Surprised by Fiber

Felting on Television

2011-12-04T07:15:00.002-06:00

I was featured in a local television series, produced by a local Public Television Station, KSMQ. The series is called Off 90, and features cultural stories of SE Minnesota (which Interstate 90 runs through). I demonstrated felting a vessel. My segment is in the middle of the program starting at 9:50 seconds. I hope I represented felting and feltmakers well.

Sogn Valley Craft Fair October 1-2

2011-10-02T07:12:00.003-05:00

I'll be heading out to the 2nd day of the Sogn Valley Craft Fair near Cannon Falls Minnesota. It is an wonderful event held on a farm in the Sogn Valley with lots of artists, food vendors and music. It is a great way to spend an autumn day.

This is my first year with the fair, my first time outdoors with a tent. We are blessed with good weather and a big crowd. I was even interviewed for the Cannon Falls cable station. Please explain what felting is in 30 seconds or less...yikes!

Thanks to my mom for coming with me and being my partner for 2 days, and my dad for spending time with my kids, and my husband for getting the tent and loading his car for me to use.

Pictures later. I promise...

Shepherds Harvest

2011-05-08T14:50:00.006-05:00

Yesterday the Zumbro Valley Fiber Arts Guild traveled up to Lake Elmo, Minnesota for the Annual Shepherds Harvest. I saw some fiber friends I haven't seen for a while and was scolded for not posting on my blog. So I thought I'd post some pictures.

Most recently, I made several vessels for a couple of galleries. I tried some wool that was coarser than merino, and I did some others with resists between layers which I cut after they were felted.

At Shepherds Harvest I did some shopping (of course!). Mostly roving, some silk scarves for nuno, and some embellishments like silk threads. I had much fun visiting with other members of the fiber arts guild.

In October, I will be at the Sugn Valley Craft Fair. More details later. But that will be my motivation to keep on felting even though I have no shows between now and then scheduled.

Women's Expo at the RAC

2011-02-24T08:23:00.004-06:00

These are just a few things I'll have at my booth today at the Women's Expo being held at the RAC. The top photo is a shawl, the others are scarves. I'll also have handbags and vessels. Stop by if you're in the neighborhood.

Last of 2010

2010-12-31T12:39:00.003-06:00

These are a few of my December pieces. I had a small silk scarf that I want to use in something, but I could never figure out what. Finally, I incorporated it into the vessel above.

This vessel was my first commissioned piece, completed in time for Christmas.

The base for this nuno piece was a very sheer silk scarf. I am looking forward to a creative 2011. May you have a blessed and prosperous new year.

Fringe is In

2010-12-06T21:14:00.005-06:00

I had to try some Animal Prints. The first is a nuno handbag. It is on display at Crossings for the Fabrications exhibit.

I tried some new items-handbags and a pillow. I've also made several scarves. Fringe is selling this season. All the scarves below have sold.

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

2010-11-07T13:00:00.004-06:00

I am pleased to announce that I am in the Nov/Dec 2010 issue of Rochester Women magazine. I am featured on page 20 in a one page article by Katherine Shine. The article tells a bit about me, how I started felting and where I am now. There is even a picture of me with some of my pieces. It is pretty exciting to see it in print.

I have made quite a few pieces in the past months, including a couple of handbags. I'll try to get pictures up this week.

In December:
Come see the Fabrications 7 exhibit at Crossings. I will have several things included.
Come to the RAC Artists Day the morning of December 4th, 9:30-12:30. I will have a table there.

I'm also doing some felted soaps, and liquid soap dispensers for our church holiday bazaar, and I promised to help with costumes for the school Christmas concert. It will be a busy time for awhile. But what would Martha say? "That's a good thing."

Worth the Effort

2010-07-23T13:39:00.003-05:00

I just got back from Midwest Felting Symposium in Madison, WI (which is still going on, but I could only stay until today). I met some great people, bought some new goodies, and took a wonderful class taught by Pam MacGregor called Vessels with Attitude. This is what I came home with. I'm already looking forward to the next MFS in 2012.

Here a Scarf, There a Scarf

2010-05-25T21:58:00.000-05:00

OK, I've been on a bit of a scarf kick. My favorite is the one in the first image. It has some silk hankies embellishing it, and some decorative holes at the ends (I felt so daring making holes on purpose-haha).

Last week I visited Ginny's Fine Fabrics. She has the most amazing assortment of silks and other really cool fabrics. This is not your average fabric store. I managed to behave with admirable restraint. My credit card did not burst into flames.

Besides some blue silk (chiffon?), I couldn't resist getting a small piece of a beautiful handpainted mesh fabric from Italy. I felted it onto a black background. I'll put a picture of it in my next post. I might have to go back and get some more of it. I haven't decided.

Until next time....

Shepherds Harvest 2010

2010-05-08T20:38:00.003-05:00

I am totally wiped out. I got up at 5:30 this morning to meet a bus and go with members of the Zumbro River Fiber Arts Guild up to Lake Elmo, Minnesota to the Shepherds Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival . Imagine a County Fairground full of fiber vendors, classes, demonstrations, fiber animal barns and a few thousand (?) happy fiber fanatics. Sound like fun? I spent the morning happily shopping for roving, silk, books and other things absolutely necessary for my survival

Lunch was deep fried walleye chunks. Yes, it was good. I wanted to get the fried pickles, too, but decided to save my money for the important stuff.

After lunch, two of my fiber friends were scheduled to take a nuno felted bracelet class taught by Leslie Granbeck. I wandered over to class with them, and lo-and-behold, there was still a spot open in the class. So I took the class, too. We used beautifully dyed cotton scrim and prefelts for one of the bracelets, and the other bracelt was a collage (mosaic?) design using various fabrics on a prefelt base. A good time was had by all despite it being quite chilly.

We got back to the bus where there was a general show and tell and lots of happy comparing of notes about what we saw and purchased. We all agreed that the bus was an excellent way to go to the festival.

Felted vessels

2010-05-01T16:42:00.008-05:00

These are just a few things I've done in the last couple of months. Most of them are small vessels, done on the kids' inflatable balls. The top photograph is of a vessel I made using a football. I wasn't sure how that would influence the final shape, but after a little manipulation this one decided to become a flower pot.

In July I will be taking Felt Vessels With Attitude from Pamela MacGregor at Midwest Felting Symposium.

Next post...

scarves

May Day

2010-05-01T16:11:00.005-05:00

I had notecards printed from photographs of my fiber art. These are the five images I settled on. I like them because they are abstract and bright.

Other news...

I was invited to display my work in the retail shop of the Northfield Arts Guild. The grand opening of their newly remodeled shop was today.

I brought some new things over to the Bluff Country Artists Gallery in Spring Grove, MN. Several of my large vessels are there, as well as some scarves. I've been doing a lot of scarves lately.

There is always something going on at Crossings in Zumbrota, MN where I also have some things. There are concerts and classes every weekend. Check it out. Jill Lynn will be teaching a nuno scarf class there in June.

Next weekend is the Shepherds Harvest Festival in Lake Elmo, MN. The Zumbro River Fiber Arts Guild is taking a bus up on Saturday so I will get a chance to visit with some friends.

Next post...

pictures of some things I've felted lately.

Happy May Day!

A Good Show

2010-03-30T21:35:00.004-05:00

One of my older scarves, but this one is so bright, it was chosen for some advertisements of the 2010 Artists Clearing House at Crossings in Zumbrota. Happily, it sold.

I bought some pink gauzy cotton fabric and have been using it as a base for several pieces. Here, the color doesn't show, but the cotton is what gives this piece texture.

Here I used some metallic mesh fabric as a base for felting.

For this scarf, I strung some beads onto thin yarn and felted the yarn into the scarf. I was very happy with the results.

For this table scarf I used that pink gauze as a base. The wool is layed on very thinly, though I hesitate to use the term cobweb. It also has some fuzzy and sparkly yarns drizzled across it.

I took these and other pieces to The Artists Clearing House. It has been a good show for me. The the other artists are so much fun to hang around with, and Marie Marvin, the gallery owner, works hard to make it successful for us.

Artists' ClearingHouse

2009-03-30T07:24:00.003-05:00

This weekend was the Artists' Clearinghouse at Crossings. We had great weather; that is to say it was sunny and about 30+ degrees F. Though it started out slow on Saturday morning, we ended up having a lot of traffic come through during the weekend. I did fairly well, selling more scarves than vessels. Thank you to everyone who stopped by!

The thing that surprised me is how many people knew what felting was. Last year it seemed I had to explain it to everyone, but this year, I could hear all the little conversations between people that indicated they had at least a general idea of what it was.

Two of the other artists were friends that had taken my felted vessel class in January: Amy Giannini makes beautiful jewelry, and Stacy Drenckhahn makes fine silver items, raku pottery, and other very creative things. Leisa Luis-Grill had several of her paintings and jewelry in the show. Loretta M. Verbout had photographs, matted and made up as cards. and Becky Jokela had her pastels there, with lots of local scenes. We had a fine time cutting up, laughing and eating when the traffic slowed.

I tried to get a sense of what people were actually buying. Some of the people bought my scarves to use on the wall or table, so I might try making some intended for that purpose. And I think I am ready to try using more prefelts (partial felts, needle felted batts).

No pictures this time as I forgot the camera again. I suppose I could have taken one using my phone, but it never occured to me, and I would have to figure out how to download the pictures onto the computer.
This week the kids are on spring break, so I'll either get a lot of felting done or none at all. We'll see how it goes.
Happy Spring!

