Tuesday 3 August 2010

Long time no speak...

My last post was pretty much all about Rachaels felted gifts for her teachers - I can happily report that they were thrilled to bits with them :o)

Ive been asked to go into school and do a felting workshop in September. While talking with the teacher I mentioned International Felt Day & the slice of the colour wheel theme - Year 6 are doing `under the sea` & `outerspace` for autumn projects, so I think it`ll be pretty easy to fit in with that in blue, green & yellow...should be fun!

We have had a wonderfully chilled out first week of the summer holidays :o) Weather could of been better - but still a very nice week... we were busy doing nothing. We did potter around in the garden quite a bit and I thought Id share this years bean structure with you (you lucky things). Last year we had what looked like a Dalek (off Dr.Who) this year we have...

An archway of beans
They are about 10feet apart, but meet in the middle

And my favourite flowers are in full bloom...
Helenium - said to of sprung up where the tears of Helen of Troy fell to the ground.

I had an out-of-the-blue phone call, from a farmers wife of my aquaintanc,e a couple of weeks back. They have a freerange & I think organic farm about 20 miles away - in a stunningly beautiful valley in Worcestershire. They`re holding an open day on the farm on 25th September, with tractor rides to visit the animals (rare & heritage breeds), egg collecting and things like that... all to raise money for their local church, and for Help for Heros charity. They asked me to go along and do some spinning... as you all know Im primarily a felter & the urge to felt is STRONG. My good friend Clare has saved the day, she is coming with me and shall be spinning & I shall be felting... a simple little workshop using fleece from the farm sheep. I feel honored to of been asked along, and Im really looking forward to spending a day in beautiful surroundings, playing with wooly goodness and chatting - and visiting all of the animals of course.

I collected the fleeces just before the kids broke up... spent a nice couple of hours rooting through wool sacks (aided by 2 friendly bearded collies) we were in an open sided barn in glorious sunshine with swallows flying in and around - it was lovely. I have 4 jacobs fleeces - all are beautifully marked. I decided to felt one of them into a sheep friendly sheepskin type rug to raffle off & hopefully raise more money for Help for Heros.

Knowing this would be a big job & hard work was one thing ... I did it yesterday and OMG I am aching SO much... I cant begin to tell you. Its drying out now - and I am happy :o) I still have a couple of hours work left, and I shall be posting more very soon - I even remembered to take pictures as I made it!!! Good going for me - I usually think of that just as I finish lol.

Oh & I got my Peacefelt swap partners today! Another very exciting project to be involved in :o) Just got to figure out what to make now...

Hope you are all having a good week
xxx

p.s. Im having trouble with the spacings on blogger again... sorry if it looks iggledy-piggledy; Im fed up of trying to get it even & leaving it as it is x

1 comment:

Felted House said...

I love Helenium too and have got a couple of varieties, it seems to be the only perennial with any colour in my garden at this time of year.
My beans are also in an arch but it is an unintentional one formed as their wigwam of canes has leaned aver at such an angle over the path that they've joined up with the very tall blackcurrant bush! xx