THREE-PEBBLE NECKLACE WORKSHOP – by Breda Fay
I’ve made many items at felting workshops. I loved the experience (and the chit chat) but rarely would I wear the product or even hang it on my walls. Most of them are in the far corner of the cupboard.
However the finished article from the course on Saturday is already being worn and quite proudly. So I would certainly suggest keeping an eye out for workshops from this source- Anikó Boros from Baribon. If I could do it, it would pose no difficulty for experienced felters.
About 10 days before the start we received a list of requirements and more importantly, a manual of the course so that we could be ready to start on time. With different time zones from Aus to CA. USA, I think the flexibility this gave was appreciated. A translator with really good English talked us through all the steps (Anikó was the tutor)… with regular breaks for questions and ‘catch-up’ time. Although it was so well paced everyone was pretty much together.
I think Tamzen’s video on making cords helped me- so some prior knowledge of making a cord would certainly help a beginner.
We made all the individual components separately and, just before lunch, assembled them into one piece;We cut the windows quite early in the process, and emphasis was on ‘a small hole’.
Lunch was for half an hour, this allowed participants to chat with each other and share felting stories; Work continued after break with the felting.
We rubbed with netting and hands/fingers going very gradually from gentle to stronger. It was really very late in process when we wrapped in towel for strongest rubbing. This may have been that there was a need to keep repositioning the stones while ‘their coat was still loose’.
So what did I learn:You can felt in a small space, no need for a 6 foot table ….after an hour , I cut my bubble wrap and netting into suitable size, making the procedure even easier;I used 16m fibre purchased from Feltmakers Ireland …. hand dyed so lovely ombre of hues …. will be better appreciated when dry;Need to read instruction very carefully as I missed the need for 2 small pebbles for end of cords… lucky I could run out for a dig in the garden;Used only hottish water initially, later soap for the felting process (this seems to depend on tutor as I’ve been to classes which were like froth-fests);Such gentle rubbing initially … with a finger … but think this might also have been dictated by size of projectCutting off ‘fluff” at end with a small scizzors …. some of my admiration for you great smooth felters has disapated….fluffless felt is easier than I thought …. but in fairness think the quality of my fibre lent to a pretty fluff-free product;The five hours flew and I had a finished item at the end. Zoom was the platform used, with three cameras (I could only find 2, one of them the close up which was brilliant;Tutor/translator very easy to listen to and humorous!
During the lunch break we had a tour of the studio and know that more workshops will follow with other techniques. There will be a follow-up call in a week or so in case any questions;
Two of the participants had a major difficulty with their fibre not felting at all…. both had white and from same supplier-so it is advisable to know that the fibre you have bought is suitable;Everyone else delighted.
I’d give my first online course a full 5stars…
find out more about the tutor’s work here-https://baribon.hu/
Feltmakers Ireland 