More Circle Play

More Circle Play

Comments 5 comments

Come play and design with me…

In an earlier blogpost, I mentioned I had purchased a Flower Stitch Foot for my sewing machine. https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2025/12/30/flower-stitch-foot/. I haven’t had much time to play with it since I purchased it and I was a bit disappointed that it only made smaller circles, closer to 1” in diameter.

I was recently at a quilt retreat with my sister and she was working on a wall hanging that involved making 6” individual fabric circles. Her little gadget was called a Circular Embroidery Attachment. It got me thinking that I could machine stitch bigger circles onto fabric using my machine’s decorative stitches and could then integrate my smaller Flower Stitch Foot circles into the mix somehow. I watched a couple of YouTube videos on using this new attachment and got a few good pointers.

Circular Sewing Machine Attachment at Amber Toney blog

I took a 16” x 16” square of cotton lawn fabric and fused some ShapeFlex101 to it. I set the attachment to go as large as it would go. (10 ½”). I questioned my choice of stabilizer on the sample piece but I may want to do some hand stitching on this so I don’t want it to be too stiff.

I decided to begin with a straight stitch. I had to really watch and handle the sample to keep it from buckling. One YouTube tip said that your machine is trying to sew forward, not in a circular motion so your fabric may try to buckle. I also wasn’t sure if the end of the circle would match the beginning of the circle. (It was close). Probably if I had used a stronger stabilizer than the SF101, these two things might not have been an issue.

White Fabric attached to circle attachment

Then I thought I would try adding 4 circles to the inside of the big circle to see how finicky the tool was. I divided the sample into quarters and tried to find the centers for my attachment pin.

Circle divided into 4 sections and adding circles within each section

I used a compass and thought I did a good job, but once I stitched all four of them, I see they all overlapped. So much for precision…in hindsight I should have done this step differently.

The four quarter circles machine stitched.

Next, I thought I would try using some decorative stitches. I also decided that I would use a triatic color scheme of green, yellow and red violet. Starting off I thought I would focus more on the red violet color. I’m having difficulty getting the beginning and ending of the circle to line up. Hopefully that won’t be too noticeable as I progress.

Using a decorative machine stitch on the quarter circles

I was attracted to the diamond shape in the middle so next I decided to stitch out from that as my middle point.

decorative machine stitching in the center of the 4 quarter shapes

Wow, that yellow sure took over! I’ll keep going in circles with a variety of threads and stitches to see if I can tone that down.

Now I’m kind of liking what is happening with the center circle areas. I changed to my small Flower Stitch foot and tried putting those four small circles into the center area. I thought the first one was perfect. Then I couldn’t get the other 3 to cooperate at all. And look at how the original four circles are standing out saying LOOK AT ME. Some parts of this I like, other parts not so much.

 

 

Next, I tried using some Inktense pencils around the outer rick rack looking circle and in the center. I can’t quit seeing those 4 red violet circles…time to do some unstitching I think to see if I can get my eyes to focus on the other circle.

adding green inktense pencil to two areas

 

Outer stitches and center circles removed. Interesting…I’m feeling it calm down a bit and it is saving itself from being tossed into the waste bin.

circle edges and small center circles removed

Then I added a small velvet circle to the center.

Added a small velvet circle to the middle

Next, I got a bit braver and decided to paint some more areas with the Inktense pencils. I painted the inside circle and around the outside circle with red violet, next to the red violet rick rack in hopes of eliminating any white fabric once I cut it away from the white fabric. I intend to applique it to a different background fabric. Very carefully, I cut the whole circle out and fused some Wonder Under to it. Amazingly it was laying pretty flat!

circle cut out and pinkish paint added to center area

It still seems too white to me.

Time to try out some background possibilities to see if that will help give me some direction to go with this. It’s amazing the ideas that crop up with all the different background colors.

circle on green fabric  

Well, that was fun! I decided to go with the two tone piece at the end. Now to play with some added elements.
I cut out some ½” and ¾” circles with fusible on the back of them.

circle on multi colored background with small circle elements added

Still too much white for me so I decided to do some more painting. This time I used some textile paint, red and white and watered down quite a bit. I had no idea how the threads (cotton, rayon and polyester) or the fabric would react to the paint. I was worried about it running. I very carefully painted one circle round at a time and the threads did not pick up the paint. Yay! I left some white showing. I can always paint it later.

added more pink paint to the circle center

Now I need to decide how big I want it to be upon completion. The one above is 18” x 22”. I’m leaning towards this size versus the cropped size in the next photo. I think it recedes better on the larger size.
I may still add other elements to it before I quilt it. I may do some hand stitching, too.

same as previous photo but a cropped version of it

It has been a challenging, fun experiment using my large circle attachment and working with the triadic pallet of green, yellow and red-violet. I think that the four circles that were giving me such grief in the beginning ended up bringing some interest and movement to the final circle. I was happy to be able to use a piece from my painted fabric stash as the background. And I can add this piece to my series of full moon quilts.
Thanks for playing along with me! I’ll try to remember to show you the finished piece in a future blogpost.

Happy Creating!
Tesi Vaara

The Curious Case of Percy the Purple Piggy

The Curious Case of Percy the Purple Piggy

Comments 7 comments

One of the unexpected joys of moving to New Zealand has been discovering fibre retreats.

For some reason, they seemed to be relatively rare in the UK, and when they did happen they were often centred around a tutor-led, multi-day course. They were wonderful, but by the time you added tuition, accommodation and travel, they weren’t exactly budget-friendly.

New Zealand seems to have embraced a different philosophy and I absolutely love it.

Here in Auckland we’ve been lucky enough to have at least 4 fibre retreats every year. Rather than everyone working on the same, tutor-guided project, they’re more like a creative escape. We spend two or three days away together, sharing accommodation, meals and ideas, while everyone works on their own projects.

The best part? Inspiration is wonderfully contagious.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_4748-2-copy.jpg

Someone will usually demonstrate a technique, that others will then add their own interpretation to, someone will try a different fibre, another will change the resist or shape and someone else will scale it up… and before long half the room is experimenting with the same idea, each taking it in a completely different direction.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_8266-copy-scaled.jpg

It’s impossible to come home without learning something new. This is a post I wrote after a previous retreat that perfectly demonstrates how everyone will take the same idea and take it in so many different directions my mind boggles.

