maya Lin Ecliptic at Rosa Parks Circle, in Grand Rapids for Artprize.

Beginning at 9:00 am, Janice will begin to draw the chalk pattern for the Felt lay-up on the Ecliptic . At 10:00am she will begin laying down raw wool fibers ( over 70 pounds) on the center of the Ecliptic, assisted by other Felt artisans. The wool she will use is from local sheep and has been donated from local farmers. Throughout the day Janice will continue the lay-up process of wetting the fibers, and inviting the GR community participants to walk on the wool - to start the felting process. Community participation in the wetting and felting process is encouraged. Ms. Arnold wants to help everyone learn the traditional process of making Felt and be a part of making a piece of art for Artprize.

In the evening, around 6:00 pm, Janice will be joined by the Grand Rapids Original Swing Society . Swing Society dancers will help continue the felting process, through the agitation and pressure of dancing on the wool!

There will be live sheep on hand around 7pm!

Over the following days (Weds, Thursday Friday) Janice will continue the process by shrinking the Felt piece (on GRAM's terrace, just outside the Chroma Passage windows. Again the community is invited to come watch and help her scrub and shrink the wool to complete the final step of making wool into Felt. The goal is to wrap the center exterior column of the GRAM with the finished piece of handmade (footmade!) Felt sometime on Monday October 4th.
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Only Time for Little Things

Sunday, Jone and I went to see ARTPRIZE in Grand Rapids, MI. Janice Arnold has the most exquisite felt instillation I've ever seen. I could use all of the adjectives in my vocabulary and still fall grossly short of how jaw-dropping it is. Stunned is how I am still, happily stunned!

We had the opportunity to talk with Janice for about a half hour. What a doll she is! She is strong, wise, a visionary. If anyone is questioning if they should come to see her work, the answer is YES, YES, YES!!!!! You'll not be disappointed at all! To be in it was amazing. If you want to take a peek at her work, check out:

http://www.artprize.org/artists/public-profile/49090

I am getting ready for Felt United 2010! Again this year we will be at Marr Haven in Allegan from 12-4 PM. You are all invited to come join us. Please, please do. It's going to be so much fun.

These two small pieces are made from pre-felt that Jone has dyed. The colors are perfect for Felt United, so I made these two small pins. Looks like I'd better get busy!

Happy Felting and Shalom,
Suzanne

Jone, Pam, Finnigan and me

This is the fish I made when I went to spend a bit of time with Pam MacGregor of http://tarveycottagestudio.com/ and Jone Rakowski came along with me. It was like being on vacation, only better in some ways, I got to relax and laugh with incredible felt makers. Pam's home and studio is relaxing, she and her husband gracious, her lovely dogs and critters, enchanting. Finnigan is the full size standard poodle in the photos with us. What a doll he is. See Pam's website to see the vessel she made using his curls! WOW!!!!

I think Jone and I are looking forward to spending more time with Pam. What a treat!

Good Sabbath and Peace to you all,
Suzanne

Happily Exhausted

Ingrid with nuno scarf and new hat!

Playful customer!











Me and Mary Wallace. We were both teaching so we didn't get to spend much time together, but each time is wonderful! Creative felt genius she is!









Gisela, wonderful feltmaker












Ramsey in hood--she sure is lookin' good!












Jan in newly felted hat and fingerless gloves, looking like a woodland happy heart!












Two more of the students from the fingerless glove class. Did not take a s many photos as I should have, we were under heavy time restraints in this one! They made beautiful felts. I was so proud of them!














Carol with her new hat!












Linda in her new hat!












Ingrid in her new hat!












The beginning with the hat class, Ramsey adding some "are we done yet" antics to the class experience at the near end of the day. So enjoyed these gals.




























I am still so tired. Had a great time in Wisc. good sales, met amazing women! Got to see Mary and Martha and Rachel who I see so rarely and love so dearly. Also shared booth space with Brigitte and any time I spend with this woman is a blessing.

