fatcat felt

inspired ... ?

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:30:00 +0000

well, if all of the recent handmade felt loveliness (even if i do say so myself!) has tempted you to try feltmaking, you can buy the very thing from my folksy shop ...

feltmaking kits in a range of colours!

and, if sewing is more your thing, here's a selection of broochmaking kits

happy browsing :)
a selection of broochmaking kits

even more updates ...

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:41:00 +0000

what a beautifully sunny day we've had today :)

i have managed to stay indoors long enough to do a wee bit more work on my folksy shop and you can now browse and buy these journals from www.fatcatfelt.folksy.com

more to follow soon!

new brooches just in!

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Mon, 21 May 2012 09:19:00 +0000

and today's offering from my folksy shop is lots of felted floweriness with a range of single and double petalled brooches ...

on a roll!

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Sun, 20 May 2012 10:06:00 +0000

a felting one that is, no bacon rolls here!

i have now updated my folksy shop to include these dotty pencil cases (or make-up bags - whichever you prefer!) ...

and a selection of bagcharms and keyrings ...

happy browsing!

online shop now updated!

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:31:00 +0000

well, the weather stayed dry and bright(ish) long enough for me to take photos of my new work and i've been hogging the laptop ever since in my attempt to get everything updated.

and i'm happy to say that fatcat felt's folksy shop is now restocked!

i had so much fun making these pebbles! they appear as brooches, fridge magnets and as a lovely gift box set. i'm also putting the finishing touches to a necklace and ear-ring set too.

i've always loved pebbles, coming home from a walk with at least one or two tucked into my pocket and that inspired me to experiment with felt to see if i could re-create the colours and shapes i enjoy in my pebble collection. it was really interesting to work with more earthy colours as opposed to the brights that usually appear in my work.

fatcat felt debut on pinterest!

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:10:00 +0000

thanks to lindsay from lovely marthamoobeads, one of my handmade felt necklaces was featured on pinterest ...

fab folksy felts

available to purchase from my folksy shop: handmade felt necklace

at long last ...

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 10:56:00 +0000

... i've finally taken the plunge and set up a facebook page for fatcat felt! i've only got as far as adding some pics for now but hopefully soon there'll be lots of exciting goings on to share with you all :)

come visit at fatcat felt's facebook page

today's to-do

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:15:00 +0000

is to hand card this pile of shetland fleece ...

anyone a dab-hand with a carder?!

i think this calls for a pot of tea :)

a joining of two lands

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 06:10:00 +0000

portland and shetland that is!

(oh i crack myself up sometimes. no, really, i do).

this is my first project using the portland that i washed the other week and it was a joy to work with! the fibres have a lovely springy quality to them (not sure what the technical term is, possibly crimp?), a beautiful sheen and they are so soft.

i always forget to take photos of the process but here are a few i remembered to take along the way.

first, carding the portland

the resist, covered with grey shetland and white portland

after felting, now ready to remove the resist

and after a bit of rolling, and manipulating, the finished piece ... a vase wrapper

i think the sheltand and the portland have worked quite well together. they've felted in well, the portland was a little slower to felt and had a slightly smaller shrink rate than the shetland but not enough that it was a problem. the surface of the portland is as 'fuzzy' (again lack of technical terms is letting me down!) as the shetland but much softer, in fact i can't help touching it every time i walk past!

perfect for displaying some dried grasses

mixed media workshop

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 11:48:00 +0000

i've just realised that i never did blog about this! i think the few months around christmas time were swallowed up in preparation for snowdrops by starlight so i feel like i'm just catching up.

aaaaanyways ... i'm always keen to try and push myself as a feltmaker and add new elements to my work by learning new techniques, i just don't think i'm very good at doing that on my own. so, when i saw that angela was running a mixed media workshop i couldn't resist.

luckily enough, it coincided with a rare weekend off for m, so we headed off to yorkshire for a few days.

on the way down we stopped off at fairburn ings for a spot of birdwatching, and it was great to get some fresh air and stretch our legs after what felt like a very long drive.