Of course, retreats aren’t just about making things. They’re about uninterrupted creativity, glasses of wine, home-made cakes, solving each other’s problems, enabling each other’s fibre purchases (“Go on, you know you need it!”), and those conversations that only make sense to fellow fibre enthusiasts.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_7057-1024x768.jpg

Sadly, at our last Auckland Felters retreat we received some disappointing news. Bella Rakha, the retreat centre we’ve called home for years, has been sold, and the new owners won’t be hiring it out.

Our March retreat was our last one there 🙁

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is retreat-671x1024.jpg
The extensive collection of works made at our last AFF retreat

Finding a replacement is proving much harder than any of us imagined. It turns out we are (mostly) well behaved but rather particular guests.

We need a large hall with hard floors (water and carpet are not natural companions!), comfortable single or twin-share bedrooms rather than bunk rooms, somewhere to prepare or reheat shared meals and enough space for up to 20 felters to spread out with what can only be described as a completely reasonable amount of wool and equipment. 😉

So far we’ve discovered that most venues can offer either the accommodation or the workshop space but rarely both.

I have been contacting boarding schools to see whether they’d hire out their facilities during the holidays. So far… no luck.

Fortunately, Lyndal, one of our AFF members who makes the 1.5 hour journey from Hamilton to Auckland for our regular meetings and retreats, came to the rescue. She found a lovely venue closer to her home and very generously organised a weekend away.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is waikato-retreat-june-2026-1024x768.jpeg

It cost a little more than Bella Rakha, but the facilities were wonderful. Bright workspaces, comfortable rooms… and, perhaps most excitingly for a group of wet felters, a laundry complete with spin dryers and tumble dryers right next to the hall! Luxury indeed.

Sadly, it’s probably a little too far south to become our permanent home, as it would mean a three-hour drive each way for members travelling from Auckland’s northern suburbs. Some of whom can only attend retreats as day visitors due to family commitments.

Still, every retreat produces at least one memorable story…

This time, mine involved a boring, green plastic mailbox.

I’d decided to make a cover for our rural letterbox in the shape of a purple tabby cat. Everything was progressing beautifully until I fitted the felt over the postbox and discovered I’d positioned the ears incorrectly.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_3749-1024x768.jpeg

They were so far apart that my elegant feline looked less like a cat and more like… well… something more porcine.

After a few moments of artistic denial, I accepted the reality.

My purrfect, pampered purple pussy became a pig.

A very cheerful, glittering, purple pig. He looks like he is ready go dancing!

We called him Percy, Percy the Purple Piggy 🙂

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Percy-install-768x1024.jpg
Mr TB sporting traditional Kiwi footwear while installing a worried looking Percy, “Where are you going with that screwdriver?!!”

Even though he isn’t what I imagined when I started this make, I love him to bits and Jaq’s idea to add an ear tag for the house number was inspired!

Perhaps that’s another lesson retreats teach us. Sometimes the best creations aren’t the ones you planned—they’re the ones that happen after you’ve made a mistake and decided to embrace it.

Can You Help?

The search for a new Auckland retreat venue continues.

Do you know of somewhere within an hour’s drive of central Auckland that might suit a group of enthusiastic fibre artists?

We’re looking for:

  • a large hall with hard floors
  • at least 10 single or twin-share bedrooms
  • kitchen or meal facilities
  • somewhere affordable enough to keep retreats accessible

If you know of a retreat centre, boarding school, scout camp, church facility or hidden gem that might fit the bill, we’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or send us a message.

Who knows—you might help us find the next home for many more weekends of creativity, friendship… and the occasional accidental purple pig.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Percy-in-sunshine-768x1024.jpg
Summer Fiber Prep has started for 2026

Summer Fiber Prep has started for 2026

Comments 4 comments

July 17 2026 (how did that arrive so quickly?) I am just back from my Doctor’s appointment (I passed my blood work and am good for another 6 month! still not quite back to normal but moving in the correct direction.) its summer so let’s do some summer things! Ok, so how many fleeces have I collected…. and now need to wash?

Fleece 1 for 2026:

A couple months ago I went south of Ottawa to the town of Spencerville, (it has a very photogenic mill you saw in a post a few years ago as well as a lovely small fiber festival).

brick low building with dubble glass doors and name "Drummond Building" in Spencerville Ontario Canada.1.1) fabulous parking space rite by the door of the event!  We were a bit early.

It was a small but well done event, lots of variety in booths and lots of shopping. From fiber to Yarn to finished products as well as fiber prep and weaving equipment.

5 photos of booths and close ups of the sale in spencervill3 20261.2) a few shots of the sale 2026.

One of the booths had some very nice looking fleeces. I took a few photos there and then kept on with the photo documentation, definitely planning to come back for one of the fleeces.

open bags of various fleeces , close up of 2 bags and th name of the booth 1.3) The Sweet Sheep Co. booth full of bags of fleeces.

I am sure you have already guessed it was an Icelandic cross with lovely shades of tog from white to cream to grey. The thel also had lovely variations. Unfortunately as I returned to buy it, someone had spotted this fine fleece and had the bag in hand, and was BUYING IT!!! I was so disappointed. Oh well, maybe I will get next year’s sheering?

2 people in booth with bags of fleece 1.4) shopping Oops, missed the fleece I had  wanted.

Seeing my obvious disappointment, the vender said she had a smiler Icelandic cross under the table…. It was bigger…. So I stopped the photography, percussed it and added it to the walker! (Ann ran it out to Glenn who was possibly snoozing in the car. Thanks Ann!) It was a much bigger fleece as you will see further down. That should keep me busy this summer.

 

OOPS Fleece #2, 3 and 4:

The local Ottawa Guild was contacted by a sheep farm outside of Ottawa wondering if we wanted their fleeces. They are primarily razed for meat but were described as having good fleeces and some were “not white”. Jean got the message and drove out to pick up the fleeces from the “organic sheep”. They arrived the afternoon of a guild social and we emptied one of the multiple feed  bag stuffed with what we thought was a fleece each,  onto a table to see what the fleeces looked like.  we found there were three fleeces in the first bag. I re-bagged them in clear plastic, so they could be seen, and admired, more easily. I selected two brown fleeces that night,  then the next week picked a black and white fleece which was particularly soft.

1.5 (fleeces in feed bags at studio), 1.6 (photos of the top of 4 of the feed bags showing fleece), 1.7 (the 2 dark brownish fleeces i chose) Organic sheep fleeces Jean picked up for the guild. (There are still a few bags left!)

hand washed samples from one of the dark fleeces also a bit sample of spinning in the greese1.8) sampling one of the fleeces, quick hand wash and mostly dry and sample spin the grease.

