We had a wonderful time in Canberra at the Craft and Quilt Fair. We had a fantastic week of felting and were so pleased that our Felt Studio was so well received.Canberra was the chilliest of all our fairs so far.Frost each morning and we had to wear all our winter woollies(being felters we had plenty of woolies if needed!

I am about to head to Melbourne to teach at Beautiful silks for four days.If you are interested in a workshop please contact them directly from my Workshops page.

I love teaching at Beautiful Silks and look forward to Melbourne’s good food and hopefully catching up with old friends in the evenings.

Here are a couple of pictures of Beanies I put into the Alice Springs Beanie Festival in 2010.They were a little quirky.The Love Beanie featured a love antenna.Both beanies sold so if you bought them let me know how you are enjoying your new beanies!

It does feel a bit merry go round ride!I have just returned from the Melbourne Craft and Quilt Fair and am gearing up for Canberra.Melbourne was wonderous! We had agreat time teaching and generally enjoying ourselves.It is hard work but someone has to do it! Pictured is our new found friend Amy with a gorgeous piece of felt she made at one of our workshops.Well done Amy! 

Amy and her felt piece

Learn new skills and how to complete larger more complex items at home. For example learning to make baby booties in the studio will give you the skills to make a pair of larger slippers at home. Felting a silk nuno scarf or gorgeous double muslin scarf will give you the techniques to then make a large wrap. 

Just about caught my breath from a lovely week in Hobart. Thank you to all those people who came to visit our stand at the Craft and Quilt Fair.We had some very chilly mornings but the weather was perfect really -sunny days and blue  skies.

The most popular “making” was a one hour solid scarf made on a base of pre felt/needle felt.This scarf gave ample room for individual pattern but resulted in a quick “learn how to do it” class for the fair.The flowers were popular as ever.We had a new class which was great too, a mobile phone pouch.

All these classes  and more will be on offer in Melbourne.A nice bag or a hat can be made in a three hour class for those with a bit more time up their sleeve.Silk scarves are on offer in a range of styles to felt as are baby booties that are ever so cute. Just come to the Felt Studio first up in the morning and book in .Classes are mixed classes and run all throughout the day.

We also have a range of felting supplies for sale including Uniquely Felt a wonderful book guaranteed to inspire.We have wool and silks and scarves and a great range of embellishments including gorgeous resin beads with Australian timbers.

Come and see us and say hi- 22rd-25th July.Saturday night we are open into the evening for those of you who find it hard to get to the fair in the day.Have attached a couple gorgeous new silk velvet and felt wraps that will be in Melbourne and yes they are for sale!

Just spent a delightful 10 days in lovely Perth!The pictures at the left are cows at the cow festival in the Margaret River.There will be more photos later! The flying batman cow is in the opening to a large cave.It was quite bizarre!    

Met lots of lovely people and taught five days of classes at the Perth  Craft and Quilt Fair.The hat pictured was made in a three hour class.We had some gorgeous hats! The little booties were going home to keep one very lucky teddies feet warm!! Well done to our youngest workshop participant who did a great job all by herself .No help from Mum!    

A beautiful beret and an even more beautiful smile.

A lovely vessel for sharing !

Thankyou to one of my lovely students for sending in these two gorgeous photos above. How rewarding  for me to see people head off on their own felt journey after taking a class or two and to make such lovely quality felt!   

Well it is May today and I am getting ready to head to Perth for the Craft and Quilt Fair .Click on this link  to see details of the Felt Studio. http://www.craftfair.com.au/Perth2010/app/pages/view/felt_studio/ .I will be having a make and take Felt Studio at this event where you can make lots of different felted items with expert tuition.Teacosies ,wraps,booties,artists journal covers,flowers and even hats .There will be a project to suit all budgets and all materials are provided in the cost.Prices start at $20.00 and classes go for one to three hours.Look forward to seeing you all out west! My wonderful friends Karen and Liz  will accompany me.We have top quality wool and fibres to sell,lovely patterned ,plain and handyed scarves  to felt on and much ,much more.Liz has hand dyed some gorgeous muslin and paj silk scarves which are a delight to the senses and so easy to felt with.She also has covered some buttons with handmade felt as well which are spectacular and very unique.There are no prior bookings-just come to the studio early in the day and book your class.As this is our first fair of the year please be patient with us as we settle in to the studio routine!   

Here is a book you might be interested in. I will have copies of this book and other quality felting books at my stalls through the year at the craft fairs.If you want to have excellent felting  books that come highly recommended please come and see us.   

BOOK REVIEW   Uniquely Felt Christine White (Storey Publishing/ Capricorn Link)ISBN:9781580176736/RRP$39.99 AUD .   

As the rear cover says “Uniquely felt is the ultimate guide for every crafter drawn to the magical interplay of wool, water, and human hands”. This book is a little bit of magic in the world of handmade felt.   

