Evolving Sweetie

Felting Weekend - part 3

Here's all our finished goods. In all we completed 14 projects. As you can see they all varied in style, color and fancy. Out of our weekend came a desire to set up a felting club to keep learning new skills and have the opportunity to play together. I found it delightful to find some new passionate and inspiring women to share a hobby with. Till next time...

Final projects

Leah taking photos

Linda modeling her gorgeous scarf

Jean modeling her lovely scarf

Linda, Paula & Jean

My shawl

Scarf for my sister

My weekend bounty

Ferry coming to take us home

Felting Weekend - part 2

The Felting Getaway afforded us 2 days to felt. Most of us completed 2-3 projects in that time span. Interestingly we all wanted to Nuno felt. Nuno felting felts wool into existing natural fabrics. The fun part was we all had different approaches and things we wanted to try. It was very creative and collaborative process. I found myself zoning out as I laid out my projects and beat them into submission. There is a lot of pounding, pushing, coaxing, scrubbing and throwing that happens before a piece is finished.

Felting is always magically. It takes a lot of elbow grease and patience, but nothing beats the excitement when the felting really begins to take shape. The results are unpredictable and wonderfully surprising. We all experienced a lot of issues with getting the process started. Think it had to do with the hardness of the water and how cold the garments got holding water. Felting relies on heat, soap and friction as key components. One of them being off throws the whole experiment out of balance. 

I completed 3 projects that weekend. The last 2 were shawls that took 4-5 hours to complete apiece. Its a good thing they finished up just in the nick of time before my back gave way into cascades of spasms. Hard work on all parts of the body. I left each day feeling my body throb from head to foot, yet my soul sang.

Here are some pictures of works in progress:

Paula laying out her pattern

Leah's perfectly drafted skirt

Raw materials for Mom's Shawl - my 2nd project

Drafted shawl - before wet felting

Close up of drafted wool

Mom's shawl after felting

Felting Weekend - part 1

Time flies far too fast this time of year. Being sick hasn't helped matters either. Just now getting around to posting about my felting weekend in Coupeville on Whidbey Island. A friend Paula & I took a series of felting classes this fall from Leah, who owns Spiderfelt. Leah organized a small group of us felters for a getaway weekend to felt to our heart's content. A joyous, relaxing weekend getting to know some phenomenal women. Quality creative time, great food and a few ferryboat rides. Awesome!

Here's Paula on reading about felting as we started

 the journey across to Whidbey Island. A beautiful friday afternoon.

Our first night, we chatted away until after 8:00 before we headed into town for food. Coupeville is a small little town on Penn Cove. I fell in love with the light as we were walking along and drifted into photographer mode. We ended up at Christopher's for dinner, although I don't think anyone was over the moon with their dinner. It was a nice way to start getting to know one another.

POSTCARDS from Coupeville, WA 

View off our front porch

Water view from our porch

The Heart of the Matter

One of the pieces I struggle with about my lifetime with Chuck is the lessons I've learned through care-taking, cancer and widowhood. Why was I given these experiences so young? How do I assimilate all this emotional and spiritual knowledge? And the one I struggle with most is what do I do with it- how do I give back?  Chuck & I used to joke that you are given the secret handshake to life wisdom that'd you'd never choose to know.  Yet they are the most valuable lessons to learn.

There's a strong desire in me to help people going through cancer and those in grief after losing their partner. While I keep playing with ideas on how this will manifest -  a solid plan has yet to emerge. One opportunity has presented itself. I was asked to be the widow facilitator at a new support group in my healing community. Revolving around expressing where you are on your journey through art. Very enjoyable thus far. Definitely highlights to me how far I've come in two + years.

Right now, I'm making the conscious shift toward happiness. Chuck resides in the pieces of my heart that are his alone. Forever - he accompanies me there. Yes, somedays the pain of his death inevitably floods over in tears and grief. But I feel him closest to me when I allow the best of life in - happiness, fulfillment, joy, love, peace, sunshine. 

Tonight's project was a collage. As you can tell by my blog style, words and images are important to me. My desire was to represent where Chuck is in my heart. Here is where I carry not only him, but us. Joyful, fiery, glowing yellow was appropriate to me. Choose words I found that represent me moving forward, how I honor us, how I envision him and recognize gifts that Chuck alone gave me. It may make absolutely no sense to anyone else...I'm happy with that. The token of love is ours alone. And Chuck will understand it perfectly.

