Felting Team

Art Fairs this Summer

2011-08-05T16:55:00.002+01:00

Early Spring I decided that if I truly want to pursue my passion in Art that I need to step it up and begin producing more work and really put myself & my jewelry out there for people to see. There are several different ways to describe my experiences so far....The 1st festival was called DIY Unraveled and it was truly THE most stressful, frustrating experience I have ever encountered...some of this caused by myself & some by uncontrollable circumstances. In fact I almost turned my loaded up vehicle around and headed home because I was so beside myself....burning tears running down my warm cheeks. However, I made it to the venue and simply did the best I could considering the unpleasant situation and it was well worth it when several supportive, wonderful friends stopped in to say *HEY* & show me some luv. I was truly grateful to see each one of their smiling faces and to share my comical saga of that day.

In fact one of the couples, commissioned me to design / fabricate a wedding band for them for their June wedding. Congratulations Rachel & Di! I am truly flattered to have been asked to play a part in the union of two very special individuals.

July - Caffetto Craft Fair

Definately not as anxious or nervous about this show...I learned that my work is better defined as fine art. I am not so much a crafter. I need to charge prices that reflect the quality, design skills & technique of my work. I cannot compete with someone who's capitalizing on the "trendy," selling jewelry for $8 - $20. I create work that has longevity & stylish because it is Art - the pieces are unique. I've met wonderful artists that are humble & in all stages sharing their work with others. Whether the public purchases my work or not I will continue to create because selling is not the reason I do this. If I was to stop creating I truly think a HUGE part of me would die. There is nothing in life that I find more fulfilling then making art & truly connecting with individuals through sharing your life experiences, story over time - "you connect with me & I connect with you". We get one another & you can be every part of human with these people & it's okay.

Felting Team: FELTED VESTS. Step-by-Step Guide

2011-07-22T12:39:00.000+01:00

Felting Team: FELTED VESTS. Step-by-Step Guide: "As a Felter, the book captured my attention. The cover is bright, and fresh and the title is exactly what it says “Felted Vests A S..."

FELTED VESTS. Step-by-Step Guide

2011-07-22T12:09:00.011+01:00

As a Felter, the book captured my attention. The cover is bright, and fresh and the title is exactly what it says “Felted Vests A Step-by-Step Guide.” I have read the book from cover to cover and will tell you why I like it, aside from Phyllis Hoffman being my sister!
1. When she writes and gives descriptions it is as though she is speaking to her reader.

2. She gives the names of equipment required. Important especially for pattern making.

3. The layout it is clear and concise and it is easy to navigate the book.

4. She shows graphically how to draft a basic pattern and take measurements.

5. She also shares how to make silk paper and illustrates decorative stitches.

Now let me tell you something about my sister Phyllis Hoffman. She recently told me that she has shrunk centimetres since we last met 2yrs ago. That is expected, as we are both in our senior years but her shrinkage has been sizable.So what has her newly released book “Felted Vests” got to do with her body shrinkage? Strangely enough, a lot. One day, when we were kids, our older sister Elizabeth who was 10 yrs old took her pocket money and decided to treat us to a bus ride to the Big City to go shopping without telling our parents. The next thing we were shipped off to St Dominics Academy, Newcastle, Natal, a Catholic boarding school for girls, far away from home. I found friends, and caused havoc with midnight feasts and ghost stories. Elizabeth became a model student and played the violin, while 7 year old Phyllis was taken under the wing of and nurtured by Sister Clare, the Dormitory nun. She taught Phyllis to knit and sew and created in her a lifelong creative passion for handiwork. After 4 yrs we left the Convent, but the die was cast for Phyllis’s creative passion. As a teenager she suffered from severe back pain which ultimately turned out to be Scoliosis. Besides the pain, Phyllis couldn’t find clothes that fitted her unaligned body, so she started making her own clothes and, as commercial patterns didn’t fit, she started adjusting and making her own patterns, while bringing up children, studying, teaching, sewing and writing books.Over the years, Phyllis relocated with her growing family from Rhodesia ( Zimbabwe) to South Africa and finally to Melbourne, Australia where all her creative skills have culminated in her latest book. Although Phyllis's bones may have shrunk, her latest book will surely expand interest in sharing with her the art of making elegant felted clothes.

New Felted Koi Sculpture!!

2010-05-10T15:25:00.003+01:00

Hello fellow felters!! I just wanted to share my newest Needle Felted Sculpture with you (sorry, I'm just super excited). This is a hanging wall sculpture of a Tattoo inspired Koi Fish. He measure about 48" long x 18" tall x 18" deep (he starts out flat & transforms into 3d and comes out from the wall at his tail).

He was all needle-felted with core wool, then a layer of dyed yellow wool was felted on top. Then I used Black Wool Yarn to needle all the line details. Finally he was airbrushed with many layers & colored Fabric Paint. He is mounted on a wood base that has the hanging hardware on the back!!

If you happen to be in the Hollywood area, This sculpture will be on permanent display at the Blick Art Supply Store on Beverly Blvd. Please stop by and say Hi!

Thanx,
Chrissy P.

Felted Chicken @ Etsy
Felted Chicken Blog

Doing my First Blog Giveaway!!!

2010-02-02T00:20:00.004Z

Hosting my first Blog Giveaway!!! Check out how you can win a Free Super Sweet Felted Cupcake!!

FeltedChicken Blog Giveaway

New treasury for the team

2010-01-09T14:16:00.002Z

Hi there,

I've made a new treasury with some works of our members. May I kindly ask you to visit it and klick...

Olga

Felt in Focus

2010-01-07T18:22:00.003Z

Happy New Year!

...and sorry for the long silence.
I have changed a job, so I had some period without felting and without home Internet...! I've sent all updatates to etsy team and must apologise for neglecting some of your convos...

I've attended the Felt-in-Focus symposium in summer, so, I would like to show you some pictures.
Anna Gunnarsdottir is from Iceland. She makes beautiful felted sculptures, lamps, vessels...
Anna uses Icelandic wool (short fibers) and a wide range of natural materials: fish skin, grass, horse hair, shells...

This sculptural group has been created for the exhibition in Australia. It represents a family of strange sea creatures: mother, farher and children.

How to?...
Anna uses complicated plastic templatesas you can see on photo.

Some things created during Anna's workshop:

Harper's Bazaar Gift Guide Features My Scarves

2009-11-20T23:29:00.006Z

Hello everyone !

I have some very exciting news to share with you all. I found out yesterday that my felted scarves are featured in HARPER'S BAZAAR online 2009 holiday gift guide "Luxury gifts for women who have it all ". Click on the title and it will bring you directly to the gift guide.

Best wishes to all,

Olga
www.art-felt.blogspot.com

Fall's Needle Felted Harvest

2009-10-30T18:00:00.001Z

Hi All!

I just wanted to put together a blog entry showing all of the needle felted goodies I made this year to celebrate fall! I love needle felting and I love sharing my love of it with others, especially with those who have an interest in learning how to do it. If you have any questions about needle felting please feel free to ask me and I'll do my best to help you! Also, all of the items shown below are available for sale in my Etsy shop; they are made-to-order (just for you!) so please allow up to a week for delivery. If you need them faster please message me first (through my shop) and I'll let you know if I can accommodate you. Blog readers get a 10% discount if the coupon code "feltingteam" is entered at check-out (discount sent via Paypal refund). Thanks for looking!

