A workshop in the woods in Pollok on Saturday, 14th of February

After a very successful and exciting needle felt workshop in Govan's Moogety Garden at the Big bed hand over last Saturday, I'll be in Haughhill Secret Woodland, Cornalee Gardens, Pollok G53 7GG tomorrow to MEET THE DRAGON. The event is on from 12 noon till 3pm. You will get introduced to a new resident of the woods, a dragon! Apart from the needle felt workshop, which I'm running, there will be other activities like wood carving and stone carving. All activities will be free! So, come along families and friends and enjoy friendly company, magical stories, craft activities, a hot drink and a walk in the woodland, if you fancy.
For more information please, see the poster below.

Needle felt workshop in Govan's Moogety Garden

Tomorrow, Saturday, the 7th of February Big bed hand over in Moogety Garden- Elderpark, Govan, corner Nimmo Drive/ Uist Street corner
Come between 12-2pm for a fire, music and shenanigans in the garden, and the bed handover at 1.30pm.
Come between 2-4pm for the workshop programme in the community centre - learn needle felting with Laryna, join in making Moogety Marmalade with Anne or print your own tote bag to take home.

Related to the growing of food, I'll show you how to needle felt fruits and vegetables. It's great fun and absolutely free!

Events, exhibitions, felt workshops and more...past and future

After a fabulous Winter fair at GalGael, about 10 days ago, I've been in Edinburgh for a day. I was asked to decorate two windows for the Restaurant Henderson's Of Edinburgh.with my needle felted goodies. I very much enjoyed doing it!  A dear friend looked from outside of the restaurant, while I was decorating being inside. That was very helpful. Here you see the result. It's a little magical!

Window with crystal dwarfs, wood gnome, fairies and angels

Crystal dwarfs

Window with felted vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, fairies and dwarfs

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You can find a couple of my needle felted items in the Christmas Art & Craft Exhibition in the beautiful Auld Kirk Museum in Kirkintilloch open till 20 of December, 10-2pm  & 2-5pm. (Closed Sundays and Mondays) 

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A couple of photos from today's needle felt workshop in Edinburgh. Four talented women created angels and fairies, and one of them created a Mary for a nativity scene. It was a lovely relaxed atmosphere and everyone of the participants seemed to leave happy and grateful for improving their needle felting skills. More workshops in Edinburgh will follow next year. 

4 ladies created beautiful angels

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And last but not least:
Looking for a handmade with love Christmas present? 
Please get in touch and we can see what I've got in stock or you can still commission and receive in time.

Felt workshops in November and December 2014 in Glasgow

As we are getting closer to the festive season you might like to get creative with wool fibers. Make an individual gift for a friend or loved one or create an item, an ornament for your festive decoration. Lots of opportunities and great fun!
Here you can find wet felt and needle felt workshops, run by Laryna in Glasgow and surroundings. For all workshops please, book in advance as places are limited. No previous experience needed. All workshops are open to all felt skill levels.
Enjoy and hope to see you soon!
With warm wishes
Laryna

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Thursday, 13th of Nov. 4-5.30pm at GalGael 15 Fairley Street, G51 2SN, Glasgow/ Ibrox

In this felt workshop we will use colourful fluffy wool fibers to create balls, hearts, beads and other small compact shapes.
The aim of this workshop is:

● to learn-or improve wet felting and/or needle felting skills
● to experiment with colours, shapes 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 and traditional skill.
Cost: £5 including material

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Saturday, 15th of Nov. 10.30am-1.30pm at Laryna's.  63 Crowhill Road, G64 1QY, Glasgow/Bishopbriggs

Creating a seamless felt item either a pouch or wrist cuffs.
In this wet felt workshop you will:

• experiment with colours, shapes and design
• learn to create a seamless pouch (e.g. for a mobile phone or a pair of glasses) or a pair of wrist cuffs.
• use a template and colourful sheep's wool fibers, warm water, soap and friction to create a firm seamless fabric.
• take home a unique seamless felt item.

It's a fun and creative process! No previous experience needed. All material will be included in the costs of £18. Tea and biscuits provided. 

