Last week at HMD project

I feel as if it is so long since I've put in an entry on this project. It didn't mean I wasn't working , just that I was working too hard.

Snow and ice could have stopped things this week but luckily I managed to get through.

I set about a lot of planning over the weekend and finishing for the work already completed.
The sunrises and sunsets were glorious over the snowy landscape and made the journeying worth it.

A coastal school was a change of scenery and the very able p7s got a lot out of the stones theme.


The large pieces of 'foam' rocks were needing to be washed in a machine to firm and full the work done in class.

As I took away the 'pet stones' calls like ...mine is a vegetarian please look after him and hugs to the stones meant the children had taken ownership and were sad to see me take them away but knew they would be returned to them after the exhibition.

Tomorrow is exhibition set up day and I hope it all goes straightforward.

HMD week 2 .

Having a second day with a group is wonderful. Having bridged the gap with the children and getting to know them a little is always a joy. The personalities and characters are more comfortable with new ideas .

The morning was a new venture in textiles and pulling out a silk 'hanky' to an enormousness web gave the children the idea of how strong silk is.

I had an intact silk cocoon complete with rattled dried larvae . There were many uggs and yeuchs but when we talked about farming in general and some of the children came from farms ...the idea that insects could also be farmed was borne.

The silk tissue was laid down on the net as a stabilising background to fine layers of felt that were laid on top. having had the previous weeks workshop the children were confident handling the medium of wool and the laying down period went smoothly.

In the planning of colours, we talked about contrasting colours and how best they work in designs....

The coloured layers had some curly wools placed on top and then we used a bit of glittery angelina around the edges.

The layered 'star shaped 'flower is covered with more net and then water and soap is pressed into the fibres and flatten the soft bundle

After some rubbing and rolling the flat piece is felted . Then the work really begins with the flat piece sculpted in the hand, rolled and hardened. The petals are shaped using the finger tips or rolled in the palm of the hand.


 Bead and stitching is a difficult option in some schools for safety issues these days. To overcome this obstacle I use wire instead of thread and this means with the beads paced on a recycled pringle lid ( to stop them rolling around) the beads can be stitched directly onto the wire and end crimp beads used to keep the beads on.

This was just one of the stages towards completion of the 'field of flowers'

The next stage was to wire the flower to stand upright and thread a leaf onto the wire and place the wish labels onto the stem so it could be read .

Some very deep sentiments were written on the 'gift tag' of the flower, the children were wonderful and achieved a high level of finish to all their work.

We had to prise the children from their seats to go home as they were enjoying the 'question session far too much'. Then it was the time for the teachers to have a go.

What a lovely ethos in the school and it was a pleasure to work with both the staff and the children. well done all round and thank you

some beautiful designs were created and stitched

.

HMD homework

A snowy return to Argyll and a couple of days to sort out all the boxes from last weeks workshops.

Some hearts to dye up in the microwave as valentines day is just around the corner...

It took 3 hours to cut ,write and then stitch name labels on all the items the children had made last week. Most important as with 20 schools work being exhibited together there is a real danger of the work not getting returned to the right child. 

Next was the lacing together of the flower pictures to create a bridge of flowers created by the children, hopefully to be displayed with the progressive design drawings of the children.

Then to next weeks preparation and the sturdy big shot pro comes into its own . Sample books with scrumptious textiles ( you could never afford normally for crafts ) were cut up and vialene was ironed onto the fabric and then card was ironed onto that , cut into large squares and a selection of 'pages 'made for the pledge books planed for next week. It seems a lot of hardware bringing the three bigshots with me but it is an ideal tool in a school setting and very safe. Being able to experiment with embossing and mark making is also really important especially for the class of p7's I will be working with.

Planning and preparation is the key to a fruitful workshop both for the children and me. I learn so much from those I teach and most especially children who are more open in thought and ideas.

Now just to pack the van with these things and set to getting things together for the next school. Some orders here to be made too and leaflets to be printed for workshops at the studio here in Dalmally over the next 5 months. 

Looking forward to the two day workshop on hat making at Kilmartin House Museum 2nd and 3rd of Feb.

As long as the snow ploughs are out and the roads passable, I'll be on the road again.

Day 3 Holocaust Memorial Day . 1st day second school

The start to the morning was crisp and some defrosting of my trusty van was needed before I set off.
Dawn was beginning to break on a rosey sky that developed into a rising phoenix of colour. As I approached the village of the school I was working in today, a skien of geese flew through the firey red and seemed to point me to a new beginning in a very purposeful way.

The delightful school today were so helpful unloading and a refreshing cup of tea started my day brilliantly.
With such kindness shown by the staff it was little wonder the children themselves were a delight.
Todays idea was very different from the previous two days and having the two days with the class over the two weeks , the planning was different. Flowers as a theme may seem distant from the topic of the holocaust but because the composite of the group were over three years ( P5-P7 ) a softer approach was needed.
We began by 'bridging the gap ' between me as the 'incoming artist ' and the children as unknown personalities to me. Reaching across the bridge by communicating was the great suggestion by the children and they each told me their names and favourite flower.

