Back from the Big Smoke

I do love Dublin for a break from rural life, but I find I have to rush, rush, rush and then I am back home again.  Hardly any time for relaxing or rummaging around for supplies I might need or just getting to know the city.  We went up to Dublin for a Failte Ireland gig called Meitheal that was on at Mansion House.  Garry Marcham and I were there to promote craft making for Craft in Kerry's new project called the Handmade Sessions.  Meitheal put us in touch with almost 300 international tour operators to talk up the sessions that will begin in Dingle in June.  In the picture there you can see Garry using his lathe to shave wood and I am the nut in the red felted hat in the background next to my friend the bald eagle!  I felted flat pieces and gave tour operators a chance to learn felting and see the kind of work we are doing.  The Handmade Sessions are important to us for two reasons: 1.  They provide much-needed work for highly skilled craft artisans. Many artisans are not able to work full-time at their craft and this needs to change; and 2.  We want to preserve these skills and educate people in handmade traditions.  So, we are all go to get things ready.

In the meantime, I finished two more textile collages.  This one is wool/silk/paper with a quote attached.  It will be heading to the framer soon.  The other one is a piece of wool I dyed dark inky colours of night sky and then machine pieced in hand-dyed wool stalks and stars and my favourite passage from Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare.  I am pleased enough with it so far, but can't quite make up my mind on whether it is finished or if it needs more hand stitching around the reeds.  Opinions?

Now, I must get writing as I have lots of details for the Craft in Kerry Craft Fair that is on April 29th in Dingle.  It's part of the Feile na Bealtaine/Pan Celtic Festival celebrations and it's proving to be a cracker event. We have more than 30 exhibitors, craft demonstrations, face painting and nibbles for the kiddies, a Craft in Kerry lucky dip, and a handmade bargain table that is not to be missed!  Did I mention the masseuse???