This was day one of our two day workshop at the French Art Colony in Gallipolis OH. After

shopping for wool from the on-site store Marlene created for us, I had the felters busy at work creating their wool canes in styles to yield dots, concentric circle and/or spirals.

After our light lunch, we began felting the bundled canes. This process began slowly with rolling back and forth until the wool formed a felted "skin". Then the skin became loosey-goosey and scary, but they persisted in the rolling, fearless and undaunted. Eventually the skin shrinks and conforms to its contents. As the rolling continues, they applied increasing pressure until the felt became a dense and firm cane. Though this was the Complex Cane Felt Bead Necklace workshop, these felters were enthralled with the sculptural rings I showed them that can be made from the ends or slices of the canes.

Pam MacGregor deconstructed some of her fabulous beads to explore this technique of exploiting the felt's plastic qualities to pull and press and stretch and shrink it into other forms.

Bonnie Ahren is happily engaged in this same process.
Some felters were happy to sacrifice the time we would have devoted to stringing their new beads into a finished necklace, to pursue this sculptural work for brooches and rings. Here are Suzy's, Pam's and the one I wore to Ohio that started all the trouble.

Those of you who know me, can imagine how I must covet their rings. Do you recall my post about Ronna Sarvas Weltman's amazing polymer clay rings and how thrilled I was to barter with her for one? And I never tire of looking through the selection of Gary Wilson's rings to add to my collection, accrued over the years of shopping at his booth at the Bead & Button Show and Bead Fests.

Tomorrow I will teach Fabricated and Deconstructed Ropes, Lariats and Bracelets. This is a creative assortment of felters and it will be thrilling to see what is produced tomorrow. Check back in to see.

Today I arrived at The French Art Colony to teach a weekend of feltmaking in Gallipolis, OH for Marlene of Marlene's Felting Madness.

Half of the felters for the weekend showed up in time to take in some sights in the adorable riverside town. The gingko trees along the avenue were busting out in new leaves. Even in surprising little tufts along their trunk.

Of the dozen felters registered for the workshop there are a couple novices and a couple newbies along with many seasoned feltmakers like Bonnie Ahrens; Tammy; Barb, whose felt vessel has just juried into an exhibit of fine art in Manchester; Jan, who exhibits at the TAA of Cleveland Museum Fashion Show in Mentor OH and Pam MacGregor, who strive for recognition of felt as an artistic medium. (By the way, it was Pam who picked me up at the airport in Columbus this morning and drove us the three hours to Gallipolis. Visiting about felting and people we know in common and teaching made the three hours fly by.)

Seated from left to right, is Barb, Pam, Me, Colleen, Tammy, Sherry, Bonnie, Katherine, Jan, Christy, (Suzy is taking the photo) and Marlene is front and center.

We went out as a group to The Iron Gate Grille in Point Pleasant, WV. Not only was the food good but, there was the bonus of singing waitstaff. Audrey Lopes (left) sang mostly in a country style, except when covering Norah Jones tunes. Brittany Franklin (right) had a velvet voice that covered a range of musical genre from Patsy Cline's Crazy to her delicious arrangement of Can't Take My Eyes Off of You.
When they opened the mike to the audience, our Tammy stunned us all with her cover of Stand By Your Man by that other Tammy.

Well, it is now nearly 11:30 and my day began at 3 a.m. to catch the 6 a.m. flight so...off to bed with me. More tomorrow?