Easter Egg and Bunny Felting Class

 

 My first "stab" at teaching turned out okay, I think.  I wasn't sure how I would be at conveying my thoughts to others.  We all got an egg made, first needle felted into an egg shape with embellishments tacked in place, then wet felted to finish.

Easter Egg Felting Kit

I do have kits available if you want to try this at home.  It is not hard.  Remember not to squeeze when rinsing the soap out.  Wrap in a towel to absorb the excess moisture and lay in the sun or sunny room to dry.

 

The group was anxious to move on to bunnies and so we did.

Everyone brought alpaca fiber that they had carded into batts at home. We all were working with Suri Alpaca, so yes you can felt Suri!  Adrienne had a pretty yellow pastel that she had Dyed with Kool-aid, Christie had some gorgeous white Suri to which she added red, also dyed with kool-aid. 

I was working with multi-colored rovings that I had dyed with Gaywool Dyes.  What I like about Dyeing With Gaywool is that the mordant and dyebath acidifier is formulated into the dye, which makes it simple, and there are so many pretty colors.

We divided our batts into nine pieces that we used to "build" our bunnies.  We started with the body which took the most fiber, then added legs, arms, head, ears, and tail.  Rolling the fiber tightly into the desired shapes was the "key" first step before starting to needle the fiber.

Diane used a natural color and had the help of her daughter, who found felting in cookie cutters to be much easier!  A Multi-Needle Felting Tool makes the work go much quicker, most of us used a tool with six needles.  A double or single needle was needed to get in the tight spots when adding the head and tail.

 

My daughter joined us, she is 13, can you tell?  I guess she didn't want her picture taken?

When we wrapped it up, we all had some felting to do at home to firm up and finish our bunnies.  Each one looked different and had his/her own personality!

We had fun taking the time out to do something fun together, and everyone went home having learned something new to do with Alpaca Fiber!

Meet Beatrice!

And Peter!

Both are listed in my Etsy shop.  They are definitely one-of-a-kind!

Check out the Fiber Arts Classes at Alpaca Meadows and see what's scheduled next!  Happy Spring!

Fiber Art Classes

Though I’ve never thought of myself as a teacher, I’ve been asked enough times if I give classes, that I’m going to give it a “stab”! So, for those of you in our area (Ohio) here is my schedule:

Easter Egg and Bunny Felting

Saturday, March 20, 2010

10am-3pm (or whenever we finish)

$35

Basic needle felting combined with some wet felting to make a basic egg shape with embellishment, then building a 3-D bunny for your Easter table! Coffee to get you started and lunch included. Peak at alpacas and visit to The Farm Store after lunch, then back to work! 

*You will need:

Multi-Needle Felting Tool

8 Ounce Batt of Fiber

Liquid Soap in Pump Dispenser

Plastic Tub Approximately 12”x14”

Towel

If you need fiber, please let me know ahead of time so I can card it. It is not pictured on my website but is available at $24 for an 8 ounce batt, available in light fawn and black.

Enroll In Class Now 

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Fiber Processing at Home

Saturday, May 8, 2010

10am-1pm (or whenever we finish)

$35

This class is a walk-through of what can you can do with your fiber at home, without spending a lot of money, in order to have a product to sell. Introduction to sorting, tumbling, washing, drying, picking, carding, packaging, and selling. Lots of ideas to go home with! Coffee to get you started and lunch included. Time to see the alpacas and visit The Farm Store.

Enroll In Class Now

 

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Alpaca Hand-Painting

Saturday, June 26, 2010

10am-3pm (or whenever we finish)

$35

Hand-Painting with Gaywool Dyes and introduction to a variety of other methods. This fiber will fly off your shelves, people love it! Bring your own fiber, rovings, or yarn, or purchase from Alpaca Meadows in advance. Coffee to get you started and lunch included. Time to peak at alpacas and visit to The Farm Store.

*You will need:

Try Gaywool Kit

4-8 Ounces Fiber, Rovings, or Yarn (white or light fawn)

Large Aluminum Roasting Pan—2

Aluminum Foil

Plastic Bottles—3 (can use empty dish soap bottles)

Plastic Gloves

Dish Soap—(any kind)

Plastic Tub Approximately 12”x14” or Small Bucket

Towel

Enroll In Class Now

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Mitten Felting

Saturday, September 4, 2010

10am-3pm (or whenever we finish)

$35

A combination of needle and wet felting on a form. All supplies included as well as tools to take home and make more with your own fiber. Coffee to get you started and lunch included. Peak at alpacas and visit to The Farm Store after lunch, then back to work!

*You will need:

Felting Needle—Single or Double

Mitten Forms

Washboard

4 Ounce Batt of Fiber

Towel

Liquid Soap in Pump Dispenser

Plastic Tub Approximately 12”x14”

Bubblewrap (supplied)

If you need fiber, please let me know ahead of time so I can card it. It is not pictured on my website but is available at $12 for a 4 ounce batt, available in light fawn.

Enroll In Class Now 

*If needed, these items can be purchased on our website prior to class.

All classes will be held at the farm.
Alpaca Meadows
185 Bethel Lane
Mansfield, Ohio  44906

Questions?  Call (419) 529-8152 or e-mail me at Julie@alpacameadows.com.

