Our New Summer Programme

Today we are in Loanhead!

 

Catch-up and Wetfelting class this Saturday

wetfelting a shoulder bag

The weeks and months fly this year, and we are as always still here. A bit more quiet than last year, taking our making space very much as a healing space, a home coming space, nurturing relationships and responding to requests like the other week to go to Leith for a Crops in Pots Party

 

and next week one of us will go to a Permaculture workshop weekend to weave and felt suns and butterflies for the garden. Just watch this space!

Jenni and Ania and some kids get together every Friday now usually in West Street, to get out of the house and get things done that way

like this teddy (on Gabrielle's sun!) here for baby (well done Ania!)

This week, tomorrow, on Saturday, we gather in the Arts Centre, Room 1, for an All-Welcome Wetfelting Class. Come and join us and refresh or newly acquire your wetfelting skills. Between 11.30 am and 1.30 pm.  If you come early enough you might even have time to start and finish a wee 3D project! Not as big a bag as the top picture of course, where Jenny worked her shoulder bag, a project from over 5 hours. But a small purse like this here just might be possible ?

a wee purse, during a 3D workshop last year

Easter Eggs and more - bearing wool!

That was Ania's idea - to try it out: to cover eggs with wool! Above you see Ruth's 'painted with wool' egg drying out, and here you see Ania's in a warm multicoloured coat:

The great thing about these eggs is that they hollow, in good old continental tradition: blown out eggs, to be hang of spring branches to decorate the Easter Table or hall.
Blowing out action was a great laugh, as noone here had ever done that yet!

It is so easy! And it gives an excuse for pancakes making afterwards!
Here is an example of how it could look when hanging:
http://www.gartenwelt.de/artikel/15750/osterzweige-dekorieren/


We have another two weeks to get crafty with eggs - and we made a good start today, as you can see also here: https://picasaweb.google.com/117445521233701725799/SpringIntoSummer
As well as other explorations of a lovely Saturday session ion the Arts Centre this Saturday (because the townhall was taken over by a wedding today!):

Meeting of 2 newly born Easter Hares!

More crafty sharing from the fab NSEW event

So many people young and old explored felt making in the theme of endangered butterflies and bees !
So many ideas and options as to what to make ...

 pictures, hair or jacket decorations ...

and some folks would have loved to try their hands on this kind of thing:

2 of Shirin's silk butterfly scarves + a mobile

The butterflies (Here it is Common Blue and Frittilary) are felted  into the silk, and so are their food plants (Birdsfoot Trefoil, clover; and dogs violet). The detail and delicacy is astounding! Hope someone really nice will buy these master pieces!  Go to http://www.etsy.com/shop/shirincraft and/or  https://www.facebook.com/shirincraft / https://www.facebook.com/shirincraft#!/shirincraft/photos,  and enquire about them if you can not find them there.


You are also welcome to try your own hand at an impression in felt of a butterfly, like this little boy here, looking and learning from the beautiful fact sheets Sue from CEH had made for us:

The 2 Saturdays - prepared by us (6 folks from MSP) and the CEH folks (dozens of them!)  for by about 2 months, were a huge success, and made us want to do similar things more often. 'Similar' meaning

• working with people of all ages, or specific ages in the context of a themed event (science; story; learning)
• either offering a wide range of felt craft products making, or focussing on one or a few of them all (hair decoration; brooches, mobile, window or wall hangings, pictures, scarves)

 What was so inspiring this time was being part of a science event, and being able to add even more spice to it with our fluffy worlds!
To see more- you best visit our big album there https://picasaweb.google.com/117445521233701725799/FeltCraftAtOurWorldInMotionPartOfTheNSEWMarch2012#

which also includes footage from our story scape, the story of the farmer who changed from fertiliser with high nitrogen content to a wiser farm management (see extra blog post to come!)

Shirin in action!

Really good to be able to observe the hands of a good crafter, finely feeling and laying and shaping the fibres into flower form!
We recommend you 'like' Shirin' page :-) !
More of Shirin's works on the album from this picture onward.
Looking forward to have Shirin and you all with us this Saturday at Penicuik Townhall, 10am - 2pm, for a World in Motion!

 

click here for more information

Felt Craft At 'Our World In Motion' Science event

ready steady go - the story scape is ready

Much felt craft fun was being had at the 'Our World in Motion' free fun science and art action as part of the National Science and Engineering week with CEH (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology); story scape about butterflies vanishing and what to can do about it - and butterfly and bees, and flowers on sticks. on hair and silk...

Best click here for the pictures to show you a little bit of it all..

All the preparations to make the different butterflies and bee finally paid of and the displays and samples, and the make-and-do busy bee atmosphere was ever so catching!

Shirin's blue butterfly mobile

and another butterfly  hatching! (looks like the frittilary)

and Sue wrote this :

"Our National Science and Engineering Week events in Penicuik last
Saturday were great, and very well attended.
Huge heartfelt thanks to the helpers for setting up on Friday evening,
and for manning the day on Saturday. I was particularly touched that 5
young scientists associated with Edinburgh University gave their time
freely with great enthusiasm and big smiles, and that the Making Space
team provided a much-needed artistic balance to the event. Our speaker
in the evening made a great (and entertaining) job of bringing Hadron
Collider Physics within the grasp of non physicists at his talk.
More this Saturday!
**I could still do with another helper or two, as I'm expecting an even
bigger turnout this Saturday going by the feedback we received. Any
offers?**

I really hope I'll get some more time to see all the science stall next Saturday! Probably just wishful thinking ;-)  So many butterflies to catch before they vanish, not because of the nitrogen pollution  but because the they found new homes and make space for more busy hands on table!

Hope to see lots of folks next Saturday ! For this Saturday - lots of thanks to all the helpers and new found friends !

Oh, and don't forget to visit this album with all the preps (click here)

Save our butterflies and bees!

Like butterflies in the pupa stage - Making Space has been very hidden and quiet these last few months - but behind the scenes a busy bee buzz was and still is going on !

Part of the

 you will find us here - as part of a fun packed science action hall - exploring with you the story of happy again farmer kids, who inspire their father to 'waste not want not'!

There will be opportunity to make bugs and blooms, and to sign up for more Making Space felt craft fun!

You can peep a bit here to see how we have been getting geared up hitherto - click on link below:

Jumping into bee buzz spring, for the butterflies!