Needle Felted Pumpkin

6 Needle Felted Acorns

Needle Felted Balls -- Autumn Leaves Solid Colors Mix

Spooky Cat Needle Felted Mini Play Set

Needle Felted Autumn Leaves

Needle Felted Balls -- Autumn Leaves Marbled Colors Mix

Needle Felted Jack O' Lantern

Needle Felted Acorn Appliques

Needle Felted Balls -- Bark and Autumn Leaves Mix

Happy Halloween and Happy Fall to all!!!
~Rebecca

Jelly Fish!

2009-08-26T16:09:00.001+01:00

Yea! I'm very excited to present the finished JellyFish! Just to give you a brief description of what he is...

JellyFish - This sculpture is made of thin sheets of Nuno Felt with white Romney Wool & White Tulle. He was then needle felted over a stiff wire armature. He has glowing "El Wire" inside his tentacles that glows bright blue in dim light. The "El Wire" runs on 4 AA batteries & the controllers are stored inside a drawstring pouch that is sewn beneath the mess of tentacles at the bottom, which also helps create a stable base. Once sculpted he was airbrushed with fabric & acrylic paints.

I love how the photos in the dim light turned out!! I like how you can see how the "El Wire" really glows. So neat!! I really wanted to make something... pretty, or beautiful. I wanted it to be all flowy & pink. I am happy with how it turned out. I will be listing him in my Etsy shop at some point today.

DeeplyFelt Studios: The Mae West of Purses

2009-08-13T14:54:00.000+01:00

DeeplyFelt Studios: The Mae West of Purses

My Angler Fish...

2009-08-05T18:32:00.002+01:00

I just wanted to share my newest Felted Sculpture with everybody. This fish is my biggest to date - about the size of 2 basketballs!! I wet and needle felted Romney wool over a basic foam base. Then I painted & sprayed his color on using WashFast ProChem dyes. He has a working blue LED light in his "fishing rod" with the battery pack hidden within his eye socket. I'm super excited & proud of this piece!! I documented the whole process (3 weeks worth) of making it on my blog:

www.feltedchicken.blogspot.com

Needle felted dollies

2009-08-03T09:49:00.004+01:00

Hi All,

I wanted to share my recent journey into needle felt/ paper clay hybrid dolls :) I've been messing around for a while with needle felted dolls but was never quite satisfied with the results, then on Etsy I stumbled over BlackEyedSuzie and ran out to buy some paper clay!

None of them are quite finished yet, but you can get the gist, I've started a dolly blog and I'd love some feedback.

Inspired

2009-06-17T18:06:00.003+01:00

I went to a friend's art show and then to a museum today and I felt so inspired. I dont have enough time to make anything right now, but by the magic of serendipity there were just 341 treasuries so I was able to create one of my own almost as soon as I'd got home. There's a few felted items on it so check it out: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=65399

WillowFelt

Odds&Ends is One Year Old!

2009-06-05T17:51:00.007+01:00

My Etsy shop turns one year old this month! I can't believe that it has been a year since I discovered felting, Etsy, and its vibrant community of artists. I have enjoyed meeting all of you and I'm excited about what the next year will bring!

Elena

Another treasury

2009-06-02T19:44:00.001+01:00

Well it must be my week. Not only did I snag a treasury for myself but Ive also been included in somebody else's. Check it out: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=55945

Treasury

2009-06-01T14:00:00.002+01:00

I finally got a treasury, thanks to advice in the forums on how to snag one. Anyway, I've included a few members of the team in it so check it out:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=61994

Willow (WillowFelt)

Nothing as good as etsy

2009-05-31T08:51:00.003+01:00

I went to the spinners etc open day today and spent the whole time thinking I could find more interesting things on etsy. Consequently, after drowning our (my husband always has to tag along) sorrows at one of our favourite Asian restaurants for lunch, I came home and spent some money on etsy instead. Thanks to all those fibre artists out there who love to do their own thing. There is nothing quite as exciting as waiting for a parcel to arrive and the butterflies as you open it to see if it's what you expected!

Louise (PixieLouFelt)

ETSY - a life changing experience

2009-05-30T12:07:00.004+01:00

I don't know what I did with my time before joining Etsy. It gives me a reason to create and to see what other people are doing out there. Suddenly the world seems like a much smaller place and I have never spent so much time at the post office.

Our local Spinners, Weavers and Felters Guild are having their open day tomorrow. A good reason to poke around and find more fibre to collect, use and just look at. When that's over there is the excitement of checking the shop to see how many people have looked.

Like a lot of other members I have done dressmaking, embroidered, done stumpwork, patchworked, mosaiced etc and have now fallen for felting. I did a slipper class on Mothers Day last year and have been experimenting since then. I hope to learn lots more from the veteran felters.

Louise (PixieLouFelt)

Last chance: deadline is 1.06.09

2009-05-27T23:08:00.001+01:00

Sandra Salamony and I are co-authors of an upcoming book, 1000 Artisan Textiles, to be published in May 2010 by Rockport Publishers/Quarry Books. I obtained your name through the Felting Team page at Etsy, and would like to invite all team members to submit their favorite project(s) for consideration. Please take a look at our website, http://1000artisantextiles.com for more details. You will note that the while the deadline for submission is June 1, 2009, the selection process will begin earlier, and therefore, we encourage early submissions.

Also, please feel free to share this opportunity with your fellow textiles artists.

Thank you in advance for participating,

Gina M. Brown
1000 Artisan Textiles
(Creative fiber works in detail)

New treasury: please visit and give your 12 clicks :)

2009-05-27T20:29:00.004+01:00

International Day of Felt - October 3rd, 2009

2009-05-24T20:25:00.003+01:00

Hi everybody,
just want to spread the word around about a fantastique big felters event: on October 3rd, 2009 - feltmakers from around the globe will celebrate the first annual International Day of Felt.
The theme for this year will be a slice of the colour wheel, yellow through red. For more informations : http://www.feltunited.com/
Hope you'll be in!
Ariane

The Mathematics of Needle-Felting

2009-05-13T19:59:00.003+01:00

I'm feeling very Mathematical-like today. Inspired by my reading of Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time", I decided to figure out the Mathematics of Needle-Felting. I started by timing how long it takes to poke the wool 1,000 times.

Needle Felting Pokes

1 Poke	1/3 Second
100 Pokes	30 Seconds
1,000 Poke	5 Minutes
100,000 Pokes	8 Hours, 20 Minutes
1,000,000 Pokes	3 Days, 11 Hours, 20 Minutes
*	*
1 Second	3.33 Pokes
1 Minute	200 Pokes
1 Hour	12,000 Pokes
1 Day	288,000 Pokes

After Posting my findings I had a friend comment & ask if I could figure out the ratio of "# of Wool Pokes (to) # of Finger Pokes". This is my response...

"I think the "# of Wool Pokes (to) # of Finger Pokes" ratio, for me, is actually the correlation between "Time of Poking (to) # of Finger Pokes". The longer I poke, the more I poke. It increases exponentially!"

