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

Catching Up / Falling Behind

It has been a couple of weeks of packing, unpacking, dyeing wool, getting ready for the next show, blown head gasket on my big van, (gerrrrrrrrrrrr!), packing orders, getting ready for classes, and finding precious little time to create. I also find the heat, which has been intense this year with very high humidity, disabling.

I've only made a few things in the past two weeks. One of the things I was able to get done was this nuno/laminate scarf. Huge shrinkage was achieved on this piece. It started out 7 feet x 3.5 feet, but after it was all done, it measures a mere 54" x 24". It has merino silk, hand dyed silk roving, mohair locks in scattered clumps all on silk gauze. What great fun to watch it all come together. My goal is to get one a day completed over this week.

On many of my felts I've been adding sari silks and a huge new shipment arrived last week. These are in fat quarters and the variety of colors is stunning and inspiring. I've been buying them from Fiona Wright on Etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Glitzandpieces

The service and selection is outstanding. If you decided to try out the silks, you'll be hard-pressed to be disappointing. These are recycled so they do have some small, and I do mean small, flaws. For those of us who use them in the feltmaking process, it is completely un-noticeable. The colors are incredible.














This hat has was made of hand dyed merino/silk with some of the sari silk on the surface, as well as my beloved cheese cloth. When working with the sari silks, be sure to be very gentle and use cold soapy water until it has really melded into the wool.

I had the unique opportunity to be on a local TV station, Channel 8, the program "eightwest" this morning. Here is the link to watch it if you'd like.

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/eightwest/Hooked_on_Felt


So tired tonight, maybe I'll not make any felt tonight.
Sleep well in Peace,
Suzanne