Stir-up Sunday Needle Felted Pudding Workshop

Had a great day needle felting Christmas puddings today.
We started off creating a 2d picture on an old scrap of felt to get used to the wool and working with the felting needles and then moved on to making a 3d pudding to hang on the tree.
Many thanks to Maggie and Karen for all their enthusiasm. The results were fantastic.

Jubilee Wool Mix

Have been having fun with my drum carder. This is my red, white and blue, Jubilee Mix ready for making some bits for the Totteridge and Terriers Jubilee Fete this Sunday.

Maidenhead Quilt

This is my square for the Maidenhead Quilt.
It is wet felted background with needle felted poppies, beading and stitching.
It is off to join all the other gorgeous squares that will make up the final quilt.
It is going to look amazing!

Sunflower Pictures - finally finished!!

I added stitching to define the petals and leaves and tiny beads for the centre and finally framed it.  Here's the result!

Sunflower Picture with stitching and beading

Close up showing detail

Framed and ready to go!

Indigo Dyeing Workshop - Jancie Gunner

Brilliant workshop yesterday with Janice Gunner. My first attempt at dyeing, shocking considering I used to be a chemistry teacher! I remember the smell!

Indigo Dyed Cotton (drainpipe)

Janice had so many gorgeous fabric samples, it was hard to decide which technique to try first; stitching squares of fabric, tying in marbles, clamping shapes and wrapping fabric around old drainpipes.

Indigo Dyed Cotton Muslin (clamp resist)

The indigo vat was made up in a large black plastic bucket (the resemblance to a witches cauldron was remarkable!) and then the fabric dunked.  Simple as that!!  I think the best bit is opening up the little parcels after to see the effect.  Love it!

Indigo Dyed Cotton Samples (stitch resist)

Indigo Dyed Cotton Muslin (marbles and ikea bag clips)

Indigo Dyed Silk (drainpipe)

Indigo Dyed Cotton (wood grain stitch resist)

Indigo Dyed Cotton (stitch resist)

Silver Birch Picture

Silver Birch Felted and Embroidered Picture

Textile art inspired by the stripes on silver birch bark. Wet felted background, commercial felt trees with embroidery bark detail.

Macy's Christening Picture

Completed Picture for Macy's Christening

Just wanted to share the finsihed pictures for Macy's Christening.  It is on a wet felted base with needle felting detail and stitched and beaded applique.

Oh, and another thing......

And last but not least, when I had brought ALL the boxes, bags and paraphenalia in from the car I sat down with a steaming hot cup of tea and a very tasty fruit scone, strawberry jam and clotted cream from Katy Brookes-Duncan, she had take away boxes for sale. Yum!
Her malt loaf was great for breakfast too!
www.kteacakes.co.uk

Tempting Workshops!

More from the weekend!

Oh, and along with all the gorgeously tempting things to buy, lots of people were offering workshops....


Two I have my eye on are:-

6 week mosaic course (Mondays 10am to 12pm) run by Melanie Watts, www.melaniewattsmosaics.artweb.com  

1 day stained glass workshop with Vitreus Glass, where you can come home with your own piece of stained glass www.vitreus-art.co.uk

Ceramics inspiration - Kirsteen Holuji

In a previous post I mentioned Kirsteen Holuji and her inspiring ceramic pollen grains and bulrushes.  There follows my attempts to recreate them in felt.

First attempt - felt around a circle resist then wrap sections with cotton to create the knobbles....

Recreating pollen - pink under layer, turquoise top layer

Second Attempt - I went home and consulted the genius book, Filz Experiment by Annette Quentin Stoll, and used her technique to try again.  Much happier with the effect but I need to work out how to turn it into a sphere.

Lime green under, purples top layer - prefelt and sewn circles

Cotton pulled tight and wrapped to create knobbles

Felted pollen next to Kirsteen's ceramic pollens

Finally I had a go at making a bulrush to replace the ceramic ones..... needs to be fatter and possibly more textured, with silks and materials added to the surface.  I'm hopingto have 7 ready for Bucks Open Studios! Kirsteen has 7 ceramic bulrushes in her sculpture.....  

Felted bulrush next to Kirsteen's ceramic bulrush

First swallows

As I was leaving Waddesdon I glanced up and spotted my first swallows of the year!  Sorry to the guy behind me - I had to get a pic! I wasn't on the proper road bit......honest!

Artists and Makers Fair, Waddesdon Plant Centre

Brilliant weekend at the Artist and Makers Fair! Bright airy space and so many really talented people. I know the whole point of showing at these fairs is to promote BeeBeeCrafts and hopefully sell bits and pieces, and not for me to buy, but it's so hard to resist temptation!!

The lovely lady, Janice Hume, on the stall next to me had so many lovely original paintings, sketches and prints, it seemed rude not to treat myself. A beautiful, simple original watercolour heart in moss greens and blues, really peaceful, calming colours. Lovely.  Her website is www.thiswouldlookniceonyourwall.com (genius name?!).