i had a fab time at the workshop, angela is really inspiring and brought along such a range of different materials and ideas it was hard to choose! i did my ususal and spent too much time chatting and looking at what everyone else was making but i still managed to end up with two finished pieces. it was a great opportunity just to get to play and experiment without worrying too much about the end result, i tried to use as many different materials and techniques as possible and chose colours i wouldn't normally choose and i loved the end result!

here's a few pics from the end of our very productive day ...

we had such a lovely weekend, everyone we met was so friendly - to the extent that m had to 'rescue' me from a very chatty chap in a gift shop i popped in to for 'five minutes'! and the scenery is amazing - although the fog on sunday and monday meant that i didn't get to see too much of it so we'll need to go back again :)

we took the slow route home and stopped off to have a quick look at hadrian's wall, there's so much to see around this area that i think another long weekend is in the offing!

i've joined the flock ...

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:31:00 +0000

my mini flock are now on their way to cumbria to join the 2,925 already received. i had so much fun making these - i can't remember how long it must be since i've made pom-poms! i predict a house full of them soon though :)

i'll miss these little guys though, they've been brightening up my work room for a wee while before i could bear to part with them, still, i know they're going to a good home!

2,075 more are needed and there's still time to take part ...

www.jointheflock.co.uk

fun with fleece!

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 06:28:00 +0000

i was really lucky to receive a bag of portland fleece to experiment with, from angela recently.

as i've never washed raw fleece before, i thought i would do a little research first to try and avoid any unnecessary disasters!

the british sheep and wool book from the british wool marketing board says of portland that it is a rare breed, established in the uk in the thirteenth century. the fleece has a staple length of five to nine cm and the micron range is thirty one to thirty five.

thanks to:
running moon farm
angela
fuzzy galore
twin willows farm

for their advice, which i kind of cobbled together and tweaked to come up with something i thought would work for me.
after waiting for m to go away for the weekend - don't think he would have been too comfortable with raw fleece soaking in our lovely, clean bath for hours (plus he's already expressed his distate of the smell - is it just me, i quite like the smell of raw wool?!), i set about the huge sack of wool!

rather than diving in and biting off more than i can chew as is usually my want - i must be getting older and wiser (now there's an odd thought!) i decided to only wash enough to fill three of my net wash bags so that i didn't overload the bath.

here's a few details/pics of my process ...

some music to keep me entertained while i worked away

and a little sustenance in the shape of home-made banana mini-cupcakes

raw fleece straight out of the bag

and then popped into net wash bags to avoid too much handling and accidental felting while washing

i then filled the bath with hot water only, added a few generous squirts of washing up liquid and gently dispersed it through the water (so as not to create bubbles) before gently placing each bag of fleece flat on top of the water, whilst resisting the urge to stick my hands in and swish it all about!

after walking away (to avoid the temptation of swishing and agitating!) for fifteen to twenty minutes, i came back and gently removed the bags from the water, drained the bath, and refilled with hot water and washing up liquid before gently placing the bags of fleece back into the bath

i did a total of four washes until (i got too impatient!) there were visible bubbles left in the bath - which means it's ready for rinsing. the bath was then filled with hot water only, the fleece (still in bags) was placed into the water and left for ... well, by now it was about half an hour at a time because i was distracted with making my pom-pom sheep for 'flock'!

i did a couple of rinses, adding vinegar to the final rinse to restore the ph of the fleece. the bags were then left to drip over the bath during the evening before i placed the fleece on the radiators to finish drying the next day - this last bit might be a no-no but i was impatient to get it dry so i could start work!

and now i have the most beautifully soft, creamy wool with a stunning sheen to it (the photo really doesn't do it justice!)

i can't wait to start making with it - more pics and chat to follow :)

uk handmade

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:22:00 +0000

i'm ashamed to admit that i was only vaguely aware of the uk handmade campaign before i did some research when i was placing an ad with them.

and now, well, what have i been missing?!

the heart of their mission is to support uk designer makers and their website is an amazing resource - from a forum; directory of online and bricks and mortar shops; fab recipes and tutorials to their quarterly showcases ... and then on top of all of that is the magazine - which is a really good read!

the spring issue of uk handmade is available to read here

more exciting news ...

