Feltmakers' North: SURFACE EMBOSSING

What an amazing workshop with Wendy Bailye. As many of you know Wendy lives & works in Australia creating beautifully artistic felt pieces. Thanks to the Committee who have been planning this visit for a couple of years & it was definitely worth the wait.

Wendy is a skilled tutor and Saturday morning began with a discussion regarding processes, designs & techniques employed. The colour palette was restricted primarily to black and white. Initially this seemed rather daunting however, by limiting colour choice the mind was really able to focus on technique. As the day moved on attendees were able to toy with a variety of ideas and work on small samples using a plethora of materials including not just silk paj, georgettes, chiffons, but also cottons, linens, wools, velvet, organza, ribbon etc. Even string! And this produced some surprisingly effective textures. Cotton batting and Vilene were among the mediums used to produce shape, depth and interest.

The use of cotton batting was a first for many and undoubtedly this will be added to their basic stash. Indeed a few industrious folk went home on Saturday & prepared their batting for Sunday's session. The rain on Sunday did not dampen spirits as everyone quickly got down to business. Some focused on furthering their sampler work whilst others created longer pieces such as scarves.

Wendy gave helpful tips on how to neaten corners, edges, making longer pieces with limited table space, free embroidery to add interest and 'polish' the finished piece with an old bag!

The limited colour palette did nothing to hinder the design process and can be seen in the pics below. Sharon perhaps created the most intricate design. Deirdre used resists to create slashes, Joan used a variety of fabrics some worked others perhaps not so well (but this was good learning for all). Mandy the little minx brought along permanent markers & drew on white cotton to produce some really interesting patterns. First to finish was Fiona-the-gnat(!). Although as we all know she should be in the naughty corner for her illegal use of colour. Very bold indeed.

Thanks again to the Committee for yet another successful weekend workshop. Thanks to Wendy for coming a long long way to share her skills and knowledge. On behalf of Feltmakers North our thanks to Lisburn & Castlereagh Council for help with funding and to Uel Mackin, Lord Mayor & his wife for their interest and attendance on Saturday morning. As always, big thanks to the ladies who keep us supplied with tea, coffee & goodies and who top up our soapy water and mop up spillages - Mary Walker & Pleasaunce Perry.

It will be great to see the finished articles so please remember to bring these to our September Felt-in.

This is my last blog (& Facebook post) as I shall be undertaking some other Committee responsibilities. No more horrendous hyperbole, mixed metaphors, dubious links, funky 'fotos' for yousins but I do hope you have enjoyed my blurbs. Mandy will continue providing info and updates on the blog, Facebook and as you know she has already set up instagram for Feltmakers North.

I'm looking forward to assisting Elaine our Secretary and undertaking the sales table. This year Feltmakers North will be focussing on using a few different wool fibres & I have some of these for our table in September. There will be a selection of, not just merino but also shetland, corriedale, perendale batting, and some new fibre mixes, 'taster' bags of sari silk (a little goes a long way), exciting colour blends, and the usual bauser bulbs, soaps etc. If there are any special requests let me know.

And so to the pics.........