My Dyeing Week

One of the student's resist-dyed fabrics

I have spent the last three days dyeing cloth with over 60 primary school students.  I realized over Christmas that if I wanted more students for the Craft Club then I needed to head out to the schools.  So, I went to Lispole and Dingle primary schools and I offered to teach colour theory and dyeing to the kids to get them interested in making.  They all definitely loved it, but it remains to be seen whether I will gain any students from it.  I shall have to wait until Saturday and see what it brings.

Adding their resists before dyeing

If it all goes pear-shaped, then I will have the hard decision of closing my studio.  People are just not buying and I can't fund it without income coming in.  The students are buying me some time to build up clientele and work on new design ideas, but if I can't get the students then I just have to move as much as I can back home.  It would be both a blow and a relief.  I would only have space to make small items as my house won't accommodate all the materials I have acquired, but the financial pressure has been immense.  It would be nice to just go to bed and be able to sleep the whole night through.

All dressed up and no place to go

There has been a lot of talk about using public buildings to provide arts space/studio areas, but nothing seems to be rising to the surface, certainly not in Kerry.  With many talented people abandoning their craft right now, the Craft Council of Ireland or the Department of Arts should really do something to help artisans to continue their work.  It will come to a stage where emerging artisans will not be able to afford to develop their work because the resources to assist them just aren't there.

The state of Ireland is just bad right now.  I am usually a glass half full kind of person, but the lack of direction and jobs, unbelievable amount of taxation, and extreme corporate greed has left almost all of us a bit deflated.  Even if I wanted to abandon all my training and get another job, where do I go?  My cost of living would be much higher somewhere else.  Where are jobs better?  It's a miracle I can get out of bed every day with all this swirling around my brain.

Is it too much to ask that my work sells and I make a modest living?

The great texture of dyeing your
own work

I Been a Busy Girl...

Seattle Seahawk-inspired felt scarf

It's that time of year when we all disappear and relax into the summer, stealing away for a holiday or two--everyone except me!  This summer has been non-stop.  It's no joke trying to get a new business off the ground in the current economic climate.  I am not giving up yet, but this is the slowest summer since I moved to Dingle. People are now here, but they aren't spending.  So, we have a good week and then a bad one to balance it out.  Is it too much to ask that we have two good weeks back-to-back???

I've virtually moved my studio onto the premises or else I would have nothing made the whole summer.  My new line of scarves are coming along nicely, felted with 19 micron Australian merino and resist-dyed.  I need to get quite a lot felted this week as we have events coming up.  August 19-23rd Craft in Kerry will be teaching, demonstrating, and selling at the Rose of Tralee Festival.  Hopefully the crowds will be there and the atmosphere great!

Fionn at Fota Wildlife Park.  Our campground
was so close that we could hear the lemurs
when we got up!

Then August 28th we have a Heritage Week event at the Camphill Community in Dingle.  They provide support and training for people with special needs.  They have a 44-acre farm and make and sell for the Dingle Farmer's Market.  We will be co-hosting a family traditional crafts afternoon at the farm, with weaving, wood turning, felting, ceramics, crochet, and candle-making.  It will run 1-5pm on the Sunday, with a suggested donation of €5 towards Camphill's fundraising efforts to build a home on the farm.  Kerry County Council Heritage Office has been most gracious in assisting us and we are now just hoping for decent weather for the day.  There will be face-painting, music, and food, all going towards the good work that Camphill is doing.

And after that, I need to start wrapping my brain around Culture Night, which is Friday, September 23rd this year (and International Day of Felt, not long after!).

Meanwhile, we have another Women's Woolly Day Out on Saturday, August 13th from 1-5pm.  Come by and learn to felt a scarf and then resist-dye it--head into autumn with flair!  It should be great fun.  Ring 087-9111793 to pre-book your space as space will be limited.

We did manage to go camping last weekend.  I hadn't been camping in twenty years and let me tell you: it's easier to get up off the ground when you are younger!  Even with an air mattress, that first push up off the ground was brutal!  But it was great fun and many thanks to Scouting Ireland's Fota Campground.  It was just adjacent to Fota Wildlife Park and we were a high-spirited group of 17 camping Scouts.  We learned how to clove hitch, lash, and frappe ropes to make a large tee pee out of rope and logs.  Can't wait to do it again.!

