More on my upcoming east coast felting workshops...

Just 3 weeks from today I'll be back at Bead Gallery Inc for 3 days of workshops. Owner Genevieve and I have scheduled 3 back-to-back (with meal breaks) workshops for Friday October 21 (3 of the 12 that I will be teaching at The Bead & Button Show next June). Saturday will be a full day of a brand new necklace I designed to premier here. And on Sunday we'll felt!! Fabulous Felted Fascinators. We'll work again in that gorgeous, spacious, ballroom across the street from the store. Lots of room for me to display the trunks of ingredients we can fabricate into our headwear. There will be a colorful array of fine merino wool you can choose from. I'll bring my collection of sequins, feathers (and I have some amazing ones), tulle and ribbons. You're certainly welcomed to bring your own bits and beads. Please bring a towel.
We'll cover felting topics that include flat felting, creating surface design, felting around a resist for hollow sculptural results, felting layers and tiers. I have become so darned excited writing this that I want to get my hands into some wool right now!!
This is the one of mine that I wear the most these days


It is an accordion pleated red cone attached to a flat piece. It has beaded edges, some embroidered drops plus shiny black feathers. I wear it with a hair stick but some are worn using combs or hairbands or barrettes (which we'll have on hand).


Terrible photo of a fun tiered flower fascinator boasting some amazing yellow feathers I acquired when teaching in Australia in April.

Speaking of Australia...I taught in Orange at TAFTA (The Australian Forum of Textile Arts) again this past April. Mentors in various fiber arts offer weeklong workshops. It is such a luxury to have a week of working with the same individuals on a topic. This year my workshop was Hand Felted Components and Jewellery. (This is how we spell jewelry in Australia.)The amount of technique that I can teach and the amount of production that takes place is soooo satisfying. The studio just buzzed. Capture a weekend of intensely satisfying feltmaking this December on our side of the planet!!! Meet me in Palm Springs Florida at Crystal Creations on December 10th and let's spend two days creating felt components and jewelry. Expect to learn many feltmaking techniques easily, using the small scale of jewelry. Create felt beads but, don't be confined to ubiquitous round ones. Learn to employ felt's "plastic" stage to shape them to your whim. Make felt ropes for necklaces, lariats and bracelets. Felt flat pieces to cut into components. Learn both construction and deconstruction as means to an end. Again...I'm wanting to get my hands into some wool right now, just talking about this. Crystal Creations is well known for its extensive inventory, lovely classroom and hundreds of workshops with nationally and internationally known beadwork and jewelry artists. Expect to combine your fresh felt components with other components (chain, beads, metal, wire, silk, findings) to complete your jewelry pieces.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Upcoming Hand Felting Jewelry workshops on the east coast

After my recent posts about the Fabulous Felted Fascinators workshop in NY and the Hand Felted Bangles to Bead workshop in NH, I've had inquiries about when and where the next opportunities to felt together are. The 2nd weekend in November I'll be flying into Tampa Florida to teach several workshops in both beadwork and feltmaking at Urban Stitch Studio.


Felters from far and wide have already registered, I know that Brenda from California and Marlene from Ohio are coming for Hand Felted Bangles to Bead and a Felted Floral Lariat. Oh my goodness, add Pat, the hostess and owner of Urban Stitch Studio, who herself is a vortex of creative and caring energy and talent, and I can hardly wait.
The following weekend, if you're in the North end of the east coast, on Sunday November 20th, only a fast ride down the NY State Thruway from my house, I'll be teaching the Hand Felted Bangles to Bead at Beads Mosaic right in Nanuet NY.


If you've been intrigued by the idea of feltmaking, seduced by a demo or article, and wanting to know more, join me in this opportunity for hands-on learning and personal attention in a setting that offers everything you'll need: this gorgeous store has every bead seen in the samples and I'll have an array of colored fine merino wool to choose from. Oh, just PLEASE bring a towel, (and your sense of adventure).


Expect to finish [at least] one bangle while learning several methods of surface design plus beadwork finishing methods that include: quick bezels, bead embroidery techniques, odd-count double-needle beaded bead


and undulating peyote beaded bead using the new goof-proof method that came to me when I was writing it for translation into Japanese, and using an economy of words.


This will be an energized and creative setting in which to explore at greater depth, the magic of feltmaking and some pretty versatile beadwork too. No experience necessary but, reserve your seat today. I'll need a head count by October 14th.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Catch up...

Today is the last day of the exhibit "American Earth", a new body of acrylic on canvas by John Bridges at Unison Arts Center in New Paltz NY.








Sorry to give you last minute notice. The opening was September 9th, when "the flats" were flooded. The attendance was overwhelming, even though flooding and road closures necessitated that everyone drive 20 or more miles out-of-the-way to get there. (Above, snapshot taken with iPod before the gallery became too crowded, the artist is seen on right, with a couple of early arrivals.)









Saturday I'll be back in Nyack NY at Crystals on The Rocks to teach 2 condensed versions of workshops that I taught ( and will again teach in June) at The Bead & Button Show. Above is Trilogy of Chains, for the morning (10-1) and








In the afternoon expect to make one or more solid crystal geometric components to wear on one of those chains or connect to another 10...into a Crystal Galaxy Necklace. If you call Kim's cell phone 201-747-4748 she'll reserve your space.