I left the two dark fleeces in the side yard, they looked reasonably serkerted, and took the multi-colour fleece to the cottage. Glenn got the 6’ folding table set up on the deck and I spread out the fleece to evaluate.

2.1) Third fleece from the guild it is multi coloured but mostly white and off white. top photo fleece in clear bag, lower foto fleece on table2.1) Third fleece from the guild it is multi coloured but mostly white and off white.

This particular fleece would be called lightly skirted. I did find quite a bit of second cuts, that’s short bits that the sheerer cut a bit high then neatened up the sheep with a second pass of the sheers. I pulled out the second cuts, any vegi matter and a few lumpy brown bits.

  2.2) spread out on the table you can see the fleece is multi-coloured 2.2) spread out on the table you can see the fleece is multi-coloured

3 photos top and to Left close up of fleece, to right purple bucket with wast fibers, and VM2.3) close up of parts of the fleece and bucket of rejected bits

some of the second cuts were longer than i usualy see2.4) second cuts some were longer than i usually see

 2.5) picking and sorting fleece on 6’ table 2 bags of similare fiber are sitting on adjacent chair2.5) picking and sorting fleece on 6’ table

I was sorting the fleece while shaking sections, picking out VM (veggie-matter) and short cuts. Then bagging similar sections of fiber, into clear bags. The local chipmunks and squires will have extra warm homes this coming winter. the Phoebe who had its nest in the corner of the deck was not quite as excited about me using the deck.

small brown song bird called a phoebe sitting on a wooden railing2.6) phoebe on the deck railing

I hit a much cleaner section and was starting to think the fleece wasn’t quite as filled with hay and burrs as I had thought then I noticed the ground…. What a mess! I am just over half way through the fleece. I will keep working on it over the next few weekends when we get down to the cottage (there is a lot of work to do there but this will make a nice brake).

showing deck floor, lots of bits of wool and VM which have escaped the overflowing purple bucket. this is not all the fleece done. 2.7) the deck is a bit of a mess.

I was going to add the fleece bits to the garden, (it will hold water, suppress weeds unless the weed seeds are in the dirty wool, and help feed the plants, well the butt end wool  anyways), but there are quite a few burrs in there. since I don’t want burr plant popping up next year I think the most of the purple bucket will be garbage.

After shaking and picking the next step is a soak in the stock tank to wash it. But I have only 2 small bags of fiber from this fleece well picked and sorted, so I think I will switch to the Icelandic Cross from Spencerville.

 

Stock tank:

You have seen this part before, the 75gallon stock tank is usually used to water livestock, but it makes a great bath to wash fleeces. The larger sizes have a drain to make changing water easier. (they go on sale at the local princess auto so watch there flyers if you are looking for one, you might get lucky and find a second hand one on line.)

3.1) the Black 75 gallon stock tank from Princess Auto, I have added a hose and shut off valve to the drain.3.1) the 75 gallon stock tank from Princess Auto, I have added a hose and shut off valve to the drain.

I have added a hose extension and shut off valve so I can empty most of the water, then tip out the last bit. Other than the first wash (which tends to have a lot of weed seeds and soap.) the rinse water can be used on the flower boxes along the side yard. if the water is quite clean i can reuse it for the next soap batch.

3.2) five strainer buckets soaking in stock tank.3.2) I picked, shook, and pulled out a few burrs from the fleece, and separated the first part of it into five strainer buckets.

3.3) close up of the edge of 2 stainer baskets and very dirty water.3.3) after letting it soak for most of the day the water was very brown.

I found a few spots with Sheep Dandruff but most of the fleece so far looks good.

Once the fleece had soaked and released a lot of the dirt, I lifted each strainer basket, resting it on the edge of the stock tank, and let most of the dirty water drip out.

some of the strainers hanging from hooks along the side yard trellus3.4) once its reasonably less drippy, each was hung up by the side garden.

The first batch of was returned to the stock tank to rinse.  (They were hung up to drip while the water was changed). after the first rinse the soap seem to have left, that was a surprise it usually takes 2 rinses,  so on to the drying racks.

ikea floding drying rack in white mettl and plastic coated wire3.5) I have been using Ikea’s folding laundry drying racks.  

a second smaller wier rack hanging under cover in the side yard3.6) I also put the overflow fiber on the upper drying rack which also dried well.

CLose up of 2 photos of fleece. one sitting on my hand to show the length of staple3.7) here are close ups of the fleece after washing

 

the first batch washed and mostly dry:

This is defiantly part Icelandic, with a dual coat. The tog is quite soft and there is a bit of black kemp-like fiber in arias.

fleece in sunlight showing bits of the kemp within the fiber (black courser hairs but still not too course in this particular fleece)3.8) I may use this part to spin part of the weft for an Icelandic blanket (with tufts of tog).

I am working on washing the second set of strainer baskets. The amount I have left will be 3 or 4 more strainer baskets to finish the fleece off.  so its likely 13 or 14 baskets to wash this one fleece. Oh the tag on the bag said “Icelandic X” 5.20 lbs, “Midnight #44302”.

 

I had better get back to work and switch the second set of strainer baskets while its sunny and not raining. The weather continues to be hot, but occasionally we are getting cooler nights. We have seen signs of the smoke from the forest fires well north of us. The sky spent a day being yellow and we have smelt the smoke as it drifts across the city. I hope they can get it all under control, then out soon. I hope also that the weather is being kind to you and you can do some outside fiber prep.

rhubarb is sprouting new baby leaves in large pot by front door. 4) what odd weather, the rhubarb is starting again in one of its 3 pots?!

Felted bag class

Felted bag class

Comments 12 comments

Last time you saw the bag I was making, as a sample for this class. The class was at https://www.forestcovefarm.ca/. It was lovely. It was outside, and it was quite hot, but not as hot as the next week. There were a couple of pop-up tents and lots of trees for shade. There is also their store that is air-conditioned, so we could cool down if needed.

Most of the pictures are quite blurry. I am having trouble with my camera not focusing. Near the end of the day, I did find out that if I zoomed out to .9 it would focus, so the final shots are better. I have been to the Apple store, and they are ordering me a new camera.

It was a great group, with a wide range in ages from late teens to retired.

Adding the colour to the ropes took longer than expected, but I was glad I made the cores for them.

