Trivets

Not very textiley I know but have been looking at Trivets all day and wanted to share my dilemma with you all. I got a wondeful 'on the hob' kettle for Chrsitmas (see above) and now I am looking for a trivet to rest it on to save the kitchen tops. So many trivets, which one to choose?

This one is a wooden one that doubles up as two. Fantastic from Soulful Toaster.

This one is pretty leaf design from Rockett St George.

This classic style cast iron one is available in Black and White and Powder Blue and is from Robert Welch.

But this one is amazing! Fantastic colours and a wonderful shape. This I found at Red Candy.

Which one do I choose?

Christmas Felting Workshops

Chrsitmas Felting Workshops

Picture above is from the last Fabrications felting workshop.

Come learn how to make a Christmas Felt Stocking or Fun Christmas Decorations with me!

Workshops being held at Fabrications, Broadway Market, Hackney, East London.

To book please contact Barley Massey at Fabrications.

Fabrications: 7 Broadway Market. Hackney. London. E8 4PH. Tel/Fax. +44 (0) 207 2758043E-mail : textiles@fabrications1.co.uk

Felt Stocking Workshop

Saturday 21st November

10.30 - 4.30pm

(with a lunch break!)

A more advanced felt making session in which I will show you how to create 3d shapes and a sandwich resist technique during which you will design and make your own felted Xmas stocking to take home.

The workshop will be run downstairs in the workshop, so max numbers for this session is 6 with a fixed fee of £45 per person (this includes colourful + natural 100% wool tops)

Christmas Decorations Workshop

Saturday 28th November

2 - 4.30pm

Have fun making some festive decorations whilst learning the brief history of felt, basic wet felting techniques and how to create 3d shapes and flat felt sheets.

All materials will be provided as well as take home info sheets. The session costs (£20. materials included. Max of 6)

K&S Show @ Ally Pally 2009

Wow its been a month since my last post!

Knitting & Stitching Show at Ally Pally was great as always, I was very good and didnt spend that much. These are some purchaes I made, cant wait to experiment with the dyes.

Saw some really great work on display too, its always a fantastic place to get inspiration from. I particularly liked the Clay and Thread display: Clay and Thread: Alice Kettle Collaborates with Helen Felcey and Alex McErlain and the wonderful prints onto felt by Dionne: Dionne Swift: New Grounds

http://www.twistedthread.com/pages/exhibitions/viewExhibition.aspx?id=23&view=features

Sketches

Sketches of ideas for felt patchwork pieces.

Tea & Make!

Hi Everyone!

Tea & Make is this Saturday! Its going to so much fun! I and my friend Eva will be running our Fibres to Felt stall all day selling teacosies and felt kits, my teabag sculptures and book packs. Eva will also be selling some of her handprinted fabrics and some other textile bits.

We will be doing a special felting demo at some point during the afternoon so come and have a look! We might even get our feet wet and do a big wet felted rug...... we shall see how it goes.

There will be loads of other fantastic stalls and craft demos and workshops to join in with, as well as a great supply of tea and cakes! What more could you ask for?

Craft + Tea + Cake = One Awesome Day Out

See more info on their website: http://www.teaandmake.co.uk/
and their blog: http://teaandmake.blogspot.com/

[Whats really exciting is that Selvedge will be there, I love, love, love that magazine!]

Successful Felting Workshop

been felting all weekend

Basic Felting Workshop

Come felt with me!

I am teaching a basic beginners day course on Saturday 15th August in Fabrications which is a lovely haberdashery come textile design gallery on Broadway Market in Hackney.

The price is £45 for the full day which includes all materials, tea and my homemade cake!

If you are interested please email or call Barley Massey at Fabrications:

barley@fabrications1.co.uk

If you could pass this on to anyone you think might be interested please do!

Surprise Presents and Japanese Craft Books

Hello everyone.

Its been a manic week ending in the Hackney Wicked Festival and my Open Studios. See my other blog for more on that:

http://abithomas.blogspot.com/

Stitchworks Jackie came to say hi while I had my Open Studios and she gave me this lovely piece of her handmade felt with paper as a little surprise present. I love it! I think I am going to have to get it framed...

These pictures below are from the two Japanese craft books I ordered from YesAsia.com, they arrived on my doorstep the other day and I LOVE them! Gorgeous pictures, just gorgeous.

Felt Brooch Kits

I have finally got around to making up some felting kits. These are cute little kits to make your own brooch with. I love picking out all the fibres and mixing colours and picking and matching buttons to go with the wool!

Each kit comes with enough wool roving to make the brooch, some netting, some decorative bits of yarn and ribbon, buttons and a brooch pin. A little instruction booklet with pictures is also included.

I am going to be selling these at my open studios next week and at Tea & Make's first craft event in August. If they go down well I will start selling them online too.

Teacosies with Heart Buttons

Saturday Morning Parcels

Two parcels came this morning. One pink, one purple. One from Fabric Rehab, one from Paper and String. Made me smile.

Fabric Rehab

http://www.fabricrehab.co.uk/

Awesome.

Felt United - October 2009

http://www.feltunited.com/

Felt United - 3rd October 2009 - Hang out your felt for all to see!

A wonderful worldwide felt day. See the website for details.

http://www.feltunited.com/

Stitching in the Sunshine

Summer Slippers

My friend Eva and I had another felting day yesterday. She wanted to attempt some slippers (in summer?!) so with no more than a basic idea we set out. I have to say, she did very well, for the first felt slippers they are pretty good! Here are some pictures of her hard at work:

Work in Progress - Blending with Carders

I finally got my new carders from ebay, and have been experimenting with them to blend colours together, and to mix some of the lovely icelandic wool in with other wool too.

I have some pictures of my current work in progress and will post some more soon when I am happy with it and get round to felting it.

Need to get on with some more tea cosy making, I have several family members wanting one now! Autumnal colours for Mum & Dad and something exciting for an Aunt.

Thinking about experimenting with adding paper in the felt, anyone had any success with this?

Icelandic Sheep in Wales

Another wonderful parcel in the post! Jill from icelandic sheep in wales (http://www.icelandicsheepinwales.co.uk/) has sent me my lovely fleece. I can't wait to use it!

Felt drying in the Sunshine

Using the wonderful mixed colour batt I got in the post the other day I have felted this piece to try out some ideas I have for needle felting on top and hand and machine stitching also. Will post more pics when have done some more to it. Just LOVE these colours!

New Fibres and Sites - Time to Felt

Such a lovely sunny morning, and such joy when the postman came twice with wool parcels for me! So exciting!

I have started felting again recently and I am totally hooked! I ordered some Icelandic sheeps wool from 'The Honorwood Flocks' in Ceredigion (http://www.honorwoodflocks.co.uk/) because I have been researching on the web and discovered that Icelandic wool felts better than any other kind, so I had to give it a try! (See top right hand corner of the picture below.)

I also ordered some wonderful mixed colour carded batts (see picture below), some spring green plant dyed wool(see above), and a few others from Handmade Presents online shop (http://www.handmadepresents.co.uk/onlineshop/) and also some blue and orange wool (see above) from Sarah at Blooming Felt (http://www.bloomingfelt.co.uk/), these all came this morning to my delight and now I can't wait to felt with them.

Welcome!

I decided to make a blog especially for all my textile adventures, seperate from my artists news blog. Here I will talk about ideas, things I have made, things I like about fibres and textiles and other artists who use fibre in their work.

I hope you enjoy it!