March Felting Madness

2009-03-25T14:06:00.005-05:00

Before I forget to post the pictures from the Scarf Bonanza Class, here they are.
From top to bottom:
The Boa Boa scarf,
my own leftover fiber scarf,
Airey Fairy scarf
and last, the Bark Scarf.
It was fun learning the dyeing techniques, although I doubt I will ever do much of that.
Chad Alice Hagen is a great teacher, and I am "the greatest felting student ever." If you want proof, I'll show you where Chad autographed my copy of Fabulous Felted Scarves. Haha. Chad is a very fun lady, and it is always fun to meet other felters. You have to watch out for those wild ladies from Iowa though (you know who you are!) Chad will be at the Midwest Felting Symposium in Madison Wisconsin this summer.

This weekend is the Artists' Clearinghouse at Crossings in Zumbrota, MN. I will be there with several other artists and there will be lots of good deals. Come and tell me you read my blog, and I'll give you a hug.

Three scarves, Three days

2009-03-14T06:18:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was the first day of Chad Alice Hagen's Scarf Bonanza workshop. Sponsored by the Weaver's Guild of Minnesota, it is being held at the Textile Center in Minneapolis. Chad is a great teacher and will also be at the Midwest Felting Symposium this summer if you want to take a workshop from her.
The first scarf we made the Airy Fairy Scarf. I will take photos and post them soon (promises, promises!). She gave us some of her own hand dyed fiber to choose from, and everyone's scarf came out nicely. She gave us lots of ideas for variations on the scarf, too. Today we will be doing some dying. Come back soon, and check for pictures.

Class coming up

2009-03-03T12:20:00.006-06:00

No, I did not really fall off the edge of the earth. I'm just having a hard time getting any felting done. But deadlines are a good thing. On Saturday I am teaching a needle felting class at Crossings. It's just a basic class, but I need to get supplies ready and an outline, and samples. Looking for samples and fiber got me digging through my stash, and everyone knows that when you do that you find things you forgot you had, and projects you didn't finish. Somewhere in all of that I found fresh motivation to get going again. Here is some of that motivation:

This is some colorful wool from The Fiber Studio. Looking into my crystal ball, I see some bright, colorful scarves in my future. What is in your felting future?

A Time to Felt

2009-02-02T10:43:00.005-06:00

Is there ever time to felt? I seemed to have been consumed by non-felting projects lately, not to mention that life moves at the speed of light with all the children's activities. But, we did get our camera back, so here are pictures of the very few things I got done in January.

A felted merino scarf with a little bit of silk and some wool curls at the ends.

A felted hat that my friend helped me make using Navajo-Churro wool. My daughters are coveting this "cowgirl" hat.

A small felted vessel I made while teaching Basic 3-Dimensional Wet-felting.
I was happy that the class went well. Everyone seemed to have a good time and they were very patient with me. It was my first time teaching adults. There were 12 fun ladies in the class.

Next time...pictures of the wool purchased from The Fiber Studio. I am ready to make some scarves.

Felting back in the groove

2009-01-11T14:56:00.003-06:00

I finally made my first felt of the year. It felt good to get back to felting, and I even didn't have to buy anything new to get it done. I used some merino roving from The Fiber Studio that I've had for a while. The colors are all greens fading from a yellow green to a darker blue green. I am always pleased when I use wool that gradually changes from one color to another. I made a scarf with it, embellished by added swirls and circles, a little silk and some curls of wool. You'll just have to use your imagination because my camera has not returned from getting repaired yet. As soon as it comes back I will be snapping some pictures.

Other news:
The schedule for The Midwest Felting Symposium is supposed to be posted soon.
Shalana, The Funky Felter , sent me the felted necklace I won in a contest. It's very pretty, and casual, which works well for me.

That's all for today.

January felting plans

2009-01-03T17:25:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year. I am back from holiday travels, the kids start back to school Monday, and I am suffering from a serious lack of felting. I couldn't do any actual felting today, but I spent some time trying to plan out some goals for 2009, and I looked at the calendar to get a feel for what is coming up.

January 24th I am teaching Basic 3D wet felting at Crossings in Zumbrota.
January 22, I am getting together with another Minnesota feltmaker for a day of felting fun. Feltmaking for me is usually a solitary occupation, so I am looking foward to working with someone for a change. This young lady makes hats using Churro-Navaho wool.
February 7th I am taking a class by Jill Lynn at The Fiber Studio in Minneapolis called Fusion Collage Scarf.
March13-15 I am taking a scarf workshop by Chad Alice Hagen.

Speaking of Ms. Hagen, the grapevine has it that she will be teaching at the Midwest Felting Symposium in July. Jean Hicks is also said to be teaching there. I can't wait until the schedule is posted.

Our camera started giving us a memory card error of some sort, so it has been sent off for a repair. I hope it comes back soon. Blogging without pictures, even my poor ones, is not nearly as much fun for you readers. And my sitemeter tells me that people have been stopping by from all over the globe. Hello to all of you! I hope you enjoy yourself when you stop by here. Please feel free to comment. It is fun for me to hear from you.

My goals for the week are:

prepare for the class I'm teaching
finish needle felting a bowl I've started
make one scarf using the ultra fine merino I ordered before Christmas

I won a contest!

2008-12-22T08:22:00.003-06:00

What fun! Sydnei Moore of Simply Sentimental hosted a contest. The prize was a felted necklace created by Shalana, The Funky Felter. I was the randomly chosen winner. What a nice unexpected surprise.

Just a Little Something

2008-12-18T11:18:00.005-06:00

I felted a table runner a while back, using lots of different yarns drizzled all over and a little roving to hold it all together. I had note cards made of this close up picture. Below you can see the whole piece on my table. I'd like to do another one like this.

Company is coming in a few days, and I must get ready. This might be my last posting of the year, but I'll see you in January, and, meanwhile, I'll be reading all your blogs. May God bless all of you in 2009.

A Felter's Goals

2008-12-11T13:38:00.006-06:00

I've been in sort of a funk this week. I haven't done any felting at all. For show and tell, I have a vessel I finished a few weeks ago. I don't think I posted it before.

This week I've been thinking about:

how to better market my work

how to improve my work

what do I want to accomplish in the long run

One of my long term goals is to study under as many good felt makers as possible. So toward that goal, I am taking a workshop in March done by Chad Alice Hagen. She will be teaching Handfelted Scarf Bonanza, a workshop sponsored by the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. Here is the description from their website.

Hand Felted Scarf Bonanza with Chad Alice Hagen

It's fun, instructive, enlightening, creative, and useful! Join us for a full three days of making three very different hand felted scarves. You will learn to hand dye merino fleece, layout and hand felt the famous Airy Fairy Scarf. Then experience using very fine Australian needle punch batts to make the ultra fabulous Bubble Boa Scarf, and last but not at all least - dye, stitch and overdye the incredibly artistic Bark Scarf using the Japanese Mokume resist process.

793 Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, March 13, 14, 15: 9:00am-4:00pm Level: MultiTuition: $345/$285 members Materials Fee: $35 Dye Lab Fee: $45

Another opportunity in 2009 is the Midwest Felting Symposium. I am eagerly waiting to see the class and instructor list. Also, Pat Spark will be teaching in Iowa in June at the Midwest Weavers Conference.

Another of my goals has to do with proficiency. I want to be able to make a wider variety of felted items very well, and to become familiar with using different types of wool and other fibers. I am still a "young" felt maker, and I know I can learn a lot from those with experience.

So here is a challenge for you. Name one goal you have and what action you will take to achieve that goal in 2009. Be brave. Send it to the comments section so we can all encourage you.

Now here is a picture of the cutest little Santa ever seen:

Show shots and Fabrications

2008-12-08T09:40:00.008-06:00

Show shots from the RAC Artists' Morning.

Well, here it is. Scarves were displayed on one table. Vessels and other things went on another table. I'm sure I have a lot to learn about display and merchandising, but it seemed to look nice. I sold only a few things, but it wasn't expensive to participate and fun to boot. I met a weaver named Connie Simonson. She creates beautiful handbags, table runners, and other items with great texture and color. Connie does custom work through her Etsy shop Illoominations.

After lunch, it was off to Crossings for the Fabrications Artists' Reception. This is the 3rd year I've participated in the show. Several other felters also participated, doing all types of felt making including needle felted pins and brooches, needle felted hair barrettes, scarves with needle felted sheep as a design, needle felted animal sculptures. Wet felted items included hats made of Navajo-Churro wool, jewelry, and some crochet-and-fulled vessels. The show also included other fun fibery things: weaving, hand-spun yarn, knitted items, jewelry, and a dress that looked like it was made of paper money. I'm sure I'm forgetting something worth mentioning, so you'll just have to check it out yourself if you are in southeast Minnesota.

After that it was back to real life. The whole weekend seemed to be a crazy word problem series from some nightmare SAT test.

"If Renee has to be somewhere by 8am, and her husband must drive Child #2 to choir practice at 9am, how many of the other five children must he take with him while he does speed-Christmas shopping before picking up Child #2 one hour later and dropping Child #4 off at a friend's house?"

"And if DH must be at church by 4:30 pm, and neither Renee or Child #2 is due home until 5pm, can Child #3 babysit Children #5-6 until Renee completes her obligations and picks up Child #4 from her play date?"