Corinne sent me a few pictures of the day, so here I am teaching.

Here are the blurry shots of everyone’s bags before felting.

I seem to have missed one. There should be 8.

Last night Corinne from Forest Cove sent me a few pictures. She had a shot of the bag I missed.

 

After much rubbing and rolling and them all thinking nothing was happening, I had them check the bags against the resists, and they were very surprised at how much they had shrunk. This gave some more energy, and they were able to finish the fulling. I only managed 3 pictures of the finished bag. Everyone was in a hurry to pop into the store and get cool and do some shopping.

The grey and purple one was much better in person. And I suspect that the purple will show much more when it is dry. I am hoping some people will send me pictures of thier dry and finished bags. They had to add the handles after they were dry. I did get one, but my email seems to have eaten it. I sent them home with instructions on blocking them and drying them and some tips on blocking them more with a steam iron if they want to.

Everyone seemed happy, so I am happy. I think I will switch to a bag with a slit handle next time, as the rope handle took longer than expected. By my next blog post, I should have a new camera in my phone. Hopefully that means I will take better pictures.

SHAPESHIFT – making felt sculptures

SHAPESHIFT – making felt sculptures

Comments 23 comments

I’ve been reviewing the future direction of my felt work. I’ve decided to stop having so many exhibitions and sales. I will still do some exhibitions but I’d like to focus less on what people might buy and more on the things I’d like to make, irrespective of whether or not they are saleable. 

In particular, I’d like to do more complex 3D & sculptural work as I particularly enjoy it. So it was a happy coincidence that Gladys Paulus was offering an online felt sculpture course called SHAPESHIFT.  

My very first blog on this site was about a 3D seed pods workshop I took with Gladys Paulus in November 2019.  Herfe’s a link if you want to take a look.

https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2019/11/14/a-felting-adventure/

I really admire her work and found her an excellent tutor so it was a bit of a no-brainer: I signed up for SHAPESHIFT with a glad heart. 

You can find a full description of SHAPESHIFT through the link below. Essentially it is about developing your eye and aptitude for sculptural felting rather than producing a specific ‘thing’. Working from a 25cm flat circular resist, Gladys takes you through play, intuition and discovery, building confidence and a developing a sculptor’s eye.

https://onlinetutorials.gladyspaulus.com/courses/shapeshift–458f1e58-42de-4b8f-af48-722cf56fd241/salespage

The course materials are clear and thorough with extensive text and video descriptions. Gladys also gave generous, thoughtful, insightful and encouraging personal feedback, which was invaluable.

So, let me introduce my 10 sculptures. 

The materials list suggested working with light coloured wool batts.  The only light batts I have in a large quantity are Corriedale (25-29 mic) and Merino (23 mic) both from World of Wool.  I started with the Corriedale, which is quite a bright white colour. All the sculptures start off with the same flat circular resist.

1) SEEDHEAD

This was my first sculpture. It’s quite a complicated shape and took me a long time but I was happy with the result. I could do with de-hairing it (I tried a heat gun but didn’t really get on with it).

2) CONTORTION

I lost sight of the overall shape of this one and had to go back and felt it some more. Isn’t felt a wonderful material that it lets you do that! It’s my least favourite shape but I learned a lot from it, which really is the point.

3) WRAP

I called this ‘wrap’ as it feels a bit like a hug. It’s less complicated than the previous two. Although it’s not obvious from these photos, it also tips slightly which gives it a slightly fragile feel.

4) SLIPSTREAM

With ‘Slipstream’ I was specifically working on getting smooth transitions between different planes: some nice sharp edges.

5) RINGS

I may go back and re-work ‘Rings’ to exaggerate the fact that the rings aren’t parallel. At the moment it feels a bit ‘meh’, although I do like the way you can see the light though the hole.

I thought my sculptures so far were tending to look like vessels. I’ve made a lot of vessels in my time so I decided to try to move away from those shapes. At this point I also switched from using the Corriedale to the Merino batt. It’s a more cream colour, felts slightly more quickly and gives a lovely smooth finish.

6) LEAVES

With ‘Leaves’ I worked on making more concave shapes. I particularly like that it looks completely different from the top (picture 2) than from the sides.

7) PLANES

More work on refining planes and angles

8) LEAF OR SHELL?

Similar to ‘Leaves’ in that I used some of the same shapes and didn’t want the sculpture to look like a vessel. I also like this one as it looks very different from different angles

9) UPTIGHT

I think with ‘Uptight’ I pushed the limit of how many different ribs and planes I could get across the shape. It was a bit of a tussle to get it as I wanted it, though I’m happy with the result. For a long time it was a horizontal sculpture but near the end it became upright, which contributed to its name.

10) TILT

I knew ‘Tilt’ would be my last sculpture for the course and tried to go with something a little more relaxed. I like that it seems to be balancing. I thought I might make a shape like three pebbles balancing on top of each other but decided they would be too small – I may make something like this using a long oval resist.

It was good to see other participants’ sculptures – they were all so different. For me it really illustrated the enormous flexibility of the medium, and how much the shaping is entirely in our hands

I absolutely loved this course.  I learned some new techniques, which I will continue to use, but most of all I reveled in taking time, letting things develop slowly, experimenting and learning as I went along.  I have a bit of a felting gap now due to other commitments but I am already thinking about what sculptures to make next.

I’ve always enjoyed wet felting, but this course really re-awakened my excitement in making felt.  I woke up in the morning thinking about felting and couldn’t wait to create my next sculpture.  That was joyful and a great gift.  Gladys is working on a more advanced sculpting course called RESIST! Will I be signing up? What do you think?!

felted hydrangeas
Mr Whippy 99 and the Seagull, Printed Fabric and Finished Blooms

Mr Whippy 99 and the Seagull, Printed Fabric and Finished Blooms

Comments 21 comments

Lyn

Seagulls worldwide are looking forward to easy, rich pickings on ‘Ice Cream Day’.

President Reagan wanted to dedicate a day to one of America’s favourite desserts and it’s now internationally accepted to be the third Sunday in July – this year it falls on the 19th.

So I made a felt sketch to celebrate my favourite ice cream, a Mr Whippy 99!  It’s a traditional ice cream in the UK – soft ice cream twirled into a cone with a stick of Cadbury’s Flake chocolate.  Optional extras are hundreds and thousands or fruit sauces.

Seagull stealing ice cream from a cone

It’s wet felted, using handmade merino felt inlays, then detailed with needle felting when dry.

