South East Open Studios 2011

With Summer approaching, it's also the time of year for artist open studio events. For the last 3 years I've opened my studio in June during Surrey Artists Open Studios. This year for a change I've got together with artists locally in Oxted and Westerham, and we've collectively decided to join the South East Open Studios 2011. It also takes place in June but is more Kent-based. We're right on the edge of both counties here, so thought we might attract a new audience - so please come and visit!

I'm joining forces again with Andrew Griffiths here in Old Oxted, so we'll both be demonstrating our art throughout the event (me felting, him woodturning) and there'll be lots of work to view. Dates are 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18 and 19 June - it covers 3 weekends in all, open 11am-5pm each day. I'll post more details nearer the time, as well as dates of feltmaking workshops - so please get in touch (email: natashasmartdesign@yahoo.co.uk) , or have a look at the website (www.seos-org.uk) as there are lots of other artists involved. Look forward to seeing you!

Cushion Madness!

Spring is meant to bring out the madness in us all, and I'm no exception. Though instead of gamboling like a lamb in the very welcome sunshine, with me it's been making cushions. I'd never made cushions before but got tempted by a combination of spotting lovely fabrics at the Stitch and Craft 2011 show at Olympia II on 18 March and needing to make our kitchen benches look a bit more cosy. And I hadn't realised how easy it is to make cushions (the fold-through, non-zip type). I've made 4 with the fabrics I bought at the show and have plans for more. I also made a fifth (this time for my studio) with some fabric scraps (many of which I'd dyed and screen-printed for my college course in 2006!). I patchworked these together with some orange and yellow fabric I'd dyed which I was just waiting for the right opportunity to use. Really pleased with the result so I think this could be the start of an addiction! My next plan is for a patchwork cushion made from hand-made felt. And this all goes to show that you should never throw anything away from your stash as you never know when it'll come in useful!

Planets, Dragons and Leaves

Enjoyed another felting day on Monday with 3 creative weavers (amongst their other artistic talents!), making bags and wallhangings. There was a bit of a fantasy feel with their inspiration choices: outer space/planets and a dragon, along with some abstract leaves and flowers. I was very impressed with their creativity - and you can really see from the before and after photos how their felt designs have come to life. I'm also hoping to see a future picture of the dragon once some additonal detail stitching has been added on top - so watch this space (no pressure Pat!)!

Tandridge Handicraft Society Talk/Demonstration

I was invited to give a demonstration and talk on creative felting to the Tandridge Handicraft Society, an Oxted-based group who meet every Monday to share and practise their different crafts. Every month they also have a talk or demonstration on a different craft from an artist or tutor, so I was very pleased to be asked along to do just that. So I spent an enjoyable couple of hours this Monday demonstrating wet felting - but felting with a bit of a twist, the focus being on adding in other things to the felt as part of the process, ie fibres, wool yarns and fabric. It was great to talk to such an interested group of people (about 40 ladies), who asked lots of questions and seemed to enjoy hearing about this different aspect of felting. Thank you to everyone who came along!

New Clutch Bag Workshop

Had a great day on Saturday making embellished felt clutch bags with 3 talented felters. This was a new workshop and we were all really pleased with how well the bags turned out - as you can see!

If you would like to come and learn how to make these, just drop me a line for details and dates (email: natashasmartdesign@yahoo.co.uk).

Surrey Artist of the Year 2010 - Results!

Well the Surrey Artist of the Year was announced at an evening reception on 7 October. I didn't win, but I was very pleased to find that I'd sold a piece (the fossil necklace) and also that someone would like to commission me to make a bag along the lines of the lily journal I had made. Have a look at the New Ashgate Gallery website here (http://www.newashgate.org.uk/pages/event/295.html) for details of all the pieces in the show (click on a photo to enlarge) and which ones were sold. Overall it was a great experience to be involved in the whole event and make a small collection of pieces for a show. So thanks again to everyone who voted for me!

Workshops and their hidden surprises!

Attended an excellent workshop on Sunday with tutor Carole Waddle and 6 talented felters, as part of the International Feltmakers Association/Feltmakers Lacemakers Embroiderers Weavers Spinners Group (both co-ordinated by Joan Braganza). The workshop was entitled 'Hidden Depths' and was all about layering up different colours of fleece and then cutting back into it after felting to reveal new colours underneath. We used plastic resists to create pockets hidden within the felt (which we could again cut into to reveal new colours) and also to part-attach yarns to the fleece, so they were attached by their ends but were otherwise left loose or hanging where the resist was. Really interesting techniques, and we all enjoyed playing with the Norwegian fleece we used (bit different to the usual Merino). Photo here of the results - I've still got more cutting to do on mine, so I'll post some before and after photos once I've done a bit more.

And more hidden surprises when I got home that day. A lady called Sonia had attended a mini journal workshop with me back in June (see previous posting) but not had a chance to turn her piece of felt into a journal. Well once she'd got home she decided to make a sewing kit with her felt instead - and on Sunday she sent me the results as you can see here. Great idea - and it's always inspiring to see what other people come up with from the same basic idea or material.