What is your truth?

Currently I'm taking a seminar designed to get past the mind chatter - the inner critic who has an opinion on how everything you do could be better. The goal is to narrow down to what is your truth - what gifts would you want to give the world if you have the power. And what do you need in order to live in and share those gifts. 

My truths are:

1. Love

2. Creativity

3. Gratitude

4. Freedom

The first three are so me and ring true at my core. The last one I'm still on the fence with. Freedom for me is the means and opportunity to fulfill your heart's desire. I've expressed some extraordinary lengths to get to freedom in my life. And have short circuited and self sabotaged my heart's desire in equal measurement. Curious to see how this one stands by weekends end and after much more reflection. 

Imagine if you have 4 truths to bring into the world to make it a better place... 

What are they for you?

Winter via Matthews Beach

Spent some quality time with my friend Canon yesterday. We unexpectedly received snow overnight. I wanted to capture some images from my favorite neighborhood spot, Matthews Beach on Lake Washington.

POSTCARDS - from Matthews Beach, Seattle WA

Release

Finally, a release has been achieved! I'm processing a lot these days:

• job hunting
• interview prep  
• just want do you want to be when you grow up anyway
• another graduate course in grief 
• health issues 
• finances 
• boredom 
• organization of space 
• spiritual growth & questioning some beliefs   
• miscellaneous other issues, etc. 

Do I need to go on? 

Aside from seeing friends & family, my mind has not had much of a break from mulling all this over recently. This afternoon with 100 things on my to-do-list, I tossed it aside and spent a few hours making felted scarves for gifts in addition to this evening's felting class. I haven't created anything new in a few weeks. While I'm working diligently on knitting 2 baby blankets, the end is still far out of sight.  And only at the end will the sense of accomplishment come.

After spending hours lost in creation, my mind quieted and let go of all the questions for a while. I feel more peaceful than I have in weeks.  This lesson I keep learning over and over. When I permit myself the time and space to create I am happier, healthier and less stressed. And the worries, obligations, struggles and mind work gets a rest. I'm present and content.

At this moment, I'm at peace. 

Remember this feeling next time you are fighting your soul's urge to spend a few hours creating. 

PHOTOS: 1ST ATTEMPT @ NUNO FELTING - felting onto fabric

 

  

Pictures in Felt

Tonight's felting class was about creating pictures during the felting process. So far this was my favorite set of projects. It's been fun getting to know everyone and see how their creative juices flow.

I created 2 pieces. The first started with a bold black background and no idea what to do with it! I started thinking about a fall forrest at night. However, the finished picture actually reminds me of a night scene in Sedona. Sedona, Arizona was a honeymoon destination for Chuck & I. I'm tickled that it reminds me of that time. 

MIDNIGHT IN SEDONA

The 2nd piece I started more deliberately. I loved the blues and whites blending in a fellow student's background fabric and wanted to play with it. As I was coming up with a concept a picture I took of the Pacific Ocean on Chuck's & my first vacation together came to mind. It's not an exact replica - but I am pleased with it.

Here is the inspiration:

OVERLOOKING THE PACIFIC

I must have had travel with Chuck on the brain tonight. I need to do some final shaping but all in all I'm happy with the pieces. Now all I need is to scope out the perfect place to hang them.

Felting Flowers

Felting class was tonight and we made flowers. I favored more softly felted edged flowers. I made a trio to go with my dining room. I'll figure out a centerpiece to work them into for the table. 

The photographs don't do them justice. They are beautiful.

They made me happy!

Jan 09 - Art Projects

My creative juices have been flowing this month. Concentrating almost exclusively in the knitting and felting realm. 

On the knitting front while I have a dozen projects going simultaneously, my HOT list for this month included a dressy scarf for my mother in black & pastels, one for my sister in jewel tones and a twin set of baby blankets that are colorful samplers. At this moment the scarf for my mother is completed and she loved it! It turned out beautifully.

On the felting front, my friend P and I are taking a felting class on Wednesday nights from the fun and passionate owner of Spiderfelt. It's a blast!  We've had 2 of the 6 classes already. My favorite projects so far have been the felted rocks and last weeks fabric making. I got some wool yesterday at Weaving Work. Excited to try some projects at home. 

Rocks

Fabric for neck wraps