Innovative Beads Expo has again invited me to their Edison NJ show. This November's IBE focuses on EMBELLISHMENTS! Right up my alley. Rather than confine my access to 20 or so students in a class, we've planned these demonstrations:









Each demonstration is available as a kitted project. This way, after simply watching the demo, if you want to make that item using the techniques shown, the ingredients and recipe are right there for you to complete at home (or, if we are kindred spirits, right in your hotel room later the same day!) My beloved niece Amy will accompany me. (You know her from acknowledgements and additional appearances in MASTERING BEADWORK,








as the force behind Fireflies at Twilight, and with me at Meet The Teachers events. Once again, she will assist you in purchasing kits, books and Tulip needles, bead crochet hooks and nickel-plated felting needles, freeing me up to demo...demo... demo. You are invited to come and "use me up". It is our opportunity for me to share with you many versatile and inspirational embellishment techniques.

Beading at Bella Beads

Saturday we enjoyed a packed house for the Elements of Ndebele Herringbone workshop at Bella Beads in Center Harbor NH. This shot shows one corner of the shop and, with backs to the camera are Renee, Deb and Anne. Owner Sue is at the head of the table. Continuing clockwise are Suzanne (we dubbed her buddha beader for her divine perpetual contented smile), Sheesh, and just a glimpse of Edy.





And towards the right corner of the store...here is Edy and continuing clockwise, Joan and Jo (who, hailing from California, win the "traveled the furthest" award), Carole's shoulder and in the foreground, Anne.





This workshop yeilds a gorgeous one-of-a-kind necklace composed of beaded samplers and various focal and other beads. It never fails that I lust in my heart over some beaders color/bead choices. By the end of the day, 16 beaders were intimate with tubular herringbone and variations that included swirling, seed stitch, inclusions within the stitches, inclusions between the stitches, increases, decreases and even floral elements.
Afterwards we enjoyed a feast at Coe House, the restaurant across the way. There was a fabulous arugula salad course but, nothing else remotely resembled a lean and green meal. The lobster gnocci!!!! Oh my. And I havent eaten bread i a few weeks and for dessert, bread pudding. But, no ordinary bread pudding. Not even extraordinary bread pudding. It was the most supremely, sublimely delicious velvety confection I ever ate...and there was no chocolate or lemon in it! Imagine, a dessert THAT amazing with no chocolate or lemon.
Sunday was a felted bangle workshop, and an opportunity to work off some of that exquisite meal. Well, not really. And of course I brought a Turbo Felting Board for each person, so it really isn't so much work. Most everyone decided to fabricate and bead them afterward, allowing more time to focus on production. I think everyone made 3 or more. This was a creative lot too. Hmm, was it Eliza that was fascinated by the option of incising the felt? And she did so, setting a focal bead within.











Anne terminated the ends of one of her pieces of felt with these sterling silver "horns". She will have beads extend from them and finishe it with a closure. One gorgeous necklace from a felt bangle class.





I remembered to shoot a few pieces before the day was done. I'm returning to Bella Beads the weekend of May 19th.
-posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Beading at Bella Beads NH

Felted Fascinators

I loved teaching Fabulous Felted Fascinators in Australia but, until the Royal wedding, folks in the states just didn't seem to "get" them. Now they (fascinators) are a hot item. Yesterday I taught this workshop at Beadzo in Tivoli NY.
We asked Terry to model her's for the camera, even though she had not completed assembling it.


She began by layering merino wool for a base. Then she decorated it with the circular motifs.



By placing a sheet of resist on top of the assembled wool, She was able to make a solid black flower simultaneously.


To Terry's right is Beadzo owner Pamela Morin and on the extreme right, arms-only visible, is Kaja, a jeweler who user to work at Beadzo.


Betiana and Christina worked at another table with Anna (not in view). On October 23 I'll be teaching the Fabulous Felted Fascinators at Bead Gallery Inc in Melrose MA. In the morning we'll create the felt piece(s). Then, selecting from an array of feathers (maribou, peacock, guinea hen, ostrich...), tulle (colored, sparkled, plain...), ribbons, sequins and your own stash of beads or the abundant inventory of Bead Gallery Inc, we'll fabricate and embellish an amazing hair ornament as unique as you are...demure as Jackie O or dramatic as Lady Gaga... You decide. That same weekend, I'm introducing a brandy new design called Beyond the Red Velvet Rope. (Thank you Stacey, for coming up with that name for this.)


And on that Friday (21st), there are 3 3-hour workshops. One is a handful of rings including a "20ct Diamond Ring".
I'm in New Hampshire tonight. In the morning I've a full house at Bella Beads NH in Center Harbor or Elements of Ndebele (Herringbone), a necklace composed of samplers of many variations of the stitch.


And Sunday we'll felt bangles to bead in the morning. And in the afternoon, we'll bead Manhattan on the edge.
Hey, I've been lax in matching my blog posts to all the things I want to share with you. For example, I told you we would make Spiral Fever at Beads Mosaic last weekend and then neglected to show you how gorgeous their necklaces came out. I was having such fun teaching that I just overlooked getting many shots. Here are 3 in progress:


Off to bed... Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Spiral Fever Necklace

Over the decade-plus of my studio class, Jilly Beads has been the constant. Here she models the Spiral Fever necklace she made after taking this 2-day workshop ...

...and here she is modeling the bracelet she whipped up from a Sisters Originals kit last week.





Here is one of the two samples of the Spiral Fever necklaces I have on display at Beads Mosaic in Nanuet NY. This Saturday at 10:30 am they will be hosting my workshop in their luscious store. Each beader's necklace will be a unique creation that results from learning a myriad of spiral stitch techniques. Hope you can join me there. Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:W Stout Ave,Port Ewen,United States