Some stuffs

For the past 10 years I've been collecting silks...and have decided to start putting it into use this week. Hat, bag, purse...nuff said.
Peace and love to you,
Suzanne

TA-DA, Jami's Bag is done!

Okay, these are the final photos of the bag for my niece. The leather straps were custom made for the bag. I think they are the "saving grace" on the bag. Tomorrow, it gets sent to Jami. I hope she likes it.
There, one less thing that "has to be done". Yeah, I love it when that list gets smaller.

I'd like to have you go take a peek at another blog I've come to enjoy more and more. Her work is feminine, delicate and lovely. Let me know what you think, okay?
http://bolichoniespi.blogspot.com/
What are your favorite blogs and why?
Shalom,
Suzanne

Two Days in the Bag

This is a bag that I am uncertain about, love the color, love the handles, took two days to make it. I used a resist that was too large for the shrinkage that I should have figured into the bag. I think it is the shape that is throwing me off a bit on the bag, there is something about the asymmetrical and the symmetrical that is not working for me. I think the flap needs to be longer, the do-dad shortened. But I learned a lot making this bag. This wool was from an older sheep, and was full of spinning oil. It made the felting process much longer than it needed to be and the rinsing long. It did take the dye very well though. I used Jacquard Dyes in the crock pot. It was a combination of Aztec Gold and Burnt Orange. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the bag. I just wish I like it more than I do.

I am taking the next few days to work in the flower beds, getting them cleaned out of old leaves, removing the myrtle that has over grown every where, just enjoying the wonderful weather that we are having here in southwest Michigan. It has been wonderful

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

It's In The Bag

In between life, I've been trying to make this bag. I started it last night, worked on it until 1 AM this morning. Started on it again this morning. It has three large pockets, two on the inside, and one on the outside, where the silk fabric is. It is nearly dry, and as it has dried, I'm thinking it needs to be felted further. I want a very thoroughly fulled bag. There is still a bit of give to the fabric, so it can be felted or fulled further. I'm too tired to do more tonight.

I wish the bag had shrunk further in length, and that is what I'll focus on when I work on it again. The pockets turned out great and I am especially pleased with the bark effect on the outside pocket. Silk is magical, isn't it?

I've been shoveling snow off and on today, trying to keep up with it. I just know the snow plow is going to go through and block off the driveway again. Shoveling that snowplow snow is really hard work!
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1/8/10:
Did full the bag further. It started out as 14x21, ended up at 9x13. The felt is strong and study. I am much happier with the final fulling. Perhaps the wool and I both needed a rest so we could work better together.
Shalom and happy felting!
Suzanne

Felt Bag Flap

I made a bag today and am not ready to share all of it with you, but will share this much, the flap on the bag. I am hoping that it will turn out the way I hope, but I've still got some tweaking to do on it before I share all of it. The camera is not able to capture the "pretty" of this bag. No, take that back, the camera probably can, I just don't know how to make the camera do it. Gotta take a photography class!

I'm not being mysterious about the bag. It's not totally dry yet, nor have I put the handles and the finishing touches on it. Once that is done, I'll show the rest of the bag. Really.
Shalom,
Suzanne

Felts from the Midwest Felting Symposium Gallery

Beautiful bag by Judy McDowell and jazzed hatz by Ewa Kuniczak, of www.feltheadtotoe.co.uk.