I wanted the ‘hundreds and thousands’ to be round and clear – had I wet felted them in they would have lost their clarity and been a bit fuzzy.

I tried to needle felt them on but mostly the nepps were too hard to do so.  After a bit of thinking I decided that as the picture was just for me, I would stick them on!

Firstly I tried a sample.  I speared a nepp with a felting needle to dunk it into some neat PVA then pushed it onto some scrap pre-felt using the end of the felting needle.

sticking a nepp to felt

I waited a few hours for it to dry and found that it had stuck well.  So I finished my ice cream … eventually … but it took longer than I anticipated!

With all this hot weather it’s plenty of ice creams in the garden then!  If you have young ones to entertain during the summer holidays, here’s an idea from Anna and Clara.  It’s a fabric printing project involving flowers from the garden, a piece of scrap fabric and a hammer – children love hammering stuff.

The printed fabric can then be used to make, for example, bunting.

https://sostrenegrene.com/en-gb/diy/print-flowers-on-fabric-d-21966

I gave it a quick go but ignored the advice on choice of flowers and I paid the price.  The fushcia was too thick and turned into a splodge!

I picked 2 flowers and 1 leaf to try this project.

2 flowers and 1 leaf

This was the resulting printed fabric.

2 flowers and 1 leaf printed onto fabric

And Annie finally finished her hydrangea picture!  It’s approx 60cm x 85cm (23″ x 33″) and was a bit of trial to complete in a small work space (the space is smaller than it should be cos it’s rammed full of wool and fabrics and other supplies!).  Time to think about some smaller projects for a while!

Annie holding her hydrangea felt to show size

felted hydrangeas

The really hot weather is not so much fun, but enjoy the long days and time in the garden because it won’t be long before we’re moaning about the cold and dark!

 

Registration Opens for Surface Design on Felt Online Classes

Registration Opens for Surface Design on Felt Online Classes

Comments 0 Comment

Registration is now open for the four online classes Embellishing Felt with Surface Design Techniques – A Mixed Media Approach. These are all a fun, experimental approach to adding different types of surface design to felt. Any of these approaches will encourage you to create unique felt in your own style. I hope you will join me this summer in learning something new! This is the last time that this set of classes will be offered. If you have been on the fence about taking one of these classes, now is the time to sign up. After this session, these classes will be removed from our list of available online classes.

All classes are online and last a total of 6 weeks with 4 weeks of instruction and 2 more extra weeks of tutor/instructor support. All classes are taught with PDF’s and videos. PDF’s are available for download for future use and videos are available for the 6 week time period. Classes will begin July 17th and cost $45 US each.

 

Nuno Felting with Paper Fabric Lamination

Paper fabric lamination is a technique of essentially gluing paper to sheer fabric in a specific design. It is not a new technique and has been used by fiber artists for a long time. When  I first learned the technique, I wondered how I would use the result. Many artists use paper fabric lamination and layer the results together with stitching and other methods. When I looked at my samples, I saw sheer fabric with a design and thought “Why not try nuno felting with it?” I tried it, it worked, and I loved the results. It was a way to use my own designs and create a piece of nuno felt that was completely different and in my own style. Click on the link above to register, scroll down the page and fill out the contact form.

Experimental Screen Printing on Felt

Screen printing has long been one of my favorite techniques and I love its quirky look on felt. This class shows you the basics of many different screen printing techniques and you will learn an experimental approach that will allow you to take these ideas and expand them into your own unique style. Click on the link above to register, scroll down the page and fill out the contact form.

Printing, Stenciling, and Playing with Thickened Dye on Felt

What you will learn:

How to make a print board
How to make thickened dye
How to transfer your designs
Choosing what designs are appropriate for stencils and stamps
Creating stencils from a variety of supplies
Cutting and burning stencils
Creating stamps from a variety of supplies
Cutting a linoleum type stamp
Burning a stamp from insulation foam
Looking at items around the house with a new eye for use in creating patterned felt
How to play with thickened dye
How to stamp and stencil with thickened dye on to felt

Click on the link above to register, scroll down the page and fill out the contact form.

Free Motion Machine Stitching on Felt

You will learn the basics of free motion stitching. I will show you the basic techniques and equipment needed as well as give you lots of practice ideas to improve your skills. Next you will learn about machine lace techniques and how to incorporate them into felt making. You will learn to use a hoop in the machine with water soluble fabric. Then learn about thread sketching. We’ll start out with easy designs and then progress to how to use water soluble fabric to transfer a design and free hand thread sketching. Lastly, you will learn about experimentation and moving forward with your newly found free motion machine skills. I will show you how to add stitch to a felt painting as well as other ideas in how to use your sewing machine to enhance felt. Click on the link above to register, scroll down the page and fill out the contact form.

Don’t miss your chance to take one of these online classes about surface design!

Wet Felting For Beginners

Are you a beginner and have just found this site? If so, learn how to wet felt and get started on your felting journey. Our Wet Felting for Beginners Course is always available. Click on the link above to register, scroll down the page and fill out the contact form.

Technique chat: Shingling

Technique chat: Shingling

Comments 18 comments

You may have seen my last post, making a fluffy llama. At the end of the last post I still needed to finish his eyes and add eyelashes. Today we were going to consider shingling; adding layers of small amounts of combed fibre or fibre locks in a pattern that mimics the coat on a creature, like that llama I was working on. The fur mimicked by shingling is usually on the longer side, but it can be used for shorter fur too.

When I first started to needle felt, there had been only one option suggested for making a long-ish coat: shingling, with the use of combed top.  I now know a number of variations on this technique and a few other options besides it. But let’s look at where I started and a couple of the variations.

As with all the projects I leap into, after the idea, it starts with a bit of fun research to find out what type of fur you want to mimic.   Remember to check if there is a summer or winter coat, or if there are regional variations to your animal. It will not look right if you mix the coat of a red wolf with a timber wolf, or have a winter coat on the shoulders and summer coat on the back and legs! Google image search will help, but you have to be careful; sometimes the image descriptions for photos on the internet are labelled wrong. Look for sites that are researching the animal, breed associations, or even hunting groups can have some helpful photos (although not the hunting or cooking parts).  It is also helpful to try to get shots from various angles. (I was extremely pleased when I found a picture of the underside of a polar bear foot!)

chart of lengths of coats examples of aimas and techneeks to consider5.0) chart of coats of animals examples and techniques

For those needle felters who don’t mind getting wet, Sara (of Sarafina fiberarts on YouTube) had been experimenting with making “Pelts”, which are wet felted skin pieces she adds over her shaped felt under structure. Her results have been effective and interesting but do involve getting wet (so I have stayed with the dry techniques for now. I promise I will get brave eventually!)

