Felmaking class at Orion Art Center

This past weekend I had the pleasure of teaching a scarf making class to a group of really amazing beginning felters. The OAS is a terrific little center, housed in an old Victorian in the center of Lake Orion, Michigan. It's a real gem, and does a great job of showcasing local art and offering classes for children and adults.

Our class was a lot of hard work, with some thoughtful artistic decisions and laughs mixed in. My students did an excellent job, and walked away with some stunning scarves and a new skill. Well done, ladies!

Raw wool. From the beast.

There's something really magical about wool. I love the warmth of it- you can feel it heating the moment you touch it and it begins to capture your body heat. I also love the smell if the field, the bits of stray hay (not so much the bits of manure, though!).

I was able to purchase this huge fleece from a farmer I admire greatly. She runs a grass fed beef and meat farm in the Ann Arbor area. Her animals are healthy and humanely treated. I really admire her. She also happens to have sheep- mainly heritage breeds- and so I buy her wool. This fleece came from a Navajo Churro, an ancient and wild breed. It was enormous, and it was a mess. In the end though, it felted into this wonderful, shaggy, textural rug. Or throw. I'm not sure I could put it on the floor. I just want to curl up into it. Dd I mention it's that big?

Eco dye scarves

As promised. Some colors from the garden. Reminds me of summer on this blustery and frosty day. The top is a close up of how the green eucalyptus changes to orange in the dye process. My favorite. Lots of goldenrod and purple basil in the second photo. It's a nuno felt scarf- a fusion of merino wool and silk. Really lovely. The first, and third photos are a length of habotai silk, with rolled hems. It's flowing, beautiful, and one of a kind. All (and a few more) can be found in my etsy shop. That's how I hold onto summer memories. What about you?