Finding Peace in the Midst of Choas

There are times that can trouble a soul; death, defeat, illness, separation, grief that overwhelms, depression, sadness, the great unknown. But of late, I've come to make peace with all of these thieves of joy. They are simply part of the human experience, part of makes us who we are, how we deal with it all says even more about us, I think. Embrace, embrace...and then let go.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/88346276/hand-dyed-habotai-5mm-silk-fabric

I've been dyeing a good bit, but only for myself. This is a newly listed piece of 5 mm Habotai silk that I dyed and named BREATHLESS because the colors simply left me that way. I adore this piece of silk. I've too many projects in front of my right now, so this one has to go up for sale. I do wish my old camera could capture the nuisances of the colorways. Totally YUMMY colors.

I've been making and selling a lot of hats and tams and so have not made much felt lately, but decided that I would make a few small pieces of felt jewelery pieces. This is one of them and yes I did do some hand sewing on it...but it was just a few stitches, so I don't think it really counts as sewing, does it?

About 4 years ago, I was given a huge book on needlework, embroidery, needlepoint, knitting, applique, crochet, macrame, pacthwork, rug-making, quilting and lacework. I am most interested in the embroidery stitches. Pam MacGregor, http://www.tarveycottagestudio.com/will be here this next week and I hope to have her show me a few of the stitches. She does amazing, yet very simple, stitch work. She does "elegant simple" the best of anyone I've seen. I am very much looking forward to the time with her. We will also be doing some experimentation with the Feltscraft.com Rolling Machine during her three day stay. Should be more fun with felters!

We had our first real snow this week. Already I am looking forward to the long hours of white, gray, cold, but not the shoveling, of the lovely white stuff, so much. There is an amazing stillness in winter that is astoundingly beautiful. A full moon on newly fallen snow...what a memory, what a sight!

Off to go enjoy the rest of this day.
Happy Felting, Shalom,
Suzanne

Oh, One more thing:
http://www.lindasfund.com/
Sometimes we want to do good... but we don't know where to help.
Dear Linda is a fellow-feltmaker who could use the goodness of our hearts, our prayers, thoughts, encouragement and obviously any financial support we can give her as she struggles with the payment of specialized cancer treatment. Please think about it and help if you can.

Skirt Fabric...

This is a photo upload from my phone, so quality is less than usual. However, this is the fabric that was completed to day to make the skirt. I am also thinking of making a camisole to go with the skirt....and somehow, stretchy black lace appeared in the dream last night when I was dreaming about this. Will have to investigate that a bit more too...and enjoy the process.

That's it for tonight. What did you make today?

Shalom and Happy Felting!

Suzanne

PS:
yet another choice in the design process....

Class Announcments, and then some...

While taking a breather from feltmaking, I decided to get more of my house in order and take care of some organizational things. Since my home is my studio and my studio my home, those spacial areas often over-cross each other, creating it's own unique chaos. I can live with a certain amount of disorder, but then...it's just got to be dealt with. Feeling pretty good about the progress, but still have miles to go before I can ease up a bit. Each day a bit more gets accomplished, but focusing on the "clear out" has left me with little time to felt....but I think of it constantly!

Last weekend was the Wisc. Sheep and Wool Festival, where my friend Brigitte DeMaster and I share a booth. The weather was PERFECT, and we got to see many familiar faces and friends. Dear Martha Steines repeatedly stressed to me that I had to enter the dress and cape in the design competition. I've never entered any such thing before so was very reluctant to do so. Finally I relented and entered. Martha was such an encouragement and I got "Best in Show". Shocked and humbled, I was. There were gorgeous items in the design category. I was really honored to win and happy that I have friends who push me out of my comfort zone. God bless you Martha and Brigitte. You bless me always! (My friend Zelda is wearing the nuno dress and cape in the photo, I am wearing one of my nuno scarves.)


While at both the Michigan Fiber Festival and Wisconsin Sheep and Wool, I got to see Chris from Briar Rose Fibers:
www.briarrosefibers.net
Chris usually dyes beautiful yarns, but has started dyeing silk bricks that are so spectacular! I've posted the link and let her know that I was going to share the information with you all. I do a lot of dyeing of silk fibers...this stuff blows my socks off! Great colorways, very good prices. Let Chris know you found the information here, please. Are these silks YUMMY or what?