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:16:00 +0000

i am so chuffed to be the world of wool featured artist for march!*

check out the link here: world of wool

* or 'miss march' as morgan keeps calling me :)

join the flock

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:25:00 +0000

thanks to sheila dixon's newsletter i found out about this fab project and now i'm sharing it with all of you.

www.jointheflock.co.uk

flock is a huge public art project, co-ordinated by eden arts organisation in cumbria.

they are encouraging folk to get involved and help to create an installation of 5,000 wool pom-pom sheep to be displayed in cumbria in april.

the project's aim is to encourage creativity and collaboration while raising awareness and celebrating the sheep farming & wool industry.

what a fab way to use up some of your stash and be part of a wonderful public art project. i look forward to seeing pics of your woolly sheep.

get involved ... download the kit and get creative :)

snowdrops by starlight

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:59:00 +0000

this is the last weekend to see snowdrops by starlight - get along if you can, it is an amazing experience :)

11 to 19 february

snowdrops by starlight
daily from 5.30pm – booking essential!

enjoy the mesmerising light effects as these unique snowdrop woods are transformed by light and sound. an inspiring and artistic spectacle!

new for 2012 – story telling with lizzie mcdougall and snowdrop lantern workshops with jon warnes.

prebooked tickets and car park voucher available online at http://www.snowdropsbystarlight.com/ or phone 01333 450054/450313

cambo house
kingsbarns
st. andrews
fife
ky16 8qd
scotland

telephone: +44 (0) 1333 450054
email: cambo@camboestate.com
website: www.camboestate.com/snowdrops

a feltmaker creates ...

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:15:00 +0000

... a bit of a mess!

can you tell what it is yet ... ?

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 09:18:00 +0000

yep, finally, the long-awaited, much-anticipated part 2 of 2!

components for pieces one, two and three

piece three of four

piece four of four

and as a wee reminder, here's the first two pieces ...

piece one of four

piece two of four

all will be revealed soon :)

snowdrops by starlight news

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:42:00 +0000

i’ve finally finished all of my pieces and even managed to get them installed on time (despite quite a few setbacks along the way) mum is coming up for a long weekend to come along to the preview evening with us, and i'm really happy to say that the snowdrops by starlight festival (including some felt sculptures/installations by me!) starts very soon …

11 to 19 february
snowdrops by starlight
daily from 5.30pm – booking essential!

enjoy the mesmerising light effects as these unique snowdrop woods are transformed by light and sound. an inspiring and artistic spectacle!

new for 2012 – story telling with lizzie mcdougall and snowdrop lantern workshops with jon warnes.

prebooked tickets and car park voucher available online at http://www.snowdropsbystarlight.com/ or phone 01333 450054/450313

cambo house
kingsbarns
st. andrews
fife
ky16 8qd
scotland

telephone: +44 (0) 1333 450054
email: cambo@camboestate.com
website: www.camboestate.com/snowdrops

the snowdrop spectacular will be running until 13th march and is open daily from 10am to 5pm, so you still have a chance to view the vista of snowdrops plus some wonderful artworks, just not under the sparkly lights at night though.

here’s a little more information about cambo and their snowdrops:

“the gardens, including a victorian walled garden and informal woodland garden, boast over 300 varieties of specialist snowdrops and a limited number of these are sold each year.

catherine’s collection of snowdrops, which is being added to yearly, is the largest specialist snowdrop collection in scotland.

you can follow the cambo burn to the shore, it is the 70 acres of woodland, historically laid out with a series of walks in mind, which provide the snowdrop spectacular in february and early march – possibly the best in britain."

it was dark by the time i finished setting up, so i've no photos to share yet, promise to remedy this soon!

can you tell what it is yet ... ?