I'll have to do the math & get back to you!!! HAHA - I'm a Geek!!

Crafty How-To: Felt Spikes & Cords

2009-04-28T17:48:00.002+01:00

I just wanted to share a new Crafty Tutorial I posted on my blog. This project is great for felters who want to make Spikes or Cords to add to their felted pieces. It's also super Kid-Friendly! Use it for a Crafts Day Project to make snakes, worms, tree branches, or whatever their imagination might create.

Here is a preview of my favorite part of the tutorial...

Create animated gif

I just figured out how to make this GIF animation. It is a great tool to help illustrate process, use it on your blog too! I'm super excited, this animation makes me laugh (I'm easily amused)!!

Please feel free to comment & make suggestions to let me know what you think!!

Also check back in with my blog, I'll soon be posting pictures of my Spikes-in-Action. I used them in my newest Felted Critter!!!

Thanx - Chrissy P.
www.feltedchicken.etsy.com
www.feltedchicken.blogspot.com

Happy Goldfish Day!!

2009-04-22T18:04:00.002+01:00

uhhh... I guess I meant to say Earth Day, but I'm just really excited about my newest Felted Plush!!! Here he is.....

I needle-felted him out of white wool, then hand-dyed him with non-toxic Kool-Aid. He was boiled in a pot of Yellow Lemonade Kool-Aid, then I sprinkled Orange on top to help create the blended colors. I also felted accent colors on top to give him personality.

This little Fancy Goldfish enjoys long swims near the beach & hanging out with his Origami Lily-Pad friends. He does have a slight water allergy, which makes it hard for him to meet other Goldfish. If you are interested in giving this guy a new home please inquire at www.FeltedChicken.etsy.com

Sources of Inspiration

2009-04-16T17:25:00.006+01:00

Shalom from Israel.
My name is Elaine and I live in Israel and together with my partner Elana we started FELT 4U about a year ago.
I have been felting for a couple of years and if you read our blog www.felt4uart.blogspot.com you will see something of my early felting experiences in the article Curious Conversation.

Recently I was host to Phyllis Hoffman www.phylstudio.com International Felting Teacher and my felting guru, for a five day Master Class of Felting. One of the participants was inspired by the Talis which is a religeous garment worn by Jewish men when entering the synagogue for prayers.
Inspiration comes from many sources and I would love to hear from my fellow felters where your inspirations originate from.

How about Sources of Inspiration as a topic to generate comment and discussion, or has this been done before on the Felting Team blog?

Regards
Elaine
FELT 4U

1000 Artisan Textiles

2009-04-15T21:02:00.001+01:00

Dear all, I've received this convo today and forward it to the team...to all of you.
Let's try!...

Sandra Salamony and I are co-authors of an upcoming book, 1000 Artisan Textiles, to be published in May 2010 by Rockport Publishers/Quarry Books. I obtained your name through the Felting Team page at Etsy, and would like to invite all team members to submit their favorite project(s) for consideration. Please take a look at our website, http://1000artisantextiles.com for more details. You will note that the while the deadline for submission is June 1, 2009, the selection process will begin earlier, and therefore, we encourage early submissions.

Also, please feel free to share this opportunity with your fellow textiles artists.

Thank you in advance for participating,

Gina M. Brown
1000 Artisan Textiles
(Creative fiber works in detail)

New Treasury!

2009-04-15T06:11:00.002+01:00

Hello everyone! I made a new treasury, which features work by several felting team members as well as other textile artists.

2009-04-12T09:40:00.001+01:00

http://www.leshasworkshop.etsy.com

Another first treasury!

2009-04-10T23:45:00.002+01:00

What can I say - I love orange and green together......
http://www.leshasworkshop.etsy.com

2009-04-10T13:58:00.002+01:00

hi everyone! I just wanted to share with you my first Etsy treasury, some of my favourite items... I am not sure if i could bring this page here so this is the link : http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=51283

Hope you all enjoy!

2009-04-07T20:45:00.008+01:00

Hi everyone! I am new to blogs and etsy.

I guess I'll introduce myself, my name is Mary, I was born in Toronto, and have lived in Athens, Greece since I was 14. All my life I have been making things, sewing, knitting, and lots of different crafts.

I recently discovered and fell in love with felting, both wet and needle. I am self taught and love to explore all the possibilities there are with wool. I love the luxury of natural products, wool, silk, bamboo, linen, cotton, and leather. My esty shop is vanti designs ( www.vantidesigns.etsy.com) . Some of my favourite creations are :

I hope to make things people will love. Designing is something I do all day, whether on paper or in my head. My inspiration comes from the world around me, people, places, and nature.

There are many new projects that I am currently working on, among them are a few silver rings and pendants and a few handbags. My shop will include these in the near future, and I hope you will enjoy my new felts as well.

This is a wonderful way for us to share ideas, as many have contributed to teaching others on the internet I will try to do my part and help with more blogging :)

Happy felting!

Introduction

2009-04-07T20:13:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone, this is my introduction, I'm brand new to the group. My name's Willow and I'm from Manchester, England. This is getting a little AA so I'll try and be a little more personal now.

I started felting just over a year ago. I've always been into all sorts of crafts, and when my aunt told me that she and her friends were starting a craft group, I forced my way in. We meet once a month, and though we were originally intending to try a different craft every month, we were all so taken with felting that we've stuck with that for every single meeting.

I love both wet and dry felting, I tend to go through big phases of one and at the moment I'm very much into wet felting. I'm trying to work at big pieces to really explore a variety of methods and styles.

My Etsy shop is WillowFelt, where you can see the scarves I've worked on recently.

I'm really hoping that people in this team will be able to help me with some advice about how to boost my profile and sales.

Just to let you know a little more about me, in my non-felting life I'm a Creative Writing student, I'm doing an MA at Manchester Uni. I edit a creative writing magazine that I set up with a couple of people on the course, it's called Bewilderbliss. I'm also writing a novel about Madagascar. I have two blogs, one about readings and writing-based goings on in Manchester, and one just about me.

More about the"Fashioning Felt" Exhibit

2009-03-31T17:05:00.002+01:00

I found this video on the Martha Stewart web site. She takes viewers behind the scenes of the Cooper-Hewitt exhibit, "Fashioning Felt". It's a great video! You see how the large Yurt in the exhibit is made, and other felt making processes, as well as a good look inside the exhibit itself.

Have a look, and enjoy!

Arlene

Martha Stewart video on "Fashioning Felt"

I Am The FeltedChicken...

2009-03-28T04:28:00.006Z

HI EVERYBODY!! I've been meaning to make my introduction, so here I am.

My name is Chrissy P. I live in Hollywood California, and yes, I work in the movie business. My day job is working as a scenic sculptor where I carve styro-foam Movie sets & Theme Park rides. It's pretty awesome....

BUT... Because of a bad ecomony & possible actor's strike, I haven't worked in about 10 months. So I kinda fell into felting to satisfy my artistic needs. I started by sewing felt gingerbread houses as cheap Christmas presents. This got me interested in working with felt as a medium, and the rest was history!!!!