Often I am asked to teach and have decided that with the upcoming show schedule, I have only one more option for teaching this year, unless there is a miracle. So, I've set up a nuno felting class for Saturday, October 29th, at the Otsego Historic Society building from 9AM-5PM in Otsego Michigan. We will dye the silk and then nuno the silk, like what I've shown in the photos above. Space is limited, it will be first come first serve so do let me know as soon as possible. You can let me know on Face Book or via my website email which is: info@hookedonfelt.com Cost is 125.00 for the day. I will supply silks, dyes, mordant, and wools. Will have a complete list of supplies later. Remember, space is limited, first come first served.

The days are becoming tipped in autumn, a fresh coolness in the air, birds flocking together, spiders laying eggs for next years' crop of spinners. The sky looks bluer, the clouds whiter, a fullness of time fills the abundance of this good earth and the goodness of God seems exceptionally clear during these shortening days of daylight, even the moon seems brighter somehow. These are days of early morning walks with sweater snugly wrapping my shoulders, a felt hat on my head, an awareness that these days too are limited before the winter white envelopes us. I love these days of color tipped trees and cooler weather. They are my favorites always. I remember more easily now the days of harvest on the farm, the canning of tomatoes, pickles, beets, corn, peaches, pears...the days of final hay cutting and baling, all things harvested, fields cleared, the rush to get it all done before the snow. Just writing this has brought back a vivid memory of warm apple cider on a field trip I took with my daughter... hay rides, root vegetables, cool air, and cold nose kisses. I love this time of year.

Okay, I'd better stop before I get lost down memory lane and can't make it back.
God bless and Shalom,
Suzanne

Mama Pod

My beloved mother returned home from her 6 month stay in sunny FLA. On her way home, she stopped here to spend three incredible days with me and Jim. It was a precious time together. We walked a lot, worked in the woods clearing dead wood, started a fire...that almost got out of control and made felt together. This is her first pod. It is made out of llama fiber. She is totally impressed with herself and I love what she did with the fibers! She is a "birder" too, so I'll be anxious to hear about who nests in her pod.
Yeah Mom! Nicely done.
Just thought I'd share it with you all here too.
Shalom,
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

November Already?

I can hardly believe how fast time is moving....must be a true sign of aging, and not one that I appreciate much. However, it does bring to mind that time is limited and therefore, one must work hard to even try to get some of the ideas brought to fruition!

This past week has been spent trying to get some felts made, dyeing silks for nuno felt that will be up soon, (I hope), planning some workshops, writing proposals for next seasons teaching schedule and just in general trying to pull it all together, however in very short, attention deficit disorder spurts. (It's not easy being me!) It will all come together, but not necessarily as I had hoped. I could just eat and felt and think my days were completely happy. There is just this other stuff that has to be taken care of too that I find disruptive to my day. I find myself multitasking on a level far bigger than I am. (Washing silk, cutting silk, dyeing silk, writing proposals, opps forgot about the dye pot, phone calls....layout on a nuno, another phone call, roll the felt, check the dye pot, shipping orders, did the dog get her medication? and what's for dinner? roll the felt some more, HUH, are you talking to me?) Anyway, it's been that kind of week. I'm glad I have anything to show for!

First photo is of a hat that I made this week, the background is of a silk that I dyed in olive and a hunter green color. The olive split in the dye bath...I love when that happens because all of these wonderful under and over tones emerge to create something incredible and unpredictable. I love that!

The other pics are of silk that I dyed and the champagne and brown nuno is from a silk that I got from Elis Vermullen. It was too pale of a color in champagne for me to feel comfortable with so I over dyed it and then applied the wool to it. It is a small triangular shawl. The texture is just wonderful and I love the color play on it. I added some orange, purple and black wool. It has a very autumn feel to it. Thank you Elis!

It's the end of the sales season for me and I have only 4 hats left, no nunos except the ones I've started to make. I think with all of the ideas running through my head, it's going to be a nice winter to stay inside and create.

Also wanted to let you all know that the Felt United site is up and wonderful! Do take a peek! There are more than 1000 pictures of felts from all over the world, incredible felts! Amazing felts. I love this medium!
http://www.feltunited.com/

Shalom,
Suzanne

Autumn in New York and Thank God for Rhinebeck!

Each year I look forward to Rhinebeck and the New York Sheep and Wool Festival. When all other shows are down or slow, Rhinebeck never fails to be an adventurous, profitable and beautiful show. The buyers are educated, knowledgeable, share openly and teachers are outstanding! It is my favorite show, hands down. We had some pretty severe winds on Saturday, 50 mph gusts and the booth took a bit of a beating, but it survived. Sunday was a perfect autumn day with stunning color, sunshine, 68 degrees and lots of people. Check out the parking lot...and that's only part of it!