There are a few things to consider beyond just getting the colour you want and deciding on a working direction to add your shingles (bottom to top or top to bottom; I have seen other felters who work in both directions successfully).  Let’s look at some of my variables; you may have more considerations to add to this list.

Variables in shingling you may want to consider:

  • Which fibre will best suit your project (there is more than just colour to think about when picking fiber)
  • Fibre Staple Length
  • Blending your fibres and colours (Blended colour will look more natural than flat colours)
  • What scale to work in/ how big or small is your creature?
  • Working with locks
  • Amount of fibres used in each shingle
  • Stacking your shingles

Let’s expand each consideration.

Which fibre will best suit your project: (there is more than just colour to think about when picking fibre)

  • Stiff or softer fibre will give a different drape (use photo reference to decide which you need).
  • How likely is this fibre to felt to itself from handling or rubbing?
    • This is more important if the creature is repositioned regularly (handled).
    • Silk, viscose, alpaca, and llama don’t have scales as most wool does, so are less inclined to felt to itself. Wool that has less crimp and outer guard hairs like kemp and tog is also less inclined to cling to itself (felt easily) when handled.

amples of viscose fiber folded in 50/50, 25/75, 75/25 proportions as well as a sample using wool to help adhear at the fold location.5.1) samples in viscose

  • Trim or not to trim (embroidery curved blade, dog grooming scissors/ thinning sheers are options)
    • Trimming can occur to shorten the fibre length you are applying, or you can trim the fibres after you have applied the shingles.
    • A stiffer fibre vs a softer fibre will also react differently when trimmed by scissors. Stiff fibres can give a more bristle-like appearance when trimmed short.
  • Silk, Viscose and similar smooth fibres can be difficult to attach securely to the felted under structure:
    • Adding a bit of carded wool or soft spun wool yarn to the area you are securing will help adhere the slippery fibre, like a staple or glue. (You may not need to add assistance to adhere if you are finding it is embedding deeply and securely. Working the fibre in a bit deeper and varying the angle of needle insertion will help it stay without adding extra fibre as glue. If you can’t work a bit deeper, then try adding the staple or glue-like bit of fibre. Remember the extra embedding to secure the fibre will shorten the staple length showing as fur.

diagram devided 50/50 showing needle felting perpendicular to fiber lenght5.2 – fibre divided 50/50 felting across to create the shingle

5.3) Add a bit of carded wool or loose spun yarn to attach as glue or a staple to hold the shingle5.3) Add a bit of carded wool or loose spun yarn to attach as glue or a staple to hold the shingle

5.4)Alpaca fiber; folded, tacking folded fiber, and using extra fiber to help hold slippery fiber (staple or glue using loose spun wool yarn or carded fiber)5.4)Alpaca fibre; folded, tacking folded fibre, and using extra fibre to help hold slippery fibre (staple or glue using loose spun wool yarn or carded fibre)

5.5) Sample using Viscose5.5) sample using Viscose

Using a bit of carded wool as a stable, to help embed the viscose fibre. While a bit of the staple or glue fibre is visible in the sample, using a similar colour as the shingle will make the assisting fibre or yarn invisible. The next layer of shingle will also obscure the previous attachment site.

5.6) using a wider attachment area for slippery fiber5.6) For slippery fiber you can also create a wider attachment area

Fibre Staple Length

  • If folded, what percentage of the fibre is used.
    • Folded in half (50/50 split) was what was first suggested to me. This can create a lot of loft or thickness in the shingle. If folded so cut end is under tips, it will lift the tips and give a thick dense coat.
    • Folded (25/75) folded tips on top of longer cut end, gives tips dispersed amongst longer cut end.
    • Folded (75/25) folded longer tips on top of cut end, gives lift from the cut end with longer draping tips.
    • * You can also use almost all your fibre as coat, and only secure one end (90/10). This is not exactly a folded shingle, but in some cases it’s the proportions that work. You still position it overlapping, as you would in any of the other shingles.

samples of alpaca fiber, various proportions folded6.1) alpaca samples

  • Single needle line of attachment or wider area of needle attachment (for slippery fibre, the wider attachment site can again help the fibre stay attached to your creature)
  • Using scissors to shorten the fibre length if needed (we are felters and like scissors!). If you are using combed top, it is easier if you pull off staple lengths then trim, rather than cutting the combed top itself, which will give mixed lengths to deal with (harder to blend and attach)

Pros:

  • Twice as fast (except for (90/10))
  • Under layer can lift the top layer and make a fluffy-looking coat
  • Works well for large colour gradations

Cons:

  • Can become heavy-looking depending on the scale of the sculpture
  • Can create small colour changes but can be a bit tricky to get exact location
  • Fluffy look can be out of scale to smaller figures.

 

Blending your fibres and colours (Blended colour will look more natural than flat colours)

  • Using the same fibre length will blend easily and produce a uniform length of coat.
  • Nature is not flat colour. It helps to mix shades and tints of colour to make your creature look more realistic. (Dyeing over a natural grey fibre will also give more depth and subtle variations within the colour)
  • Matching colours can be easier if you use a “window”. Cut out a small square in a piece of white or black card stock, leaving at least a 2-inch border to separate the window from the rest of the picture. This lets your eye and brain separate the isolated colour from the background, which makes it easier to colour match.
  • Areas with spots of colour change can be easier if switching to smaller amounts of fibre in your shingles (many little shingles). Your other option is to carefully blend the colour changes within the larger staples. The difference is more about the amount of control, suggesting a colour change or spots vs trying to mimic a specific animal’s colour patterns.
  • For stripes, you could try to lay in following the colour pattern. I have seen a felter who drew the pattern on her animal then just filled in each adjacent colour section, slowly working up the side of the animal.

blending colours of muskox fur. used alpaca to creat the fur7.0) muskox layers of alpaca to make the muskox coat

What scale to work in/ how big or small is your creature?

