A date for your diaries

Annual Craft De-Clutter Sale

Saturday 25 January, from 9 am to 1 pm
St Marks Church, corner of Opawa Rd and Vincent Place

Assorted craft items including wool, fibre, embroidery, quilting and clothing fabric, books, magazines, unfinished items, raffles, teas, craft in action, and much more!

 

Rowena is having another felting day at her place before Christmas

Woolfun Day at Bergli. 21st December  Saturday
Anytime between 10 am and 4 pm.

Enjoy a relaxing day working with wool with like-minded people in a small group, in a beautiful log house with wonderful views. Koha appreciated for the morning and afternoon tea provided.  Bring your lunch, your woolcraft gear, and if felting, a table if possible.  Bergli B&B is at Teddington,  Lyttelton Harbour, between Governors Bay and Diamond Harbour.  30 minutes from the square.
For information ring Rowena on 3299118.  Find a map with GPS co-ordinates at:   http://www.bergli.co.nz/en/home/map

Dates for felting days for 2014

Victoria and Anna have booked the Halswell Hall for our felting days next year.  Halswell Hall is on the corner of Halswell Junction Road and Halswell Road 

 

Saturday       Feb 15th          9.00 till 3.00

Thursday      March 27th      9.00 till 2.30

Saturday      May 10th           9.00 till 3.00

Thursday      June 19th          9.00 till 2.30

Saturday      July 26th          9.00 till 3.00

Thursday      Sept 4th           9.00 till 2.30

Saturday     Oct 18th           9.00 till 3.00

We welcome new people to our felting days which are very informal.  We have no tuition but bring our own projects to do.
 

Declutter sale- January 25th

Mark this day in your calendar - Saturday January 25th - St Marks Opawa.  Its another declutter sale in January organised by the Textile& Fibre Arts Network of Christchurch.  The network are looking for volunteers.  Any donations of goods can be delivered to Julie Devlin over the week prior. Sorting and presentation will also be done over this week with set up on the Friday evening.

 

The sale will run from 0900-1300 (9-1pm) on Saturday with clean up to follow the event.  Any offers of help greatly appreciated.  Contact Victoria for more information

 

Nelson Arts Council changing threads

Arts Council Nelson is proud to be presenting Changing Threads 2014.  This is a nationally subscribed event showcasing Contemporary New Zealand Fibre & Textile Arts at The Refinery Artspace, Nelson. 14 March - 5 April 2014. The aim of these awards is to "Encourage fibre & textile artists to produce creations which challenge the public perceptions of work that is traditionally associated with these media".  The awards are currently to the value of $3,750.00  See http://www.acn.org.nz

Glenroy

We have just had a great long weekend felting at Glenroy.  Jane Dolan has put photos on the web at https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=7C921EBE149D7756!444&authkey=!AKs2qW_nuF1W-VU&ithint=folder%2c.JPG

Woolfun Day at Bergli.

Rowena has invited felters to a Woolfun day at her place on Saturday 12 October anytime between 10 am and 4 pm.

Enjoy a relaxing day working with wool with like-minded people in a small group, in a beautiful log house with wonderful views. Koha appreciated for the morning and afternoon tea provided.  Bring your lunch, your woolcraft gear, and if felting, a table if possible.

 

Other days planned are 16th November,14th December,18th January and 8th February

Bergli B&B is at Teddington,  Lyttelton Harbour, between Governors Bay and Diamond Harbour.  30 minutes from the square. Find a map with GPS co-ordinates at:   http://www.bergli.co.nz/en/home/map  Contact Rowena MacGill  Ph & Fax 64-3-3299118. www.bergli.co.nz

Felt and therapy

Felting as medicine
Last year Petra Kunz talked at one of our meetings about the multitude of therapeutic benefits felting can have.    Petra has sent me a copy of her powerpoint presentation if anyone wants to view it.  I don't think I can attach it to this blogsite but I am happy to send it out.  Contact me, Lynette, at nikau@clear.net.nz

On the River of Life

Here is Bettina's work from the Feltporation Exhibition (see my earlier blog)

 

 

 

 

On the River of Life                                          

Bettina Jacoby

As we travel ‘on the river of life’ we occasionally encounter extreme storms. Tossed about in rough seas, our fragile beings are barely protected by fine threads. When our calls for assistance are being heard, we feel so relieved. On the horizon interlinking vessels powered by positive energy, human compassion and practical support emerge. They manoeuvre us safely into calmer waters.

With thank tor the individuals, teams and communities, who assisted us following the 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand.

These days Christchurch is remerging as a vibrant, colourful city with stronger community links, inventive projects towards integrated living and a thriving alternative cultural scene.