"And, by the way, where is Child #1? He left Friday to go winter camping somewhere with his Boy Scout troop. If they drove north for 2 hours going 60 miles per hour, then we hope they had heated cabins wherever they were going, 'cause it's pretty doggoned cold outside."

Thought for the day: Step back from the busyness of life. Remember that the Creator of the Universe created you and loves you. He will give you all you need. Rely on Him, instead of your own strength.

Fabrications Exhibit

2008-12-01T21:35:00.013-06:00

I knew Crossings was going to use a picture of one of my scarves on the publicity post card for the Fabrications exhibit. But, wow! I wasn't expecting it to cover the whole postcard. Isn't it cool? The exhibit runs through December. Come and see!

This week is like finals week for me. Everything is due on Saturday. In the morning, I'll be at at a show sponsored by the Rochester Athletic Club. Saturday afternoon I'll be at Crossings for the Fabrications Artists' Reception. I'm praying I stay healthy and that the weather is clear.

A lot of little details need attending to before the morning show, such as attaching price tags, figuring out display details, packing things up to transport. I don't do shows regularly so I'll be making a list and checking it twice.

We traveled over Thanksgiving. I knitted a scarf on the 12 hour drive there. Then I made an "emergency" yarn run to the local Hobby Lobby, so I'd have something to knit on the way home. I bought some inexpensive bamboo yarn, just to see how it knitted up. The yarn was soft and nice to work with. Daughter #1 bought some blue tinsel-like yarn and knitted her own scarf on the drive home.

I've been experimenting during the last couple of weeks with "restyling" scarves. I purchased some plain scarves and embellished them using my Janome Xpression. Some people call this a needle felting machine. Others call it a machine embellisher. Here are the results.

The Adventures of Felt Girl

2008-11-20T14:56:00.005-06:00

I've been struggling to get any felting done lately. Lots of things going on with the family...2 children had birthday parties, our church choir had an event, school conferences (x5), being a superhero...

What? You didn't know I was a superhero? I got my secret identity just today. I am..."FELT GIRL", and I have a trusty sidekick, Lava Girl (my 4 year-old red-headed daughter). Lava girl "turns into lava with her head on top of it." Felt Girl, "makes felt and ties people up with them." Not a bad super power.

Since we last saw Felt Girl, she managed to finish some felted vessels and even felted a scarf, er, a shawl, or, um, maybe it's a table topper. It turned out kinda big, but it's pretty.

This one will be on display at Crossings during the month of December.

Just a simple one in Purple and Gold. I like how the gold migrates through the purple when it is felted.

This one reminds me of winter.

My attempt at an original motif.

My extra large Christmas scarf. The snowflakes are trapped between two layers of mesh. The mesh is trapped between superfine merino.

Oops, Lava Girl needs my help. Tune in next time for the adventures of ...duhn duhn duhn...Felt Girl and Lava Girl.

Laminated-imbedded-hybrid-nuno felted scarves

2008-11-03T16:41:00.009-06:00

There is an interesting discussion on the Feltmakers List about the terminology used to indicate felt made from wool and other cloth. The term nuno is very common here in the United States, but can be confused with the Japanese company Nuno and its products. Laminated is used but doesn't really imply how the wool really intertwines with the cloth instead of just laying on top of it. The word imbedded covers that but, in my opinion, doesn't really give a good visual for the final product. Hybrid is another term used by some.
I think the problem with the terminology is that the words don't sound nearly as beautiful as the real thing. Who wants to wear an "imbedded felt scarf" or a "hybrid felt scarf"? It just doesn't sound beautiful and elegant and soft and colorful. Of the four words, I like nuno the best, because I don't have another competing definition for it.

Well, no one likes blog entries with no pictures, so here are some scarves I felted using wool and silk. Call them what you please.

My favorite. If I could name it, this one would be "A River Runs Through It."

I love the colors of this silk. I used a simple design, similar to the one I did in Kris Post's class at The Fiber Studio.

And this is the one I did in class. You might remember it from a previous post. I did press the scarf since that first picture, so maybe it looks a bit better here.

And finally, this is the first one I did at home after taking the class. I used a purple and orange scarf purchased from a second hand store. Not my favorite, but for someone who likes purple and orange together, it makes quite a statement.

Photographing scarves is quite an undertaking, especially scarves that don't even lay flat, like nuno...er...like these scarves. Someday, I'll get one of those dress form thingys and drape my scarves elegantly around it to take well lighted, thoughtfully composed photographs. Someday....

Scarves and vessels

2008-10-23T21:47:00.006-05:00

Just some things I've felted lately.

Mocha scarf. So named because I've already spilled coffee on it. I'll probably keep this one. Machine needle felted.

Nuno scarf on silk, made in class last weekend.

Nuno scarf made with Optim and mesh.

Nuno scarf made with lace.

Seaweed scarf

And some vessels.

This picture was taken on a cloudy day with no flash. The color is really washed out.

Large vessel with silk cap cut into pieces.

Ode to the Red Hat Society.

An example of why you should never give up on a piece. This thing sat on my shelf for months. I was never happy with it and couldn't figure out what to do with it. Finally I needle felted the surface with swirls and reshaped it into a square vessel. I like it much much more.

Something sort of Christmas-y.

That's all. I don't have much to say right now. Just wanted to catch up on pictures.

Have a great weekend.

The Great Felting Escape

2008-10-20T22:07:00.005-05:00

Saturday was a great day. I escaped to Minneapolis by myself for a nuno scarf class at The Fiber Studio. I'll post a picture of my scarf as soon as I can. Kris Post gave a wonderful class, all very comfortable and relaxed. It was very much like hanging out with old friends for the afternoon.
Of course, I loaded up on supplies while I was there. I bought a few extra silk scarves so I can make a few more nuno style, some merino top, and some Harrisville fleece in several colors. And before I went to class, I stopped at Needlework Unlimited Outlet, conveniently located only a few miles from The Fiber Studio. All the yarn at this outlet is at least 50% off, so, of course, I had to load up. In my defense, I used one of the yarns in my nuno scarf class, and I used some more today as a needle felted embellishment to one of my large vessels.
I came back charged with energy, so Sunday, I felted three small vessels and some Christmas balls. In the evening, I helped Child #1 finish a machine needle felted scarf he'd started. He did a good job on it, and wants to sell it.
Today I made two scarves. One has lace and merino/silk, and for the other I used some of the superfine white Optim merino with some gold mesh fabric.
Pictures later. I seem to be having a hard time getting those photos taken. The best time is when Child #6 is napping, but that is the best time to do many other things, as well. Today Child #5 got sick at school, so I had to turn around and go back almost immediately after dropping her off. She'd been unusually whiny, so I should have known something was up. In addition, DH had to leave unexpectedly on a business trip, so I had some extra chauffeuring to do today that he usually takes care of. It was a busy day, and sometimes these unusual turn of events throw me for a loop. I must still be psyched up from the weekend, because today I just rode the wave and enjoyed the ride.

Nuno Scarf class

2008-10-18T07:54:00.004-05:00

Today's the day! I'm going up to Minneapolis for a nuno (laminated) scarf class at The Fiber Studio. Kris Post is the instructor. I believe I met her at the Midwest Felting Symposium. I am looking forward to it. Though I've tried nuno on my own once or twice, I have felt unsure about it. I will be happy to have some instruction.

This past week I did some finishing work (beading, needle felting) on some vessels, and started some scarves. As usual I am trying to be organized, plan out what needs to be done and finish things before I start new ones.

No pictures this time, but if my nuno scarf comes out well, I'll post it.

Happy Saturday!

Tag, I'm it

2008-10-10T17:00:00.003-05:00

Suzanne Higgs tagged me so I'm it.

The Rules:
Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random and some weird.
Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Enjoy! You've been tagged!

It didn't take as long as I thought to think of 7 things I'm comfortable sharing about myself publicly.

I love living out in the country.

My favorite habitat is the prairie.

In my other life, I was a botanist, and occasionally, still am.

I'd love to go to Rome and see the Vatican and the Pope

When my last child graduates from high school, I'll be 60 years old.

My favorite song is "MomSense" by Anita Renfro, and I sing it in the car very loudly, even if the kids are with me. I have to watch my speed while doing this, as it is easy to get carried away...

I'd love to live in Virginia.

I don't know 7 bloggers well enough to send this to them, so I'll pass on that part.

TaDa!

Basic Three Dimensional Wet-Felting

2008-10-09T06:38:00.001-05:00

I'm teaching in January at Crossings in Zumbrota, Minnesota. The title is Basic Three Dimensional Wet-Felting. I'm excited, but suddenly nervous, after seeing my name right there on the Internet. Yikes! Anyone out there in southeast Minnesota, come check it out. We'll have a lot of fun, I promise.
I'll also have some felted vessels on display for the Holiday Open House at Crossings the weekend before Thanksgiving. I'll post the link when it is there.
This week I've been working on scarves. Michael's had a sale on Paton's Pooch yarn for $1.99 per skein so I loaded up. Pooch is one of those yarns that lends itself to felting projects. It has texture like popcorn. Anyway, I had to justify spending $xx on yarn, so I incorporated it into a few scarves. My daughter named one of them the Seaweed Scarf, and another the Puppydog Scarf.
Meanwhile, Child #6 turned 2 years old yesterday. We had a Coldstone ice cream cake. That is the third birthday in our house in the last 10 days. That's a lot of Coldstone ice cream cake, so I will have to work out today. Not something I really enjoy, so I'll really have to exercise my self-discipline as well.
Have a great day!