The group had some experience of World War 2 as a class topic but were just beginning to touch on the Holocaust . No fears with this bright bunch, they soon saw the connection between the occupied countries native flowers and our idea of creating a bridge of flowers.

So through art and textiles we delved into the botanical lesson and learned why their favourite flowers were the shape they were and then looking at basic shapes they drew their flower. This was the first step and the development of this idea into a plant form of their own creation was a delight to see. All sorts of defences were used and the flowers developed personalities and their names.

 

These pictures were then focused to a small section of most interest to be the inspiration for their felted flower. Colour played a large part and toning and shading was achieved by hand blending the colours needed into little piles of colours , ready to paint with.


Some flowers defiantly had personalities and fun was had making the felt ( sorry I can't show you the grinning happy children's faces )

These last two photos show what the image and the finished piece looked like.
Not everybody liked the way they had limited control over the finished shape but everyone is keen to make more next week armed with the knowledge of 'how it all works'
Thanks everyone for a great day and it defiantly made the 3 1/2 hour drive home easier...

 

Day 2 HMD project Wish angels and wet felting

This is a set of angel wings which each child cut using the sizzix cutters and then one by one they  used the embossing folders and put their 'mark ' on their own angels wings. Some of the wishes and positive words placed on the label along with each creators name really touched me . The thoughts and the insight of some of the wishes made me aware just how much understanding the children had of such a sensitive issue. The empathy is apparent. I will photograph some of them with their completed angels.

It is often a difficult decision to make about hand stitching with a whole class  and usually when you have planned a two day workshop there are always possibilities and certainly probabilities that it will change as the time goes on and you constantly access the children and the mood of the day.

The mood of the day told me not to stretch the new lesson past where we had been so with the assistance of the class teacher, I took a table in the middle of the class and with a wizard helper P6 young lady with excellent needle threading , I sewed the wings to the angels and the chosen button and heart bead and then at the same time each wish was stitched straight from the angels heart.

With extra time in the schedule we had some fun wet felting , getting the notion that having learned about the warp and the weft and about different fabrics ( synthetic or natural ) the children all designed their own unique fabric from sheep's wool. 

Great fun was had with soap water and creative thought.

What totally surprised me though was when we did a vote as to which portion of the time they preferred

More than half said the simple fabric knotted doll was the best. 

I do believe it was because the task was repeated in several forms and then there was a definite learning curve the children could see for themselves.

I feel the two days was a great success...

Part of the remit was to offer a CPD time to staff and it was wonderful to see how many came by to see the great work the children had done and then choose to come to the after school session.

Those that made the session had great fun and I could see several thoughts as to how it could be integrated into the future work plan. 

Funding is often a problem for school but I was excited at the dynamic ideas the teachers were coming up with.

 the lovely ideas made by the staff...night out anyone?

Bed early tonight I think and then up and off to a new school tomorrow and a totally new project.
Check back with me and see what that might be.

Day 1 of Holocaust Memorial Day workshops

A class of 24 children from p6/p7 that is 9-12 year olds. Some of the older ones feel that they are in limbo...oldest in primary but a scary new world looking at heading to being the youngest in secondary school.
18 boys and only 6 girls and I had decided to do Dolls as my theme! Was I insane????

I began the day by discussing how many boys had played with 'stretch armstrong' ...lego men, wrestler figures...Dr.Who collectables...transformers. The hand became more numerous and when lulled into a false sense of security and many nodding heads agreed on toys ; I told this manly lot actually they had been playing with dolls all this time. We talked about how doll type figures were placed in many homes as 'totems ' of good luck and protection. We talked about the skills needed to make them, tools needed to make them and of course materials.

The story of the old lady who was on a train going to one of the camps alone and bewildered next to a crying child who was alone and lost and needing comfort . So she remembered her mother making her a cloth doll as a child and taking a layer of her skirt she tore some strips from it and using simple knots and the fabric she stood up in she made a doll for the child . The simple form  of the cloth doll and the simple act of kindness comforted the child as nothing else could have in that cramped carriage.

Older people have much knowledge of craft ideas that were made out of necessity because there simply were no other choices for them. this skills may well die with those generation if we don't bridge the gap between generation and learn from one another.

Today's simple exercise in getting the children to write down the gifts they received this Christmas and what their favourite gift was was made all the more poignant when I had them imagine how they would feel if someone came and took everything from them and they were left with nothing but the clothes they stood up in.
The challenge was taken and the children all created their first doll. They listened well and everyone created something doll like. Learning about fabrics and fabric construction they added warp and weft to their new language of textiles.
The knotting and the wrapping at a first go figured they were keen to tackle the second project of a soft satin doll ( half of the class ) and a stiff synthetic fabric ( the other half of the class )

What was exciting for me is that once the 'bones ' of the doll was made the children raced ahead with their own designs and ideas. The 'dolls' became ninja warriors, male, mermaids and lots of other deviation but the best thing of all was the p7's who had drifted to the back of the class and were playing puppet figures with one another's dolls.
We discussed all the fabrics and it surprised me that the majority vote was that the preferred doll form was from the undyed , inexpensive cotton muslin dolls. I pushed for an answer why and I was told " because they are more real".