I enjoy making 2 different types of things-

I have an unnatural love for reusable tote bags & love to gift wrap stuff, so I combined these 2 into making reusable gift bags. I like to call them (re)GIFT BAGS (get it... cause you can regift them!!!) It's a waste to see those tacky paper gift bags get all trashed & then you can't regift them, but they still cost you like $5.

And been a sculptor by trade, I also enjoy needle-felting. Finding this technique was amazing, because I love to make stuffed animals, but am really bad at creating 3-d sewing patterns. It's like heaven!!! I get to sculpt stuffed animals out of fiber!!! Dream come true!!! I have also just recently been experimenting more with wet-felting & it is also super fun!

So that's about it, oh, except that I love to drink boxed wine & my favorite food is toast. I'm fairly new to the whole crafty community, so please check out my Etsy Shop & Crafty Blog.

I recently posted a really detailed Tutorial on How-To Felt Easter Eggs!!! It's a great project for big & small kids alike! Learn to wet-felt wool over traditional plastic Easter eggs!!!

Thanx Felting Team!!!

"Fashioning Felt" Exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

2009-03-21T23:52:00.002Z

Hi all!

Just wanted to let you know that I just put up a new post in my blog about my trip to the felting exhibit:

http://notsoshabbychicshop.blogspot.com/2009/03/fashioning-felt-exhibit-at-cooper.html

:)

Your input, please?

2009-03-14T23:28:00.004Z

Hi all,

I just posted a new entry to my crafting/needle felting blog re: a needle felted lamb that I am having difficulty making. I have posted pics of the two I've made so far, and I would LOVE some input from you all on which one you prefer, and why! Please don't be afraid to be brutally honest; that's what I'm looking for! Thanks in advance! :)

You can just click on the title of this post to get there, or you can go to:
http://notsoshabbychicshop.blogspot.com/2009/03/little-lambie-2.html

NotSoShabbyChic: Introducing Myself (Finally!)

2009-03-13T20:31:00.010Z

Hi!

I am very new to felting as well as to blogging and to Etsy. This is a whole new world that has opened up to me in the last month and a half or so.

I got into felting as soon as I saw other Etsy sellers' felted items -- I just fell in love with it all: the toys, the handbags, the home decor, all of it.

My favorite technique so far is needle felting. It is the only one to which I have devoted much time. Below are a couple pics of some of my completed items as well as works in progress:

My favorite materials are wool in any form. I especially love the silkiness of mohair:

My favorite colors/color mixes are usually pink and green, but with felting I'm also enjoying using lots of different colors together, and bright ones too:

My biggest challenge when it comes to running my shop is sales. I am still fairly new and therefore not that many people know I exist yet. I do tend to do better with sales when I'm actively promoting, but lately I've been slacking. The lack of sales also tends to do a number on my self-esteem. :(

There are SO many other shops that I love!!! It will be hard to narrow them down! But I will try: raewadolly.etsy.com (amigurumi, kawaii), TotusMel.etsy.com (tatted accessories), michaelarras.etsy.com (woodworking), gotcrowcreations.etsy.com (needle felted birds), feltmeupdesigns.etsy.com (needle felted birds), thedryingrack.etsy.com (needle felted houses), and mincingmockingbird.etsy.com (sarcasm + bird paintings!!!!... best combo ever lol...).

The item in my shop that I would most like to receive as a gift if someone were shopping for me would be either my needle felted duckling or my needle felted rabbit:

My future plans concerning felting include doing more of it, getting better at it, and trying new things -- not just in needle felting, but also with other methods. My future plans with my shop include trying to promote it more and to also include more felted items.

Thanks for taking the time to read this! :)

--Rebecca (NotSoShabbyChic)

Felting Exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt

2009-03-12T00:09:00.004Z

I live in California, but my cousin who lives in New York City sent me an article from the New York Times, dated March 5, about a felt exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum titled, "Fashioning Felt". It offers both traditional and contemporary felt. The exhibit is on until Sept 7 so I may get there yet! Be sure to explore the link "Process" for some wonderful pictures from Turkmenistan of women making a felt rug. There is also a video on "Blog"

http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Fashioning-Felt/category/soren-ulrick-petersen/

Enjoy!

Arlene

Introducing myself

2009-03-11T15:25:00.006Z

Hi everyone!

Since I was invited to contribute to the felting team blog, here I am!

I would like to show everyone my work. I started making felt stuff when I moved to a different town. I always loved crafting, but just found about etsy a couple of months ago, and it actually changed my life! So I craft every spare time I have, just love making things, and seeing how lovely they look afterwards.

New Treasury: In the Limelight

2009-03-11T02:42:00.005Z

Hello everyone! I made a treasury that includes a lot of felt work by our team members. I'm sure they would appreciate your support and comments :)

New team treasury

2009-03-08T12:53:00.003Z

Dear all,
I've managed to do a new treasury with some works of our memebers.
I kindly ask all of you to follow the link and give your 12 clicks there.
You'll help to promote the team.
Thanks a lot for cooperation,
Olga

feltwilde's recommended reading

2009-03-02T06:01:00.006Z

Hi Guys, Thought it might be interesting to find out what your favourite feltmaking books are. I've just spent the morning doing a top 10 recommended reading list for my website. It got me wondering whether there's other gems out there that I've never heard of. Surely that's a good resource for us all to have. So....what's your favourite feltmaking book of the moment. I've included my top 3, and would really love to know your opinion, views, favourites.

1. Uniquely Felt. Dozens of techniques from fulling and shaping to nuno and cobweb. Includes 46 creative projects. Christine White. Extremely comprehensive. Great for beginners to more experinced.

2. Feltmaking and Wool Magic. Contemporary Techniques and Beautiful Projects. Jorie Johnson.
My favourite feltmaker with exquisite techniques and designs. Extremely professional.

3. How We Felt. Designs and techniques from Contemporary Felt Artists. Carol Huber Cypher.
Interesting techniques and an inspiring gallery of felt works.

New treasury from sassalynne

2009-03-01T20:36:00.003Z

link

New Treasury

2009-02-28T21:15:00.004Z

link

Introducing my new Felt Blog

2009-02-27T19:04:00.009Z

Hello fellow Felting Team members........I am a Nuno Felter who is finally discovering the fun and connections that come with blogging. So much so, that I have started a blog of my own, and I invite you all to stop by, comment or follow, and further add to the connection of people who are totally addicted to FELT!!

I'm delighted with the way My Etsy Shop has connected me to people all over the world and I know my blog will enhance that experience. You can find me at www.arlenesfelt.blogspot.com

As for the Felting Team blog, I think it is really looking very good. The latest entries are wonderfully informative and interesting. Especially for those of us who just can't get enough information and glimpses of the beautiful and diverse felt items being created today.

I am including in this post pictures of a large wall hanging I just finished. Well, large for me that is. It measures 32" x 33", and here you can see it on the table ready for felting, and finished and hanging on the wall.

I look forward to connecting with many of you in the future.

