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Sunday, November 25, 2012

A visit to the Steiner School Christmas Market



The Edinburgh Steiner School Christmas Market in simply the best Christmas fair in town!
https://www.facebook.com/events/393053050748495/

 Here is only a very small excerpt of the full show from yesterday as we came along so late we 'only' managed to see, taking ages soaking up the atmosphere and marveling at details:




OR, better still, go here to see their own pictures

It is so heartening to see all ages so full of enthusiasm and care, and we got the perfect gifts and loads of best of the best cakes in the still open Viennesse Cafe!!!


Thursday, November 22, 2012

Cool Cat Story Board making stage 1


It all started with a Cool Cat, called Minxy, discovered by Mary Sinton. Minxy inspired her a lot so she sat down to retell her adventures in poetry form. Then came another idea - how about if there were children who would like to tell her and other stories to each other making story boards and characters out of felt?

Well, lets cut a very long story short and let you see the 6 + 1 week of action at West Street Arts Centre with the Making Space team here by you clicking on the link to  "Felt Storyboard Making for Cool Cats photoalbum here" and treat yourself to a wee slide show of how it all happened with 10 - 16 children in the cosy big room, with open fire and the helping hands of parents and friends.

The 2D felt-craft action was in 6 + 1 stages:
  1. decide and design your back ground ground image (outdoor or indoor scene)
  2. find the colours of wool you need and a background cloth and start laying out the coloured fibres on it
  3. using a felting needle and a foam mat, stab away till all the fibres are ok settled, asdd and adjust details as you go along
  4. apply the process of wet felting and then let fabric dry
  5. meanwhile make paper templates of your characters and translate them to a pre-felted fabric, or go  and needle felt straight away, add the personal details and dream up your stories...
  6. cut strong card board just a tiny bit smaller than you felted back ground and use double sticky velcro tape pieces to adhere your back ground
  7. play time and story time can begin!

And here hear a little bit of one of Minxy's adventures read by Mary herself:


Sunday, October 21, 2012

"Cool Cats": 6 Felt-Story-Board Making sessions

As the night draws in early, come on in and gather round the fire in West Street, to listen to Mary's poems and stories of Minx the cat, and then listen to each other's catty tails, and turn them into your very own story board: one that is, like your characters, handmade out of felt!

Please book your place now, as places are limited.
It could be possible for children to attend part of the course, if attendance can be balanced with other participants and if everybody can make it for the final session, which will include a sharing of all the work!
From a Gruffalo Felt-Storyboard session in a Nursery, some time ago
In the Cool Cat story board sessions we will start the background image or your choice with needefelting upon a blanket for firmness, and then leave you to decide whether you wish to proceed with wetfelting for smoothing the surface or leave it fluffy.

Small pieces of flat-felt figures will be created as the 'actors' or 'special scenery' for your story board to be moved abut as you tell your story.

Handmade felted story-boards are unique and alive. The vibrancy of the coloured wool fibre enhances the imagination, and the living touch of the breathing fibre stimulates the senses. It is both therapeutic and educational, and it has unlimited potential for all ages to develop it to your heart's content!
the beginning of a story board by a 7yr old - during the arts festival this year


The difference between 'story-board' and 'story-scape' is that the former is held up or stood up vertically, like a framed picture, and the light weight flat felt figures or special details get stick-stuc on it to create the specific scene. Whilst a 'story-scape' lies horizontally like a landscape, and is often also called 'play-mat'.  3D figures and objects (felted or non-felted) can be moved about on it.
You will have seen our storyscape adventures over the last year, won't you?
(if not, or to remind yourself - just do a search on this blog)

Being creative with felt for story board and storyscape creation is taking hold around the world these days. 
Be story board inspired by following the links under these 2 pictures:
A beautifully nuanced felt tree with story pocket 
more story pockets on this magic mushroom house mat

What Making Space Penicuik prides itself with:
we, the self organising volunteers, work on this simple principle: we give our gifts, that is our time, our skills,  to you,
and you, who are the reason that we have fun, give us what we need: material and venue costs, and your enthusiasm and creative input.

We would love it if more and more people would get self-organising on that simple principle of skill sharing & developing, in creative abundance. For and with all ages!

We are in a mutually supportive relationship with 2 local organisations, the Penicuik Community Arts Association, and the Penicuik Community Development Trust.

The Cool Cats Story-Board sessions are brought to you by local artists, crafters and writers Mary Sinton and Jenni Thomson, plus an occasional input of Ruth, another story-weaver.
They are looking forward to hear and see your very own heart-felt catty tails!


Saturday, September 29, 2012

back to normal ? - almost!

Just a very quick post - instead of a long festival report:

 check out this album with ca 200 pics of the recent festival fun

enjoy it all here: https://picasaweb.google.com/117445521233701725799/FestivalFibresPDAF2012#
And to confirm: this Saturday 'crafting in the community as usual in townhall.

Proper festival feed back? - Well, aren't the pictures speaking enough for themselves?
It is over to you now to give us any feedback - that is if you have your hands free, and not attached to your felting projects that is!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Autumn Weavings

So - the Arts Festival and long weekend as been over now for days already, and it is time to look ahead what the autumn brings for us.

Ruth had had fun gathering nature's gifts for .Nature Weaving" activity tomorrow in Cuiken Primary (no townhall session therefore tomorrow, everyone, please take note!)
and, with a bit of luck and with Vicen's help, you guys might make something like this tomorrow in Cuiken Primary:
 


There will also be God's eye weaving today, at Cuiken Primary, with Vicen, and some felting with Jenni.
You can find some really nice range of examples of God's Eye weaving being checking this google image search out here.

Have fun
be the sun!


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Festival fibre of wool, - and of poets and music!






has had some great moments this PDAF 2012!



The best way to view and to re-member them is via our Facebook photoalbum which you can see even if you are not signed up for Facebook by going to this page here:

PDAF 2012 on the roll now!

 just click on line above and then you will see something like this:

By then clicking on the individual picture - this picture opens up larger and also reveal a line or two about the story connected with the picture

 and, like in the case with the picture above, it might even have a wee conversation on it, and give witness to what we might be up to in the autumn now next!

Hope you enjoy browsing and letting us know what you think?

You can reach us here, or via Facebook or via popping in to see us today in the library, drop in firbecraft between 3 and 5pm, or in town hall on Saturday, with Pictish Stone painting at the craft fair there. We love to see you and hear what you recommend and are enthused by.

What has been so far the most precious moments was when we see how creating pictures with wool fibre lightens up the soul and fires the imagination of folks of any ages. - from under 3yrs of age to above 80yrs of age!

We would also love it if you would take some time and watch this wee video from last week's Writing Space event, Inspired by Art, where we mainly filmed clips of the music. We hope you will be blown away too by the skill and zest of the young people:






Monday, September 3, 2012

come along... paint with wool .... its so cool... all ages and stages of life .... drop in / free flow ... if full, wait your turn and choose a story or image or character you wish to re-create as magic wool picture, or even in 3D (depending on your skill and time available)..
In the Penicuik Library, between 3 and 5pm!

First session TOMORROW!