Who Is In Your Playpen?

Jim and I are well settled into our new routine with Dad, and it is going splendidly. I am accustom to "care-giving' so it does not fatigue me in the same way it does my husband Jim. He is rising to the occasion though, and I am so proud of him ... So much so that I felt I could leave them for a few days and travel to see Pam MacGregor at http://tarveycottagestudio.com/
It was just what I needed. Over the past weeks/months, I felt as though I'd really lost my sense of "play" and knew that I needed a safe place to have that rekindled...no pressure, no expectations, just play...and we did.

I took a couple of things with me that I needed advisement on, and one of the things is the bag shown on this page. The bag project morphed on me during the felting process and went from vessel to bag, then back to vessel and finally to bag again. I was so confused and frustrated at the end of it I just wanted to toss it. But tossing it was not an option. To start with the wool had mohair in it and I do not like hairy felt...at all, so the more I fulled the felt, the hairier it became, even after shaving it. Grrrrrrrrr! Second, I had used some of the organically dyed over-spun silk I'd received from Vilte . So now I have to see this through. So I took it to Pam for help. We got it done and soon it will get the finishing touches. It has already sold, so all was not lost. What Pam and I did is what I would have done here at home, but I'd lost my "risk taking tools", my "play". After the time with Pam, it has all come back. Thank you Pam.

I'm currently embarking on re-working some of my old pattern as well as gathering new ones in my hat making efforts. It is sometimes so much easier to do the 'tried and true" than to push oneself to rethink, retool, dissemble, reassemble, try this, try that...and end up with a failure that that taught me much along the way. It is the felt road I travel. I am planning on being surprised along the way.

I love the black and blue hat, ('tried and true") and the "Tin Man" was an adaptation of a pattern that I like a good bit to. The eggplant purple hat is a pattern I received from Pam. Buttons need to be added and I am already thinking of the changes I'll make to it next time.

Robins are here, so are the Blue birds. It's way too early for Spring in Michigan, but it looks like it is coming anyway. Time waits for no one.. so I'd better get busy. Show Season will be here before i know it.

Shalom,
Suzanne

4 Days of WOW...

I've just come home from 4 incredible days with Jone Rakoski and Pam MacGregor at Pam's studio in Ohio. I am overwhelmed with the information shared. We did things like Goodwill shopping, looking at hardware, going out to lunch, going to garage sales, hypnotizing chickens, talking late into the night, and felting. There is no way I can share all of it---this entry would be a book, but I can share some.

In the first photo there are several items that might be of interest. The green scarf and book Pam gave to me, as well as "Bad Girls of the Bible", a battery operated dremmel and sea shells. I've long loved Pam's books made of felt. This one is made of some of the hand dyed merino silk that I'd given to Pam last spring. The scarf we did some discharge on to our happy delight.

Jone laughs at me because I drink instant coffee...life moves fast around here, so it's become convenient for me. She picked up this two cup coffee maker, some coffee, sweet sticks with lavender, and made the soda cover. I'm drinking "fresh ground coffee" as I write this. YES! She would be so proud of me...and that way I'll have it available when she is here.

Being with other felt makers is joyous. Being with these two incredible felt makers was fantastically joyous. I nearly cried when I left. It was I was filled to over flowing.

Are there those people in your life who fill you up? I hope so!

Happy Felting and Good Sabbath,
Suzanne

One thing leads to another

In August I acquired some cormo wool top. Oh my goodness, is that stuff soooo soft! I thought I'd try it out on some felt over silk gauze, and add some sari silk and silk roving. Initially, the whole project was done in white, except the sari silk. While I've used the sari silk a lot, I've never had the fabrics "run" before. This time it did, with gold bleeds and purple bleeds on the wool and silk...and so one thing leads to another. After the scarf was felted, I over-dyed all of it in s bold yellow for just a few minutes, then took it out, twisted it up randomly, put some blue in the dye bath and let it soak some of that dye up for a bit longer. Thought I would like the bold side best, but not so much. I like the muted, water color effect the best. Moreover, it is reversible with two completely different looks. I like that aspect a lot. After all the work to make sure the sari silk melded to the wool...I like the softer side better...go figure!

I leave Wednesday morning with jone to spend 4 wonderful days with the incredible Pam MacGreger, feltmaker, amazing and generous! If you want to see her amazingly spectacular works, do take a peek at her website listed below.
http://www.tarveycottagestudio.com/

Anytime you get the chance to take a class from Pam, don't even hesitate. She is an amazing artist, communicator, source of creative thought and design. Pam has been a teacher in her professional life, but from personal experience, Pam is a natural teacher in her personal life as well. I am so looking forward to spending the time with someone whose work I am totally in love with, and who is becoming a friend. We will have good felt talk, felt making, great food and wine, peaceful evenings on the porch. We've been planning this trip for months. I am so excited to spend the time with her.
Until next week, good felting adventures and Shalom,
Suzanne