C h r i s t i n e White is an ex p e r i e n c e d felt maker who spends her time teaching, w r i t i n g , l e c t u r i n g and curating felt exhibitions. She has written a wonderful book that will become a felt makers’ classic. I believe it is the best felt making book I have read, and it is the one book I recommend in all my classes.It is a good, thick book full of creative and tasteful ideas, with clear instructions. There are some great beginner projects on simple cording and felt balls. There are instructions for making hats, slippers, boots, cushions, bags and garments—all easy to follow.Because the instructions are clear and concise you are guaranteed a great finished product. The way Christine teaches felting is very close to the way most people felt in Australia which is a big plus. Projects include nuno felt, felt collage, rug making, cobweb felting, needle felting, seamless felting and even cut and carved felt projects. This book is geared well to beginners but the projects are interesting and varied for even the most experienced felt maker (to find something challenging and interesting). Uniquely Felt  has wonderful hints on techniques and tools that are invaluable. There are even hints on good posture which is something often overlooked in books and so important if you are making felt regularly. There are hints all the way through on what to do with various problems that can occur in your felt making and how to remedy them. This is information gleaned from her many years of felt making and is invaluable to those starting their felt making journey. There is good technical information on wool, the felting process, shrinkage rates and diferent types of fibres, plus a section on community felt making and the history of felt.The photography is really nice— and the projects are well made and classy. One of my favourite parts of the book is the section on featured artists. I was chuffed that three of the International featured artists were people I have learnt from in years past— all Master Felt Makers of great renown and very lovely people. She has chosen her featured artists very carefully. All in all this book comes highly recommended and I would give it 5 stars! — Wendy Bailye 

Orange Forum Photos….My Class at Orange Forum produced some amazing work in a week of FULL ON FELTING! 

What can I say?.WOW! what an amazing class.Colourful ,enthusiastic,inspiring,creative and so much fun to spend the week with!We had a great class 16 participants and everyone had a ball.  

This was a little piece made at Jondaryan Woolshed for their Heritage Festival.It is a background for a fairy tale scene that is being made by the volunteers at the woolshed.

It has been a busy month.I am about to head to Orange in NSW to teach at the Textile Fibre Forum.Am looking forward to getting there after all the preparations.I love teaching and this time I am especially lucky to have my neighbour and friend Karen accompany me as my teaching helper.We have  both been very busy getting things together.One of the things I have enjoyed doing is finally getting my teaching samples organised and labelled.A big job but great to have finally done it!I also had to complete some garments for display in Orange.I used some antique saris in my work and it was a pleasure to see the old saris revamped.Once felted the stains and holes don’t matter anymore and the garments will have another 100years of life if cared for properly. I will post some photos of the trip and the classes on my return.

Well the year is off to a busy start.I have been to Melbourne where we had four very wonderful classes.I will up load some photos soon.The studio has been a hive of activity with the classes for the new year off to a great start.April classes have filled quickly so please email me if you would like to be on a waiting list- I may put on another class if there is enough interest.My next trip is to Orange for the Textile Fibre Forum where I will be teaching.I am looking forward to it.Then the first of the Craft and Quilt fairs begins in Perth,a city I have never been to .The rain has been amazing and we now live in a jungle!With such a busy year the garden has been very neglected.Next year.hopefully I will have a bit more time in the yard.

Well the year has well and truly begun .I cannot believe it is February ! I am about to head to Melbourne to teach at Beautiful Silks next week.One of my favourite places to teach. I am busy at present doing a range of  new wraps for “Tengdahl”  in Brisbane.  Julie Tengdahl is a Brisbane based designer and we are working on a range that will complement her lovely designs.It is all fun and frolic and felt in the studio. Lots of white on white and black on black.Wraps,shrugs and scarves.Have been busy photographing some  work..here are some new photos  for you to look at! I wonder why I make such bizarre hats sometimes but I just love playing with the shapes and form.It is like sculpture to me I guess.I am always delighted when people are eccentric and brave enough to wear them!

Happy New Year to you all.I am in the process of updating the website having had a 5 week break from work.A welcome respite after a busy end to the year.”Wild Things” Sharyn and my inaugural annual exhibition went exceptionally well.Thankyou all for supporting us.The official opening was on the Friday night and Janet DeBoer did the honours oh so admirably.Her hat was astounding to say the least(see below!) Next years dates are November 26th-28th -do pop the dates in your diary now. We had a ball on the night !

CLASSES

Class dates have been posted for the year.Please look in the Workshops  and Newsletter Pages for all new announcements. My Melbourne classes at Beautiful Silks in February are filling fast so please ring them soon if you are keen to do another class and my class at The April Forum in Orange is booked out .Sorry!

I will be teaching at each Quilt and Craft Fair this year -during the fair and other longer classes in the evenings.Please email me if you would like further details.Those of you who had enquired about Sydney classes I will be there teaching in June -unfortunately because of time constraints I  will only be teaching over the fair periods in each state,excepting Melbourne.I thought I would have time to do a separate Sydney class earlier but not so.