NEW! Workshop in a Box

NEW! You can now purchase a 'takeaway' version of my felt-making workshop.

'Introduction to Felt-making: Workshop in a Box' is now available to buy online and at craft fairs. 

The box includes clear, printed instructions and all the materials and equipment you need to start making felt (just add water!). 

A great gift idea at just £19.50 plus postage. Contact me on my website to order one.

Arts Trail Ups & Downs

A mixed reaction to the first weekend of the Arts Trail here in Littlehampton. Saturday was quite a good day weather-wise and a fair number of people dropped in to my open studio, including a photographer from the local paper, so maybe I'll be famous yet!. It was interesting and fun, and worth all the preparation. I finished the day on a high and looked forward to more of the same on Sunday. Unfortunately the weather wasn't quite as benevolent and neither was the public. There were very few visitors and the day dragged a bit. On the plus side, I did manage to get quite a lot of felting done, so not all bad news.
Next weekend I'm only opening on Saturday, so hopefully the sun will shine, the people will be out and all will be well with the world. Fingers crossed!

Bright & Beautiful Weekend!

I know it's Monday morning and a bit grey and damp (well, it is here anyway) but what a lovely weekend it was!

It started well with a private viewing at Coopers Yard Studios, where Duncan Thrussell, Jacqui Sinclair-Clarke, Lisa Ridgers and Penny Alspaugh held an Open Weekend. It was great to catch up with some of the Arts-in-Action crowd and meet a few new people too, but the main attraction was the wonderfully diverse artwork from this talented group of local artists.

Saturday was my February felt-making workshop and I was lucky enough to spend the day with two lovely ladies who were keen to learn this addictive craft and made it a really interesting, fun day. They went away pleased with their 'makes'.....and probably ached all day yesterday!

Sunday was a gloriously sunny day down here on the coast and I walked along the seafront and river, taking photos in the sunshine and marveling at the crowds so early in the year. It could have been a weekend in May, it was so busy! I popped into the Look & Sea gift shop, to check on my photo-cards and deliver my new photo-magnets, which they will also be stocking this year.

Now, back to work....

Wet Wednesday

It's a miserable, wet, grey day today here on the coast - quite unusual really, we're normally quite lucky with the weather. However, I've been busy this morning making some felt - it keeps me warm and is quite absorbing - and have produced a good selection of pre-felt pieces, in a range of colours, to be used in later projects.
For those of you not into felting, pre-felts are pieces of semi-made felt - the fibres have knitted together but the felting (or fulling) process has not begun, so the felt hasn't started shrinking yet. The pieces can be cut and felted together at a later date or can be felted onto another piece of felt to create a picture or pattern.
Check out my felting workshops on the Workshops & Courses page.

Felt-making Workshop

Had a fun day today at my first felt-making workshop of 2012. There were no beginners at this one, so we launched straight into nuno felt-making, which is hard work but very rewarding. With the heavy rain and buffeting winds outside, it was a great way to keep warm and work off some of those surplus Christmas calories! If you're interested in learning how to make felt, check out the details on the Workshops and Courses page of this blog and get in touch.

A Beautiful Morning..

It's a beautiful, sunny, bright morning so I just had to go for a walk! I ended up as usual along the beach, which was pretty deserted apart from a few dog-walkers, but the sky was clear blue and the tide just going out, so a perfect morning for beach-combing. I managed to find some sea-glass and a few shells, nothing really exciting but the fun is in the searching. Talking of beach-combing, I've just re-listed my 'Beach-comber' bag on Folksy...take a look, it's certainly unique!

'Beachcomber' felted knit handbag on Folksy

Today is also the day my niece Lucy heads back to Australia for another year of adventure. It's four years since I came home from my travels out there (where did those four years go?!) and I'd love to go back. So many more beaches to comb....
Bon voyage to Lucy and anyone else travelling soon - and if you find any interesting sea-glass or shells, you know where to send them!