Bag the Week

This week I've decided to simply focus on bags, with the intent of having some of them create "a look," coordinating with other felted items, like hats and scarves. Now whether that will happen as planned, is quite another thing.

I dyed all of the fiber, the hat is made of merino and angora, the scarf is merino and silk laminate felt and the bags are of a Lincoln - Teeswater cross blended with merino wool. The red bag on the right is my favorite. It is just really simple...and maybe that explains more than I should reveal here! I do like nice lines, simple lines fascinate me, straight skirt, simple sweater or top, simple jeans, nothing too flashy, but elegant. My all time favorite designer is Coco Channel...and that should explain the "simple" factor much better than I could ever put into words.

Now, about a couple of really cool events for feltmakers:

Summer International Felting Conference in Hungary

When: June 26- July 3.

Where: Magyarlukafa, this small Transdanubian village, near Pécs (about 50 km) with its capacities, and picturesque beauty provides an optimal venue for the workshop. István Vidák and Mari Nagy were the first felt-makers of the village, decades ago. Since that time felt-makers from all over Hungary have regularly gathered here in summer camps and workshops. This year is the first when we organize an international workshop, but we intend to found a tradition and hold annual workshops of high quality named: "The Present of Lambs" International Felt-art Symposium and Workshop.

Who is teaching: Seven felt artists have been invited to lecture and teach in the workshop:
Inge Evers felt artist (from the Netherlands) as a teacher ( spiritual felt, meditation, introspection, personal felt cards)
Dagmar Binder felt artist (from Germany) as a teacher (a combination of chiffon silk and fine merino, a kind of "painting" detailed ornaments with wool fibres on top of silk)
Judit Pócs felt artist (from Hungary) as a teacher (miniature sculptures)
Vanda Róbert felt artist (from Hungary) as a teacher (stitched, woven felts)
Marti Csille felt artist (from Hungary) as a teacher (felt jewellery combined with metal and embroidery)
Mari Nagy and István Vidák felt artists (from Hungary) as lecturers (They are going to lecture on their felt collecting field trips at Friday evening.)

The daily schedule:

8-9 Breakfast
9-12 Workshop
12-14 Lunch-break, siesta
14-18 Workshop
18-20 Dinner, relaxing
20- Lectures, discussions

Cost:
Applications are handled in the order of arrival. It is worth applying soon, as the camp can accommodate max. 50 people. As accommodations differ in quality, the prices also differ.

Detailed information on accommodation is available at Márti Csille's website, application are welcome at the website of Kaptár Association and in e-mail.

Accomodation: 52 Euro / 7 nights in Tourist Lodging: 20 person: 7.50 Euro/night,
or 91 Euro / 7 nights in High quality private apartments: for 30 person: 13 Euro/night
Full board: breakfast, hot lunch and dinner / 8 days: 60 Euro
Tuition fee: 315 Euro
In the village you can purchase basic everyday products in a so-called move-around store, or in Szigetvár 20 kms away.
If you would like to take part in the event and finalize your application, you may do so by paying half of the fee earmarked for tuition and participation. Please transfer the amount by the 1st of May, 2010. After receiving your application, we will give you the bank account number.

Márti Csille (Felt artist, the art director of the Felt Art Workshop) :
http://www.csillemarti.blogspot.com
e-mail: csillemarti@gmail.com
Kata Lovas (President of Kaptár Association, the director of the Felt Art Workshop) :
H.- 7925. Magyarlukafa, F u. 44.
http://www.magyarlukafa.org
e-mail: lovaskata@freemail.hu
and Zsuzsa Laskai
e-mail: laskaizsu@freemail.hu
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Would that be great to attend, or what? I would so love to go!

Next:
The Midwest Felting Symposium in Madison, Wisconsin July 21-25.
http://midwestfeltingsymposium.com/

This event is one of my personal favorite events of the entire year. I am so excited by the teaching line up this year, including Vilte! I love her work, her sense of style and whimsy along with great elegance in all of her felt works. See some of her work here: http://www.vilte.net/
If you get a chance to go take a peek at the website for MFS, be sure to sign up for classes. I think this year will fill pretty fast. Now, I've got to decide what classes to take! Too many great choices!

That's it for now, back to the dye pots and the felting table!
Shalom,
Suzanne

Udder Panic!

It's been a busy time here and the house is in utter despair. I keep promising myself that I'll get it taken care of right after(blah, blah, blah)......and some of you know what I mean. I'm at the point where if I get the dishes done, toilets cleaned and the vacuum run, I'm doing good.

There have been many orders, which I am thankful for, but they do take time to fill and ship.

My baby sister had a baby boy this past week. She lives in Boston, so we are in the midst of planning a "Mail Baby Shower" for her. It's taking a lot of coordination and computer time I usually don't spend.

My beloved husband has been sick for several weeks with what started out as a really bad cold. He had about 4-5 days where he started feeling better, then he relapsed and has lost his voice. For most people that might be a small inconvenience, but we run a radio station. He is the voice of the morning, news, weather, live ads, updates and bulletins. This morning he announces that I am doing the news, weather and live commercials. Utter panic! I was able to get through it, but like most folks, I don't like to hear my own voice and especially on the radio! YIKES! I hope his voice comes back very soon....like NOW!

After the orders were packed, I did get to make some pre-felts for some upcoming ideas, and I made this hat yesterday. I have to re-felt the little 'stove pipes", they are firm, but I am planning on putting a dowel up inside of them and felting them to very firm. The locks coming off of the top of each of them is Teeswater. Love how they felt! I am hoping to do a series of these hats. They are just fun to wear! I wore this one of my daily walk a got a bunch of comments. One gal says it looks like udders on a cow, but she liked it. It makes people smile and that makes me smile too. Just a great way to greet the day!

Keep Smiling and make great felt!
Shalom,
Suzanne

ADHD and Feltmaking!

One of the great things I love about ADHD is the fact that I do get bored rather easily. I know that it bothers most of the people around me on a daily basis,... but I love it! and count it as a gift and a blessing. Easily bored...such is the case of the dark berry colored hat. It's been to shows with me for well over a year now...and as I am preparing to leave for Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival...I just couldn't take what was a tan hat out of the house one more time. So I decided that that hat needed a visit to the dye pot; warm, colorful, changing color and hue into something far more stunning than an odd looking tan hat. I am pleased with the way the felt fabric took up the dyes. I used three different berry colored dyed, adding one on top of the other and allowing the slightly stirred waters to wash over the fabric, creating a great depth of color. I hope it finds a home in Wisc.

The blue hat was a playful adventure in hat making. While I've used all of the items in the felt previously, never had I used them in one hat. This hat has geometric design, Teeswater locks, both dyed and natural, and fabric. The fabric did not show up in the photo, and I am sorry for that not showing up.

Both hats were made on the Extra Large Needle Hat Form that are on my website. Both were needle felted first, then wet felted after the design work had been completed. Working with the Needle Felt Forms allows felting to be totally portable. These two hats were needle felted while I was at a fiber festival. While it might be for everyone, it is perfect for me. I use the forms and flat resists in felt-making and find that both have their place and space; just as felting needles are not for everyone, but do have their place in my work. Needle to wet felting just makes good sense to someone like me who loves to make felt, and is on the road as much as I am, or time doesn't let you finish a project in short time. I also like to show people the possibilities of what they can do with the forms. This form is also great for vessels, and handbags, and felted baskets.

I'm building a felt-making library. Anyone have books they'd like to recommend?

Shalom,
Suzanne

Post Script; Both of these hats did find their new homes in Wisconsin.