AUTUMN : " A Season of Workshops"

Autumn is the season of real dramatic contrasts! 

 The rapid change in the weather is reflected in our gardens and the surrounding 
landscape. Trees change colour and shape, daylight changes...

Morning mists and dew, cobwebs, falling leaves 
and a few fading flowers left amongst the seeds and pods...

Certainly there's been plenty to inspire me while I've been preparing

for these 'FELTED GARDEN' workshops.

I hoped it would be the same for those who came along!

In late September the 'PAINTING with FIBRES' workshop was held
at NORTHCOURT MANOR (celebrating it's 400th centenary this year!)

We were working in the old Music Room... 

making felt rather than music, 
but still soaking up the marvellous atmosphere and creating  
some wonderful pictures.

I was really looking forward to the weekend of workshops at 

VENTNOR BOTANIC GARDEN at the beginning of October.
I hoped the ‘SEEDS & PODS’ theme would produce 

some inspired work... I wasn’t disappointed!

And the autumnal themes carried on into the next 3-D workshop at
QUARR ABBEY, which followed a couple of weeks later. 

Felting small vessels enabled everyone to work so much quicker.
Laying out more than one piece at a time and rolling them together gave more 
time for experimenting with techniques & textures. 

I would like to have taken all of these little pots home
as they show the scope of this workshop perfectly!

Back at QUARR ABBEY last weekend and the FELT FLOWER workshop 
produced some amazing results.
It's always tricky to photograph any felt at the end of the day as it's still wet
but even so the sheer quality and quantity of
 all the flowers here was impressive! 

These 'FELTED GARDEN' workshops have been great fun!
We've all enjoyed the felt making and the warm, very unseasonal, weather has
made visiting the gardens and having lunch outside an extra pleasure... 

Thanks to all of you who have taken part - I learn so much from my students -

And I couldn’t wait to start sewing into this felt piece

inspired by the honesty pods I’d picked some months ago...

There will be a new programme of 'FELTED GARDEN' workshops
coming up in the Spring - all with suitable seasonal themes.

I'll be posting up the details in the New Year
so please keep checking in...