Thursday, December 10, 2015

Needle felting - to teach or not to teach

I take my felting projects to the Monday morning painting class at the senior center, and work on it there.   People are so fascinated and are beginning to approach me to teach them.     I also take felting to the other senior center on Wednesday mornings, and to the gallery when it's my day to work.    I get so many questions and requests that I'm considering teaching.     Or perhaps a demo on a Sunday afternoon with question and answer period.    



My friend Jean is my only student.     She is the most fabulous watercolor artist and has a good following of students and fans.    She sits the gallery with me, and never brings her paints, it's just too much trouble.  So, since felting resembles watercolors in a way that the fibers are layered like watercolor paints, it seems that this would suit her well.   She is taking to it, and her use of color and design is going to shine out when she masters the actual puncing of the fibers.     She purchased her needles and tool at Hobby Lobby.   Its made in China, unlike my old one by the Clover brand from Japan.   I have yet to break a needle, and I work them really hard.     I just ordered a new set on Amazon.com at a really good price, much less than I paid in the yarn shop where I found this years ago.   

If Jean breaks more needles, then I would suggest she returns them all as defective merchandise (and they were not inexpensive) for a refund.     I hope the new ones I ordered will be of the same strength as these old ones.    

I spoke with my friend Sandy, from whom I have purchased her own hand dyed wools, and she would be willing to come to the gallery with her spinning wheel and demonstrate that the same day I'd demonstrate felting.     That way it would be a fiber day.    Lisa, who also felts, but  not landscapes or images, is also willing to demonstrate what she does with her felting.  She has done hats, and ornamental objects.     Much different than anything I have done.  

It would  make a nice mix.     Then we could sign people up for instruction is we choose to.       This would all happen after the first of the year, during the winter doldrums, when felting and sipping something hot is comforting and fun.   

This landscape is from a little sketch I did in pale pastel colors.    I meant to follow the sketch but the deeper wool colors carried me along in a different direction.     It's not done yet.  

needle felting - a cute little owl

     





This  piece is a little owl, I did just for fun.    It measures roughly 4 1/2 inches across.  All done with needle felting through a piece of craft felt.    I started with the little sketch I used earlier to carve a rubber stamp.       

holiday cards

I finshed my second batch of holiday cards and have them ready to mail now.   Here are a few. 


These were made to send as post cards, but instead I'm putting them in envelopes.    I was afraid the mail machines would eat them alive.       Merry Christmas everyone.