  • Smaller will have less detail but will need to suggest more with what you have. You will also have to use shorter fibers or trim to get the fur in proportion to the size of your creature.
  • Larger can have more detail but will require more work and attention to photo reference. Enjoy the process of needle felting and don’t rush.
  • As an example of scale, my fox picture has a problem with the whiskers. They are the wrong scale to the image. I used horsetail fibre for the whiskers, and the size is too light in visual weight. I need to find something a bit visually heavier ether a coarser horse tail or possibly the outer coat of a musk ox. I have heard of felters using the bristles from paint brushes (the house painting kind) as whiskers too. (The awl and glue method was used with the paint brush bristles. I used a large eye sewing needle to secure the horse hair.)

7.1) the visual weight of the whiskers is too light for the scale of the image7.1) the visual weight of the whiskers is too light for the scale of the image

 

Working with locks

  • Which part(s) of the fibre are you using, Tips only, tips and tails?

8.11-8.12-8.13) Samples with locks

  • Locks with crimp are easier to attach than locks with less crimp, like the hair I used on my Mer-people. It’s not a huge difference, but remember to check the fibre is adhering securely and will suit the purpose you intend to use it for. If your creature’s purpose is to sit in one pose on a shelf, you will not need the same security of attachment that a creature that is regularly reposed would require.
  • Crimpy curly little locks make fabulous outer coats for little sheep figures and pins. If you find little short locks with lots of crimp, put them aside for a later project if you don’t need them now.

 

Amount of fibres used in each shingle

  • Are you making a puff ball or something sleek? Sample thin layers of shingles vs fewer thicker layers. You may also find the thin layers helpful if you are working with stripes or subtle colour changes.

shows soap on a rope hedgehog wet felted understructure then needle fleted brisles9.1) ”Crevis” is a soap on a rope hedgehog. I used stiffer fibre and packed it quite tightly to give good scrub-ability. I had fun mixing light colours around the face. I wanted more of an emotional expression of hedgehog rather than an anatomical Hedgehog, since his soapy centre is rectangular and rather flat.

 

Stacking your shingles (patterns)

  • You also can change either the spacing of the shingles or the way the shingles are staggered; (stacked / offset(running bond) / 1/3 offset/shingle pattern / random placement). Looking at the way tile is laid out can give a good reference for shingling patterns. Again, a bit of quick sampling will suggest your best option.

10.1) Wooden shingles, layers offset each row, not necessarily the same size adjacent shingle.10.1) Wooden shingles, layers offset each row, not necessarily the same size adjacent shingle.

tile patterns that we can use with shingleing10.2) patterns of subway tile to consider for felting layouts (Straight stack, offset or running bond, 1/3 offset)

10.3) alpaca shingle samples spacing10.3) alpaca shingle samples spacing

10.4) Alpaca shingle sample of spacing- side view10.4) Alpaca shingle sample of spacing- side view

  • Direction of work: Start from lowest furred area, working to highest, or the other way around. Both work; I just found the former easier than the latter, which requires you to lift the shingles above to position the next below. An example of starting at the lowest point and working up and forward would be my partly 3-D Muskox picture. I also check and see if there is a direction of hair growth and hair fall. This could indicate the direction to lay in the fur.
  • How much fibre will you use in each shingle section? If you have areas that have denser fur and areas that are sparser, you may be altering how much you use in different areas and /or the shingle pattern you chose to follow. An example of variations of fur on a single creature would be a Bison or Buffalo. You may also want to use different fibres to mimic the different sections (longer, softer and shorter, stiffer fibre). As long as the colours for the different fibres work cohesively together, your creature will look realistic.

 

There is also a way to add locks without shingling to create the illusion of fur. I used it to create part of the sheep pins, and Ann uses it on her little sheep figures. Those tiny crimpy curly locks are layered over the surface of the creature in swirls, then tacked down, catching bits of the crimp locks.

10.5) Ann’s Sheep using tight crimpy locks to creat the fur/fleece.10.5) Ann’s Sheep using tight crimpy locks to create the fur/fleece.

 

Let’s take a quick look at some of the tools I have collected that can be helpful when adding a needle felted fur to a creature.

Tools that may be helpful: (new toys you might like to try)

  • Sharp embroidery scissors: straight and curved bladed
    • Excellent for careful trimming and getting into difficult spots. The curvature can mimic the curve of your creature. There are various amounts of curvature and length of blade available, so it’s nice to have a couple choices.

11.1) there are a few brands of curved embroidery scissors, as well as fine sewing scissors and curved blade pet trimming scissor11.1) There are a few brands of curved embroidery scissors, as well as fine sewing scissors and curved blade pet trimming scissors

  • Pet trimming scissors for thinning coats/salon version for people (look like they have notches along one blade). They are used to thin bulk along the side of hair or at the ends, also for blend transitions, or give movement to hair. They are used teeth side on top and usually at an angle to the hair (perpendicular can give harsher lines if over trimmed).

11.2)Thinning scissors have different teeth spacing that removes different amounts of hair.11.2)Thinning scissors have different teeth spacing that removes different amounts of hair.

If you are really curious, this is a quick video on using them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEqi7qfZyOY

  • Eyebrow brush and comb (weird original idea, but great for felting). This tiny brush and comb allows you to do small adjustments to your creature’s coat. I saw a tiny mettle comb version, but haven’t seen it again now that I have a use for it.

11.3) Eye brow tools11.3) Eyebrow tools

  • Eyebrow trimmer – strange razor trimmer (again, why is this a thing? Ok I admit my eyebrows never fully arrived so why trim them? What if trimming scares them away and I wind up with none?!) Again, an option for doing fine trimming and adjusting.
  • The puffer for blowing lint off your camera lenses; it can help to fluff up a coat or blow out trimmed hairs after using the scissors. It comes in a number of variations, including an electric version that may blow away your creature!

11.4) air blower, originally for cleaning camera equipment11.4) air blower, originally for cleaning camera equipment

  • You could even consider Hair spray or styling gel, but sample first; you don’t want fibre to yellow over time!! (I was a cheap art student (many years ago) and some of the very cheap hair spray we used as fixative did yellow the pastel paper.)

 

I hope this has sparked a few ideas to consider when adding fur on your creatures. I am sure I had more to add, but the AC seems to be struggling; ok, it’s give up, since it is almost 30C in the house.  You may have more options or tools to share; please add your suggestions too.

I hope you have found a cool, possibly air-conditioned spot to felt.  Ottawa has been hot with repeated waves of aggressive thunderstorms and flooding (the street west of us had flooded basements; Glenn said ours is still dry, but we did lose the cover to our side door).  If you are South of us celebrating your 250th birthday, have fun on the 4th, and hopefully you will get to enjoy your fireworks. Canada Day had spectacular thunderstorms, but fireworks would have been more fun.  Have fun, stay cool and keep felting.