Keep Felting,

Arlene

feltwilde's introduction

2009-02-26T10:25:00.014Z

thanks for your kind invitation and hello to all you felting enthusiasts, wherever you be.......
greetings from australia!!

please bare with me as i navigate myself around this site. it's like learning a new language but i'm determined to master it, as etsy, the forums, the teams etc look like they have alot to offer, and it's great to be able to have the opportunity to chat to people with the same passion as me.

i've been dabbling in textiles of one kind or another since i was small. you name it and i probably gave it a go. as it turns out, i'm not such a strange beast, once i started reading the profiles on etsy. talk about meeting your own kind.
i attended my 1st feltmaking workshop in 1996 and was completely blown away. everything i loved in textiles, all rolled into one. i've never had a moment of boredom since.

my favourite technique at the moment would have to be fooling around with nuno, and getting 3D effects out of felt using resists, and spikes. the piece below was made by one of my workshop partcicipants last week. it gives you an idea of the sorts of ideas we were fooling around with.

natural materials are what i have an affinity with. wool, of course, silks, cottons, linens, hemp.
and i love runs of colours together ie: reds, oranges, pinks or blues, greens and purples.

my etsy shop has only been open a few weeks? so my immediate challenge is working out how to fit the running needs of the shop into my busy work schedule. i don't think i quite realised how much time the shop would require. not one to be put off easily, i just need some time to work out a new schedule. i run a weekly stall at paddington markets in sydney, along with regular feltmaking classes and i'm single mum to 3 ratbags, who have got use to pulling stray fibres out of their school lunches.
oh, and i also need to improve my photographing skills.

as i'm fairly new to etsy, i haven't had a huge look around but i too love Kjoo?!
you can have a squiz at my other favourites when next in my shop.

a gift to myself would have to be the blossom necklace, inspired by one of those japanese crafting books, as i've already gifted myself 2. a blue/green combo and a black/red combo and quite a few of my good buddies have also been recipients. it's a new design, easy to wear, adjustable, fun to make and my current favourite.

my etsy shop of the future will be stocked properly for starters. at the moment i have a lot of odds and ends. i intend to pick out a range of styles, in a range of prices, and have a choice of 3 or 4 colours in each design. something a little more cohesive than at present, but you've got to start somewhere.
as to my overall felting plans, a one stop feltmaking shop. somewhere for the textile enthusiast to buy textile art/craft, attend a workshop, buy feltmaking supplies, get some advice or information, and have a decent cup of tea. heaven! (well...one can dream).

i'll leave you now with a question for you experienced etsyians. what's your experience regarding
offering a few regular styles in various colours, so that buyers can familiarise themselves with certain styles versus listing a hotch potch of styles based on whatever you feel like making on the day, with no real consistency of style?
i'd be interested in hearing what you've experienced.

thank you, Gill.
http://www.handmadefelt.com.au
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6445723

New Treasury

2009-02-25T18:26:00.004Z

Hello everyone! I made a new treasury on Etsy featuring textile work from

and kokonok

Please follow the link in the title if you want to see the treasury and leave a comment.

Sassa Lynne - an introduction

2009-02-24T22:15:00.003Z

Here's a little introduction, and an explanation as to why I belong in the Felting Team!

My name is Myfanwy and my shop is Sassa Lynne at Etsy. I am based in the UK and stock a variety of hand-dyed items, from thread to yarns, fibres and textile art packs. Occasionally I have listed other items too, and currently there is one small piece of textile art , but not much indication of felting! So why am I here?

I was first introduced to wet felting when I studied for my City and Guilds certificate in Embroidery. This was in 1990, and seems a lifetime away now. I was introduced to dyeing at the same time and loved them both. However, my passion at the time was stitching, so that's how my dyed threads were put to use. At about the same time I began retailing other embroidery supplies under the name of Winifred Cottage, and that is still in business, with a lousy website that belies the amount of stock that we carry! I have carried on stitching, and have been teaching various techniques for some time now.

In about 2003 I saw an advert that eventually changed my direction. It was a magazine from the US, and mentioned a machine called The Embellisher. The moment I read the advert I knew I needed one! I 'needed' it to make new surfaces for my stitching. There were none in the UK, however, and I had to wait a while before I could get one. In fact, I bought the first one in the country! It is used with a variety of fibres and fabrics, and, of course, stitching can indeed be added to the surfaces that are created. Almost completely by chance I invented a fabric using fibres and very fine chiffon scarves. These are two fibres that wouldn't normally felt together and as the resulting light fabric is a suitable for decorative or practical use. Because it is 'new' it is called Nuvo Felt. Instructions are in my book 'The Embellisher: Let's Get Started'

I haven't included any pictures of my work, I will do this in a future post.

- What is your biggest challenge when it comes to running your shop?
I woud say that the biggest challenge is keeping it stocked! My aim is to get to 100 items, but somehow the photographs etc take so long I just haven't yet got there! It's a question of juggling real life and Etsy!

- What other shops out there do you love (not necesserely textile)?
One of my favourite shops is MakeYourPresentsFelt. I love the way she presents her items too.

- What item in your shop would you most like to receive as a gift if someone were shopping for you?

This colourway is one that I haven't used before. It is a good idea to try something different. This combination really was the result of a 'happy accident' and I love it!

- What are your future plans concerning felting and your shop?..
It is unlikely that I will introduce any felted items to the shop, but I will be adding more fibres.

One of my other blogs features Etsy artists. This post here features a few members of the Etsy Felting Team.

Let me introduce myself

2009-02-24T19:38:00.001Z

Hello! My name is Jane. I'm feltmaker from Russia.
I began to felt 2 years ago and I really fall in love with felting). Now I like to experiment with different kinds of wool and fabrics using nuno-felting technique. And I want to felt more from undyed natural wool. Here are some of my works -

My Etsy shop
My Flickr

2009-02-24T14:23:00.003Z

Tonight I must remember to measure the bag that I am showing at the Hampton Gallery in late spring. This is a juried show for prizes but they are allowing 40 some people in and I have gotten into it. Mostly I want to keep my name seen in the Ga. mountains area, so many tourists. This will be the third North Ga gallery that I carries some of my items so it is good exposure but would be nice if the bag sold too.
I also have a photo of myself in a new scarf I just made. Love the colors. I set up the photo shoot with my hubby taking pictures. As you will notice, I totally messed up the arrangement. I was looking directly into the setting sun, scrunched up eyes and it was very cold, red nose. I have several better views of the scarf that I hope to put up on etsy sometime today.

NEW TREASURIES....PLEASE VISIT

2009-02-23T20:16:00.008Z

Hello everyone,

I've made a new treasury for the team (this time as "feltingteam" user)

it's here
...and I'll continue to do it on a regular base ;)

and JaneBo has also created a gorgeous treasure...see here
May I kindly ask you to follow the link and give your 12 clicks...?

Have a nice day,
Olga

A Saturday Afternoon

2009-02-22T00:30:00.002Z

I slept in this morning, just can't seem to pull myself out of bed these days. I went up to the studio and turned on all the little heaters but never could get the place to warm up. Set up a pot of dye which always helps and I dyed some wool and silk a lovely shade of indigo. I thought that I was dyeing some silk flags but they turned out to be cotton so the acid dye bath didn't do much to them. Will give it a try again next week with the right dye. It is supposed to snow tonight so I won't even try to go to the trailer tomorrow. I did make a cool scarf, a lattice scarf. I expected it to shrink alot more width wise that it did, it did string about 1/2 foot length wise. Colors are nice, will post it here when it is dry and I can get photos. It is definitely an eclectic piece.