A proud Crafty Bootcamp student--her Australian flag
pillow

Mastery, Anyone?

Hand-dyed lambswool hanks 100g

It must be Sunday, because I am sitting here at my computer trying to put together another blog post! Despite the best of intentions, I only seem to be able to put together one, perhaps two, posts per week.  So much going on and no time to write about it. Nationwide was a great success and we are all just composing ourselves and trying to take in the spotlight.  I think we all appreciated the spotlight and here's to hoping that the artisans that need Craft in Kerry find us!  Sadly, they edited out our contact details in the interview, but people are quite good at Googling these days, so they should find us either on  our blog on  http://craftinkerry.blogspot.com/ or on our Facebook page.

Mosaic felted wrap by Pam de Groot

Our craft showcase went well and I have plenty of hand-dyed yarns left, if anyone gets itchy fingers to start a new knitting or crocheting project!  I need to get busy as there are plenty of new babies showing up in our circle of friends.  A friend of mine, having her third baby, was sure she would be overdue again, but that baby just could not stand the idea of hospital and she ended up delivering him HERSELF in the bathroom!  I about died when she sent me a text with the news.  Mother and baby are doing wonderfully, but if that child doesn't deserve a special present, I don't know who does.

The big push now, besides the Handmade Sessions, is Pam de Groot's master level dyeing and felting workshop that will be held in Dingle, Co Kerry on June 17/18/19, 2011.  The 17th will be a day of resist dyeing to prepare for the 18/19 felting days.  Pam is Dutch by way of  Australia and in Ireland for a short time.  Her work is mainly in mosaic felting, which is comprised of individual panels of pre-felts that are inlaid or tiled and then felted into another, larger piece or garment (thus mosaic).  Much of her work is in wearables and they are very beautiful; more examples can be seen here http://pamdegroot.blogspot.com/.  The workshop will allow time for participants to dye the silk and felt pieces on the 17th and then make the prefelts on the 18/19 to end the weekend with a unique and fabulous piece (or two, if you are quick and ambitious!) to wear for the cold weather months.  Pam also does quite a bit of natural dyeing and I am hoping that she brings some of the eucalyptus that is native to Australia as I have seem some of her work on her blog and the end result is really lovely.  A day of experimenting with dyes and two days of felting with talented and interesting women--HEAVEN!

Mosaic felted tunic by Pam de Groot

Cost for the three days of master level work is just €150.  A deposit secures your place and I have just a couple places left.  Originally, I wanted to start organizing these workshops in Dingle as there isn't much outside of Dublin or Cork.  It would be nice to have advanced level craft education on the West end of the country to make it more accessible.  Kerry is off the beaten track, as they say, but it is also a wonderful place to visit and get inspired.  The workshop fee does not include accommodation, but I can help with referrals.  Many people are staying with friends in Dingle, so I wanted to keep the price as low as possible for participants.  Lunch will be provided by the Goat St Cafe (http://www.thegoatstreetcafe.com/), which has a wonderful reputation and very good vegetarian/special diet food for people who need to consider those options (again, not included in the overall price, but their prices are fair). Great desserts, too!

If you want more information regarding this workshop, please email me at sharon1_crandall@hotmail.com.

Now, if I can get back into my own studio now, I have a fairy blanket to finish for that lovely, new baby....

Sunday is My Day of Rest??

Jewelry by Alison Walsh

My days are so busy that it seems like if I don't get everything done on a Sunday, then the list of Must-Do's gets carried over to the next week.  So, when I should be thinking Christian thoughts and relaxing, I find myself pulling the oven out and washing underneath, planting the garden, checking my son's head for lice, cleaning toilets, mending, washing floors, filling out forms, and baking granola for the coming week.  Did I mention laundry?  It never ends. 