Satisfaction

2008-10-04T20:46:00.000-05:00

I said I'd be satisfied if I tried out some scarf ideas and felted two vessels that I'd started. I actually got it done. I love love love Frabjous Fibers Multicolored Merino Top, seen in colorway Moulin Rouge on the scarf with the ribbons. I found Frabjous when I got the chance to go to Susan's Fiber Shop in Wisconsin last August (Hi Susan!). The rainbow colored merino on the first scarf pictured, is some I got quite a while ago from The Fiber Studio in Minneapolis (Hi Pam!) I am a sucker for those multicolored fibers.

Below are the two bowls I wet felted yesterday. I am undecided about them. They are telling me they are not finished. Since I plan to donate them to Channel One's Empty Bowls Fundraiser, I'd like them to stay more or less bowl shaped. So I will keep working on them.

Today I made some updates on the blog settings, and thought about possibilities for needle felting classes I could teach. I also came across an awesome Etsy shop by an artist who calls herself Deebs. She does some incredible needle felted art. I wish she'd come and teach.

I didn't get any actual felting done today. Too much going on here with kids and their friends. We are totally enjoying these autumn days. We've had sunny skies and cool temperatures. The trees are usually in peak color around this time, but this year I think it will peak a bit later. Any of you keeping track of that sort of thing? This is the part of fall I love, but I always feel a bit sad (or SAD) knowing that before too long, the weather will turn rainy and colder. When that happens, I'll just have to cheer myself up by making felt.

Wet Felted Vessels

2008-09-27T15:47:00.000-05:00

I've been asked to teach again. (Yay!) This time it will be wet felted vessels for adults. Here are a few samples. These were made on 5-7" inflatable balls. I've started experimenting with shaping these small vessels instead of leaving them round.
The proprietor asked if I could come up with a more catchy name for the class, and I agree"wet felted vessels" doesn't sound all that glamorous. Ideas anyone? I googled, and almost everyone lists similar classes as "wet felted vessels" or something very close.
I am trying to stay productive. Two more vessels are laid out ready for felting, and I'll also try out some scarf ideas that have been simmering in my head for some time. If I accomplish that this week, I'll be pleased.

Making felt while the sun shines

2008-09-17T19:06:00.000-05:00

I'm taking advantage of good weather, healthy children, and a strange abundance of energy to get things done. Channel One, the local food bank, will be having a fundraiser in October called Empty Bowls. Artists donate hand crafted bowls, which are auctioned, sold, or given to people attending a soup supper. Here is one bowl I will donate.

I also finished 2 scarves. I would call them laminated scarves, I think. I knit the scarves in a very loose stitch on large needles. These I used as the base for wet felting. One is done in a window style, with patches of knitting left uncovered by the layers of wool. The other is felted into a solid layer of merino/silk. The pictures are quick and dirty, but the scarves came out well.

If everything keeps running so smoothly, I will be able to get a lot of work done.

I was also asked if I wanted to teach an adult felting class (vessels again). So I need to put together a proposal quickly, and make up some samples.

Happy Felting everyone!

Some Felting Pictures

2008-09-13T10:51:00.001-05:00

I am busily getting ready for Fabrications V at Crossings in Zumbrota (December) and also for a little art/craft show that is put on at the Rochester Athletic Club in December. Here are some of the things I've made lately. I've really enjoyed working with some new fibers, especially some multicolored merino top from Frabjous Fibers.

Here is a really beautiful scarf in colorway Tango. It also has a little silk embellishment. This one would make a nice warm coat scarf.

This second scarf is also in Tango with silk embellishment. It is very thin and lightweight, maybe a nice little accent scarf with a blouse.

This scarf in whites, is another of my romantic series that has lace embedded into it along with various yarns, all bound together with some white merino/silk blend.

For this scarf, I used Optim white merino---ultra fine! It has a sparkly white yarn running through it, with just a touch of color to embellish it.

I am really pleased with this vessel. The outside is a multicolored silk cap. Just underneath is a sparkling layer of Angelina. Blue and purple layers of wool make up the body.

More functional items--these can be potholders or trivets or table toppers.

I was playing around with needle felting and came up with these flowers. I haven't decided quite how to use them. They'd make pretty pins, or embellishments for other pieces.

And a few more vessels.

This one is extra tiny. It started out as a round scrap-the leftover top from cutting open a small vessel. I steamed it and shaped around the smallest cup I could find. It would make a cute ring holder. It is about 2 inches tall.

Here is the last picture. This vessel has been sitting around for awhile, waiting for inspiration to strike for its final form. I steamed it and started stretching it, and it decided it wanted to be square instead of round. I like it much better this way.

So there you have it. More pictures and less blathering, as promised!

A little felting here and there

2008-09-01T20:14:00.001-05:00

I've managed to sandwich some felting in between all the activity of Children #1-5 starting school and Child #6 discovering that crayons can write on just about anything. I'm trying to stay organized, both in the home-management arena, and in the art arena. Specifically, I'm trying to stay organized enough to have time to get some felting done. Oddly, I seem to find time on the weekend when everyone is around. It might have something to do with DH being home to help with child management.
Today, I tried a cobweb scarf using Frabjous merino top in Tango, adding a little silk to it. It has nice blues and greens with a little pink here and there. It came out nicely, and is a smaller size, perhaps to wear with a blouse. I've never been a scarf person myself, but I do like making them. Maybe I'll learn to carry off the style, if I make enough of them. Same for hats.
Another item I tried lately was felted buttons. First I made some prefelts (partial felts), then needle felted them around a large cheap button, then wet felted to finish. Come to think of it, there is picture of the first button I made in a past post with my mini-handbag. It can be attached to an item by sewing through the holes in the button, even though the holes are covered with felt.
I also tried using button forms, the kind you buy at the fabric store, which are intended to be covered with fabric. I made some thin felt (not prefelt), and covered the little metal "blank" with it. It does look nice. There is a shank on the back, rather than holes.
I've seen buttons online that I believe are made entirely out of wool, rather than having a form inside. I might try that, too.
Earlier in the week, I made a pot holder with leaves on it. First, I needle felted the leaves to a soft stage, like a prefelt. Then layed them out with the wool, and wet felted the whole thing together. The leaf shapes shrunk a little too much for my taste. I should have made them bigger to start with. I used a stencil of a leaf to get the shape, and it was not very large. I looked for some large leaf shaped cookie cutters, and stencils to use as templates, but haven't found any I like.
I've started a vessel, which has silk cap on the outside, and Angelina trapped between the cap and the layers of wool. It is very sparkly, but I need to finish shaping it.
I have a list of things I want to complete in the next month or two. I plan to participate in a small show in December, as well as the Fabrications exhibit at Crossings in December. I'd also like to make some bowls to donate to Channel One's Empty Bowls fundraiser next month, and I'm toying with the idea felting over a chair for the Chair Affair fundraiser in February to benefit the Boys and Girls Club. There is also a Pursenality fundraiser to benefit Breast Cancer research that I could make a felt purse for.
If I could manage to be more productive, I'd consider joining SEMVA, which is a co-op for artists. Exhibiting artists pay for their space, so I'd have to justify that expense by making and selling enough items to pay for the space. And since "work" takes a backseat to being chauffeur, nurse, cook, laundress, wife, and mom, I haven't been able to maintain productivity consistently. Having an Etsy shop is another idea I'm toying with.
In the meantime, I am signing up for a nuno scarf class at The Fiber Studio in St. Paul (Minneapolis?) that will be taught by Judy McDowell of Misty Meadow Icelandics. And that reminds me that I also tried to make a nuno shawl using a wrap I bought second hand. It came out OK, but I'm not sure I'm satisfied with it. I've read so many instructions on line and in books on making laminated felt (nuno), but there is nothing like having an instructor to answer questions. How much (little) fiber works best? How long do you roll it (or do you rub it first)? When is it done? Is it fulled enough? I had all those questions PLUS the wrap I used bled black dye like nobody's business, and was too big for the bamboo shade, bubble wrap and muslin I have. The polyester sheeting I ended up using was soooooo slippery!
I promise more pictures and less blathering in my next post.

A Felted Scarf

2008-08-08T22:02:00.000-05:00

I've been felting a lot this week, trying out different techniques. This scarf came out really well. It is a mixture of white, off-white and some gold metalic. The texture is very romantic feeling and lacy.

I've also been fooling around with needle felting. My kids loved the bear, of course.

And I've been experimenting with inlaying different fibers in felt. These might become wrist cuffs, or they might just end up as book marks. It was a good week.

My Mini-Handbag

2008-08-08T15:35:00.001-05:00

I thought it was time for some pictures. Here is the little handbag I made in Lisa Klakulak's workshop at Midwest Felting Symposium.

Structurally, it came out well. The handles are firmly attached, and the felt is strong.

I like the flower on the front, but the cord is a little on on the long side. I got a little carried away, learning how to join 2 lengths of cord together, and I didn't stop to think what length would look best.

Here it is opened up. The flap also has a pocket, created by a "design opportunity" that came up when I realized the flap would be twice as long as the handbag if I cut it the way I intended. The discolorations are actually partial felts that were supposed to come out a little more vividly.

It needs a closure. Here, I am trying out a felt button I made. It is quite large in scale with the small bag, but since the handle is so doggone long, it just might work.
Here is a bad closeup of the button. I'd take a better picture, but I already put the camera away. I can see I need more light in my photos. Photography is not something that comes easy to me. I am too impatient to set up properly, use a tripod, work on the lighting. Maybe that has something to do with having six little studio assistants running around asking for snacks. Ah well, school is a mere 19 days away.