Hand-felted using Corriedale and Merino wool, felted rope, cotton fabric and novelty threads

Sea 140 x 44 cm  Boat 72 x 23 cm

Feltportation: Bettina's work exhibited in Australia

One of our group, Bettina Jacoby, has had some of her felt work in an exhibition in Australia at the University of Woolongong.  The exhibition was called Feltportation.  More information can be found at http://lha.uow.edu.au/crearts/fcagallery/UOW155347.html.   More information about Bettina can be found at  http://susanlazear.blogspot.co.nz/2009/04/meet-bettina-jacoby.html.
 

Next felting event is a four day retreat

Sorry for getting the dates muddled for the last felting day.  I hope no-one was confused.  I've been away on holiday so was a bit pre-occupied.  The next felting event we have planned is at Glenroy, just out of Christchurch.  This is a 4 day weekend from 21 - 24 November and you will need to email Victoria zvictor55@gamil.com for more information.  Its filling up fast.

Prebbleton Hall day 4 september

Don't forget, the next felting day is 14th September at Prebbleton Hall.  Just turn up, it starts at 9am.  .  We welcome new people but you need to try and bring everything you need to felt, there will be lots of advice available so don't worry.

Raincliff Fri 9 Aug to Sun 11 August

We had a great time at Raincliff.  Thank you to the organisers and the wonderful cooks. 

Some of the Raincliff participants.  The table has our worry eaters on it (see below).



Lynette Creagh preparing her autumn leaves rug

Helping felt Lynette's rug

Visiting felter Petra Kunz introduced us to worry eaters at our last Prebbleton day.  You right your worries on a piece of paper, put them inside the worry eater and zip up the zip (ie its mouth).  Petra's original worry eater is on the right.

Isla Clark with two hand warmers

Jane Sutherland with her handwarmers

Lynette Hartley's footstool cover

Sue Hammersley's cuddly cat bed, complete with mouse.  The cat bed is made from Peter, the sheep's, wool

Vivienne Johnson's worry eater

Millie Haussmann's rabbit

Looking forward to a great felting weekend at Raincliff this weekend (9th to 11 August 2013).  Email me if anyone from Christchurch is interested in sharing transport down for the weekend.  Lynette H email:  nikau@clear.net.nz

A lot of talking and felting happened at our felting day on Saturday 6 July.  About 20 people turned up despite the weird windy weather.  Thank you to Victoria and Penny for the following photos.

 One of a kind hat

 Nadia with her felted fluffy collar

The South Canterbury Felting Group are organising a weekend at Raincliff Youth Camp on 9th to 11th August.  Contact Gwenneth gcloomes@ihug.co.nz  or Millie milliemop50@gmail.com for more information.

More photos from Creative Fibre's Porirua weekend, May 2013

Heather Kerr from Wanaka's One of a Kind.  Nuno felted short Kimono sleeved vest/jacket in merino and silk. 

Patricia Took-Stephens' felted sculpture called Click! WOW! And there was Light
Merino with stitch embellishment.  Patricia is in Southern Felters

Raewyn Penrose from Te Aroha's Ring-a-Ring-a-Rosy.  Felted merino wool with a skirt of cobweb felt.

Sandra Thompson's A Cut Above.  Sandra is from Hikurangi and the jacket is a mixture of handwoven and felted fabric with a handwoven scarf.

Shona Schofield's very stylish Storm.  Shona is in Southern Felters.

Creative Fibre Festival

I’m just back from the creative fibre festival in Porirua last weekend.  I thought I would share some photos.  Porirua is a fantastic place and the two venues, Pataka Museum and Te Rauparaha Arena are amazing.  Southern felters didn’t have a huge presence but it was good to see textile work from all over the country. 

The Fashion Parade was very well put together with over 80 garments making the cut.  The next day all the garments are displayed so you could have a good look at them (but not touch).  My favorites were a nuno felted merino and silk dress by Lynn Evans of Wellington.  The dress was called Kurvaceous Kereru and it had shimmery silk panels in Kereru colours.  Raewyn Penrose from Te Aroha had a beautifully felted Merino silk dress with a skirt of cobweb felt in shades of grey with big full rose-like flowers on it.  The garments that stood out most on the catwalk were those like Raewyn’s which were beautifully tailored.  Some of the felted items seemed a bit floppy and shapeless compared to other methods.  Simple clean lines and defined shapes seemed to look the best.  The other stand out was May Bass’s Snowdrift which was a completely white nuno felted dress which was technically perfect felting and had a shapely scarf.

The fashion judge was Yanny Split and she questioned whether the parade should be called a fashion parade or something else.  Her observation was that the entries were not fashion focused.  She seemed to have a good point there.

Lynette Hartley

Anna Harris's gorgeous "Heather".  A handfelted, hand dyed jacket and dress in superfine merino and silk.  Anna is in Southern Felters.