But I am working really hard on a number of textile pieces to get to the framer.  I am joining the Back Lane Artist Co-operative http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Back-Lane-Gallery-Killarney-Artist-collective/183402851690156 in Killarney.  Deborah O'Keefe is the woman who had the inspiration to get it started back in November and she is doing well, recession be damned!  She paints herself and she has a number of artists and craftspeople under her roof, including Bluebell Eco Candles and painter Tina Reed.  Take a look at her blog at http://thebacklanegallery.blogspot.com/.

Work in progress

So, I need to step up my game to present some quality pieces.  I had stacks of dyed and stitched pieces, it was just a matter of deciding what to do with them.  I finished stitching three pieces yesterday and it's a matter of deciding if they need more embellishment.  One needs a few seed beads and another one I am going to play with text and stitch some paper onto it and see how it looks.  

Plenty to do!  Tomorrow is the meeting at Kerry County Council Offices in Tralee with Fruition, the new Craft Coordinator for the Year of Craft.  It runs 10-1130am and will hopefully generate some great new ideas on how to boost Kerry artisans into the national forefront, or at least give a strong profile for all those people in Kerry who want to buy locally.  

Gearóid O Duinnin's stunning abstract, "Horsie."

La, La, La, La, La or I Can't Hear You Valentine's Day....

Book cover: resist felted and ready for stitching...

I really dislike Valentine's Day.  I think I always have.  Not because I don't have a boyfriend/husband, but because I don't believe in one day to tell people that you love them; you have to do it all year round.  I used to have a roommate when I lived in Boston who taught English to male prison inmates.  She was an attorney by trade and she told me once that inmates hate Valentine's Day and that they would do anything to avoid it, often getting put back in jail.  She used to force them to write out letters to their wives/girlfriends/children to atone for bad behavior, but it got me thinking: how bad is a holiday if it forces men to commit crimes to avoid it???  No patience for it really or the artificial, saccharine sweetness of it.  Why does an expensive gift or an engagement ring prove they love you, when surely the handmade card or dinner shows more thoughtfulness? 

So, on that note, I thought I would PRETEND it wasn't nearly Valentine's Day and felt my way through it.  Since I have books on the brain, I decided to make a cover for my really horrible looking diary that I bought to organize myself.  I like to write in books and I like to read books, so don't try and convert me into using a Blackberry or a Kindle; won't work.  Kindles don't smell like aged paper and there is no pleasure in eagerly turning it's pages.  I imagine it also doesn't relax you as much looking at a screen as reading a proper book would.  I know it's probably convenient to put 40 books into one Kindle, but I am really not a convenient person.

Front cover with a bit of quick machine stitching and a few beads

I measured my diary and cut out a piece of foam underlay to suit and went gathering my fibres.  Since I would be using the cover for the year, I wanted something nice and girly and fun.  Purple!  Found some nice dyed silk pieces from last September and flipped some on there, as well.  Felted in the usual way and I ended up with the above photo.  I then machine stitched a quick design and sewed a few beads in the centre for a flower design.

I will be more specific with the next book cover in terms of design.  This one I wanted to work on the actual felting process.  I need to play with another size and perhaps some bamboo fibres....

I did felt two small pieces on Thursday.  One will be for two matching cuffs in natural tones.  I used natural merino and some black alpaca and silk mix that has a lovely silvery glint to it.  I buried some silk cocoon pods into it to give it textures.  And I felted some more pieces that can be cut up and resist dyed with the soy wax again.  Love playing with my dyes!  I can't wait until the weather is warmer and I can do dye days and really hang everything out on the line again...

Meanwhile, the only good thing about Valentine's Day is the selection of good chocolate...

Rain, Wind, Felt...

One thing that you can say about Irish weather: it is really conducive to staying in and crafting!  It's Day Three of the rain and wind, although the wind is a bit calmer this morning, and I felted a book cover for my new diary and I will be stitching that.  I have a patchwork project to finish.  I don't know if any of you have a clean dinner table, but mine is always half-covered with projects waiting for time and supplies.  I am determined to have it clear by tomorrow night to start the week off right! 