A Time to Rest

2008-07-29T09:26:00.000-05:00

Wow. It's been a pretty intense time, and I'm ready for a break. Textile camp wrapped up last Friday.
Here is the project I did with 26 kids in textile camp. I gave each child a small inflatable ball, about 5 inches in diameter. They wrapped their ball in 3 layers of wool (Harrisville fleece). I had prepared the wool beforehand by separating the batts into managable strips of wool. Each layer used about 4 strips to cover completely. The last layer took the most wool, since it had to cover the ball and 2 layers of wool. Finally, they wrapped novelty yarn around the outside of the wool in a random fashion. This was decorative and helped hold the wool in place when covering the whole thing with nylons.
On another day, we wet-felted the covered balls. The kids did well, but I discovered how hard it is to keep them moving when they've decided they're tired of rolling! I told them that they'd just have a ball of fluff if they didn't get the felt nice and hard. What I didn't tell them was that I was going to tumble all the balls in the dryer. This was partly to harden them up a bit more, but mostly because I wanted them as dry as possible when I cut them open to remove the ball. I did that part myself, at home, because I don't have enough scissors for the kids to do it themselves. Plus, to be honest, I didn't want them to puncture the balls I used. They were hard to find in that size and I want to be able to use them again!
I presented them their bowls on Friday, making sort of a big deal about it. They had the option of adjusting the cut edge, adding some beads, or other embellishment. Since some of the kids chose not to add anything, I gave them the option of making some simple beads, and demonstrated jelly roll beads to them.
When the evaluations come in, I'll have a better idea how camp went. It seemed to vary from group to group, which were divided by age. And, alas, I have no pictures because I was just too busy with the kids to stop and take pictures of them. But the bowls all came out well, and I think the kids can be proud of what they made.
This was my first time teaching, and overall, I think it went well. I would do it again. It occured to me, about mid-week, that the kids learn a lot more than a textile skill. They have to learn perserverence, patience, kindness, self-control, etc., etc. So camp is a good experience for them for more than one reason.
Right after camp finished on Friday, I left for the Midwest Felting Symposium in Madison, WI. Susan McFarland, of Susan's Fiber Shop does an amazing job of bringing together teachers, vendors, and felters from everywhere. It is a great opportunity to meet and take workshops from some of the most well-known felt makers in the country, and a few from other parts of the world as well.
Lisa Klakulak (kla-KOO'-lak) from Ashville, NC gave a good workshop on making a 3-D handbag (one with a flat bottom and side gussets) using a 2-D resist. Among the techniques we learned was making good strong cord for the handles, grafting cord together for longer handles, and attaching the handles so that the finished product was one solid piece of felt.
The tricky part for me was figuring out the placement of the cuts, in order to make the flap and gussets. But I really liked the workshop and am letting my brain ruminate on what we learned. I'd like to apply the techniques to some vessels.
The other great thing about MFS was meeting some of the wonderful people that I had only met online. Hi, ladies! You know who you are!!! There was quite a contingent from Minnesota there, and several of us took the handbag workshop with Lisa.
Of course, it was "intoxicating" as someone put it, to wander through the vendor booths. Lots of books, and tools, and beads, and buttons, and silk, and yarn, and wool in just about any form you can think of.
And, every year, there is a wonderful gallery of work brought in by participants. The diversity and craftmanship is something to behold.
Sunday night, when I got back home, I couldn't sleep, so finally, I got up and started writing down all the ideas that kept popping into my head. I have lots of new things to try out now. But first, I need a little break.

Midsummer

2008-07-22T20:22:00.000-05:00

Goodness, it's been a long time since I've posted.
Now, I am in the midst of teaching at the week-long textile camp. On our first day I taught the basics of felting. We did beads, so the kids could get the feel for working with the wool and see how it changes when you add water, soap, and aggitation. Today, we started on some small bowls, done on inflatable balls. We "dressed" the balls in 3 layers of wool added decorative yarn, then covered them with 2 layers of nylons. Thursday we'll do the wet felting, and Friday we'll do the finishing touches.
Friday, after camp, I leave for the Midwest Felting Symposium in Madison, Wisconsin. Lisa Klakulak is teaching a two-day workshop called: Felting Three-Dimensional Mini-Handbags. I know it will be fun.

A Variety of Felting Projects

2008-05-30T13:23:00.001-05:00

This post will be mostly pictures. DH has been out of town, and I've been doing the single parent thing all week. God Bless You who are single parents all the time! Anyway, I am a bit sleep deprived, as I don't sleep well when he's gone. Also, had a terrific thunderstorm last night .

I've been working on a variety of projects. I made up the scarf from Tammy Deck's Tree Bark Scarf kit. I think it came out nicely, but I'll give credit to Tammy and her color choices. I made another scarf in blue and white, in my own design. My counter top is just long enough to lay out a scarf.

I experimented with geodes a few weeks ago, and finally put some of the slices into a piece I'll call Cosmos.

I'm in the process of adding beads. The base is made from a black merino batt that I had made into a prefelt using my Janome Xpression. The embellisher did a good job making the prefelt, but for this project the prefelted background made it harder to get the motifs to felt securely on. I resorted to drying it out, then needlefelting the motifs on, then finished wet felting. Then, I needlefelted over the tops of the motifs to brighten up the colors, which seemed to lose their brilliance. The black lost a LOT of color while I was wet felting, and I think it dulled out the other colors. The tails of the "comets" are multicolored merino top.

Did I say this post would be mostly pictures and that I was too tired to write? Haha.

Here are the rest of the pictures without comments.

Felting with the Artfelt kit

2008-04-30T20:50:00.000-05:00

I tried the Artfelt kit from Skacel. I made 2 different designs. The first used a background of the regular roving with designs made of pencil roving layered on top of that. It's pretty abstract. For the second piece, I wove the pencil roving. Let's just say, I'm probably not a natural weaver. By the end of the piece, my rows were tighter and narrower than at the top. I'll probably cut these pieces up and use them in other work.
My humble opinion of the kit? Well, since you asked...
I felted the pieces using the Artfelt kit instructions, and that seemed to work as described. The pieces felted in 15-30 minutes, but it is a soft felt. If I planned on using the felt for anything, I'd harden it for sure.
After having used the kit once, I think I prefer to roll my felt by hand, rather than use the dryer method. I was a little nervous about the pieces getting scrunched up in their nylon tubes (read the instructions for that). Tacking the roving down to the paper might give the advantage of keeping the designs from moving around.
The instructional DVD was a slide show, rather than actual moving video. That seemed a bit cheap to me. It has a few ideas of what to make, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Anyone who is already familiar with making felt probably would not want to bother with the kit. But it might be enjoyable for people who haven't done felting and want to give it a try.

The Zitron roving included in the kit is very pretty. The kits come in different color choices. You can buy the roving separately. You can also buy the special paper separately. The unique thing about the paper is that it is water soluble, but only with boiling water, unlike many water soluble interfacings and stabilizers. I haven't researched such products, but I would imagine that other brands of this type of stabilizer are available.

Bluff Country Art Tour

2008-04-27T15:48:00.000-05:00

The wind howled all night, and I woke up to see a bit of snow on the ground. I don't want to be one of those people who complain about the weather, but it's almost MAY! Even the children look out at the snow, and their shoulders slump so you know it's been a long winter. A gentle warm breeze would be just delightful. I'll take two of those, please, with some extra sunshine.

But the day shaped up very nicely. I arrived at the Bluff Country Artists' Gallery at 10am, and it was already buzzing. My felted and fulled pieces were displayed in a cozy area with other fiber art, including some hand dyed (painted?) silk scarves and men's ties, some handbags, and some nuno scarves.

I had brought some additional pieces with me, so I set those out as well, and made myself comfortable adding some beads to one of my pieces and needlefelting a small bowl as a means of demonstrating one aspect of felting.

The BCAG board took very good care of the artists who were there. They provided us with sandwiches, coffee, cookies, cheese and crackers, fruit, and punch, and, of course, homemade bars.

I sold only one thing, but I left feeling very good. I think I'm a compliment junky. I received many good comments, and by the end of the day, felt very encouraged and affirmed.

Felting Books

2008-04-20T21:23:00.000-05:00

I went to visit my "wish list" on Amazon today. It is quite extensive.
Of special interest, there is a new book called Creative Felting by Lizzie Houghton that I'd like to have. A felting acquaintance recommended it.
Also, I am especially looking forward to Nancy Hoerner's Felt Inlays book that is due to be published sometime this year.
Another book that will probably find it's way to my shelf is The Art of Felt by Francoise Teller-Loumagne.
I already own several of the newer books published, including How We Felt by Carol Huber Cypher. I really like this one. She has projects from several well respected artists who describe their process. Uniquely Felt, by Chris White, is another favorite, because she explains several different types of felt making.
Fabulous Felted Scarves is a must have. Authors Alice Hagen and Jorie Johnson are two of the most respected felt makers out there.
I have not done any sculptural needle felting so I can't comment on any of the books on that topic.
It is fun to look though all these books, even if I don't make some of the projects. There are so many talented artists out there, each with their own vision and style. That is something I aspire to become: an artist with some depth and uniqueness, rather than someone who just dabbles in a variety of things. Time will tell.

