Thursday 26 January 2012

Felt from the Convergence - Happy Australia Day

For readers in other lands - the 26th of January is Australia Day  - our official national day recognising the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 at Sydney Cove.  It's commemorated with a public holiday and we thought we would celebrate the day with pictures of Australia's national emblem  - the kangaroo.





We are sorry we haven't recorded the name of the felt artist who created these gorgeous guys.  Please send us an email if you know so that we can credit them correctly.

They are glove puppets and they soon escaped from their tables in the felt display and started to entertain us.

They  joined us at our super cool 60's final dinner and were lots of fun.  They soon developed a taste for bubbles.





By the end of the evening they were well out of things but then again so were many of us.


It was a great night and a great Convergence.

But now with our summer holidays ending the Bunbury Felting Group have to get back to work and we will be having our first meeting of the year on Friday 3rd of February at the Stirling Street Arts Centre in Bunbury.  New members are welcome so please come along if you can - 9.30am - 3.00pm.

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Felt from the Convergence

Keeping vigil outside the dining room were the "Four Elements" an installation created especially for the Convergence -


"Fire" was created by Davida Palmer who loves colour and dyeing so she had some fun creating this dynamic piece with felt and muslin.


Dot Oliver was the artist who created the mermaid like "Water".



Jacqui Gibson created "Air" a froth of felt shibori work.



And mother "Earth" created by Jean Braund.  Love the way the skirt is hitched  - this is the wild west after all!


The dye pots were in use when creating this piece as you can see.

 

 The Elements surrounded  a boat on their voyage to circle the globe.


 
This boat was very kindly created for us by the amazing weaver Pamela Grima.


 Pamela makes you look at your compost heap in an entirely different way and get you wondered why you chucked all that good stuff in there.  An hour with her and you are looking at your garden with a completely new eye.

 

 Just look at the bow detailed here -



We like to think that the "Four Elements" captured the essence of the 11th Southern Hemisphere Felting Convergence.  We need Air for life, the Earth grows our sheep and wool, Water is essential in the making of our felt and Fire is in our creative hearts and we forge both our craft and more importantly our friendships.



Saturday 21 January 2012

Wednesday 18 January 2012

Stop Press - Not to be missed Felting Workshop

We were alerted by a comment left on the last post by textile artist Glenys Mann to an exciting Fibre Arts event being held at the Monastery at New Norcia from 15th to 22nd April this year.

There are a range of courses being held but most tempting is a 5 day workshop with talented  super felter Phillipa Rooke.

Image From - http://fibrearts.jigsy.com/phillipa-rooke
Phillipa has been making felt now for about 25 years, and currently teaches felting students pretty much full time for most of the year, and is passionate about the quality of felt in Australia. She established a felting group in Brisbane where she lives, and organised the 6th Southern Hemisphere Feltmaking Convergence in Queensland in 2001. Her work has been exhibited in Australia and Europe, and is in several private collections. Her main area of interest is fine felts.

Phillipa's workshop is titled  "Felted Fibres and Fabrics – The Textured Surface" and participants will be combining fine wool fibre with a range of fabrics to create a new textile fabric which is fine, and which displays subtle and interesting surface variations. 

The textiles created may then be combined to form a garment or hanging, which will then be embellished with stitch. 

This workshop is suitable for those who have been felting for a while and wish to expand their surface design possibilities and to look at new construction methods for their work.

Image From - http://fibrearts.jigsy.com/phillipa-rooke

Image From - http://fibrearts.jigsy.com/phillipa-rooke
Phillipa's work is stunning as you can see so this is wonderful opportunity of immersing yourself with her in the amazing atmosphere of New Norcia's Monastery.

For full information go to the Fibre Arts website by clicking here.  Places are limited so be quick.

Sunday 15 January 2012

Felt from the Convergence

The fun of felt -

Artist - Annie Foy


Artist - Annie Foy
Artist - Annie Foy


Artist - Annie Foy
Artist - Annie Foy

Artist - Annie Foy




Monday 9 January 2012

Felt Magazine is Here

We have copies of the latest Felt Magazine which is filled with fabulous projects and information.  They will be on sale to members at our February meeting - price $10. 



For our non-member readers -  if you can't get a copy of this magazine where you are,  we have a few extra issues for sale. Just email us at feltconvergence@gmail.com and we'll send you details of how to pay.

Yes, we will post anywhere in the world so let us know where you live and we'll confirm the postage costs.

Sunday 8 January 2012

Felt from the Convergence

Cup of tea anyone?

Please let us know who is the artist
What a great example of what's possible in felt sculpture.  From the FeltWEST display.

Friday 6 January 2012

Wednesday 4 January 2012

Felt from the Convergence

We plan to continue to show you pictures from the 11th Southern Hemisphere Felting Convergence during January so please look in on us regularly to see the best of felt.

We haven't always got the names of the artist recorded so please send us an email if you know who it is so that we can credit the pieces correctly.

The black and white spotted scarf at the bottom of this picture is Rachel Meek's if we remember correctly but not quite sure of the wrap above.




Fabulous.

Sunday 1 January 2012

Happy New Year

As we welcome in 2012 we wish felters everywhere happy New Year.   May the year ahead be a peaceful and creative one.

Of course you will need a lovely outfit today for first footing at  the homes of friends and family and this beautiful wrap and bag would be perfect.

Designer ??

If  you are wondering about the unusual background - the picture was taken at the Convergence felt display which was located in the science block of the Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School.  No doubt those pipes are part of strange experiments !!

We hope you will continue visiting us in 2012.  We love to hear from you so please  leave us a comment from time to time and if you  know who is the designer of these stunning felt items please send us an email.