Sunday, August 28, 2011

Felters Fling at Snow Farm

A week has past since the last post...where does the time go?  All this past week Bruce has been away at the Felters Fling where he taught a workshop on yurts with his assignment to make mini yurts, only 15 inches, so each student could then take the next workshop and make the yurt covering from Dutch Annemie Koenen who has been studying felt in Kyrguzstan.  Bruce stayed on to make a felt covering for his model and learned so much.  I went down for the middle day between workshops to check out this wondrous place ....Snow Farm.


Snow Farm is a craft school situated in the hills west of Northampton, MA.  An old farm using its building for workshops, camps, elderhostel classes.  I'm intrigued and want to get back there to take classes.

So frustrating!  My server keeps rejecting my images of the yurt models, but here is the camping yurt Bruce made from the models, so when students finished their models they helped him erect this 9 foot 7 inch full size replica of models.  He's feeling a bit tired from all he's put out.

This structure over by the pond caught my attention.

 Wednesday when I arrived, several felters were putting together a show in the common room...students work.  These students were coming from the world...one from New Zealand in Bruce's group and the instructors were international too.  From wall hangings to rugs, to clothing...
 Exhibit, only up for a partial day, with reception before dinner and then a fashion show after dinner.
 Loved seeing the clothing modeled.  Ellen stands beside the model holding her seamless vest, a piece that really fired my imagination.

 as did the laundry line outside the red shed attached to the main house,1820.  I took photos of the line in the early morning and heard laughter inside the shed.  My curiosity got the best of me and I had to peek inside.
This was the class I wanted to take...Lisa Clay from Great Britain instructing nuno felting in a couture class.  The students work was spread all through the 6 rooms of this out building....something to plan for and save my money.  These classes are not inexpensive.

The Finnish instructors stayed in the house near Bruce...his housemates he called them.  Carolina makes Finnish rugs of great beauty.  Here the students are laying out the fleece, high pillows of fleece, before rolling in felt...wish I could be a fly on the wall, but I needed to find my way home, stopping at Webs for supplies, chenille to spark my imagination for the next chenille scarves and fleece to begin  my needle felting self teach projects.   I am pumped.

Oh, shoot, another server rejection....raining here, Irene affects us in Vermont.  It has been raining for hours, the ground is saturated, but the heavy rain and winds are still to come.  What natural effects affect us in the east.  A hurricane in Vermont!  Hope we all get through this one without too much disaster.

4 comments:

Altoon Sultan said...

This looks like a fascinating place; I hope you get to take a class there. And best of luck with getting through the storm safely!

nancy neva gagliano said...

exciting images...i'd love to be there for a 'hands on'...wonderful.
and luv your header for your blog!

Blue Sky Dreaming said...

Loved the first photo of the Leaf! Great post... It is so exciting and inspirational to be in a setting such as Snow Farm and good luck with the felting project.

Maggie Neale said...

Hi all! Just checked the basement and the water is being pumped out...so much water flowing!

Glad you all enjoyed the images. I took so many it was hard to decide and then several were rejected. I have some abstract photos I want to post later.

Altoon, 9 different mushrooms in a short lake walk, but I'm not so good at photographing them as you are.