Six of us met at the Gathering on Thursday 25th, which began around 4.30 pm. Jacqui and Wendy made seamless felt bags, Lin started on a large many-layered, multi-coloured piece of felt (now complete and really quite amazing), Sue completed a delightful knitted tea cosy from a genuine vintage pattern, Alison worked on embellishing her felt slippers (made in a recent workshop with Cathy at Sticky Paws
http://www.stickypawsfelting.co.uk/ ) and I fiddled about; experimenting with making a bowl with a circular resist (instead of over a balloon) and with a finishing layer of a hand-dyed silk ‘cap’.
We all got very peckish around 7 o’clock and generous members produced home-made soups, warm focaccia bread and grain salads which everyone enjoyed immensely. We wondered whether to change our group name to Food ‘n’ Felting and we certainly felt better (and felted better) after such a delicious supper.
We finally cleared the hall and left well after 9 pm; tired but satisfied.
Rachel sent in the following write up on the Gathering and lots of photos - I have managed to load quite a few - see below:
'We had a lovely day. As people arrived the hall came alive with the gentle buzz of people greeting and meeting one another. We were delighted to welcome Lin and Sue, two new members of our group. Naturally, at the beginning of each meeting we show our latest projects, the excitement this brings is contagious. Lin was wearing a warm jacket that she had felted and it was so useful to exchange experiences and develop ideas. We all admired her felted flowers and her bag with fluted design and pockets on the reverse
With everyone enthused, we focused on our various projects. Lisa soon had a dye-bath gently simmering and settled to painting a fantastic birthday card for her husband. Wendy and Denise began their felted pots by inflating a balloon, which just leant itself to a photo shoot! Jacqui joined us later and made a beautiful pot. I have to admire each one of these organic vessels, for the process is not as easy as it first appears.
It was good to have Lin, whose advice and information was invaluable to us all at times throughout the day. Sue is relatively new to the craft but was soon making a bag, a flower and a gorgeous piece of cloth with Lin’s guidance.
Lunch turned out to be delicious, despite it being ‘pot luck’, with everyone bringing something. Thank you everyone.
What did I do? Oh, just spent all day in a huge happy haze playing with colour. Thank you everyone for the joy these occasions bring. Rachel
Saturday 22nd September
@ Creeting St Mary Village Hall
Open from 9 am – 6 pm
NP: Rachel
Attendees: Denise, Lisa, Rachel, Wendy, Lin Morphy, Sue Morgan,
Poss. Jacqui ?
Thursday 4th October
@ Creeting St Mary Village Hall
Evening gathering 4.30 pm – 9pm ’ish
NP: Wendy
Attendees: Denise, Gay, Jacqui, Lin, Rachel, Wendy
Thursday 25th October
@ CSM Village Hall
(Changed to an Evening Gathering) 4.30 to 9 pm 'ish
NP: Jacqui
Attendees: Alison, Gay, Jacqui, Lin, Melanie, Sue Hagley
Saturday 17th November
@ CSM Village Hall
Open from 9am – 6pm
NP: Alison
Attendees: Alison, Denise, Gay, Jacqui, Lin, Lisa, Rachel, Sue Morgan, Wendy Poss. Sue Hagley?
Thursday 6th December
@ CSM Village Hall
Evening Gathering 4.30pm – 9pm ‘ish (to include festive nibbles and celebrations)
NP: Denise
Attendees: Gay, Denise, Jacqui, Lin, Lisa, Melanie, Rachel, Sue Hagley
Poss. Alison?
Alison's scarf - dry wool tops laid out ready for the soap and warm water
We had a very successful gathering on Friday 31st August at the Village Hall. Eight people arrived for the day; six people felted items from bootees and mats to scarves and lengths of silk and felt fabric and two peole spent the morning in the kitchen with bubbling pans of rhubarb and mulberries, dying lenghts of fabrics
Alison's scarf, part felted and very wet!
Rachel's wool tops laid out on a length of silk chiffon ready for the soap and water felting stage
Rachel modelling her gorgeous silk and wool fabric - the photo really doesn't do it justice.
Cotton, silk and wool fabrics dyed with natural dyes and drying in the Creeting St Mary sunshine
Silk and Merino Wool Scarves drying in the breeze
Seamless Booties
Seamless Felt Booties - the wool tops wrapped around a resist cut from 'Funky Foam', wetted and soaped to start felting process. When the wool shrinks tightly to the resist pattern, the shape is cut through round the centre join and the resist is removed. Further work is done to felt, shape and full the booties and then they can be rinsed thoroughly, stuffed to maintain their shape and left to dry (see below)
Seamless Bootees with the resist removed. More felting and fulling to do - the fabric is fairly fragile still and the edges need to be felted in to make a firm edge. The challenge is to make them the right size and the same size (which I didn't quite achieve - perhaps these of for a baby with slightly 'odd' feet!)