Embellisher landscape collage

2008-04-20T15:06:00.000-05:00

Friday night I finished punching out the basic landscape. There are a few spots I'll need to fill in so that it will be a full 11" x 14". Next step: layer on some details. I've looked at many people's work, and there are quite a few who add details using free motion embroidery, but I've never done that, and I'm not sure I want to try it with my old basic Singer sewing machine. Maybe I'll use some yarn and roving to add details, and then beads and other embellishments.
Obviously this isn't felting, but it is an interesting way to use my needle felting machine. "Punching" fabric is being done by a number of people. Start by looking at work by Christopher Nejman, author of Pillows. There are some Yahoo groups addressing this technique as well.

I'd rather be blogging

2008-04-17T17:01:00.000-05:00

Ok, it must be clear by now that I'd rather be blogging than, say, doing laundry, or picking up all the clutter around the house. Here are the promised pictures.
First, the landscape collage, made on the Xpression embellisher. Bear in mind that it is only about half done, as far as applying the fabric. The pink fabric on the middle mountain is very thin and I might apply a second layer on top of it. Otherwise, it was very simple to do. The sky is made of small pieces overlapped. The mountains are made of larger single pieces with a few patches as needed. As far as any "secret" techniques go, I was afraid that using the multi-needle attachment would make it too hard for me to control where the fabric went down, so I tacked the mountains down with the single needle, then switched to the multi-needle to stabilize everything. I tried to scrunch up the mountain fabric a bit so they would have some texture.

My cobalt vessel is still in progress. This is the side where I have cut out the resists to reveal the inner layers. I wish the overall shape was more dramatic, but it will have to stay as is. I may cut the top edge somehow. And it definitely needs some beading.

Below is a vessel I completed a while ago. This one also had resists. Small whisps of silk roving adding color to the outside. Beads inside the cuts add sparkle.

Artfelt by Skacel

2008-04-17T13:15:00.000-05:00

I found out a few days ago that my favorite LYS, Kristen's Knits, will have to move...again...due to landlord not continuing the lease. What a pain in the neck for Kristen. She moved into this very cool space in an old Victorian house just last year after suffering through repeated water damage in her old space. But who knows what opportunities this may bring. We wish the best for Kristen!
Since everything is 20% off now, I went over to do my part to help out and reduce inventory. And, lo and behold, she had the Skacel Artfelt kits- the ones that use the Easyfelt Paper. I've been wanting to try this product but didn't want to mail order it. It is fairly expensive IMHO, but there it was, right in front of me, in beautiful colors, on sale. So I have it here at home ready to go.
BUT FIRST...I really must finish one of my other projects. I went to one of my favorite second-hand stores, Community Clothesline, and picked up some silk scarves and blouses inexpensively to use with my embellisher. I am now well stocked, so I'd better get punching! The landscape collage is calling me today, so if I can get through a bit of housework, I'll start on the mountains. I did the sky the other evening, and it is looking nice.
So I guess there will be pictures to look forward to in my next post.

Collage

2008-04-16T15:12:00.000-05:00

Having gotten a good start on my cobalt vessel, I decided to start on another project. I can never just do one project at a time. I have to have a couple (ok several) going at once so I can rotate between them as the mood strikes. This is a collage I started.

It is done on the Janome Xpression embellisher and consists of pieces of lightweight fabrics (like silk scarves) punched into a canvas base. I've been trying to add layers to it, to add interest and a focal point but so far it isn't working for me. It's pretty, sort of, but that's about it. If I liked to sew, I'd make an eyeglass case out of it, or something of that sort.

Of course, I decided that I should start a different collage and see where that takes me. This one will be a landscape. Here it is layed out before punching. Punching is the highly technical term for attaching the decorative fabric to the base fabric using the embellisher. The fabrics are all from the remnant bin at Mills End Textiles. Some are silk, some are "sheers." The base is a navy blue canvas, also from the remnant bin. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I also worked on my cobalt vessel yesterday...fulled and shaped it, and cut out the resists. I'm not sure I like it yet. Maybe it needs some sparkle. Whenever I don't like a piece, I add a little sparkle and that seems to transform it.

Vessel in progress

2008-04-11T10:06:00.000-05:00

See, I told you it was a vessel. Here it is most of the way felted. This one will be fun to work on. The yarns go around the vessel once at an angle. The ends are going to be at the bottom, hopefully out of sight. I could also needle felt on some yarns so that they pop out a little bit, compared the the yarn that is felted totally into the felt. And beads, of course. The resists are on the opposite side. I'm not ready to cut them open. I don't have a concept of what I want that side to look like, other than I arranged 3 long narrow resists a like a three pointed leaf. But I don't know if they stayed in place during felting.
The inside is actually pink, even though you can see the yellow from one of the inner layers peeking out the top.
Any ideas for a name for this piece?

Vessel # 1 started

2008-04-10T21:26:00.000-05:00

It doesn't look like a vessel here, but trust me.

I wanted to incorporate a lot of different yarns in a vessel, following up the inspiration of free lace felt. But dealing with all those wiggly lengths of yarns, sliding around on the ball was not going to be fun. So last night I created a prefelt, by laying out the yarns on a length of bubble wrap and topping them with two light layers of cobalt blue Harrisville fleece, which will be the color of the vessel. I wet felted this enough to hold together and let it dry overnight. This allowed me to handle the yarns without them tangling and slipping off the ball while layering the design on the ball.

Today, I layed out the prefelt on the Gertie ball after covering the ball in dish soap first to make it sticky. I also added some silk before layering on the fleece. After wetting, I rolled and bounced the ball in my kitchen sink for a long time, then threw it in the dryer with a wet towel and some small balls for a few cycles. It still feels somewhat spongy, and there is one place (but only one) where the ribbon yarn is not attached to the surface of the vessel. I will need to finish the felting stage before I take it off the ball for fulling.

Oh, I forgot. I also added a few resists between layers of fleece, making sure they were not under the rows of yarns.
Tune in tomorrow for pictures.

While I was making the prefelt last night, I also played with my silk for a while. I took a thin layer from a green silk bell (cap) and cut it so it would lay flat. Then I added some whisps of silk roving in various colors, sprayed with starch and pressed it in some parchement paper to make a sort of silk "paper" that I can cut shapes from. I wasn't thinking ahead enough, though, I should have added a tiny bit of matching wool between the cap and the roving, so that it will felt better in the end. I'll just have to remember to sprinkle a little bit of wool on top when I use it, so the layer of roving will stay attached.

Tree Bark Scarves and Prioritizing

2008-04-09T06:08:00.001-05:00

Tammy Deck of TLD Design Center has just put out a new kit for what she calls Tree Bark Scarves. They look similar to free lace felt. I ordered a kit for a scarf, and I am eager to try the technique. BUT FIRST...
I must make at least 2 more vessels for the BCA tour very soon . I don't have anything new to show for myself.
Last evening, I spent a couple of hours clearing off my dining room table, mostly putting everything I'd gotten out over the last several weeks back into the bins. I also sorted my fibers so that now I can see how much of each color I have. All my blue is almost gone.
I needed to get rid of the clutter so that I could think clearly about what to do next. There are still a million ideas in my head clamouring for attention, but they will have to wait their turn!

So cool curlicues

2008-04-07T22:25:00.000-05:00

Ok, I've been adding a lot of blog links lately, and, also, Googling for felting blogs and sites. Tonight I found something cool: a three part YouTube video on making felted curlicues for embellishing jewelry or whatever. The blog is Mary Susan: All Good Girls are Mary. Check it out. The videos are in the Feb 08 entries. She also has an Etsy shop and sells what she makes. Good work, Mary Susan.

Bluff Country Art Tour

2008-04-05T20:59:00.000-05:00

Bluff Country Art Tour is coming up April 25, 26, 27, 2008. I will be participating on Saturday April 26th at the Bluff Country Artists Gallery
This is an excerpt from

http://www.bluffcountryarttour.com/

April 25, 26, 27 art enthusiasts can find exciting treasures in the hills and valleys of the Bluff Country region of southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa, during this 8th annual Studio Art Tour. Enjoy the emergence of spring when traveling scenic back roads to the studios of this area's finest artists. Get to know the Artists and watch them in action. Shop for your own unique work of art. Many of these artists only open their studios occasionally throughout the year and rarely share the tricks of their trade. Artists will be demonstrating bead making, wood carving, wheel thrown ceramics and more. Find out about unscheduled demonstrations as you visit the studios.
We are excited to have the participation of several Art Galleries representing many local, regional, and national exhibiting artists. Galleries are located in Harmony, Spring Grove, Lanesboro, and Winona. The Lanesboro Community Center will be serving as a group site for 7 artists to exhibit at a convenient central location... but don't forget to visit the excellent rural studios!

Taking a Breather

2008-04-02T22:34:00.000-05:00

It's spring break for the kiddos, so I'm taking a break from "work." Taking a break means I'm thinking about what project I want to start on when the kids go back to school. I need to make a few small felted bowls as samples for Textile Camp at Crossings. I sold nearly all the small felted bowls I had last weekend. I want to play with my Xpression. There are so many possibilities with it using wool, silk, and other fabrics. Crossings will soon post a call for artists for a collage exhibit, so I've been thinking about how I could do a collage. I want to do some larger felted vessels, this time more intricate, using resists and more embellishing. I'd like to take some of these both to Crossings and to Bluff Country Artists Gallery. Oh, and nuno felting-I'd like to try that, too. I have a million "I want to try that" ideas running around in my head. If the ideas would just line up in an orderly fashion, I could get to them all in turn. But ideas are like children. Each one rudely wants to be first. Ha.