Felted and dyed using soy wax

 I got one of my UFOs finished this week: a piece that I had felted and resist-dyed with soy wax earlier in the year. The soy wax was great, but it's supposed to wash out with simple soap and water and I had a little trouble getting it out.  I went online and did a bit of research and lo and behold! if you read directions things DO come out better.  Turns out the wax has to be pretty hot when applied (but not smoking, as there is a flash point) or else it doesn't saturate properly.  I ended up using too much wax and so it was harder to get out.  Learning curve!  Essentially it's a batik process.

I couldn't decide what to do with it and I just decided that I was being too precious about it and collaged some fabric onto it.  It turned out great (I think!) and I am going to develop a line of fibre collages as the woolly hats and scarves will not sell well in July and August!  I also stitched a paper and fabric piece that I am happy enough with, so more time for experimenting with that if the weather continues to be dire.



Closeup of the centre flower



I also started felting again after the right arm decided to get cranky and have tendinitis.  Not sure what aggravated it.  This is the answer the doctor gave me: "Yerra, it could be anything really."  Very technical.  So I had a highly unproductive January.  I decided to start small and felt a cover for my diary as it is a really icky green and I couldn't be looking at it anymore.  I love my purple, so I picked out a nice mix of merino and silks that  I had dyed and felted it using foam underlay as a resist.  Design came out well = the diary fit in it, and I want to stitch it a bit, so I will post again tomorrow with the results. 

I have ordered an instructional DVD from Interweave Press in the US and I am dying to receive it and the back issues of Cloth Paper Stitch that are on the way.  I ordered it December 31st and it has not arrived yet.  Needless to say, I will not be ordering anything from them again soon.  I order hair conditioner and soap from a US website and it's at my door in 10 days in total and they don't charge me a fortune in shipping, either.  Interweave has got to get their act together.  Unfortunately, I love, Love, LOVE Cloth Paper Stitch, but I can get it from http://www.rainbowsilks.co.uk/ fairly quickly.  I can't seem to get anyone in Ireland to stock the magazine and I NEED it :)  Their mixed media stuff is always interesting and always makes my brain hum. 



I also have a copy of the book I have been coveting for some time on the way!  I had been *hoping* that Santa might bring it to me, but I guess he had his hands full trying to sort out the Irish government.  One of the many ways we are being made pay for their incompetence.  Jane Dunnewold is supposed to be the surface design guru, so this book has me drooling.  I hope this book lives up to it's reputation as there aren't many textile courses going in West Kerry at the moment, so it's all DIY for me! 

I am taking Karen Flannery's sewing course, which will be good for patterning and finishing clothing.  I more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants seamstress and really I need to be more precise with my work.  Karen has the horrible task of trying to rid me of bad habits.  Has to be done or else no one will buy a nice tunic or jacket from me.  I didn't get the piece I wanted to work with felted, so I worked on a piece of felt I made before Christmas and designed a cuff necklace.  My neck isn't long enough for it, but it isn't necessarily for ME.  Pics of that to follow when I finish the beading touches...

Now, must get off the computer and get some work done! 







Finished product

















 

I am addled...

Between the mid-term break holidays, a head cold that is refusing to totally evacuate, a mouse in my house (!), and getting ready to leave for Dublin for the Knit and Stitch Show, I am addled.  I am thoroughly disorganized and I am trying to motivate myself to get upstairs and pack, but no, I am here fiddling around on the computer and talking to YOU.  I have mousetraps to set.  I have tolietries to organize.  I have to pack my camera so I can take lovely photos to post here for you.  All I want to do is drink coffee and relax in the chair by the fire.  I think relaxing for the school holidays has gone all a bit wrong ....

I must remind myself of all my fellow fibre people that will be in Dublin for the show!  All those inspiring exhibitions!  All the people that want to learn to crochet!  And we cannot forget the wonderful supplies that will be there: velvet, silks, wool, dyes, paints, beads--oh, my!! 

In between these daydreams, I did manage to felt a scarf and one hat.  The hat needs more work, so  I  haven't photographed it, but the scarf is on the right.  I love the colours, but I do think it needs something more on the length, perhaps a fringe, so it doesn't feel complete to me.  And I dyed more fibres on the dry days this week, so when I get back, armed with my new goodies, I should be heading straight to the studio.

Now, I must head upstairs and face the music!  If I don't get organized, I will be so sorry when I get up at 6am....