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:53:00 +0000

part 1 of 2
(in honour of my lovely friend heather here is a two-part teaser)

piece one of four

piece two of four

me neither - hee hee!

answers on the back of a postcard please :)

fatcat felt is proud to present ...

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:26:00 +0000

my new ad!

i've been playing around with my newly acquired photoshop skills again. i was quite pleased with the business cards i made recently, so i developed that design to create this ...

as i'm not going to be taking part in any markets until later in the year i thought it might be worthwhile to try some advertising to let folk know that i'm here and have lots of lovely felt goodies available.

have you tried advertising before? if so, i'd welcome any advice on what worked for you and any tips on good places to advertise :)

queen of hearts

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:14:00 +0000

to celebrate valentine's day, this wonderful array of felt hearts are now available from fatcat felt's folksy shop

folksy shop now updated

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:45:00 +0000

thankfully i've had just enough daylight to get photos of some of my recent work :)

there is now a small selection of goodies available to purchase from fatcat felt's folksy shop, with hopefully much more to follow soon.

here's a wee preview ...

necklaces

bracelets

brooches

pebble gift set

pebble brooches

feltmaking kits

horst workshop in ireland

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:24:00 +0000

my lovely wee pitch at the campsite

i can't quite believe it was seven months ago that i went to ireland for the workshop with horst, it really has been such a quick year.

so, in the spirit of 'better late than never', here are a few pics from my trip.

it really was the most amazing weekend - it was the furthest i've ever travelled on my own, the first time i've been overseas on my own and the first time (and thankfully not the last) that i've been camping on my own.

busy, busy

i did get off to a bit of a shaky start though, as the ferry was late leaving and once we had boarded, the tannoy announcement to apologise for the delay also mentioned that the journey would take longer than expected as one of the engines wasn't working quite right.

the two hour delay and the five hour drive meant that i didn't arrive at the campsite until 4.30 in the morning, in the middle of a thunder storm! as i didn't really feel like pitching my tent i tried to sleep in the car, without much success.

however, i'm really happy to say that the weekend started looking up after that! the sun came out, i got a lovely spot in the campsite, i met wonderful people and learned so much from horst. in fact, by the time i got back to the tent at night i was so excited and my head was so full of ideas it was hard to get to sleep.

it was also a great opportunity to see some of horst's garments up close - unfortunately my photos don't do them justice. i really fell in love with the gold coat with the green dreads and it felt amazing when i tried it on.

unfortunately, i didn't get too many piccies as i was either too busy chatting or too busy working to catch up after chatting too much!

laying out the top part of my coat

laying out the skirt of my coat and attaching it to the top

attaching the 'leaflets' around the skirt

so many colours to choose from!

busy at the dyeing station

where we were 'assisted' by a friendly local dog

exhaust dyeing the finished garments

a small selection of finished pieces

and here is the end result ...

i cannot tell you how much it meant to me to be able to take part in this workshop. it was great to finally meet nicola who worked so hard to arrange everything, it was amazing to get to work with horst (you know how they say you should never meet your heroes? well, in this case that saying was entirely incorrect! horst is a fabulously talented, inspiring and giving person), and it was an honour to get to meet and work with gina, lorraine, kirsten, girda, natasha, sigrid, nessa, michelle, cristina and tricia. with big thanks to cristina and niall for the fab food that kept us all going through the weekend.

you can find much better pics here ...

from kirsten
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elisefilt/sets/72157627045592490/

and from nicola
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28367475@N02/sets/72157627013061886/

quite exciting (but a little bit scary too) news ...

noreply@blogger.com (tracy markey) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:36:00 +0000

... i submitted my first proposal for my first outdoor installation to the snowdrops by starlight festival - and it got accepted!

now i just hope that i can turn the images that i have daydreamed about into lovely felted reality.

more info on the festival here:
snowdrops by starlight
snowdrops by starlight blog