I was very productive before the Artist's Clearing House. I had a list of things needing to be done before the show, and I cranked through my list. Now that the immediate pressure of a deadline is off, I find I'm much less able to prioritize.
I have done a little felting, even though I'm taking a break. I started a small felted bowl last week. It is green on the outside and pink on the inside. My daughter took one look at it and said it was a watermelon, so a watermelon it has become. I've needle felted some seeds on the inside, including a few white ones, and added some lighter green stripes on the skin. I may felt a few "melon balls" to put inside. The top edge will be trimmed into points, in the manner some people (who have way too much time on their hands) actually cut watermelon to serve it.
Here it is, a little blurry.

Three-Dimensional Mini-Handbags

2008-03-31T19:05:00.000-05:00

Well, I mulled it over and finally signed up for Lisa Klakulak's Felting Three-Dimensional Mini-Handbags class at the Midwest Felting Symposium. I did want to take Leslie Sampson's courses, too, so I'll just have to hope she teaches next year. Lisa's website is http://www.strongfelt.com/. She has some pretty amazing work pictured there.

Here is the description of the mini-handbag class:
Focusing on the element of form, participants will use an individually designed two-dimensional canvas resist to create a unique three-dimensional handbag incorporating a solid felt cord handle. Color theory will be discussed and a variety of surface design possibilities will be explored incorporating threads and using partial felting techniques for defined shapes and images. Suggestions for bag closures will be presented accompanied by a group brainstorming to bring forth innovative ideas! These visually delicate mini handbags will be structurally durable as a result of numerous, thin and consistent layers fulled tightly to achieve a surface with no hint of individual fiber striations.

Lovely weekend at Crossings

2008-03-30T23:53:00.000-05:00

The Clearing House went well. I met several artists from around the area who work in various media...photography, clay, jewelry, painting and drawing. It was good to chat with them and hear of their experiences. Some said the weekend was slow compared to other years, but there seemed to be a decent stream of traffic through the gallery most of the time. I sold several things. Yay.
Now it's time to get creative and make some new things.

Artists' Clearing House This Weekend

2008-03-24T10:08:00.000-05:00

4th Annual Artists' Clearing House
TWO DAYS ONLY! Saturday, March 29: 9am - 5pm
Sunday, March 30: Noon - 4pm

Crossings is located at 320 East AveZumbrota, MN 55992 in a former Carnegie Library building in Zumbrota, Minnesota. For more specific directions, please visit this link:Directions to Crossings:

Artists from all over southeastern Minnesota come together for one weekendto offer an exclusive selection of original art, prints, notecards, sculptures, jewelry, textiles and more! It's an indoor art fair!
This is a great opportunity for both you AND the artists, as they "clear out" their inventory, heavily discounting their original, one of a kind artworks.
Don’t miss the chance to decorate your home or stock up on one-of-a-kind gifts. Browse prints, notecards, pottery, sculptures, jewelry, textiles, wearable art and more – all at bargain prices.
Artists will be on hand to answer questions and describe the inspiration behind each piece.
Participating Artists:

Amy Giannini: astonishing hand crafted beaded silver jewelry, with fiber and artglass elements;handcrafted note cards
Beth Karon: polymer figurines and vases; beaded necklaces and bracelets; handcrafted greeting cards
Jan Huffman: Casepastel paintings
Karin Neuvirth: sterling silver jewelry embellished with gold wire and polymer or fused glass beads; gemstones, pearls and crystals
Leisa Luis Grill: acrylic paintings and drawings;handcrafted paper jewelry;wall textiles
Loretta Verbout: distinctive photography
Renee Nation: traditional wet felting and fulled knitting vessel sculptures embellished with beading,needle felting, or other fibers
Riki Kölbl Nelson: acrylic and watercolor paintings

A New Family Tradition

2008-03-23T20:48:00.001-05:00

On Easter, they felted the eggs, and it was very good.
The eggs came out as individual as the children who made them, and they are all beautiful. Child #1 had plans to needle a tiki design on his, but never got around to it. Child #2 made four plain colored eggs. Child #3 needled intricate designs on hers and didn't want to wet felt them afterward. Child #4 loved wrapping the yarn around some of them, but for her last egg, she needled eyes and a beak to make a little chick. Child #5 likes purple and rainbows and her eggs are decorated accordingly. I got to make a couple eggs as well, and I experimented with a little of this and that in between assisting the other artists. Best of all, we could leave them out on the table where we could enjoy them without letting them spoil. Blessed Easter to you all. Christ is alive! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Half-cooked Easter Eggs

2008-03-21T17:23:00.000-05:00

The children and I made felted Easter eggs today. We used a mixture of wet felting and needle felting depending on the child. These are some that are ready for wet felting. I'll post the "finished" pictures when they come out of the dryer. The kids really loved doing this. My son even said we should do it every year...it was better than dying real eggs.
And now it occurs to me that I should be felting a basket to put the eggs in. Why didn't I think of that before?

Flights of Fancy

2008-03-19T13:54:00.000-05:00

Just another postcard size needle felted piece. It has a canvas base, decorated with merino wool with a bit of Angellina. It was fun to do. I used the rainbow merino roving, again, from The Fiber Studio.

Embellished Scarves

2008-03-18T15:56:00.001-05:00

I purchased some plain wool scarves a while back. Today, I finally took some of the rainbow colored merino roving from The Fiber Studio and machine embellished the scarves using my Janome Xpression. It seems to take a lot of punching to get the merino to bond with the scarves. I wanted the fiber to migrate through to the other side very well. I wonder if the coarse needles in the Janome just don't grab the fine merino fibers well. I'll have to needle felt with some finer guage needles by hand to see if there is a difference. If that is the case, then I'll have to get the Clear Foot, Changeable Needle Unit from Janome and some finer guage needles from Fiberella. My wish list is getting a bit long.

Scratchboard felt

2008-03-17T09:01:00.000-05:00

I made some postcards on my Janome Xpression this week. They may end up being coasters instead because I think they are thicker than the post office allows. But here is how I did it:

I chose a piece of canvas fabric for a base, about 12" x 20" roughly (I didn't measure it)

Using my Janome Xpression, I punched on random blocks of color using Harrisville fleece, filling the whole surface of the canvas

When there were no holes or thin places, I took thin layers of black wool batt and punched over the top until the colored layer couldn't be seen and the surface looked totally black.

With a rotary cutter, I cut the piece into 4"x6" pieces (I ended up with enough for 5 of them).

With the Janome Xpression, I punched the designs onto the cards from the back. This pushed the colored wool up through the black wool. If I was unsure of myself, I sketched my lines onto the back of the canvas with a Sharpie permanent pen first. I checked the front of the card often to make sure that I liked how it was looking.

With a steam iron, I pressed the cards flat.

I plan to iron on a backing.

They came out a little more muted than I'd like, but they are still pretty. I'd definitely recommend BRIGHT colors only, because the black mixes with the colored fleece a little and dulls it. Pressing with the iron is optional, depending on how the pieces will be used. They were much more fluffy looking before pressing. If I were going to do a wall hanging, I might not press it when I finished, to keep the texture. But I don't think it would wear well that way for a coaster or postcard. I also had bits of the canvas come up through to the top when I punched the designs. Maybe a water soluble stabilizer would work better, or a denser fabric for the base.

I am trying to get ready for the Artists' Clearing House at Crossings. It's only 2 weeks away.

Ore Vessel

2008-03-12T14:25:00.000-05:00

This vessel is constructed using the wet felting technique with merino wool batts and Felbi prefelts. After shaping, I cut out a small spot from each colored shape and sewed on a sparkling bead. Around the edge of each shape I needle felted gold metallic fiber harvested from a second-hand metallic sweater. This vessel stands about 9 1/2 inches tall. I titled it "Ore" because the colored shapes seemed like gems to me, waiting to be mined. I plan to bring it to Crossings for the Artists' Clearing House on March 29th-30th. This is what the vessel looked like before fulling:

Midwest Felting Symposium

2008-03-10T09:31:00.000-05:00

I checked this morning and the symposium schedule has been posted at The Midwest Felting Symposium site. Since I will be teaching that week at Textile Camp at Crossings in Zumbrota, I can only attend on Saturday and Sunday.
Leslie Samson teaches the two classes I am interested in. The first is Botanical Felt in which she teaches how to make botanically accurate, recognizable, firmly felted flowers. I think these would be great on vessels or 3d embellishments on flat felts.
The second class is Felted Jewelry. I am especially interested in learning how to make felted bezels for setting cabochon stones (or other embellishments). Earlier in the week she is teaching Vessels: Felt Smithing, in which she also teaches how to set elements into felt. I won't be able to take that class, but it sounds like the technique will be essentially the same. It will be a busy week between teaching and attending classes.
Be sure to check out the other classes and vendors who will be at the symposium in July.
Next post: I'll post some pictures of my lastest WIP (works in progress).

Painting with Wool

2008-03-07T14:13:00.000-06:00

I mentioned I took a class at The Fiber Studio with teacher Judy McDowell. The class was called Paint a Picture with Wool. This is my piece from the class. It is a bowl of ice cream with chocolate syrup (in case you can't tell...my daughter thought it was a bowl of yarn!). I used corriedale roving, a little silk roving mixed in the tabletop and a brown wool/silk yarn from Kristen's Knits for the chocolate syrup. Judy was a great teacher and we learned how to make better edges, how to make prefelts, and how to apply yarns and ribbons with better control. The pieces were felted using the rolling method.