Little Ms. Ammie came to see me again this year! I love seeing her. We've been fiber friends for 3 or 4 years now. It is always wonderful to see the changes in her. What a lovely young woman she is becoming! She is wearing the red hat, that I think looks wonderful with her full crop of great hair! The hat was made for one such as this. It went home with her.

I'm home and happy to be so. I leave again for another show this weekend. Then the travels will be over except for teaching commitments. I am looking forward to the "down time" and spending time at the dining room table creating and experimenting with felt. What an incredible gift felt is!

Happy felting!
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

A Long Time Ago, In A Place far Away ...

A long time ago, in a place far (well actually only three hours away) lived a much younger girl than I am, who had an eight acre hobby farm , where she raise milking goats, her favorite was named Peggy, rabbits, chicken and geese. The girl was supremely happy milking goats, feeding chicken and geese and rabbits. Each Spring, that girl would order the chicken catalog. When it arrived, she would sit down at her kitchen table with a full cup of coffee and begin the joyous task of selecting baby chicks. Now, this was no easy task, to be sure. Several cups of coffee might be needed before the final selection was made. This girl ordered only two chicken from about 50 different birds of the hundreds of breeds available in the catalog. Within two weeks after the selection was completed, 100 baby chicks, Sweet Peeps, as her daughter called them, arrived. All of them looking exactly alike, yellow puffs of peeps. They were looked after with loving eyes, a warming lamp, feed, grit, water and lots of snuggles. Slowly, the peeps grew into young chicks and were moved from the garage to the small barn. There they learned many new things, like bugs are fun to eat! Now, all of the chicks began to look very different from each other, different coloring, different feathering, different sizes, different temperaments...and they all lived very happily together.............. until the boy chickens decided to be cocky and attack the much loved daughter because she was wearing a bright pink jacket. Then, that very day, all of the boys all became food for the mother and daughter ...who indeed, did live happily ever after. (...even after another boy named Jim showed up to court the mother, who she loved very much, married and moved away from her much loved farm, but, that's another story.)
************************************************************************************
These photos are not of that much loved farm. These photos are of Christee's farm where I picked up lamb for the freezer. I got to feed the lambs that required bottle feeding, shovel some manure , smell the barn, hang with Christee. The beautiful rooster prompted the hobby farm reminiscence . He was not cocky and did not attack anyone. I like him a lot!

Have a wonderful day!
Shalom,
Suzanne

Bright Lights and Cheaters

Over the past few days I've been working on some felt vessels. I'll have more to show in the days to come. This one was created over a flat resist, using Lincoln-Teeswater cross, with some angora and merino added to the mix, along with hand dyed silk roving and silk fabric pieces (5mm) on the surface. It is so thick, so strong, it stands beautifully. I think I used 8 layers of roving to build up the strength and sturdiness and felted it really hard. In its final state, it measures 13x13.5 inches. After it was dry, out came the BRIGHT LIGHTS and CHEATERS! (Oh my, these eyes are getting old.) Doing the bead work was a challenge unto itself. It's something I usually do at night, and the lighting in our home is not great. The beading was fun, but challenging. I may still add some more things to this vessel, but for now, I'm giving my tired eyes a rest.

Everyone who has seen this piece thinks that it is a stone...exactly what I was hoping to achieve.

Ms. Allison

I've been working with a young lady, Ms. Allison, who has long enjoyed my hats and is now learning to make felt herself. She was in a class a few entries back and made a black and pink bag, that was wonderfully made. We've struck a deal. I'll teach her something felt related for a day then she'll work in studio for me for a day. She is young, she is eager to learn, she is talented and I so enjoy her company. She is a dear.

Here Allison is working on a pair of boots with flat resist. She also used prefelt inlay for the ram design. She is going to embroider around the ram in black yarn to make him pop. The boots were made from a lincoln-teeswater cross wool. The results were spectacular.

















The fingerless mittens I made. I started them out as a lime green but the color was too intense for me and lacked a great deal of personality, in my opinion. I over dyed them and now think they has a decent personality. (Sometimes I wish a plop in the dye pot would change my personality, especially on those snarly days.)

I've also picked up a couple of new books over the past few weeks. One looked great for interior design and felt, but to my dismay, it was all commercially produced felt, not that that's bad, it was just not my focus. Some of the ideas are pretty cool, and I may try some of the ideas in the future. I'll try to get them listed in the next few days.

Lots going on in life right now so it may be a bit before I get back to the blog.
Make happy felt!
Shalom,
Suzanne