I looked into the Indie show for Atlanta this summer. They want $275 a booth which you can share with one person. I am thinking this is a way too high a price for me. I did send in all the info for the vineyard show and really hope I get into that one. It is a 2 days show and I have decided for once not to share the booth with anyone, to make it or break it on my own. Now I just need to get judged into the show. Keep fingers crossed for me.

Cleaning up studios

2009-02-20T17:31:00.002Z

For the past 2 weeks I have been shifting around my studios. Yes I know I am very lucky to have two. When I married Phil we knew I would need a studio so we added one to his house just before I moved in. Well I had no idea that I owned that much stuff, sigh and then I decided I was in love with felting. So when the acre of land with a very old trailer on it came up for sale, we bought it and I am moving all my felting stuff up there. I still keep finding stuff in the old studio that needs to be moved. As I have been uncovering things, I have realized that I own POUNDS of white roving. Some if mystery wool, some merino, some BFL and some maybe romney. Anyway, I now have my summer cut out for me. I will be over the dye pots as much as time will allow. I am now off to look for a carder. Always wanted one, now have a good excuse!

Margaret from Crystal Creek Fibers

2009-02-19T07:16:00.004Z

Hello
Thanks for inviting me and I must say that ETSY ROCKS

Everyone I have had contact with have been great!
I had a great visit with Allison of Who The Cap fits.. also fiberalley at Etsy..she is an accomplished felter,she was wearing one of her fabulous hats....We had a great convo and Im glad she stopped by! :]
I have a very large carder and I also dye in bulk.Glad to share ideas with folks and learn also!
I do sell fibers in bulk purchase too!
I have carded a large variety of fibers and am glad to offer assistance and answer questions..maybe I can save someone from a wreck or two? Hahaha......
Margaret/Crystal Creek Fibers

TREASURIES

2009-02-18T23:17:00.003Z

I 'll collect in this post the treasuries made by our team members.

1) Chrissie
2) by Olga
3) by Olga
4) by Brenda
5) by Elena

...would be nice if you guys could visit it and comment...and click the items...

Who is the next one to do a treasury for the team...?

Olga

Sheri from Exotic Gardening Farms: My Introduction

2009-02-17T00:55:00.004Z

Tell us please how you originally got into felting.
I was looking for something to do with my fiber and liked the look of felted items.

- Your favorite technique
So far the only technique I have mastered is needle felting. Once I get wet felting figured out I think I will love it.

- Your favorite materials
Wool.

- Favorite colours, colour mixes
Yellow and pink.

- What is your biggest challenge when it comes to running your shop?
I have yet to make my first sale, so I would say making sales is my biggest challenge.

- What other shops out there do you love (not necesserely textile)?
Any that have to do with using natural fibers, plants, seeds, herbs - anything natural and organic.

- What item in your shop would you most like to receive as a gift if someone were shopping for you?
My handwoven rug spring pansies and butterflies.

- What are your future plans concerning felting and your shop?..
I intend to add more felted items as I get them made.

Sheri

kthurm: introducing myself

2009-02-16T23:25:00.009Z

so many dots...

Tell us please how you originally got into felting

I don’t even remember. I took a class back in college and then I played with it off and on for years. A little over a year ago my dog died and I found myself making felt as a way to deal with missing him. I can’t even really explain it. It just became what I had to do. And now it is all I want to do. I think about it all the time.

Your favorite technique

My favorite right now is wet felting but I have done a little nuno felting and I am very intrigued by it and want to do more.

Your favorite materials

Anything that has to with fiber – yarn, wool, sheep.

Favorite colours, colour mixes

Well, my favorite color is green but I love all colors and I love putting odd colors together and finding that they work!

harriet scarflette

What is your biggest challenge when it comes to running your shop?

Being seen – marketing.

What other shops out there do you love (not necessarily textile)?

I love Sarah Clemens shop, secretlentil, kjoo, naomilayne, RozArt. I could go on forever.

What item in your shop would you most like to receive as a gift if someone were shopping for you?

One of my pillows.

dotted pillow

What are your future plans concerning felting and your shop?

To make better and better things. My head is bursting with ideas!

red suede kitten - introducing myself

2009-02-15T00:00:00.014Z

My Bee Sting Felt Cloud brooch

Lots of Felt Clouds waiting to be made into brooches and pendants

Tell us please how you originally got into felting

I was inspired by a project for a felt rock in Last Minute Fabric Gifts - my boyfriend and I made these and had so much fun, and then I was hooked. The Craftster felt forums also helped me learn some other techniques early on.

Your favorite technique

I would have to say sushi felt made from wet felting. I use sushi felt pieces (sliced from a roll) to make my Felt Cloud brooches and Pendants (see top two photos).

Your favorite materials

Wool tops of course! As colourful as possible. I also like felt sheet (with some wool content - I don't like acrylic felt generally). At the moment I'm also working with plastic buckles, buttons, and fabric, in my newest line, the Buckle Bug Brooches.

Buckle Bug Brooches

Favorite colours, colour mixes

You really need to see my store! It's a cornucopia of colour. I love combining colour and am very intuitive about it. People often comment on my sense of colour and my colour combinations. But here are some favourites (as used in my Felt Clouds): sherbet tones (a combination of oranges, pinks, and white), any combination of blues. Other single favourite colours are grey, green and red. I'm falling in love with orange lately too... and tangerine/peachy colours coupled with aqua or bright blues.

What is your biggest challenge when it comes to running your shop?

At this point, getting my first sale! I've only been on Etsy about 6 weeks. Publicity is hard work and to make oneself known to the online community as a virtual newbie, can be very time consuming. I'm enjoying it though - it's fun to be on the web a lot!

What other shops out there do you love (not necessarily textile)?
Here are only a few...

Crazy crocheted critters:
AngDavidson.etsy.com

Fantastic felt and crochet jewellery: kjoo.etsy.com

Colourful glass beads with lots of concentric circles: zippybeads.etsy.com

Unique and beautifully kitsch jewellery made from vintage bits and bobs and charms: rebecca3030.etsy.com

A truly wonderful shop with many fabulous felt and paper collage creations: KupKup.etsy.com

Brilliant and slightly spooky paper cut-out dolls: woolandwater.etsy.com

What item in your shop would you most like to receive as a gift if someone were shopping for you?

At the moment the Ochre Buckle Bug Brooch (see below). I'm actually thinking of removing it from the store so I can have it!

What are your future plans concerning felting and your shop?..

To learn some new felting techniques - I know a little bit of nuno, but would love to master shibori felting of knitted fabric. I would like to develop more textile jewellery ideas and launch them in my shop and sell more to my local stockists and expand the number of shops I sell to in Melbourne and Australia.

Hello!

2009-02-13T17:27:00.006Z

Hello everyone! It's so nice to meet you :)

+ + +

I discovered felting quite by accident through Etsy less than a year ago; I fell in love with ingermaaike's kelp felted scarf and decided to try felting for myself. I bought some wool roving, read as much as I could in books and online, and began to felt through trial and error. I've been addicted ever since! There is so much to learn; I am currently experimenting with shibori techniques as well as with integrating more yarns and fibers into my work.