While I was at The Fiber Studio, I picked up some Angellina fiber, and some rainbow dyed merino roving, and some silk roving. It was really hard to control myself because Pam stocks a wonderful variety of merino, corriedale, and silk, a great selection of beads and other findings, books, some yarns, and even some mixed fiber batts that she dyes and cards herself. One of her new items was sheets of needled prefelt. I think they came in 9" x 9" sheets in a variety of colors. It was a great day.

Beauty and the Beast---Wolf Masks

2008-03-06T20:57:00.000-06:00

Here is my daughter modeling one of the wolf masks I made for Beauty and the Beast. I constructed it out of "Better Fur" from Mills End Fabrics. I shaved the hair away from the eyes, and also from underneath the snout and ears, so I could sew the pieces on with less bulk. The snout is shaped into a nose with 2 short seams at the front. It is attached to the mask with just a straight seam under the eyes. The tongue is needle felted wool with a chenille stem imbedded in it. I used silver glitter glue to make drool on the tongue, to make the teeth shiney, to outline the ears, and to make eyebrows. The teeth are made of white craft foam. There is also a floral wire duct taped inside the snout to make it stand up straighter. It is kept on the wearer by a shoelace cord with a toggle. My son, who plays a wolf, says the masks are awesome. That made the hours worth it.

Next post...I took a felting class at The Fiber Studio in Minneapolis. Judy McDowell of Misty Meadow Icelandics was the teacher. My piece was a still life "painting" of a bowl of ice cream. Stay tuned.

Janome Xpression

2008-02-19T20:53:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday to me ! My DH got me the Janome Xpression needle felting (needle punch) machine for my birthday. Isn't he great? I haven't had much time to play with it yet, I did some fiddling around. It goes pretty fast, and has some serious needles...size 36 or 38. If I get an accessory from my Janome dealer, I can get different gauge needles from Try Our Designs. This site also has some good techniques for using a needle felting machine for various projects.
I would like to start a project with my new toy, but first...
I am in the midst of making wolf masks for the school play. I thought about wet felting some masks, but I found a remnant of "better fur" at Mills End Textiles that was just the right color, so I am sewing them. They look pretty cool. So I must finish them before I start anything else. My son is one of the wolves in the play, so I have a vested interest in the masks.

Textile Camp: Run with Scissors

2008-01-26T13:59:00.001-06:00

Here are a few of my smaller bowls. They are examples of what I will teach at Textile Camp this summer at Crossings in Zumbrota. They are made of merino wool (mostly), embellished with yarn and beads, needle felting, and some cutting. They are made using the wet felting method. Textile camp is for kids grade 3-12 the week of July 21-25. Two other teachers will be there, teaching crochet and sewing. I will also spend one day teaching Embellished Jeans. We will use Bleach pens to discharge the dye and make designs.

Needle felted rose

2008-01-15T22:34:00.000-06:00

I am working on this one for my sister.

Pictorial needle felting

2008-01-14T17:31:00.000-06:00

The Fiber Studio in Minneapolis offered a class in Pictorial Needle Felting last Sunday. I had a lot of fun. We all needled a chickadee on a branch using coaster sized or trivet sized felt as a base. Now that I've tried doing a picture in needle felting, I'm encouraged to try again. Mine came out pretty nice, and I can't draw at all.

Work update

2008-01-12T21:36:00.000-06:00

I added an additional layer of felt to my two vessels in progress (pictured below). Both of them seemed too thin and weak so I put each one back on the ball, and brushed up the outside (with my hand carder because I can't find my wire brush). I added another layer of batting and wrapped with some contrasting yarn. Then it was back to the pantyhose, hot water, and soap. I threw one vessel in the dryer for awhile to see if that would finish the felting. I folded clothes while the dryer ran. Anyway, it got a good start, but I still worked it by hand before declaring success. The new layer will be on the inside of both of these vessels. I have to say that I am getting better at making vessels, both design-wise and making good felt. My next challenge will be to use resists in my vessels. I've done it once and like the results, but am still nervous about doing it.

Renee's Rules of Felting

2008-01-12T21:17:00.001-06:00

I thought I'd make note of some rules of thumb to follow, that have made a difference in the way I make felt. I'll come back and add to this entry occasionally.
Rule Number 1: When you think you're done, you're not. Keep going.
This rule started coming to me when I took Sharon Costello's vessels class. She would go around and check on our progress, and whenever one of us students thought we were done, well, we weren't. "Keep going," she would tell us.
So I've been following that advice. It is easy to think you are done just because you've been at it for a while, or you're getting a little bored, or your wrists are getting tired. To get a really hard felt, that will allow a vessel to stand up straight and stay in the shape you want, it can't be loose and spongy. It also looks better when it's good and hard. Keep going.
I'm starting to be able to feel the difference, too, as I work, between felt that is not quite hard enough and felt that is.
Rule Number 2: This one refers to needle felting. Wisps not wads. When starting a pictoral needle felting project. Start by adding only wisps of fiber to give a general idea of the picture to come. Just start by insinuating the color and shape and position. Little by little add more fiber until the picture is as crisp and color dense as you want it. The credit for this rule goes to Brenda from The Fiber Studio in Minneapolis.

Jellyroll Beads

2008-01-11T22:27:00.000-06:00

My first attempt at this worked ok. I'd like to try making a felt geode. I used an electric knife to slice the felt log.

The Fiber Studio

2008-01-10T17:08:00.000-06:00

I made a discovery yesterday. There is a shop in The Cities called The Fiber Studio. It is located at 4810 Nicollet Ave in Minneapolis MN 55419. I haven't been there yet, but I signed up for 2 felting classes...pictoral needle felting and painting with wool. The second one is a wet felting class. I can't wait.

My tips for using Felbi Prefelts in vessels

2008-01-06T17:01:00.000-06:00

I have two vessels in process which use the Felbi prefelts. They look great. The prefelts give nice definition.
My tips for using this product in vessels:

They are very thin! Gossamer thin, in fact. I have always used 4 layers of batts for making vessels. Batts are thicker, even when peeled into layers. If using the Felbi in combination with batts, do not count the Felbi as a layer. I need to figure out how much of the Felbi is equivalent to a typical layer using batts. I think I could lay out a batt as if it were one of my vessel layers, and then weigh it. I could then weigh the Felbi and see how many square feet of Felbi was the same weight as a layer of the batt. Hmm. Anyway, take care to use sufficient fiber to avoid thin spots. I have to add fiber to both vessels to fix some weak spots.
For opaque color that doesn't allow the colors of other layers to show through, double the thickness of Felbi by needlefelting 2 or more layers together before laying them out on the ball. I used this technique on my first vessel: I needled the Felbi into a double thickness before cutting out shapes.
A single layer of Felbi prefelt allows the color of the next layer to show through. If this is the look you want, use single layers of the prefelt. I used this technique on my 2nd vessel. I wrapped yarn around the final layer before felting.
In my second vessel I wanted to layer Felbi behind another layer of Felbi. To keep the second layer from falling off the ball while laying out, I used a glue stick here and there to stick the second layer to the previous layer. The stick glue is water soluble and doesn't seem to have left any residue or other side effects on the piece. I have heard some people recommend "temporary spray adhesive", but I don't have any. It is probably available at craft stores.

It feels great to have my hands in the fiber. I feel like I accomplished a lot this weekend. Thank you, dear husband!

First Sales of the Year

2008-01-05T17:22:00.000-06:00

Crossings sold 5 of my pieces in December during the Fabrications IV: Fibers and Finery show. To see some of my pieces from that show, go to my blog from 2007. It is linked below. What a nice way to start of the year, especially when I need to purchase some wool very soon!
My wonderful husband took several of our children to the National Eagle Center today, so that I could have a "spa" afternoon. That pretty much meant I had the afternoon to do some art, so I played with some of the Felbi Prefelts I bought from Outback Fibers. I really liked working with the prefelts, in combination with some merino batts I got this summer from Suzanne Pufpaff at the Midwest Felting Symposium. I cut shapes from the prefelt for what will become the outside of a vessel, and completely covered the last layer (which will be the inside of the vessel) with strips of the prefelt. The prefelt strips made it much easier to put on the pantihose before felting than when the layer is a wool batt...the batts are fluffy and more easily pushed out of place. This vessel is about 1/2 way felted. I took it off the ball to inspect it and see how the prefelts were working. They look really great and have felted into the merino batt totally. I do have some needling to do to add to the batt where it isn't thick enough. I'll do that before putting it back on the ball to complete the felting process. Right now, I have another vessel wrapped up on the ball ready to be felted. I used the Felbi Prefelts on the 2nd one as well, but in a different manner. I'm excited to see how that one will turn out. I'll post pictures soon.

My Events for 2008

2008-01-04T12:46:00.000-06:00

Artists Clearing House at Crossings March 29-30, 2008
Bluff Country Artist's Studio Tour April 25-27 (I will be there on April 26th)
Textile Camp at Crossings July 21-25, 2008 (teaching )
Midwest Felting Symposium Madison, WI July 23-27, 2008 (just attending classes!)
RAC Artists Morning December 6, 2008
Fabrications V at Crossings at Carnegie December 2008

more to be added later

Getting My Blog Moving

2008-01-04T11:56:00.000-06:00

I decided to move my blog from www.letmefinishmyrow.blogspot.com
to here because I am doing much more felting than actual knitting these days. There are no rows in felting. But if you want to see my work from 2007, go there.