My San Diego Workshops were great!!

As I was traveling 12 hours to san diego I wondered … what am I doing traveling across the country to do this?? I had never met Lisa before, she found me on facebook and summoned me to california to teach her nuno feltmaking.

I’m so glad we took the chance on each other and planned a felting party at her home in Chula Vista. Her family welcomed me with open arms and made me feel right at home. Special thanks to her daughter Sophia for giving up her mermaid themed bedroom for me!

The back patio made a perfect felting studio and everyone, as usual, made gorgeous scarves.

The next day I had another workshop booked in La Mesa at two sisters & ewe yarn and fiber arts. Jane, the owner, is a natural and will be including nuno felting as one of their many offerings. Again, as you can see, gorgeous scarves!

I spent my last day wandering up the coast to peddle my wares. I am now coast to coast! My work is being offered at Mila in La Jolla, a very upscale boutique located next to George’s, which I’m told is the best restaurant in San Diego. I ventured on to Solana Beach where the rest of my inventory is happily at OMG Goddess. Everyone has been telling me that my stuff would be great in California … and now you can get one of my laugh in scarves the next time you’re in San Diego!

The Fiber Festival of New England was fabulous!

Lots of folks came out to support local fiber art.  So much glorious COLOR! I’ve been flat out for two month preparing for this event and now that it’s past … time to prepare for more events!! Good problem to have, I say. This Friday, November 12, 2010 I’ll be at the Tower Square craft show in Springfield, MA from 11-2pm giving all the corporate soldiers a chance to shop for hand-crafted goods on their lunch hour.

AND at  Snow Farm, the holiday sale starts Friday, November 12, 2010 as well. My stuff will be in the fiber building. They open their doors Friday, Saturday and Sunday for three weekends each November to help everyone get a jump on their holiday shopping.

But the really big new is …

I’m being flown out to San Diego California to teach a private felting workshop!!

But that deserves it’s own post ….

The sixth annual Fiber Twist in Deerfield Mass was great!!

I’m still pumped with adrenaline! Such a nice size show with so much luscious fiber. I had really nice neighbors … Dirty Water DyeWorks with all their lovely hand dyed yarns on one side and Sojourner Design with piles of carded fiber among other beautiful supplies on the other. Wish I had had time to take a saunter around with so much gorgeousness all around me. The traffic was almost non-stop. Some of my things found new homes … the first one out of the nest was my lovely white-on-white shawl. It has been one of the inspirations for a wedding outfit I am designing with a bride-to-be.

SOLD!

Feeling really grateful today and everyday for being able to do what I LOVE and make a living at it besides! I feel so blessed. My company was founded on the belief that doing what you love brings JOY and right now my heart is BURSTING with it!! Keep it coming universe!

My next show is at The Fiber Festival of New England on Nov 6&7 at the BigE fair grounds in West Springfield Mass. Hope to see you all there!

my laugh-in scarves will be selling in the berkshires this summer!!

I taught a great nuno ribbon felt scarf workshop at the hotchkiss school in lakeville ct last saturday. there was a grandmother/ mother/ daughter/ niece, a mother/daughter and an aunt/neice in the mix which made it really nice. As usual … ALL the scarves were beautiful. I haven’t seen any that weren’t beautiful yet. on the way home I decided to stop in great Barrington mass to see if I could find any new wholesale accounts. and there was EVERGREEN. Barbara, the owner happened to be there and loved my ponchos, so I’m sewing some up for the 4th of july weekend. then i figured i was on a roll, so i stopped in at the purple plume in lenox mass. the owner, judie, gave me a very cheery welcome and ended up wanting to carry my laugh-in scarves! I’ve been in the back yard painting up a storm on these gorgeous summer days. It doesn’t get much better than this!!

website changes and ribbon felt workshop at new england felting supply in easthampton, ma this weekend

I’m making some changes to the website so don’t be surprised if things look different … it’s still the now & ZEN blog, but the main website will be merging with it.  add web designer to my job description … along with marketing manager, sales manager, production department, accounting department and president.

