Musings

I am very wary of the word 'spirituality' - it so often seems self-indulgent, or arrogant, or pompous, to speak of one's work or life in those terms. 'Creativity' is very nearly as bad. But in going to Emily's workshop last week I had to articulate how I feel about felt-making, especially, in that regard.

The reason I became instantly addicted to felt making was the alchemy, the magic, the transformative process which starts with a pile of random fibres and very quickly - through the addition of nothing more complicated that water, soap and friction - creates a strong, durable and beautiful piece of textile. There seems to me to be an added dimension at work here - not only is the end result marvelous out of all proportion to the materials and effort involved, but also however much we plan a piece of work, the very nature of felt making contains a random element which means that things rarely turn out quite how we planned - although the result is generally as beautiful, if not more so. Arguably, therein lies the real creativity - the openness to the 'random' life-force that creates through us, the corrective against tendencies towards perfectionism and over-control, the acknowledgement that we are part of a greater whole, and that our creativity is part of a greater movement - that in being creative, we align ourselves with that which is outside ourselves, and greater than ourselves. As a Christian, I would perhaps talk in terms of the Holy Spirit being at work - but I think this is a sense which a lot of makers and artists - of all creeds and none - relate to, and articulate in some way.

Unfortunately, articulating it doesn't make me feel any more comfortable about those words, nor do they seem any less pompous and self-indulgent! Sorry...

Inspiration

A busy week - first there was Wonderwool Wales, at the Royal Welsh Show Ground at Builth Wells - a glorious sunny day, so no hardship to drive the 50-odd miles from home to the show! Well over a hundred exhibitors with every kind of yarn, fleece, fibre and gadget imaginable - and some real live sheep! I had a strict budget, but even so came back with two large bags of goodies. I am particularly looking forward to felting with some of the locks I bought - some natural, some dyed. Sensory overload was a real danger, but the kaleidoscope of colour and texture made for a memorable day. The comprehensive show directory will be a useful resource for contact details for exhibitors.

The highlight of the day was meeting Jane Meredith, who was demonstrating the Brinkley loom with its revolutionary heddle. I have since signed up for a workshop, with a view to buying a Brinkley loom of my very own if I get on with it on the day. See my links below for details of Jane's website.

Then I went to stay with a friend in Dorset, and we took part in a Felting and Prayer workshop led by Emily Bradbury in the gorgeous setting of Ivy House retreat centre in Warminster, made even better by the sunny weather which showed off the gardens in all their late spring glory. Each of us produced 2 pieces of felt in the course of the day, and it was a great opportunity to play with unfamiliar materials and variations on the felting technique. Yet more proof that no two felters work the same way!

I am currently looking to produce my first piece of patchwork, for an impending baby, and I took the opportunity to call into Hanson's Fabrics in Sturminster Newton to pick up some small pieces of linen fabric. In view of the fact that we don't yet know the gender of the forthcoming small person, I am playing safe with cream, green, peach, aqua, etc, using a range of stripes, checks, plain, toile de jouy and so on. I already have some remnants of vintage linen fabrics courtesy of ebay, and some ribbons and lace in linen to applique.

And yesterday I rewarded myself for having to work on my day off by coming home by way of Hobbycraft in Newport, where I got some quilting supplies, including a really useful beginner's book on quilting called I can't believe I'm quilting (ISBN 9781574866292), and something called Angelina which is a fusible fibre which I met at Emily's workshop - it can be felted into wool, giving a subtle shimmer which adds depth and interest.

Now all I need is some time to experiment!