March Group Meeting

We had a relaxed but productive monthly meeting on Friday.
Congratulations to members Sue Smorthwaite, Kerry Gelmi and Jacqueline Gibson for getting through to the final showcase of the Common Threads Wearable Art Competition, part of the Stretch Arts Festival Mandurah
Their garments will be part of the final showcase on the 2nd May where  the winners of the Sculptural (Kerry and Jacqueline), Avante Garde (Sue), Recycled Sections and Overall show winner will be announced.

We are very pleased to welcome new members, Alison, Karen, Susie and Valerie and hope they will enjoy being part of  our felting group. Thanks Sue#1 for making them feel so welcome.



Lorraine took the monthly workshop and showed us how to work on a large piece of felt. Using a limited amount of table space, she showed us how to lay out a long length of fabric and wool to make a scarf.

Show and Tell

New member Valerie bought in this lovely little bowl to show us

The following pictures are of the technique taught at last months meeting

Colleens piece using cotton voile 

Penny's piece

Patsy's piece

Rosemary's piece made up into a cushion

Kerry's piece

Sue#2's piece

Some of Kim's beads made on the Meditation Bead Workshop with Nancy Ballesteros

Detail on Rosemary's bag

2 lovely poppy pictures from Sue#1

Nuno Bead Meditation Workshop with Nancy Ballesteros

This weekend we invited Nancy Ballesteros from Treetops Colour Harmonies down to show us how she makes her wonderfully textured felted beads.
13 of us gathered at the Yallingup Hall Friday afternoon and despite the heat, beavered away until the beach beckoned some for a swim. Back at Sue#2's house after supper we finished off fulling the nuno felt, and Saturday we learnt how to construct the beads.

We had a productive but relaxed time, (a good job, as it was a bead meditation workshop!) 
We bought lots of goodies from Nancy and have a new reason, not that we really need one, to collect all those wonderful fabric scraps and visits to the Op shops.

Thank you Nancy for your tutoring, and thank you to all the girls that came, for the food, wine and wonderful company. A good time was had by all.

Class of 2015

Back; Denise, Emma, Margaret, Rosemary, Colleen, Jean, Vicki, Julie & Kayleen

Front; Kim, Sue#2, Jane & Kerry

Kim, Sue#2 and tutor Nancy               Emma laying out her wool

Nancy & Margaret

Our felted pieces before the beads were made

Denise & Nancy

Oh, such concentration! Jane & Rosemary

Kayleen & Vicki

February Group Meeting

It was great to get back into felting yesterday with our first group meeting.
Every one was happy and eager to try the new room layout (with air-con) and the new format for the day that will allow us more uninterrupted time to felt.

February's project taken by Sue#2, demonstrated the "cracked mud" effect, one of the surface design techniques learnt from Fiona Duthie's online workshop. Everyone was keen to have a go, so we should have some examples for next months show and tell.

We have had two members enter STRETCH Common Threads Wearable Art Competition this year, and both have got through to the final judging event to be held in Mandurah on the 28th March. The winners will be announced at the Showcase event in Mandurah on the 2nd May. Once the official photographs have been taken in March, we will post them here for you to see.

This month we are also looking forward to our weekend in Yallingup doing the Nuno Bead Meditation workshop with Nancy Balleseteros from Treetops Colour Harmonies 

An exciting start to the year!

February's Show and Tell

Christine's wonderful baby shoes

Jane Field's cracked mud effect

Sue#2's cracked mud effect and Kerry's stool (photo by; Toni C.)

Margaret's first attempt at needle felting animals, a gorgeous fox

Sue#1's wonderful vase of flowers with stitched detail.

A Year in Review

2014 got off to a busy start.

In March our vessel “Felting around the Elements” was very well received at the Dunsborough by the Bay Sculpture Exhibition. We even had someone ask if we could make them one in red! The vessel was also used in the publicity material for the Open Garden event at Jalbrook in Balingup this October.

At the Balingup Farm Field Day in April, our stall did well and our fashion shows and mini workshops were well attended.

May, saw the final showcase of the Common Threads Wearable Art Competition. We had 9 members enter this year, and the winner of the Open Section was Sue Seaman.

The garments then went onto the events major exhibition in Mandurah for a month.

We were also invited to showcase our garments on the catwalk at the 3 day EveryWoman Expo in Perth at the beginning of June, and the Anual Craft Fair at the Claremont show-grounds in August.

The Alice Springs Beanie festival in June saw Jane Flower, winning a prize for her hat and several members attended the event as well as giving workshops there.

Our Annual Exhibition and Sale of scarves titled “Doubly Wrapped in Felt” at Caf Fez in Bunbury proved another success with many scarves being sold.

In August some of our members participated in a Fashion Show organised by the Georgina Malloy School, and in September members sold their work at Vineyard28 over the long weekend.

Our Fashion parade and demonstration were well received at the opening night of the SSAC Fire, Fibre and Fine Arts Exhibition, again many members sold their work over the weekend.

October saw a relaxing, informal few days away felting at Camp in Augusta.

In November Jane Field’s hat won first prize at the Bridgetown Agricultural show, Maureen won first and third place for her felt work at the National Alpaca Show, first prize at the Brunswick show for felt and biscotti, as well as demonstrating how to make felt balls with the children and Val and Jane Flower held well attended felt and eco-dyeing workshops at Silk Obsessions at the Margaret River Silk Fair.

Margaret and Jane Field hosted our delicious Christmas lunch at their homes in Bridgetown. Our needle case exchange again demonstrated the wide range of talent with-in the group.

The fantastic floor cushion made by the group for the SSAC Christmas raffle was won by Maria Rodgers, and there was another successful day of sales for 7 members who were selling their work on the BFG stall.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me out this year, in big and small ways, and

remember to check out our Facebook page www.facebook.com/bunburyfelters from time to time over the holiday period. We will be back posting on the Blog in the new year.

I wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year where-ever you are and what ever you are doing, and look forward to an exciting 2015.

Happy Felting,

Sue#2

Christmas Party

Margaret and Jane hosted our Christmas Lunch last Friday at their wonderful homes in Bridgetown. We had a super lunch, with the dishes provided by those who attended.
Our gift exchange this year was needle cases, so we each ended up with a truly unique piece of work, and something practical that we are sure to use regularly.

What do you call a collection of needle cases?

Needle cases made by Colleen and Denise

Needle cases made by Penny and Sue#2

Needle cases made by Kerry and Jean

Needle cases made by Margaret and Ren

Needle cases made by Jane and Julie

Needle cases made by Emma and Kayleen

Pasty bought in two needle cases that she made for this months show and tell.

Sue Seaman's scarves have been dry felted. The scarf on the right has also been dyed with coffee, giving it a wonderfully subtle colour.