And I also fell in love with the work of ceramic artist, Kirsteen Holuji (www.kirsteenholuji.co.uk). She had huge sculptures of bulrushes to go in your garden and move gently with the breeze, voluptuous 'spotty bottom' vases, ceramic grasses, poppy seed heads and my favourite pollen sculpture.  Unfortunately the pollen I fell in love with sold but I'm hoping Kirsteen will make me one........

In the mean time I have used her lovely work as inspiration - more details to follow shortly.  I did spend lots of time over the weekend experimenting with making felt versions of the pollen and bulrushes.  You can judge how succesful I was when I post the pics!!

BeeBeeCrafts Stall, Artists and Makers Fair, Waddesdon Plant Centre

Close up, BeeBeeCrafts Stall

So fed up of rain!

It is STILL raining :(
So I am making sunflowers!! :)

Let some sunshine in.....

Fluffy carded merino wool with patterned silk, bright yellow soya fibres, throwsters waste, unbleached golden tussah silk and golden netting, all combined to make gorgeous sunflower yellow prefelt....

Sunflower Felting

Next stage of the sunflower picture is now underway.
I carded the various shades of blue and white wool together to make the colour of a perfect summer sky. Cornflower (just sounds summery doesn't it?) sky blue, dream and lightening. Then after laying out and wetting out the wool I started positioning the cut prefelts ready for the final felting.
Quite exciting! The shimmery silk bits in the yellow prefelt is even more delicious than I remember! I hope it survives the felting!

Ladybird Love

Bumble bees, ladybirds, bumble bees, ladybirds........

The bumble bees have all found their wings and are currently buzzing happily around my studio awaiting new homes (or should that be hives?)

This week it's ladybirds. Tiny needle felted ladybirds, about 1cm across, which have settled onto a ring base and onto some cord for a bracelet. I've been trying to work out the best way to attach the ladybird to the ring base. I tried so many different types of glue, some shipped from USA, and wasn't happy with any of them. Finally I have decided on sewing the ladybird to a sieve ring base. Much more secure and I am finally confident he's there to stay! Hurrah!!
Bracelet is a work in progress though. Think it's too simple. Although I did want the emphasis to be the ladybird.

Puzzler....

How many bees make a swarm??

In my case it's 35.

Now they have to earn their stripes.

A swarm of bees

Spring is very definitely here. In fact It feels more like summer this week. The bees seem to agree and having spent a whole day gardening on Sunday my ears are ringing from all their frantic buzzing. Presumably trying to locate the few flowers that have popped up so far.
With these thoughts buzzing around my head, is it any wonder a swarm of Bertie Bumble Bees are emerging from a mound of soft freshly carded merino wool??
They will be buzzing off to Emerald Framing, Chalfont St Peter very soon.

Felted Sunflower Picture

Plan for next picture is a sunflower. One of the first felted pictures I did was a sunflower. Just made out of merino wool.
This time I have added silk and material for texture and I'm planning to add embroidery to finish it.
The prefelts are now made and cut out ready for the final felting. I think it will just be on a background of blue and white for a summer sky.

Jewellery Workshop with Stephanie Burnham

March 18th

Fantastic day at the Bead Scene Studio in Pottersbury. Stephanie helped demystify basic jewellery making.
We learnt loads and had lots of opportunity to practice. LOTS of ideas now of how to incorporate felt with my new skills.
The pictures show a few practice pieces from the day.

Pretty in Pink Rose Corsage

First completed commission from the craft fair. It's a multi purpose rose corsage brooch with head band so it can be worn in your hair.
I only hope it's pink enough for Esme!!

Juniper Hill Art Exhibition and Craft Fair

March 10th and 11th found me at Juniper Hill Primary School in Flackwell Heath.
It was an art exhibition and craft fair set out in the hall and classrooms. It seemed as if around every corner there were more things to look at. I had a great time and met lots of lovely people. It was a great way to find out what people like. Thank you to the school mums who popped in to support me!
My only problem was trying not to spend too much on all the lovely things. As it was, I got a lovely ceramic bead necklace and earrings from Yolande Dennis Jewellery and a cheeky copper wren from Oenone Metal Sculpture. I still have my eye on a gorgeous pear necklace from Oenone too......
The pictures show my stall. My first proper craft fair set up. I know it's hard to see but any thoughts, suggestions or comments greatly appreciated!!

Felted Cushions

Look out for lots of postings featuring recent makes. I've been really busy getting ready for my first craft fair. Slightly nervous!!

I've been playing with some gorgeous yarn I bought at the knitting and stitching show at Alexandra palace, from the Loop stand which was called blackberry and had pretty beads actually in it.
I was thinking cushions (and scarves for next winter!!)