After all the weeks and weeks of preparation the Open Studios weekend came and went so fast...
Shalfleet Village Hall is in a great location, tucked behind the old church, surrounded by meadow and graveyards. But it is rather remote and we weren't sure how many people would find us. We needn't have worried - lots of red bunting and banners attracted nearly 400 visitors during the three days - despite the heat! The tiny hall was buzzing...
As well as chatting to visitors we all tried to have some work in progress so we could demonstrate and explain techniques...
Here's Wendy's delicate hand embroidery, Murray's landscapes and
Pat's wonderful fantasy paintings, plus my felt display.
It was extremely HOT and cold drinks under the gazebo were very popular!
Sarah managed to capture John relaxing in the shade - taking time out from his tea duties...
But it was far too HOT for some...
And then we had our exhibition at Quarr Abbey the following week. It was a great opportunity to show my new soft pots, bags and scarves at both venues, to catch up with old friends and meet lots of new people who are keen to learn all about felt making! I will be posting up the new workshop dates very soon - there will be the regular classes for beginners, plus some exciting new workshops for more experienced felt makers.
I've been working on some ideas for combining felt & hand stitching and we're planning to develop these into workshops for the autumn, so watch this space!
In the meantime we still have places on the August workshops at Oliven in Newport (for adults) and at West Wight Alpacas for adults & children, so check the links for more details.
A very BIG thank you to everyone who came along to see the shows. I do hope you enjoy the rest of the summer and all this wonderful sunshine.
Let's hope it lasts...