Happy new year.......may many of your joys be in Felting

                                         2018

Google has finally allowed me into this account, only on an iPad, after a month of juggling.......and without giving an exasperated rant (there have been many!) Laurence and this blogger want to take this opportunity to wish you all happy new year with much creativity and felting in 2018. I hope your Christmas season was filled with the peace and goodwill that the season brings.

Unfortunately I am not able to download any images currently (another rant!) so shall direct you to our Facebook page for current news, until I can get this connection activated properly............😡

Laurence Musings

Laurence preens himself in the knowledge that his keepers have hosted another fantastic workshop in the closing days of October.....SHOES AND BAGS

Months of prior planning culminated in NATALYA BRASHOVETSKA bringing to the Bunbury Felters a comprehensive and bespoke shoe and bag workshop at Stirling Street Art Centre in Bunbury.
Our group was the final of her Australian workshops, after several in the Eastern State and the Great Southern Workshops.

Natalya had honed her shoe making skills to precision. Her confidence and obvious expertise were plainly evident. The group worked with unfamiliar wool and new techniques, and after 3 long, intense but rewarding days produced shoes that looked like they might have been bought in a shop. The last details were to be attended to at home. 

She gave as much information as she could to enable the participants to make a veritable wardrobe of personalised shoes, if we chose to do so.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO NATALYA FOR HER PERSISTENCE AND PATIENCE

Colleen with her guest Natalya

Sorting out Bergschaff batts

Day 1: Planning and templates

Hard work! Jen gives Jean a massage

Christine applying pressure

Jean gets her hands wet

Jane using her muscles to get those shoes felted
 

Kayleen, Lee & Jen stitching shoe tops

Jen

Natalie & Natalya pictures of concentration
........Trying to get it just right 

Lee working hard at felting those shoes!

Jane sanding her bag

Natalya demonstrates gathering up a bag 

Natalya explains

At the end of 3 days of work...Natalya proudly shows her students' achievements

Gems from our October meeting

OCTOBER - Members shared their newest work

Carmen Tryer, a very new member, showed this uniquely ultra-fine hand dyed wool.

                     

                    Kylie's lovely needle felted angel

Sandra's eye-catching vest created at
workshop in the Whitsundays

    

         

Carol's Nuno silk wrap

         
                                                              

  

Linda's Nuno wrap

 
 Kylie's silk dress with a recycled top

              

Kylie's bag with rose

                                      

                                             Sue#1's lattice wrap

                          

                   
Kylie's made to order earrings

Some current news at last...

Dear Felters....Technology did not allow me to post images while in Europe. It seems an iPad is beyond the pale!


Therefore this is catch up time................


The BFG Felters Downunder have been very active, as usual, over the last few months.....

 DOUBLE CONGRATULATIONS TO........ 

JEAN BRAUND

Overall winner in the Ag Art Competition at the Dardanup Bull and Barrel last weekend

and 

JACQUELINE GIBSON

whose garment won the prize for the "Best Out of Town" entry

 Well done ladies

A new member and textile artist Carmen Tyrer from Waroona won 1st prize at the Waroona Show

Not a little bird, but rather a large one by the name of Laurence overheard Colleen reporting that 

"Carmen showed us her beautiful and complex wraps made with ultra-fine local wool, hand dyed and using her own techniques to enable the wool to be felted". 

Laurence is good at eavesdropping as he has also heard some hints that Sue Smorthwaite's work has been selected to go on show again. He is yet to find out more!

It has been reported that Sue#2 is back in Oz. and at the October meeting she gave an excellent demonstration to get the group thinking about interesting edges that add more detail to scarves, clothing, sculpture.

Sue# shows her edges............

...........and what a variety!

Val's edges in progress

Posting a little of France to inspire

This administrator has had a heap of trouble over the last months trying to keep the blog going from other continents........Technology, you got me beat for a while there! 

Here, however are a few captured textures I would like to share, from small French country villages to whet your felt-making spirits, and hopefully fill in the gaps over the last months! Although I was not able to gather actual felted work, inspiration was all around...........enjoy and create!