Lynn Evan's "Kurvaceous Kereru"  Nuno felted merino and silk panel dress based on a Kereru





May Bass's "Snowdrift  Nuno felted dress wrap and hat in merino and silk

Raewyn Penrose's "Scotch Thistle" Felted, hand stitched Merino Wool and silk

Here's a photo from our April meeting

Felting day last Saturday

We had a large turnout for the felting day on Saturday 13 April in Prebbleton Hall. Lots of talk and lots of felting.  People bought along examples of the work for Petra Kunz to look at.  This turned out to be a great opportunity for us all to look at each others work.  Thank you Petra for your talk and sharing your photos.   I forgot my camera so if anyone has photos of the day that are suitable for the blogsite let me know at Southernfelters@gmail.com

Possible Leiko Uchi workshop

Shona Schofield may have a Japanese felter called Leiko Uchi coming for a workshop in September/October.  Leiko has a website – click on the photo to enter the rest of the website http://www.leikofelt.com/

Raincliff Felter's Retreat 9-11 August 2013

The Timaru felters have invited Southern Felters to join them for a great weekend of felting, fun and chatting.  Pencil Friday 9 August to Sunday 11 August in your diaries.  It is at Raincliff camp and food will be catered so no cooking for a whole weekend. (google Raincliff camp if you haven’t been before and want to see what it is like).  More information will be sent out in June.  Numbers are restricted to 23. 

As it happens Shona Schfield has a felting day at her place in Ashburton on Thursday 8 August.  Shona says out-of-town people are welcome to stay overnight at her place that night and go straight from there is Raincliff – something to keep in mind.

REMINDER - FELTING DAY APRIL 13th

All Welcome, Prebbleton Hall

Petra Kunz is going to be visiting us.  Petra is from Germany and is a tutor at Wollknoll which is a family owned enterprise. Wollknoll began with wool processing in 1993 and now offers almost everything that is needed for felting and much more www.wollknoll.eu  Petra also uses her felting skills in therapy as an occupational therapist. 

Petra will be showing slides starting at 9.30 am.  She wants to see some of our work too so bring one or two things along. 

After this is will be felting as usual.  New people are very welcome but remember it’s not a class and you will be expected to have a go.  There is usually lots of advice about.

In addition to the Prebbleton Hall days Shona Schofield has kindly offered her facilities in Ashburton to provide another couple of felting days this year Thursday May 23rd and Thursday August 8th. Thanks Shona

 

Southern Felters now has its own email address Southernfelters@gmail.com

Don't forget our next felting day is Saturday13th April

In reply to Jane's question:  Victoria and I attended a meeting of the Combined textile network on Saturday so we know a lot more about it now.  This is a group of Christchurch textile enthusiasts who are wanting, among other things, to get a building for textile artists to use.  They have plans for raising the profile of textile groups in Christchurch including holding a group exhibition.  They want a list of names of established quality felters from our group to invite to a meeting to discuss a future exhibition.  Victoria and I have a bit of an issue with working out whose names should be on this list as Southern Felters operates a bit more loosely than some of the other textile groups. We will submit a first draft list but will discuss the best way to provide a more complete list at our next Southern Felters meeting  We wnat to make it an includive process.  We are happy to continue attending the meetings, which are monthly, on behalf of the group - Lynette

News from the Combined Textile Network

The combined textile network, a post earthquake group, which we are going to start participating in, is wanting to consult with textile artists.  They have asked us for a list of felters from our group who may be interested in participating in a combined textile exhibition here in Christchurch.  I am going to supply a list.  Let me know if you want your name on this list - I am happy to add you to the list I am currently creating.  Lynette 

Here are photos from our Genroy retreat last November 2012.  Victoria usaully organises these and makes a great job of it.  We are all hoping there will be one this year (2013) as well.


 

Felting days for 2013

The felting days for the 2013 year are
Saturday February 9
Saturday April 13
Saturday July 6
Saturday September 14

Location Prebbleton hall, Canterbury, New Zealand
These are all Saturdays as we can’t get the hall on weekdays. If anyone knows a suitable hall we can use on weekdays we would like to slot more days in to our timetable

Next Felting day

 

We are all looking forward to our first Southern Felters' felting day on February 9 2013.  The felting days are open to anyone who is interested.  They are not instruction days, the idea is to come along, felt, catch up with one another and share ideas.  If you are an absolute beginner chances are someone will be able to give you a hand to make a start but there are no designated instructors.  People are very generous with advice and the days are a great chance to see what other people are doing.  You will need to bring everything with you for your felting and your own food and drinks.  There is a kitchen with hot water.  There is usually a small selection of basic materials, such as carded wool available for sale.

LOCATION: Prebleton Hall, Canterbury 9am