Blue Hands, Blue Locks, and Bluebirds

Not a very exciting picture, but it was another day of dyeing and I soak my fiber or yarn in soapy water before it goes in the dye pot.  This opens the scales and allows the fiber to more readily accept the dye.  Dyeing In A Dye Pot With Gaywool
is an earlier post if you're looking for help with dyeing.

This is a book that might also be helpful.

That was tricky, taking a picture of my hand, I've not done that before. 
Being a short person, I also have short arms, short legs, short fingers, and short everything else.  Try extending your arm and getting your hand far enough from your body that you can take a picture of it.  It is not easy - at least for me!

Enough of that silliness! Why don't I put on plastic gloves? It is such a simple solution . . . but it would involve a trip back to the barn to retrieve a pair and it was 9 degrees last night when I came home and my hair is still wet this morning. Do you know what I'm saying? You're with me on this right?

So, the fiber has been dyed and is now soaking in a sink full of water.  I will soak, squeeze out the water, refill the sink and soak again, until the water is clear.

I then spread the fiber out on screens that are elevated off the floor with recycled styrofoam boxes. This allows the air to circulate both above and below. I have a ceiling fan I turn on which speeds the drying process. Even when it is dry to the touch, I will leave it on the screens 3-4 days or longer to be sure it is dry throughout.

Finished!

The Gaywool color that I used is called Bluegum.

I often will dye my seconds, fiber I wouldn't spin into yarn, mix some colors together and package it to sell.  Felters love it for embellishing, dollmakers use it for doll hair, it can even be used for weaving. 



 

My daughter thinks I eat, breathe, and you know what . . . fiber!  Well we do have 40+ alpacas and I do have a lot of fleece and I am a fiber artist - what else would I do?!

My mom pays a friend to help me clean once a month, bless her pea pickin' heart!  It keeps me sane.  To have some sense of order and know that at least once a month, the house will get cleaned.  However, my friend has had two vacuum cleaners bite the dust at our house.  She said she thought it had to do with the animals and all the fiber - do you think?  It can be found many places . . . It might be getting . . .

Washed

Dyed

Picked

Carded

Bagged

Felted

Spun

Hung to Dry

Photographed

Labelled

Priced

Or you might see me sitting at the computer, where I spend way too much time, listing finished items for sale. 
Can you understand why I don't have time to clean?

More blue . . .

Just listed on Etsy under 'Paca Baby!

I found a Sizing Chart I thought was helpful when determining what age infant these would fit.

Now about the bluebirds.  I love bluebirds and I saw a whole group of them outside my kitchen window this morning!  They are such a vibrant, beautiful color.  It's a special day when I see bluebirds.

I must get the bluebird houses that my dad made for me cleaned out.

 

The mythology of the bluebird has deep roots that goes back to thousands of years. Indigenous cultures across the globe hold similar myths and beliefs about the bluebird. It is the most universally accepted symbol of cheerfulness, happiness, prosperity, hearth and home, good health, new births, the renewal of springtime, etc. Virtually any positive sentiments may be attached to the bluebird.

Barbara Dunn, Field Editor, for Birds and Blooms Magazine has written an article called True Blue Friends.  She feeds and photographs "those heavenly blue, angelic birds that make me feel like one of the chosen ones."  She even raisies meal worms to feed them, really, I might have to try it.  I do like bluebirds!

I also found an article on building a Bluebird House and Bluebird Facts that I thought were interesting.   These are the facts I like the best.

Bluebirds are family oriented. The courting male dotes on the female, waving his wings, enticing her to select a nest site and offering her treats.

Male bluebirds courageously guard the box during nest construction.

Male bluebirds deliver food to incubating females and participate equally in feeding nestlings and fledglings.

How sweet!

Bluebird Secrets is an article with tips on how to attract bluebirds to your own backyard!  If you want to know how to raise mealworms, you can find this out here too.

I guess some people eat them too - oh dear, I'm digressing.  Find out more on the USDA Agricultural Research Service website.

 

  And a little bluebird ditty . . .

Though you're deep in blue, You will see a ray of light creep through,

And so remember this, life is no abyss, Somewhere there's a bluebird of happiness. Life is sweet, tender and complete, when you find the bluebird of happiness.

- Bluebird of Happiness, lyrics by Edward Heyman & Harry Parr Davies, 1934

 

Jan Peerce sings the song "The Bluebird of Happiness" which was an enormous hit in its day. "The Bluebird of Happiness"

And about the bluebird of happiness.  It is the most universally accepted symbol of cheerfulness, happiness, prosperity, hearth and home, good health, new births, the renewal of springtime, etc. Virtually any positive sentiments may be attached to the bluebird.

A great read for Spring . . .

What Bluebirds Do

Be sure to visit Dave's Bird Watching Blog. 
It is quite interesting. 
He has pictures of bluebird fledglings and videos of  Bluebirds Feeding Nestlings

 and Bluebird Eating From Hand.

Bluebird Art - Baby Blue Print

I found this bluebird artwork by Amber Alexander.  Check out her Etsy shop at
Amber Alexander's Shop - she does incredible work!