Wrist cuffs

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Wednesday, the 19th of Nov 10-11.30am &
Wednesday the 3rd & Wednesday the 17th of December 10am-12noon at Laryna's,  63 Crowhill Road, G64 1QY, Glasgow/Bishopbriggs
In these needle felt workshops we will use colourful wool fibers to make seasonal decorations, ornaments or jewelry related to winter and the festive season e.g. a woolly sparkling fairy, a gnome, a tree hanger, a Santa and more. Or bring your own ideas, what you would like to create from wool fibers.I
In these workshops you will:

• learn how to use a felting needle for dry felting.
• experiment with colours, shapes and design
• learn how to make a flat felt
• learn how to felt a compact three dimensional felt item
• learn how to sculpture with wool fibers and the felt needle

Sessions can be booked separately.
A cup of tea and biscuits are provided.
Cost: £6 for 1,5hours and £8 for 2 hours

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Thursday, 11th of Dec. 4-5.30pm at GalGael 15 Fairley Street, G51 2SN, Glasgow/ Ibrox
In this needle felt workshop we will use colourful fluffy wool fibers to create festive ornaments and decoration.
The aim of this workshop is:
● to learn-or improve  needle felting skills        
● to experiment with colours, shapes and design
● to create a unique handmade needle felted ornament or item for decoration.
Cost: £5 including material

Needle felted woolly angel

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I was asked to facilitate a few more felt workshops in the area of Glasgow in December. If you would like to know more about an event in Renfrewshire on Sat.13th of December 12noon-3pm and a workshop in Helensburgh on Tue. 9th of Dec,starting around lunch time. (This workshop has to be confirmed.), please get in touch with me.
For all felt workshops please book here!

I warmly invite you to GalGael's Winter Fair on Saturday, the 22nd of November, 11am-5pm,
15 Fairley Street, G51 2SN, Glasgow/ Ibrox
A fantastic selection of traditional craft and art stalls.
Hot chestnuts, delicious cakes, hot stew, mince pies, coffee and tea on offer.

Free entry!
I'll be there with a stall.

 

Natural dyeing and felt making workshops at Urban Roots, Glasgow

A beautiful range of natural dyed wool. This is the outcome from a couple of sessions of dyeing with natural colours from plants we were growing on the plots from "Urban Roots" in Toryglen and/or collecting in the area. 
Here's how we started in April: We were picking dandelion heads and daffodil heads to dry and later use for dyeing the wool fibers for felting. 

Together with Kathy B. http://kathrynalicebeckett.blog.com/, the expert in natural dyeing, and with all the volunteers we made plans what we wanted to grow in the 4 beds which were available for growing the dyeing plants. We did some seed sowing and started to get to know each other a bit. More sowing and planting workshops followed. 

Red onion skin dye

The Summer was warm and dry and only a few plants made it. But we went out into the surrounding area and picked yarrow, Hawthorn blossoms, Ladies Bed Straw, St. John's Wort, Budleia and a few more. Eventually in mid of July we had the first of 4 natural dyeing sessions. It was amazing to see the change of the white Shetland wool or Blue Faced Leicester wool fibers to become dyed into a yellow, beige or red-brown colour! The workshop participants helped with cooling down the liquid for dyeing, pouring it in buckets. We all were excited especially about some really vibrant dyes from Madder Root and from Budleia. The wool was mordanted before it was dyed, so that the wool fibers open up and better absorb the dye. 

Cosmos

Sunflowers for natural dyeing

Elderberry dye

In the mean time, when we were waiting for the dyes to boil, I showed spinning with the drop spindle and felt making and the volunteers had a go on spinning and later felt making as well.

Wet felted shaker

Wet felted leaf shapes

Wet felted leaf shape

Wet felted around a bar of soap

Wet felted around a bar of soap

During the following workshops in August and September we used onion skin, elderberries and sunflowers and cosmos from the garden. The colour range was slowly expanding just missing a blue at the end, because the Woad didn't grow very well in the garden. So maybe next year there will be enough Woad to be harvest for a blue colour shade. 

Needle felted fruit and pumpkin shapes

The colour shades of the natural dyed wool and the autumnal leaves fit perfectly together

On our last workshop, mid of October we went for a walk in Malls Mire wood in lovely warm sunshine and picked a couple of Autumn leaves. We later arranged the leaves around our circle of dyed wool which was mainly in autumnal colours too. 
We actually had a couple more activities during the 8 workshops. E.g. we went for walks to harvest and connect with nature. Once we did eco printing: We used pieces of silk fabric, picked plants and berries and rolled them together with the fabric and put the bundles in boiling water for dyeing.  

Bundles in hot water

Eco print on silk fabric

It was great to work together with Kathy, who's the expert for the natural dyeing. Natural dyeing isn't new to me, but it is a couple of years ago that I gained some experience in it. I got really excited about the many colour shades we had. Thanks for all I've learned and discovered. Hope the
guys had some fun and insights too!

Colour circle with the names of the plants we used.