AND

Come join us at NEFS for a ribbon felt workshop Saturday, May 22 from 9-4:30pm

you can register  here or call (413) 527-1188

The Ribbon felt workshops are filling up fast!

There are still a few spots left in my workshop and we want to fill the house! alchemy initiative is offering 33% off if you bring a friend. it’s a funky renovated church in the heart of pittsfield, ma that’s loaded with creative energy!

I also have 2 other workshops scheduled this month in addition to the one at alchemy initiative …

• WEBS in Northampton Sept 20th 10am-5pm (my thursday night class is full, so we added a one day workshop) you can sign up here:

http://www.yarn.com/webs-classes-events-classes-spinning-dyeing-felting/webs-felting-class-nuno-ribbon-felt-scarves-one-day/

• Holyoke Creative Arts Center Sept 12th 2009 10am-5pm

Call 413/532-0465 to register or E-mail: info@HolyokeCAC.org

Hope to see you soon, even if it’s not at a workshop!

Fall line-up of nuno felting classes and workshops

My fall schedule of classes and workshops is growing everyday.

I will be adding them here on a regular basis, so stop in often to see what unfolds!

2009 workshops

saturday, sept 26
• ribbon felt scarves •  10-4pm
alchemy initiative
www.AlchemyInitiative.org.com

saturday, oct 31
• ribbon felt scarves •  9-4pm
new england felting supply
www.feltsupply.com

classes

mondays, sept 14 – dec 14
• knitting •   6-8pm
holyoke creative arts center
www. holyoke cac.org

wednesdays, oct 7 – 28
• ribbon felt scarves •  6:15-8:15pm
holyoke community college
www.hcc.edu/

thursdays, oct 22 – nov 12
• ribbon felt scarves •  6-8pm
WEBS
www.yarn.com

look what first time silk painters did in my new class

Just goes to show … we are all artists if we can just step out of the way.

My new class is running Tuesday nights at Holyoke Creative Arts Center this fall. We will be exploring all things fiber, including nuno felting, hand painted silk scarves and custom dyed yarns.  I’m also teaching at WEBS in Northampton, Holyoke Community College and New England Felting Supply. My classes have been filling quickly, so I’ve added other venues.  Get your spot now!

Hand-painted silk yardage anyone?

Love, love, love creating this luscious yardage! When the weather is nice, I’m outside dyeing and felting. So inspiring being out in nature with all the great colors and textures. Can’t help but take my inspiration from it. Many are like Monets on silk! I’ve been offering my silks by the yard at New England Felting Supply and to my students when I teach. This stuff is so wonderful to felt on. I use it for my base in some of my scarves. I’m going to sew up some silk ponchos or wraps with it, too!

progress on the new studio for felting and fibering

I decided last fall to move the studio to the house. That way I would save a ton of time and money by not going back and forth all the time. When I was here … I always needed something there and vise versa. Not to mention cheaper rent and besides it helps get the laundry done when the studio is next to the washing machine. Well … you know how moving can be. Some of us sail right through it and everything is set up in a day. Let’s just say I’m not one of those people. We moved the studio in late October and by December I decided I had to have that area of the basement sheet rocked to give it a more inviting feel. So, I enthusiastically jumped into that project (quite possibly to prolong the unpacking part of the process) and took progress picture as I went. Now that it’s April I am finally getting around to posting them. I’m telling myself it’s not because I’m stalling on unpacking the studio, but that might have something to do with it. If any of you artist type people out there are anything like me, you have so much stuff to make stuff with …. that it’s hard to get organized enough to make stuff. But, alas, the desire and need to “make”  is becoming overwhelming and soon that studio will be ready to roll! Who knows … maybe I’ll even do a few mini-workshops here!

Yay! I’m getting there!