My favorite materials include wool, silk, and tencel. I love adding vintage finds like keys, buttons, and lace that I find at the local flea market. I tend toward neutral colors, like browns, grays, and white and away from very saturated color combinations. To add contrast, I usually combine white with a bright color or I choose the classic contrast of black + white.

My biggest challenge when it comes to my Etsy shop is publicity. Because I do not produce a lot of work, it is difficult to continuously update and therefore stay current in the felted accessories category on Etsy. I began to realize early on that if I add an item every two weeks, it gets lost among the many, many felted listings. I try to draw attention to my work by taking good photos, but this adds to the amount of time it takes to post each new piece. My current strategy is to make a batch of pieces ahead of time, photograph them, and post them one by one within the month while I am working on new projects behind the scenes. This has been working out so far, but I am always looking for new ways to draw attention to my shop. Getting on the FP is of course the biggest challenge and provides the greatest publicity.

In future projects, I want to experiment! I want to treat felting as illustration with cloth, to make collages of different textiles and textures, and to try my hand at creating very intricate, abstract wearable pieces that are way over the top in comparison to the fairly dressy-but-everyday work I am featuring now.

+ + + + +

There are so many talented Etsy sellers! I can't pick just one favorite to share with you, so I have made categories and selected a few :)

I love...

Handmade soaps :: Adoration Soap & Soapy Chica

Jewelry :: Michelle Pajak-Reynolds & Adorn Jewelry

Illustrations :: Kelly Smith, Corid, & Kelly Thompson

Clothing :: VintageOpulence, CLP & joodito

Textiles [too many to name!] tijusai, greavesdesign, & kjoo

Hi, I am new here

2009-02-11T23:40:00.003Z

I originally got started in felting when a class that I signed up for in puppet making got canceled so I switched over to a felting class. Quite an exciting start isn't it? My favorite technique is wet felting and dying wool. I love anything fiber, fabric or wool related. It is hard to pick a favorite color, I usually end up using blue, teal and purples. I really need to remember that those are not everyone's colors and start introducing more shades and colors into my work.

My biggest challenge in running my shop is attracting customers. I have quite a few hearts, get lots of lookers but few sales. I have had the site critiqued several times and other than being told to take better pictures, most people have liked it. At the moment I have very few felted pieces in the shop because those are what has sold so that tells me to keep going in that directions. It is also hard to find time to do all the networking and promoting that needs to be done to have a successful shop.

I love all the food shops, bad for me but it is interesting to see how they present their products and they always give me new ideas. I would love to have more funky spun wool. I am going to continue to felt and especially to experiment more and really push the limits of what I can do. I hope to attract more buyers in my shop by having my own style of felted artwork.

Makeyourpresentsfelt

2009-02-09T08:00:00.010Z

Hello, I'm Chrissie from makeyourpresentsfelt.

I first started to felt when I saw the work of some children with special educational needs at a school in UK where I was a volunteer mentor. I have always been a ‘crafter’ and really wanted to try felting for myself. One of the teachers showed me how to wet-felt over a pebble and then there was no stopping me!

These are some of my all-wool pebbles.

I’ll felt with just about anything, but it’s always nice to have some fine merino that felts really easily so that you can get quick results! Natural colours of the countryside always seem to be the ones that I return to, and grey. Though I do like to add more explosive and eye-catching shades for contrast.

I opened my Etsy shop over a year ago and I find the marketing and publicising aspect to be the biggest challenge. I am not really someone who finds it easy to draw attention to their work – I love doing it, and it’s such a lovely feeling when people admire it, but it’s always a surprise, too!

There are just so many wonderful talented people who sell through Etsy that it would be almost impossible to narrow it down, (I have about 68 pages of favourites!) but I particularly admire a lot of the European artists like lapomme, who tells magical stories to go with her items, hensteeth for the freedom of spirit in her mixed media collages using old letters and envelopes, and Sassalynne for the wonderful array of colours she dyes into her threads, yarns and textiles and for her boundless energy. Don’t get me started on the jewellery shops I adore!

Even if I never ever sell another felted thing, I will always be a felter – it’s such a versatile and magical process that you can experiment with in an infinite number of ways and is a constant delight. And I could always help FeltElf with her yurt!

Introductions

2009-02-06T00:22:00.006Z

- Tell us please how you originally got into felting.
I first started felting when I moved to Edinburgh in 2004, I saw a workshop advertised and remembered the wonderful felt coats that a college friend of mine had made for his final show. I just knew I'd love it!!
- Your favorite technique
My favourite technique is wet felting, although I am persevering with some needle felting at the moment and enjoying it.
favourite colours .... all of them in as many different colourways as possible, although I do have a particular fondness of all things green!
- What is your biggest challenge when it comes to running your shop?
My biggest challenge is fighting the urge to procrastinate, so easy to check your shop and lose a whole day browsing Etsy, oops.
- What other shops out there do you love (not necesserely textile)?
Shops? So many... I love Elsita's shop and all her kooky creations and, by the way she has a great link to an extraordinary felter called mamaquilla .Also Alfalfalovesme, Dadaya, Ystefani, EnchantedGypsy and many more
- What item in your shop would you most like to receive as a gift if someone were shopping for you?
From my shop it would have to be Deep Turquoise, it's much lovier than the photos suggest.
- What are your future plans concerning felting and your shop?..
For the future I will be working on some felty creatures and would love to build a yurt and get into natural dyes for my felt, and, I'll be searching out non-mulesed Merino wool.

Thefeltelf

QUESTIONNAIRE

2009-02-03T19:24:00.003Z

Dear all,
let's restart our blog...!

I propose you a short questionnaire...It's a lot of brilliant artists here, and I am really excited to get to know all of you!

- Tell us please how you originally got into felting.
- Your favorite technique
- Your favorite materials
- Favorite colours, colour mixes
- What is your biggest challenge when it comes to running your shop?
- What other shops out there do you love (not necesserely textile)?
- What item in your shop would you most like to receive as a gift if someone were shopping for you?
- What are your future plans concerning felting and your shop?..

2009-01-08T21:38:00.005Z

Dear all,

I would like to present you my new vintage scarf (running title Medieval treasure2).

Honestly, I am hesitating if it is original enough. Recently, I've seen a lot of "rose" scarfes of this shape...
What do you think about it?

Olga (kokonok)

Our TOOLS

2009-01-07T20:25:00.003Z

here are some links:

We have:

1) our Team page. It is updated once a month by Etsy manager;

http://team.etsy.com/viewteam.php?id=504

2) feltingteam shop on etsy

http://feltingteam.etsy.com/

it is not a real shop to sell things, but just an extra page,

which I can update myself. There I collect the links to members'

homepages and names of felters who will be added to the members' list

during the next team page (see 1) update; in FAVORITES I collect all

members' shops;

3) the flickr group.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1003962@N23/

4)This Team blog for communication and in the future - for promoting our

work.

To join this blog, you may:

contact me by e-mail or in etsy (kokonok or feltingteam) and give me your email address; I'll send you an invitation mail.

