A New Departure - Craft Cruises

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Off to sea and craft teaching

A new departure for me – teaching craft on a cruise ship!

I see this as my dream job, I got to combine my love of travel and exploring with my second love of teaching and sharing my skills with enthusiastic people. I had never thought about cruising around the British Isles and north France before but I would highly recommend it as a way of gaining a flavour of the beautiful Islands that surround us!

Apart from that I enjoyed the Fabulous, varied entertainment in the evenings, the talks, quizzes, the spa and best of all being served delicious food and being waited on in the restaurants on board. So many opportunities to meet people and make new friends. I have been eating salads since returning as those extra pounds need to go!!

As you will know Teaching arts and crafts is nothing new to me. My regular courses were still taking bookings whilst I was away and marketing is a never ending job! My usual classes are either 2.5hrs or 6 hrs, so fitting activities into a 1 hour ish slot and with much larger classes was all go and organisation was key! I’m glad that I was super organised and had planned ahead.

Preparation Time

I really enjoyed making up the 300 kits in total, music on and I got into the zone!! It was fun to fill a huge suitcase full of crafts and not worry about the weight of volume lol but I did have to lug the cases to the terminal!! I usually travel light with just enough clothes for my journey so x 2 cases was a challenge to load and unload!

Anyway, I’m happy to say that the weeks of preparation paid off and my classes were successful with an average of 19 people in each one, but I had 44 on the sea day :-). A much deserved G & T was welcomed afterwards lol

I’m pleased to say the feedback has been excellent with people stopping me to ask when the next class was on!

What crafts did we do?

Creative Craft Variety

I taught a few of the crafts that I have an interest in, although I have many different activities planned besides these! This time I did: jewellery making, collage, concertina book making and of course needle felted pictures and animals, my business is called Feltworld so it wouldn’t be right to miss these out!

The beaded jewellery class was popular with bracelets and necklaces were made using the kits that I had put together, over many a long evening lol, so they were all different with beautiful beads.

Collage Art

Another fun craft was collage with an antique feel or a contemporary textile collaged mounted card.

Vintage Collage

Textile Collage

Feltmaking

Using merino fleece, alpaca and silks. My 50 kits were very popular and as you can see below, they look amazing. With limited time the finished pieces were smaller than you’d create in a full workshop but students were still able to have fun creating some beautiful designs. Other things we covered were scrap booking and memory books.

Feltmaking

Felt creations

Feltmaking

All work and no play is not good for a soul and happily I was able to go ashore when we stopped off at various ports, including Orkney, Stornoway, Belfast, Cork, Scilly Isles, and Le Harvre- Honfleur (France).

The weather was actually beautiful, we had left the rain behind at Tilbury UK and didn’t pick it up again until Guernsey.

Stornoway, Isle of Lewis

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Cork, Ireland

Scilly Isles

Honfleur, France

Back to dry land

After 10 days of cruising and teaching I’m back at home and planning more of my day and half day workshops. August is always a quiet month so if you would like to request a workshop with a minimum of two people then please message me to discuss. Otherwise I have September filling up.

Creative Talks for small groups

I am also taking booking for my two talks on:

1) Rug making in Konya Turkey and

2) Exploring Bali, Charity work, Batik Painting. See here

You can find out more about my workshops on the workshop page and on my Facebook and Instagram pages.

A Shop For Creative Gifts

Creative gifts from Feltworld

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I am constantly making beautiful creative things using the various techniques I teach. You can see some of them above and many more on my Shop pages. I’d be delighted to show you how to make them yourself if you come along to a workshop.

For those of you looking for a unique, hand-made item to give as a special gift there may not be time to make one yourself. So I’ve decided to offer many of the items I’ve made myself in my new shop.

Each item is of course unique and the prices shown on my shop pages include postage.

For those of you new to my work, I teach three different types of felt making. You’ll find various examples for sale in the shop.

• Nuno felting can be used to create beautiful scarves
• Wet felting can be used to create pictures as well as 3D objects such as bags, slippers, and bowls
• Needle felting is used to create cute little animals, for example

I also teach alcohol ink painting. This is a very fluid form of painting that uses alcohol based inks on a special type of paper. You can create beautiful abstract pictures as well as more figurative ones. Several of my alcohol ink pieces are for sale.

Batik painting is another popular workshop that you can book on the Workshops page. I’ve been very impressed with the quality of work produced in just one day using Batik.

Still can’t decide what to give as a gift? Gift vouchers are available in the shop and can be used for any of my workshops.

It's That Time

It’s that time of year again (almost!)

As I write this there are very few windows left on the advent calendar and pretty soon Christmas will be upon us. Another week after that and we’re in to the new year, which is traditionally the time for setting new year resolutions. Any ideas what yours will be? 

Some of the traditional choices include:

• Lose weight
• Stop smoking
• Exercise more

They are all good goals to aim for, even if they don’t always make it into the start of February.  But as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

The trick is to be ambitious enough to motivate yourself but not so ambitious you give up and feel bad about it. If you want to climb Everest then a good place to start might be Snowdon in Wales. Build up to it at a pace that suits you, just don’t give up at the first hurdle.

What about some other new year resolutions? Maybe ones that seem a lot more like fun and less like an endurance test?

