We were very fortunate to have Michala with us on Friday and
Saturday. Her talk on Friday evening was fascinating and inspirational. We
heard about her formative years as a stitcher and the inspiration behind her
works, many of them springing from her childhood memories and experiences. She
talked through pieces of her work and showed us her sketchbooks- pieces just
dashed off. If only we could all dash off such wonderful pieces of artwork.
Saturday came with some trepidation as we were expected in
work in the dreaded sketchbooks. However, it proved to be somewhat easier than
expected although still scary!! Michala was on hand to give help whilst still
allowing us to work at our own pace.
Some demonstrations occurred about how to work with the
felted blankets, adding extra texture and features with further hand felting.
It was amazing to think that Michala uses hand felting techniques even on her
large pieces of work. Evidently a tufted doormat comes in handy for those!
We all had the chance to try hand felting although some managed
to do more than others. It was reassuring to be told to work at our own pace.
By the end of the day, everyone had achieved something,
whether being a little less afraid of their sketchbooks, being able to hand
felt without personal injury or just generally a feeling of a good day. We were
certainly exhausted.
So, if you have a chance to attend one of Michala’s workshops
do!
Stitcher at work
Sketchbooks and the start of the felted pieces
Coming to the end of a great day.
