Just in time for Valentines day, my Castle class last Sunday made 'sweetheart pillows'. Inspired by WWI pillows, these are made of felt, beads and pins. The perfect sentiment for someone special! Each were as different as the lovely women in my class.
Tomorrow is my 'Mermaids Love Token' Class at the Castle. Summer is in the air!
Oh how time flies! I've just posted a few of my summer classes on the sidebar. I'm especially excited about my Sea Dragon Fabric Bracelet, (Class On July 1st) pictured above and below. Inspired by my 'Dragon Familiar that I posted about HERE, this one is a tiny dragon or serpent, easier to wear and oh so fun! I need to get a photo of it on, they are quite wonderful. I added a bit of elastic under their heads, so they perch on your hand as you wear them!
Spring was filled with wonderful classes including a Rabbit Theatre, Dressed Figures, and Waxed Flowers... My last class of this session will be 'Cake Toppers' (Class is full) to be held at the Castle!
More Soon!!!
This last weekend I taught a 'Sweetheart Pincushion' class at the Castle. Inspired by pincushions created by soldiers during WW1 these were a joy to make and the results were stunning! It's believed that soldiers were given kits by the nurses to make these lovely keepsakes, while on a short leave from the front or recuperating in hospitals. Almost all of the remaining vintage examples come from either the United Kingdom or France and were covered with Infantry colors and names, flags, ships, words of love and of course pins, beads and sequins. Ours are made of felt, and entirely decorated with bead studded pins. (apologies for the lighting, I seem to have misplaced my good camera...)
Here are the class samples for next Wednesdays (October 19, 2011) "Haunted Skeleton Nicho" class. I was inspired by my own antique Mexican Nicho (see last photo). These are constructed from old cigar boxes, layered with wonderful papers that the Castle is known for. The inside will feature a dressed skeleton and waxed flowers. There are still a few spots left, if you are interested, please call (510) 204-9801 for more information or to reserve a spot.
I have added a few more Summer Class offerings to my sidebar on the right. Press on each for more details. Above is my 'Sacred Heart Reliquary' offered on June 4th. Below is my 'Costume in Miniature' sample for July 17th. I'm thrilled to be teaching at both Castle In The Air and Chateau Sonoma this year. Hope to see you there!
Sometimes absences are due to too much activity... It's been crazy busy here at Ullabenulla. I've been creating new samples for Spring classes (YES - Spring 2011!) where does time go??? (Image above by Charles Grogg) I will be doing Valentines classes at the Castle, as well as a Mardi Gras 'Mask' class. I had so much fun creating these 'Firebird' and 'Greenman' samples, I'm itching to make some more - especially with Halloween just around the corner!
I also designed and made a new Lizard pin to go with my Chinoiserie Fish pin...
I am working on re-doing my popular 'Backgrounds Class' in a new format. Using a large Moleskine Japanese Foldout journal we'll spend a day creating beautifully detailed and multi-layered pages for a really artful journal experience!
More class samples in the works - the Castle hopes to have a new schedule available by early to mid November.
Just for fun, I've been playing with the idea of creating a 'Haunted Necklace', inspired by the season. Its still in progress, especially after Teenage Daughter said: "Oh Mom, it looks so Marie Antoinette!" Not quite the reaction I was hoping for, but I'll keep trying. I used cotton spider webbing as the base, and made 'beads' from Antique silver ribbon. I also added old torn lace, pearls, hand-stitched baby cap pieces and a wonderful wavy yarn. Haunted it may not be yet - but at least its keeping me occupied...
Another project got started when I pulled out a wonderful old Joan Vass navy knit skirt that I purchased in 1986 in New York, the year I met my husband! (We are big-time into recycling here at Ullabenulla!) Discovering some nasty little moth holes I decided to do some creative patching - 'slow stitching' for those in the know... First a bird, then a flock, and finally an oak branch. Now to find time to do some 'slow beading' as well...