Olga (kokonok)

AGM 2009

2009-01-06T22:36:00.000Z

Dear feltmakers!
If somebody is going to attend IFA (International Feltmakers Association) meeting in March?

http://www.feltmakers.com/2008/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=25&Itemid=49

Loch Lomond 2009

The Scottish Feltmakers welcome you to 'The bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond'. This promises to be an action packed event in the mangnificent surroundings. An opportunity to attend 3 workshops, demonstrations, talks, stock up on all your felting requirements, meet old friends and make new ones, dance the night away at the ceilidh and attend the AGM.

2009-01-04T14:23:00.000Z

Dear Members,

Happy New Year to you all!
It’s January and I can’t believe that it is now 2009.
We were extremely busy in December with our holiday events and Christmas orders, now most of us are back to normal life :).
Huge thanks to Ariane and Brenda for starting the blog!
It was beautiful presentation!
As we say in Germany, "Aller Anfang ist schwer", but let's be more active in year 2009...

Happy New Year Everyone-
Olga (kokonok)

Introducing Split Rock Ranch!

2008-12-21T23:30:00.000Z

Custom Fiber Blend in Peacock Colorway for spinning or felting

Handspun llama yarns - fiber provided by Split Rock Ranch llamas

Jim & Brenda w/ Halter Champion Tempis Fugit

My name is Brenda and my husband and I own a small llama ranch in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado - Split Rock Ranch. I "retired" from my "real job" in the construction industry this past June 2008 to work our ranch and my fiber business full time. There is so much I want to accomplish in my fiber art that I discover there are simply not enough hours in the day to do everything I want to get done! It is such a joy to have a business where you can work without it feeling like work and the days fly by because you are getting so much enjoyment out of your daily activities. My fiber mottos: "Where fiber is our passion...and it shows" and "So much fiber...so little time".

I have been a knitter and crocheter since I was a child but didn't do much knitting and crocheting when I was working full time and raising a family. We bought our first llamas in the fall of 1996 and we bought our "ranch" in May 1997. We were only going to have two male llamas as companions and to use as packers for hiking trips but in the late summer of 1997 we bought a female llama because we fell in love with the crias (llama babies), then we bought a show quality male llama and started to show him in January 1998. That llama started winning 1st place in every show and won a few Grand and Reserve Grand Champion awards as well as placing Top Ten at Grand Nationals two years in a row and we were bitten by the llama show bug. Our herd has grown as we have added more select females and show quality to our breeding herd and have retained many of our production (crias). In 2000 my husband bought me a used single treadle Ashford Traveller spinning wheel and I started spinning my own yarns. I realized that I had to find something to use those beautiful llama fleeces for! We also learned how to wet felt using our llama fleeces and started out making a felted vest and hat for our daughter using the fiber from our Champion llama. I quickly branched out into dyeing fibers and yarns along with the spinning and then discovered needle felting and started putting together needle felting kits and felting fibers. I also invested in an Ashford drum carder so I could card up our llama fleeces and started blending all sorts of fibers together to make unique one-of-a-kind (OOAK) custom fiber blend batts for spinning and felting. When my husband was laid off from his job in December of 2002 I decided I had to do something to supplement our income and started selling online on ebay, at llama shows and events and then started selling on etsy in April of 2007. I have met some wonderful people who have become friends on this fiber journey and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I have also started to set aside more time to knit and crochet and want to learn nuno felting. I plan to spend more time on the production of finished fiber art in addition to the fiber supplies for other fiber artists. Does anyone know where we can buy more time for our days?!

To read more about our llama journey, see photos of our llamas, etc. please visit our ranch website at www.splitrockllamas.com. Our blog page is www.splitrockranchllamas.blogspot.com. Also, please visit my etsy store at www.splitrockranch.etsy.com.

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fiber and we as felters and fibers artists are poised to take advantage of the huge movement to "go green".

I look forward to meeting the rest of the Felting Team and working together as a group to promote the fiber arts!

kokonok: Let me introduce myself

2008-12-21T18:57:00.000Z

Hi,
my name is Olga, or kokonok (in the virtual world).
Kokonok (russ.) means a tiny cocoon, this cosy name was invented by my sons, reflecting my love to fibers and probably some introversy :).
I am living in romantic Heidelberg (South Germany).

I grew up in Moscow, where I studied art and then biology, the latter being my main profession. I am working as a research stuff in academy, but every minute of my free time I dedicate to crafts, playing with jewelry making, silk painting, knitting, etc.
But it was before the FELT BUG got me...not kidding. Felting is my element...
Currently, I am exploring a couple of techniques:
- shibori felting, creating 3D structure using knots, etc during felting process,
-embellishment with seed beads and pearls,
- nunofelting,
-creating lace structure by cutting patterns,...

- "organic" direction that is in fact not linked to a certain technique. I mean works inspired by nature: floral patterns, etc.

and, last but not least, vintage...

HOW TO JOIN THIS BLOG

2008-12-19T22:07:00.001Z

Dear felters,

Welcome to the Felting Team Blog!

This blog works as a "team blog", means that you can post here using your own Google account.

If you want to post here, just add your e-mail to our Google-Group
http://groups.google.com/group/etsy-felting-team?pli=1
and this e-mail will be added to the blog. You'll get an intitation letter, which you have to confirm, and then you can post using your own account.

Please report problems to our Google Group.
Have a nice day,
Olga (kokonok)

2008-12-19T10:12:00.000Z

Wearable felted art "Ariane et Lulu "

I'm very happy to participate in the ETSY Feltingg Team and I would like to introduce myself in this first post. My name is Ariane and I'm German but I live in France (so I speak better German and French than English). Before "falling in love" with feltmaking I studied architecture, and worked as an texile graphic designer. As I'm always 100% applied in what I love, I quit my designer job 6 month ago. (Hopefully I have a husband who loves me enough to support!!).
My main interest in the felting process is mixing wool fibers with other fibers and materials. My project for 2009 is to experimente how to combine paper and wool in the felting process. If you tried already I would be very pleased to share experience with you. An other point I will focus on is how to create 3d felting textures.
If you are interested on my work, please visite my webside http;// ariane.lulu.free.fr (only aviable in french for the moment) or my etsyshop arianelulu.esty.com.
If you starting feltmaking and need help I'm always pleased to do my best (but you have to support my english...)
See you and happy holidays !!!
Ariane

Images are showing a combination of different "natural" wools with handmade silk paper, silk chiffon, wool locks and handspun yarn. First image shows the piece before felting. Second and third are details of the vest after felting. It's the symbioses of different materials fusing to something new that passionate me. Felting means for me to be a designer and a discoverer in same time.

We start Etsy Felting Team

2008-12-09T20:01:00.000Z

Etsy Felting Team

Visit this group

Hi!

We have recently created a new global team on Etsy, Felting Team.

We are an International Group of Artists who create wearable art using the felting technique, mainly wet felting and nunofelting.

The main goal of our team is to promote etsy shops of the members, to share our knowledge of techniques, ideas and inspiration, to discuss members' work.

The other important goal is to improve our knowledge of materials, particularly about the modern ones; In order to achieve this goal, we invite wool and fiber sellers to our team.











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