It was great to be there, it is also great to be home.

Shalom,
Suzanne

Felting My Fingerprints Off!

Seriously, I think I could commit crimes and there would be no fingerprints to identify me! I've been felting like a crazy person...but let's no dwell on that too much!

Ms. Allison and I spent the day together yesterday and she made two scarves, one was in the white pre-felt and the other was a lovely nuno felt scarf, her first! I was very please with her designs and lay out. She felts with such ease. I love how her mind works and her hands play!

The cream/tan hat was needle then wet felted. The red hat in an improvisational piece from a former pattern I've used. I took the viking princess hat resist, cut off one of the rosettes/horns and turned the hat around. In stead of making a rose or horn, I cut it open to be flames and then ones own hair becomes part of the design.

The hood is one that I started at the Creative Felt Gathering and finally finished. You can't see very well from this photo but there is a very long tail that hangs off the back of it. It was made with pre-felts, hand dyed prior to felting.


The green, blue and yellow vessel is my beginning creation for Felt United. I am going to do some beading on it and put a floral design in it before it is completed. I'll try to remember to post pics of it when it is done.

I leave in a few hours for Wisc. Sheep and Wool Festival. Other than flying through Chicago, I love the drive there. I am bringing a lot of Bling Batts, teaching and enjoying the company of good friends.

Before I leave, I've got to make a nuno felt scarf for my friend Judy. Her son is getting married next month and she's asked for one of my nuno scarves. I am so honored to do it for her. I'll be working in blues, so those of you who know I struggle with blues, please pray. I'm going to need it!

Shalom and hugs,
Suzanne

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Slip Sliding Away

September is here already, and I for one am happy about it. I am hoping for much cooler weather as this has been an incredibly hot summer for us here in Michigan. It is raining today, perfect for napping, making felt, maybe some cleaning, but I wouldn't count on the latter geting accomplished unless there is an energy surge after a nap! I love rainy days. They seem to move at a slower pace and I can appreciate that on so many levels!

Next week I leave for the Wisc. Sheep and Wool Festival, and will be teaching two classes there, and getting to see my dear friend Martha. One class is the needle to wet felt hat class and the other is the fingerless mitten class. I had not made a pair of fingerless mits in a while so decide to attempt do a pair as a sample. I messed up my cuts, and really wanted them longer, so back to the drawing board on them. I'll have to perfect it again before I teach it. I've lost my original resist on them. I am also using a very fine merino on the pair that I just did and forgot to sample my shrink factor! What was I thinking????? I used silk noil and silk top for surface elements. I can't believe I messed up the cuts! I get so frustrated with me sometimes!

Yes, I did make another cheese cloth wrap. Can't help myself, I just love them. They are so light, wonderful drape, and a bit unusual in texture. I put hand dyed tencel on the surface. When the light hits it....it's very high on the "wow" factor!

Lat night, I just wanted to sit and do mindless hand work. I played a couple of games of Bejeweled on FB, then made the crocheted ear warmers. The solid color yarn is alpaca, the sparkle yarn is mohair. Since there are so many small samples of yarn laying around here, I am going to be making more of them.

Friday can't get here fast enough. Elis, Rachael, Jone, Dawn and I will get together for the day. I am so looking forward to making one more memory with Elis before she heads back home. It has been a wonderful experience to meet and love this woman. There is a wise tenderness about her that is breathtaking, refreshing and at times overwhelming. I unabashedly, love her and am a whole lot in awe of her!

Jone and I are planning to get together for many play dates! I can hardly wait. What a treasure I have found in her, as fellow felter, more over, as a heart to heart friend. She is pure delight and I am looking forward to many play dates with her. FUN! We live about 30 minutes from each other...and we'd never met? How can that be?

Off to enjoy this rainy, cloudy, slow paced day.
I wish you joy in the day, and great peace all day long!
Suzanne