Welcome to the Winter Fair at GalGael on Saturday 01. December

Come along to a great day of fantastic craft stalls, demonstrations, home baking, carol singing and more...and meet lovely folk.  

Buy from local crafts people and support Galgael!

 

Venue: GalGael at 15 Fairley Street, G51 2SN, Glasgow

I'll be there with my felted items.

Neelde felted companions :-)

Needle felted gnome

Wet felted bracelet

Toadstool with gnome, neeedle felted

Felted landscape

Needle felt workshop on Saturday 19th November 2016, 2.00-4.30pm

We’ll use colourful wool fibres and create something beautiful; an item for seasonal decoration, like a fairy, a gnome, an angel, a robin, a snowman or even a Santa. Beginners are welcome! Children from 8 years accompanied by an adult are welcome.

The aim of this workshop is:

● to learn needle felting, or improve your needle felt skills.
● to experiment with colours and design
● to take home a unique piece of handmade felt.At the end of the workshop you will have your own felted item and have learned or improved a new skill. 
No previous experience needed.
It's funto get creative in this way and you can easily get hooked. :-) 
Price: £15 to be paid in advance to secure your place. 
Venue:  Bishopbriggs, 3 minutes walk from town centre. 
Please contact me to book your place! 
For information about more felt workshops please follow this link. 

Two felt workshops this week after a fabulous May Fair on Saturday

Yesterday I enjoyed a fabulous and vibrant atmosphere at Galgael's May Fair in Glasgow-Ibrox. I had a stall with felted goodies and many visitors enjoyed the colourful display and took one or the other item home. There were many great craft people, delicious food, yummy cakes warming soup and so much more to experience. Lovely to meet old friends and make new ones on a happy day like this! 

This week I have planned two needle felt workshops, one at GalGael and another one in Bishopbriggs.

Needle felt workshop on Thursday, 12th May 4.00-5.30pm
It's the time of Spring and we will use felt making, using colourful fluffy wool fibers and a specific felting needle to create flowers, a butterfly, a fairy or any other Spring related item.

The aim of this workshop is:
● to learn needle felting, or improve your needle felt skills.
● to experiment with colours and design
● to take home a unique piece of handmade felt.
At the end of the workshop you will have your own felted item and have learned or improved a new skill. No previous experience needed.
Costs: £5 for one felt item
Please book asap, as places are limited! Contact me or the
GalGael office: 0141/ 427 30 70. 
Venue: GalGael, 15 Fairley Street, Glasgow G51 2SN

Little fairy

Connect to nature and create with wool fibres- half day workshop on Saturday, 14th May
In this afternoon workshop you can create your individual needle felted ornament related to the natural realm. To connect with the natural realm we’ll start with a guided inner journey.
You will use colourful sheep’s wool fibres and a special felt needle to create a nature related ornament e.g. a fairy, a mushroom, a gnome, an elf, a mermaid etc.

Spring flower fairy

It’s fun to get creative in this way and you can easily get hooked!
Craft experience is very welcome and needle felt experience too, but not necessary. Weather permitted we might felt in the garden.
Please, feel free to invite friends.
A complementary cup of tea will be served.
Booking in advance is essential! Places are limited to 4 participants.
Cost: £18/£15 concession.
Please pay at the start of the workshop.  .
Venue: 63 Crowhill Road, G64 1QY, Glasgow-Bishopbriggs

Little gnome

Tree Dressing Day in Cuningar Loop on Friday 25th March 12-3pm

The Forestry Commission Scotland invites you to a free event: 
Come and join us at Cuningar Loop to celebrate the role that trees play in our lives. Lots of fun activities including: Willow Weaving, Story Telling, Felt Craft, Green Wood working and walk the woodland trail to meet some of the lesser known inhabitants of Cuningar Loop.

Cuningar Loop Woodland Park, Downiebrae Road, Rutherglen, G73 1PW
Free Event
More information available on this website: http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/visit/cuningar-loop

Scottish Lowlands Forest District
Tel: 0300 067 6700
E-mail: scottishlowlands@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

What a fantastic Gaelic Wool Festival in Benderloch/Oban

What an amazing 3 days we had at the Gaelic Wool Festival, Feis Cothlam at the Kintaline farm and in Benderloch from Thursday, the 17th to Saturday the 19th of July. We were so lucky to have sunshine most of the time. It was my first time at the Kintaline farm, a beautiful place in Argyll, not far from the sea. On Thursday lots of folk enjoyed a visit to the farmers market with additional stalls all about sheep, wool and wool craft and some other crafts. 

Not to forget Sgioba Luaidh, the waulking women, who sang gaelic waulking songs while waulking a handwoven tweed cloth. The waulking or fulling makes the hand woven fabric thicker, matts the fibers together, so the cloth becomes stronger and more water proof. This cloth was soaked in soapy water over night. 

The hand woven tweed during the walking process

I had a go at waulking and many others too. The waulking and the songs were a beautiful addition to the market. 

Beautiful spinning wheels for sale

Heartfelt by Liz's colourful wool and all you need for felting, spinning etc. stall.

I had a stall that day, demonstrating needle felting.

My creative fiber craft stall with all the needle felted creations

In the afternoon I walked through the farm's colourful garden to see the shearing of a sheep's fleece. A couple of Shetland sheep in different colour shades from beige to almost black where there to be sheared. 

I love the wool from the Shetland sheep

The shearer was shearing a small dark sheep, quietly and concentrated, alert of possible movements of the sheep and trying to keep it in a still position, using a pair of shearing clippers or scissors to shear the fleece off the sheep. I was impressed how quick and focused he worked, holding the sheep and moving it to the one or other side as needed. We, the observers watched silently full of aw and a little tense too, as we were aware of the difficult task, which had to be finished in one go. 

Eventually the fleece was sheared, a very dark brown wool, soft and still warm from the sheep's body temperature. 

Freshly sheared Shetland wool fleece

The next day, Friday we had workshops running and fiber craft skill sharing. I was facilitating a needle felt workshop in the morning and one in the afternoon. That was good fun! The participants enjoyed learning a new skill and being creative. 

Participants response:  

- "Enjoyed the whole experience. Thank you for giving the opportunity to try something new."  

- "I really enjoyed the workshop and the skills taught to me by Laryna. It has inspired me to take up felting and to try other creative ways of using wool."
Participants needle felt creations:

     

 

The Friday fiber craft day finished with an interesting and informative talk and a demonstration about Bedouin weaving in Kuwait. 
 


On Saturday we enjoyed a craft market with a wide range of fiber craft stalls, fleeces, fibers, tools and all you need to get creative with wool. 

Made a couple of mini gnomes

My stall

Fairy friends

What a fantastic event we had, with lots of interested visitors and participants. Thanks to the organizers and volunteers, who made this colourful and inspiring event possible to happen.