January Jewellery!!

Mandy got the New Year of 2020 off to a great start sharing some of her skills in making felted pieces of jewellery.  We had a great crowd on Saturday and there was barely enough room to get round the demo table!

Just a few of the crowd!

 Mandy explained her technique for making little felted baubles starting off with several pieces of wool tops the same length and then tying a loose knot in one before beginning needle felting into a little round shape.  These are then wet felted and dried before adding embellishments or other felted shapes/colours and wet felted again.  She is meticulous in her making and the results are beautiful little pieces.









When it came to making the felted ropes Mandy shared a technique which we all thought was a great idea - she keeps a sample of the different amounts of wool required for the various thicknesses of rope required -CLEVER!!

Everyone was keen to learn and put some of the techniques into practice.  For some it was their first visit to Feltmakers North and it was good to see everyone encouraged to give it a try. 

Of course we had to have our Show n Tell but it was really only show this time as we were all so very busy bauble making and catching up!!

Pleasuaance's highland cow - a pressie to her daughter in Scotland!

Sharon's beautiful poppy

Tina's first grandchild's little mobile - she's very proud!

Feltmakers North is now a month into its 10th Anniversary Year and no sooner has the dust settled on the Community Arts Project in the Island Centre than we are about to begin on our Community Outreach Project.  We had a lovely visitor Sinead who gave us a very interactive talk on some of the challenges facing children with autism.   Sinead helped us to focus in on how we could help one of our local schools.  From now until May we will be making felted pieces to donate to the children of Brookfield School, Moira.  So watch this space as our project unfolds!!

Back to Saturday now with some pics of our lovely members and visitors enjoying the morning session.

The time passed really quickly but we did manage to produce some little pieces, albeit not completed but a super beginning to what promises to be some lovely felted jewellery.

We are looking forward very much to seeing how these all turn out and what wonderful inspiration from Mandy.  Don't forget to visit the Island Arts Centre before the end of this month for a last chance to see the Community Arts Project which will be going on display in various parts of the borough over the next while.

And finally while our workshop with Dutch feltmaker Lyda Rump is now full, there is a waiting list and you never know!  Also booking is now open for Dawn Edwards' inspirational hat making course in April but a word of warning bookings were fast and furious on Saturday, so you'd better be quick,

Thanks to everyone who supports Feltmakers North and looking forward to seeing you all at our February Felt-in,