I for one learned a whole lot from this days workshop.
Looking forward to tomorrows angels and wishes and if we have time for play time ...great...of course once school ends then it is time for the teachers to get a chance to play....hurragh!
Much more tomorrow then!

Felting workshops with children are they a challenge

It comes to January again and all so soon after the holiday break.
 Children back to school tomorrow.
So what does that mean for the textile artist?
Many artists these days teach their art form to others.
 There will be many varied reasons for doing so but in the main they are for the satisfaction of sowing the seeds of their craft in someone new be they young or old but the reality is that most teach for some sort of a regular income to supplement the seasonal changes of income from what they make.

I do it for both these reasons but also to 'get out there'. Working as an artist can isolate you for the rest of the world. The flip side is that it can also insulate you from the rest of the world.
So why would I choose to do  a project such as Holocaust Memorial day with not one but 4 primary schools?
I hope to take you on a voyage of discovery in the next month, to give you an insight into the life of a rural textile artist.
Do I know what I am letting myself into? A big yes, I have done this event with both primary and secondary schools last year and challenging as it was , the rewards were wonderful. Sorry for those who think the life of an artist is a simplistic way of living and you make loads of money...the honest truth of that is -you don't but rewards are so often not monetary.
This is a photo of one of the pieces created by very talented S2's last year.

Such an evocative issue to not just research as an artist for inspiration and ideas but then breaking down the ideas and softening the imagery to allow Primary children (p5-p7 ) to explore the subject themselves and use textile art as the medium to do that with. Couple that with the fact you get the group for a total of two days and  all the work needs to be exhibited together with the other artists working with this project in Ayrshire.
Oh and all that by 25th of this month....
I have always risen to a challenge.
So to date possibly a full weeks work has gone into research of the event and this years theme, four different projects for each school and the trials to make sure these ideas will work in reality.
 Contact with each school and liaise with each head of school re dates times and outline of projects . Matching school skills, age group and class numbers with the best project for them.

Paperwork done and copied to the funders it's time to work through each idea and order/create the materials needed for the workshop right down to the hand cut labels for each child to label their creations for each workshop day. The boxes are stacked and numbered and the first two schools are ready.

Ah yes! requests for CPU ( teachers fun time after school ) another box to pack and notes to print out. I think personally it is very important if I go to a school even for one day that there is some staff training. Without it the day has not got the potential to plant and grow the flower of creation using feltmaking as the base medium. I love nothing better than to revisit a school to find many of the teacher gaining the confidence to use felt as an artistic medium.


Minor difficulty in all this arranging?
 Yes the fact that this was all set up some time before I left Ayrshire and now I live 2-3 hours away!!!
Lovely fellow felting friends are always willing to help...a bed arranged for 3 nights and a list of things to fit in while back in the 'old country' , now it is just the family here to sort out ...

Doing the workshop is the easy part!!!!!

Come back and follow how this weeks workshops go.

New Year in the Highlands

This new year has  been the strangest ever,
All keyed up to go to a 'highland New Year' in my new homeland as we had been invited to join friends.
I visualised swinging kilts and great banter, my charity shop find of ladies long dress kilt and waistcoat laid ready to don. It never happened , tiredness and insular needs reigned. I stamped my feet and threw my arms up but it changed nothing and needing space and focus I went to the studio and worked.

It was temper at first I admit and this is not a good way to start a complex design I had waited to try for some time.
Calming music and soft warming colours calmed my soul- the rebel in me , the rapunzel locked in a tower of her own making, clung rigidly to her righteousness as I laid out the wool fibre on the soft hues of muslin I knew it was nearing the midnight hour but was surprised by the lone pipers music drifting to where I was, Old Lang Syne  curled around my workspace.
I took time to watch the fireworks above the railway cottages. Part of me was cross that I wasn't out there in the thick of things but as the sparks faded I began to be grateful for what I did have and thinking of the kind and gentle man I had chosen to be with sent my thoughts tumbling to the weeks events and the sad death of the student in India Nirbhaya. I thought of women everywhere and how such a death had provoked outcry from sometimes silent voices. I am a fortunate woman and so I poured my love and grief for all souls who suffer at the hands of ignorance and aggression and as I did ,beneath my hands what I was making changed and became its own entity.

I wetted down the felt and perhaps still bristling a little , I fell into bed and slept. Awakening fresh and rested on New Years bright dawn I went back to work on the piece developing it as it developed me and contemplating why I do what I do. I am a felt maker because it feeds my heart and my soul and if I can just still my head for long enough to listen to the fact this this is a very big part of who I am.

Instead for now I leave you with the lovely seal who delighted me with its presence on a picnic today.

                                       I promise I will put up photographs of the finished piece.