365/2013 - Day 317

Second Thursday -- November 2013

Tonight was our Second Thursday meeting and Jan Waller showed us how to make a wet felted 3D "pod".  Jan is so amazing with her easy going teaching methods and the way she makes everything go so smoothly and then things just POP and you've got your piece of felted magic.  It is just incredible (to me, at least) the way Jan can present such a complicated and multi-steps driven project and keep you so occupied and engaged that you hardly realize how much time has gone by and how much real physical work you've put into your project -- all you can see and remember is how fun it was and how all of a sudden you were standing there with your object.  Amazing.

Here are some photos from tonight's session.  I didn't get a chance to photograph everybody separately because there is just so much to do and you need to keep working...but every one of us made a really super item!

I didn't get everyone in the picture (sorry) but in attendance tonight were:  Carla, Julia, Peggy, Joan, Jan, Jane, Leann, Juana, and me.

This project is made of three layers of fibers laid on the top and bottom  of a resist/shape/form and the final layer is where you can add some details.  I was trying to make a sort of animal mask. 

Another view of everyone working:  Jane, Leann, Juana, Carla, Julia, Peggy, Joan.  Not pictured: Jan, Took.

Tonight I was able to actually keep my piece's shape pretty well.  When we worked on the fish last month at Jan's felting workshop in Plymouth I was a bit less consistent.

This is Jan doing the rolling step of the process...the one I can't physically do myself.

Me cutting the hole to pull the resist out.

Ta-daaaa!

And here is my mask after all of the steps.  I still need to shape it a bit and eventually Jan will show me how to make horns, ears, etc. to add to the face.

My piece after I worked with it a little more and pinned it and hung it to dry on the hook on my studio bathroom door.

Another view.

Once again, the very wonderful Jan Waller walked us through the long process of wet felting in a really fun and where-did-the-time-go project.  If you ever get the chance you really ought to attend one of Jan's classes and/or workshops -- under Jan's loving, patient, and fun guidance you won't believe what you can do!

You can easily find Jan's classes and workshops by following her Facebook page.  And  here is a link to Jan's blog "Love. Make. Think.  The musings and makings of Jan Waller, felt artist."

365/2013 - Day 305

a visit to Jan Waller's solo exhibit "Felt Works" in Plymouth

Today I went to see Jan Waller's wonderful solo show "Felt Works" at the Plymouth Community Arts Council in Plymouth.  The show is as lovely as Jan.  It was cool, too, that I saw so many people I know...plus Jan and Mark and their kids Cam and Issie.

Look -- someone purchased my favorite of Jan's pieces -- "School of Thought"!

The front walls of the PCAC feature a fiber arts exhibit from the Running with Scissors group, but I failed to get good shots of them.  

ALSO in the front of the PCAC (just inside the front door and to the right as you enter the building) is a display from Jan's felting workshop on "We Felt United" day.  Terri, Juana and I attended that workshop and we made felted fish.  

my fish

 Make sure to visit Jan's blog Love. Make. Think. if you haven't already!

365/2013 - Day 277

felting and logging in submissions

Today Juana, Terri, and I went to Jan Waller's felting workshop at the Plymouth Community Arts Council.  We made felt fish with Jan as part of "Water", Felt United's international felting event.  Some of the fish were flat and some were 3D and all will be displayed together soon at the center.

It was a delightful group of kids and adults, females and males.  We all had great fun and it was one of those "I-can't-believe-I-just-made-THIS" adventures.

Here are some pics I snapped throughout the session.

yes...I worked with my fish in this upside down position to make myself concentrate more on the laying down of two even layers of felty fiber stuff (one going vertical and one going horizontal)...then I added the color details

Jan checking my progress and giving me a "felting slave" to help with part of the rubbing stage...later I remembered it is the ROLLING stage that I absolutely can't do on my own.

Andrew graciously worked on that end of my fish while I worked on the other...sometimes we overlapped.

This was the next step in the 3D felting process -- flip the fish over and do it again on the other side.

My other side -- dry

My still quite damp 3D fish!

He has a sort of nose and a snaggletooth.

Terri & her fishy.

My guy -- side view.

My guy with some stuffing in him.

Add caption

The group's fishes -- left to dry.

Juana's fish is the red-looking guy in the center bottom row (but he is actually more magenta).

Terri's guy is drying with a support to try to keep his shape -- felt has memory.

Another 3D fish I really loved.

I LOVE his face/eyes/mouth!

Today at 5pm was the deadline for the call for entries I am working on...after the workshop Juana and Terri and I needed to kill a little time before I needed to stop by the NAH to pick up the last of the submissions for the "[small] Works Exhibit".  I am doing the organizing (not the jurying) of this exhibit.  We tried to go to Parmenter's Cider Mill but the line was waaay too long.  We went to Tuscan for coffee and a bite...then went to pick up the entries.

21 entries from Friday and Saturday!

Holy Hannah -- after logging in all of the entry forms it turns out we received 102 entries from 38 artists -- GREAT turn out!  For the rest of the night I will be adding the artwork to the file folder and then tweaking the file names and assigning them numbers to make a slide show for the jury.  I also need to notify the entrants that I received their submissions and that the 3-juror panel will meet on Wednesday...but the initial notifications won't happen until Wednesday afternoon because I feel that they should come from the NAH instead of my personal email.  I will send out the juror results via regular mail on Thursday.  I really LOVE doing this sort of organizing and filing and stuff!

I gave the CDs that arrived in envelopes a jewel case so that I could handle them without getting them scratched, etc.  It is much easier to stack them like this.

The number of entries we received is far beyond what I had anticipated...the jury will really need to be selective...good luck everybody!