some more angels

I managed to finish some more angels today

Tomorrow I will go to some local galleries to find out, if somebody would take them on.

stitching on felt

After finally the darning foot for the sewing machine arrived, I tried out some free motion stitching on felt. I have never done it before so it was quite a challenge and it still looks very wobbly. After doing some samples yesterday

I couldn't resist to do something with a felted leave I made some weeks ago, many of those for the next wallhanging. And I am pleasantly surprised about the effect it makes!

It is still very wobbly and basic, but I like the texture it gives the felt. My mind is spinning with ideas now!!

A big thank you to my daughter Monika Kern for all the good advise for the stitching she gives me. I love her quilts and admire the patience she has to do all this beside of work and 3 boys and a big house and garden. Please check out her blog and you will understand how proud I am.

How to carry on?

Last weekend I went to a 3 day workshop with Lisa Klakulak. I am not allowed to show photos here, but in case somebody doesn't know her work, have a look here

It was a very different working for our Far North Felting group, some of the ladies are in their 70s and 80s and they hadn't seen a calculator for many years nor have they used it. We were working with so less wool (4g the first day!) and it had to be layed out so thin, that it could shrink 94%! I will not explain the whole process, I guess that would also be a breach of the promise. Anyway a lot of rolling was involved, one of our very experienced and well known felters said: What I'd rolled today I haven't rolled in 6 months! It was physically challenging! And for some of the members the understanding was very challenging too. 

Before we all left we could see and feel some of Lisa's work, one word: incredible! Amazing fabric! The time she must have spent on it!

The first day I had a moment where I thought, I'd better don't do any felting anymore, because what I am doing is all wrong and not good enough and I think most of the others had the same feeling.

Don't get me wrong, Lisa is a wonderful person, so patient with us oldies and also very patient with our kiwi jokes. It was wonderful to have her here!

But at the moment I feel a bit everything has turned upside-down. I look at my things and think, what the hell am I doing here? Though I had a big success yesterday - my spring wallhanging is now hanging in the Just Imagine Gallery in Russell, the owner liked it very much and it has a very nice and special place. It is not sold of course, but just to be there in this very exquisite gallery, I feel very good about. When I look back to the co-op where one of the members didn't acknowledge fibrework as art, it is a dramatic change to the positive.

But I look at the wallhanging and I find so many things not good enough now, things which could be done better, I almost feel I should start again, make it less rough!

Well this workshop made me think about my work a lot and where I want to go with, haven't fully figured it out yet. I certainly want to produce better quality and I have to find my own way, because to do it totally her way is just impossible for me.

Well I guess I can at least post a photo just of my samples I ended up with

I haven't done any stitching yet. I didn't take my sewing machine, but in the meantime the freemotion foot arrived and I will start soon. Maybe I can do some stitching on the background felt for the next wallhanging.