Mavericks Felt too!

Tonight it was a visit to the Mavericks Art Quilt Guild. Nancy Green, our hostess is felting and Laure Fagen is modeling one of our nuno wraps. I think she is hooked on felting. Her tall, slender figure shows off the wrap very well indeed. I think she wants one of her very own.

Nimble Thimbles Presentation

I went with my friend Sue of Back to Back Alpaca Products to do a presentation on using her alpaca fibers and also her quilt batting made from the alpaca. Nimble Thimbles Quilt Guild is located in Chandler, AZ and Sue was a featured presenter for an evening meeting. Sue and I both do fiber and felting lectures and demos.

Nuno Felting at Withers' Ranch

These photos are from a day at Withers' Ranch where we made nuno felted scarves in the beautiful weather of February in Tucson. Pictured here is Sue Bunch of Back to Back Alpaca Products and her friend Zell. I am of course behind the camera as usual. Kathy Withers is show here in blue with her back to the camera.

Nuno felting is a method of blending natural fibers into silks or other sheers to create a textile that is soft and that drapes well. lt is my new favorite kind of felting since I love wearable art. We started with silk gauze for the base as it is very sheer. Ours was hand-dyed by Kathy herself at her ranch which made it extra special. We were all very successful on our first day of creating nuno felting.

For more information on classes at Withers' Ranch, go to www.uniquedesignsbykathy.com.

Pebblz Sink Mat

This textured sink mat from Bed, Bath and Beyond has a pebble-like surface which is yet another style. Rubbing and creating friction helps the fiber to felt.

Tipped Needles

This is our new tipped needle. The blue end coating is helpful for children and for older and perhaps arthritic hands, although I must say I love this needle too! It swivels so easily in the hand, making dimensional work a breeze.

Quilt, Sewing, and Craft Festival

The Quilt, Sewing and Craft Festival at the Arizona State Fairgrounds has ended successfully. I demonstrated wet felting for 3 days at the Back to Back Fiber Products booth for my friend, Sue, and taught a demo class where I showed wet felting step-by-step to groups of enthusiastic students. This is my 5th year of teaching at the fairgrounds, and surely won’t be my last.

I showed wet felting to thousands of interested onlookers over the 3 days of the fair. All it takes is a little water and soap and voile! What a privilege to share felting with old friends and new.

Sue's Treasure Brooch

My friend, Sue Bunch, and I were scheduled to take a class called "Treasure Brooch" in Flagstaff but at the last minute I got called that there was a death in the family and I had to go to Utah. Look at what I missed. This is Sue's Treasure Brooch. Isn't it lovely? The technique exposes a treasured piece of art.

The Power Felter Has Arrived!

Utah Sunset

Here is a photo of one beautiful sunset. Look at the colors! This shot was one of several photos taken during a car trip from Phoenix to Salt Lake City. Looks like the beginning of a perfect needle felting project. With the right tools and appropriate fibers, this could be a beautiful finished project. Watch this site for more on this series of photographs.

Stencils

Stencils can be used as idea starters for beginner felters. Here are some tips for beginners.

• Tap your needle through your base and into your foam lightly.
• Next tape your stencil to your base using blue painter’s tape.
• Poke your fibers straight up and down being careful not to pierce the plastic of the stencil, which would bend or break your needle.