 

Canada Day and Prepping for a Bag Class.

Canada Day and Prepping for a Bag Class.

Comments 14 comments

 

This last week, I have been preparing for a bag class I am teaching.  This is a beginner class, so they will be making rope handles. The ropes will then go through holes in the bag and be tied with a knot. This is a nice style and fairly easy, so they can concentrate on the bag part.

Please excuse the pictures; I adjusted them as best I could. The light bounce from the fluorescent lights on the white wool and the plastic was terrible.

I don’t want to spend a lot of time on the ropes. To that end, I have been making snakes to act as the inside of thier ropes. I use a pretty standard layout, a row of wool singled across and then a line of wool at 90 degrees at the near side to roll around.

I roll it up dry and work it dry for a while to shrink it before adding water. If I go slow and gentle, I can get a nice, smooth snake. In this case, I am not being that careful because they will all get a final layer of coloured wool to match thier bags.

Adding a final layer of colour around the finished but wet ropes worked really well. The final layer was easy to wrap tightly around the core. I didn’t have to worry about “cracks” or “fissures” forming if I rolled a little too fast or not quite round enough.  I think I will do that from now on, as it gave a nice, tight, smooth finish.

What I want to know is, does anyone know of a faster and or easier way to make ropes? They always take longer than you think they will, and if you’re doing more than a few, they are hard on your hands, or at least on my hands. I found ways to make small balls and large balls, but nothing on ropes. Any hints or ideas?

 

Group of campers with "flower" inspired felt pictures
Felting at Camp Judy Layne

Felting at Camp Judy Layne

Comments 16 comments

I recently told you about preparing for volunteering at Girl Scout camp. I have returned from Camp Judy Layne in Kentucky where I taught eco printing and four sessions of wet felting. It was a blast and I thoroughly enjoyed myself and introduced wet felting to camp.

Welcome Sign at the cabin on Lake Cumberland, KY USA

Before we went to camp, Debbie (right) invited us to her cabin on Lake Cumberland. When Susan (left), Dennis and I arrived there was a big sign on the cabin. This is an old joke having to do with plaques at camp where I signed my name really large (even on plaques I wasn’t supposed to be on).

Detail of welcome sign with "and Dennis, Susan & John"

Debbie who is not at all “arts and crafty” made this sign to make me laugh.

At Lake Cumberland in the boat with Debbie and Susan

We went on Curt’s (Debbie’s husband) boat and had a great time on a gorgeous day.

Dennis caught a fish on Lake Cumberland

Dennis (my husband) went fishing with Curt and John (Susan’s husband) and he was the only one who caught a fish. The stay at the cabin was very relaxing in preparation for the craziness of camp the following week.

Camp counselors and volunteers first session of Camp Judy Layne 2026

We all got camp shirts when we arrived and here is the staff and volunteers for the first session of camp on Sunday afternoon.

Montana, Snooz and Mac on Muu Muu Monday. No muu muus for us!

On Monday morning, staff and volunteers are encouraged to wear muu muus. Here we are on Moo Moo Monday!

Eco printed book covers laid out to dry.

After breakfast on Monday, I helped Poecat (the arts and crafts director) and we eco printed some book covers for small books that the campers were creating. I was concerned the eco printing wouldn’t be successful but I was happy with the prints. The campers learned how to make a folded 8 page book (from an 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper) and then used waxed linen thread and the pamphlet stitch to attach their covers to the books.

Snooz, Mac and Montana at Crazy Hat dinner in the dining hall at Camp Judy Layne in Kentucky

Monday night is crazy hat dinner so here we are in the dining hall with our hats. Look closely to see my hat 😉 At camp we have camp names, mine was Montana, and then we had Mac and Snooz. Mac and Snooz were teaching a unit of girls to play guitar which was called Treble in the Trees.

The next day was crazy sock day. Mac got us matching  “friend” socks that hold hands. Ramblr is to the right of me. She stayed with us at the Air BNB cabin just outside of camp.

Then on to my four felting sessions, two on Tuesday and two on Wednesday. The first three groups were smaller but then the last group was 18-20 campers (10-11 years old).

 

I started them out with batts that I had made at home (packed into a large suitcase and brought on the plane) and then had them add the design on top.

I wanted them all to create different designs. The first group listened to music and created a piece inspired by the music. The next was inspired by “fauvist” landscapes as I had a bunch of crazy colors. The third group made portraits and the last group their favorite flower.

We had two hours for each session and the girls did a great job. Everyone ended up with a piece of felt that was holding together. Yay!

Group of campers with finished "inspired by music" felt pictures

Here’s the Treble in the Trees group with their creations.

Group of campers displaying "fauvist landscapes" felted pictures.

These are the CIT’s (counselors in training) with their landscapes.

 

Group of campers with "portrait" wet felted picture

This group was the theatre group who gave a show at the end about llamas.

Group of campers with "flower" inspired felt pictures

And here is the final group that created their favorite flower. Didn’t they all do a great job?

For Wednesday night, it was crazy hair dinner. I made these wool dreads for us to wear and we sang a ukulele rendition of Three Little Birds. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a video of our performance 🙁

Curt and Dennis at the lake house wearing wool dreads

And don’t the men rock the dreads? Curt and Dennis at the Lake Cumberland cabin.

Snooz and Mac presenting guitar plaque for first ever Treble in the Trees session.

Snooz and Mac presenting the signed guitar to hang on the dining hall with the first session of Treble in the Trees. Here’s a link to their performance:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1234964726359457

And a link to the drama performance:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1002727975461627

If you want to see more photos of what’s happening at camp, you can view them here. You’ll have to scroll down to the first week photos (June 7-12) to see our session.

https://www.facebook.com/CampJudyLayne

Kat, the wonderful camp cook, holding her Cinnamon Roll of Excellence award.

Here is an award that we made for Kat, the camp cook. She works so hard to provide meals for all the campers, volunteers and staff. Billie was the cook for many years during the time I was a camper and staff member.

Moth on concrete floor at Camp Judy Layne

And to show that I was still paying attention to the beauty of nature, here’s a moth I photographed while we were setting up the music performance.

SCAMP tshirts for the OG's at Camp Judy Layne

A good time was had by all but we were a bit worn out. Here’s our new shirts for this year. Hopefully, I will be able to go back next summer!