The hand felted purses and vessels produced in Sunday's workshop at Angelfire Studios in Basking Ridge NJ were varied and clever and fabulous. In photo above, Sandy worked on a heart shape, Natalie's design was asymmetrical, is worn folded and is completely reversible and Elaine's ameobic shape in white had fine detailed surface decoration.

Check out the variety of shapes and surface design in the work of these 4 felters: sisters Lindsay and Cally (seated) and Alice and Kelly (standing).

When they asked for a workshop in hand felted slippers/footwear, we discussed the possibility of a weekend feltmaking workshop/retreat. Justine (owner of Angelfire Studios) and I will talk about this and let you know what comes of it.

This past Saturday I taught Ostara's Emerging Blossoms Necklace at Beads by Blanche . This workshop focuses mostly on sculptural Polygon stitch and includes a couple of those pod sculptural components and a fast and beautiful bezel. The pod left is one of the pair Pat Riesner made using Swarovski crystals.



Below is the pair Kaja Dedijer made in a class a few weeks ago. Being a jeweler and working mostly in sterling, gold and gemstones has impacted her aesthetics. Though woven of seed beads, her pods acheive the look of sterling with gemstones!





This coming weekend I'll return to New Jersey, this time to Angelfire Studio in Basking Ridge. Sunday 12-5! Call Justine to see if she can squeeze you in. We will be felting around a resist using her yummy merino wool to make either a vessel or purse/case/clutch. We will be using those new Turbo Felting Boards I love so much. No more whining in workshops because the hand-felting just isn't instanteous enough! (Optional purchase $30) As a special treat, I will bring each felter a very special button to adorn the piece.

That's all for now, as the garden is calling me. Too much time has lapsed during too much rain! Yikes.

May 9th

Last week Justine from Angelfire Studio http://angelfirestudios.com/ called to schedule another feltmaking workshop. This time it is flat felting around a resist to make a small vessel, purse or case. It will be reversible too! June 28th 12 noon to 5pm. Here are a couple samples. Wish I had a couple of the pieces from the Japanese book I wrote last year (Motoko Natsubori translated it). The two blue purses here are a single one shown as reversible. The coral flip top fits my camera perfectly. Using the new Turbo Felting Board truly did make it a faster process.

The red maples this week leave me breathless. The color of their tender, new, nearly translucent leaves. Actually, much of this Springtime leaves me breathless with appreciation. Just last week it occured to me that, having missed the entire month of April last year while teaching in Australia, I have 2 years of pent up Spring fever in me!

The squirrels were selective in the bulbs they ate, when I planted them last autumn. The resulting tulips appear to be arranged in a grid! Pick up a 10X magnifier and observe flowers with it. There is a radiance and shimmer that the naked eye does not see. Examine the stamens and pistols. As beaders, we too create beauty by assembling minute, sometimes sparkling, particles. This mindful meditation with magnifier in hand may inform the way you use your beads.

Friday I will attempt once more to see the exhibit "Fashioning Felt" at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum http://cooperhewitt.org/. Last weekend I was in NYC to teach Advanced Elements of Beadwork (Necklace) to the Bead Society of Greater New York. On my way to the felt exhibit we allowed ourselves to be side-tracked by the Columbus Ave Craft Fair. What a delight to see Teresa Starr Wynne's booth filled with luscious felt wearables and vessels http://www.starrspunfelt.com/.

Since I'll be near Bryant Park, I will drop by the Kinokuniya Bookstore and see if we can put the finishing touches on the details of a booksigning event I will do there.