A fun day out learning Batik – Find out more Here

Some options…

How about:

• Take more time for yourself, you know, relaxing with no ‘To Do’ list nagging at you?

or

• Do something new that you haven’t tried before?

or

• Learn a new skill?

Here are Feltworld – Creative Arts you can do all three at the same time – take time out for yourself to do something different, and at the same time learn a new skill. Did you know that art is also great at reducing stress?

Apart from being an enjoyable day out students often find they can forget about the worries of all the things they need to do at home or at work. At the same time they realise they can make beautiful items when they have someone to guide them through.

So if you are looking for something different for the new year why not take a look at the workshops on offer at Feltworld? Go on, surprise yourself!

You can book a workshop here: Workshops

Workshops are available in Batik, Alcohol Inks, Wet Felting, Needle Felting, and Nuno Felting

Video of a Batik workshop – click to view

(opens in the Feltworld-Creative Arts Facebook page https://fb.watch/a31pjIb0qh/ )

It's not too early to think about winter woollies!

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Warm woolly scarf

It’s a lovely warm, late-summer day as I write this, but autumn is just around the corner. Autumn officially starts on Wednesday 22nd September and with it the weather will change.

Time to start thinking about warmer clothes!

You probably have a selection of warmer clothes stored away, but if you fancy a change this year, how about making some yourself? Feltworld Creative Art offers a couple of fun ideas to keep your warm and cosy as the nights draw in.

The first is a warm woolly scarf. Students leave our Nuno scarf workshops with a warm, hand made scarf that is unique to them. Starting with a thin fabric scarf as a base we add felted wool to build up the fabric in whatever design the student decides.

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  Nuno scarf

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Our second offering to keep you warm in winter is a pair of warm woolly slippers. Again, each student will make a design unique to them and have cosy toes all winter.

Warm felt slippers

To find out more and book your place on a workshop visit the Nuno page or the wet felting page.

Creative Therapy

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Creative therapy can take many forms

In a previous blog post I mentioned that learning art and being creative is a type of therapy – I have benefitted in this way from my own art.  Let’s look into some of the benefits and the thinking behind them.

Art reduces stress

Sometimes it may not seem like art reduces stress. If you let it, art can be frustrating if you are struggling to get paint to behave as you expect – more about this later.

Making art can help take your mind off things that might otherwise worry you and reduce anxiety, depression and stress. In that sense it acts a bit like meditation – it draws your concentration away from everyday worries. 

What counts as art?

When you think of artistic hobbies, drawing and painting spring to mind. But what about sculpting with a block of clay? How about wood carving? Photography perhaps? Or my own particular interests felt making, batik, and painting with alcohol inks? 

Whatever form of art you choose there is always the danger that you try to run before you’ve learnt to walk! A great way to add to your stress levels is to have an idea in your mind’s eye and not be able to achieve it. So don’t be too rigid and definitely don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t go the way you want. 

Getting started.

Here are a five thoughts to keep in mind as you get started. 

1. Remember art is supposed to be fun. It can be a challenge at times but that shouldn’t take away from the fun.

2. You don’t need to go out and purchase the very best equipment when you are starting out. So forget that high end camera with all the bells and whistles and see how you get on with the camera in your phone first. Equally, you don’t need the finest sable brushes to do your first watercolour (they can be VERY expensive!). 

3. On the other hand, don’t skimp on materials – student quality will be fine. 

4. If you can, join a class to get you started. This is especially useful for something like batik where you get to try out the art medium with a good tutor who supplies the equipment you need to  get started. Felt making is another example where your tutor will supply all you need as well as sharing years worth of their experience. Besides which, learning in a group setting is fun in itself. 

5. Learn to go with the flow of the medium as you learn what you can and can’t do with it. In this way you start to develop your own style as well as reducing your stress levels. 

No bones about it!

Art is fun as well as great therapy, so don’t dismiss it as something you could never do. Many folk have missed out on the pleasures of being creative because they “didn’t have an artistic bone in their body”. Luckily for you, you don’t need bones, artistic or otherwise. You have a sense of touch, you can see things around you, and if you can pick up a pencil and make a mark on paper you are all set to go. 

Give art a try and discover it has many benefits. 

Learning Art Is Like Learning To Ride A Bike

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Can you remember the first time you tried to ride a bike? you wobbled and fell off, wobbled and fell off ….and how uncertain you were about riding near others?

Remember how good it felt when you were able to defy gravity and stay upright? You do remember? Good! Because learning art is much like that, and just as rewarding once you have mastered the basics, you just have to keep trying.

Unfortunately many people don’t see art as anything like riding a bike and because of that they miss out!

Comments such as “I can’t draw to save my life”, or “I haven’t got an artistic bone in my body” are equivalent to saying “I’m no good at riding a bike” – when you haven’t tried to master the basics.

Art has many benefits

So what are the benefits of being creative and doing something artistic? How about greater self-esteem, reduced stress, improved mental health and it can be fun – are they worth giving art a try?

What’s the best way to start?

Start with the help of a good tutor.

I was one of the lucky ones where my family loved nothing better than cutting and sticking, collaging old magazines and making things out of recycled bits and bobs. That was longer than I care to remember lol.

But I went on to do art at degree level and then onto teaching in many areas of well-being. Soo I can see the benefits and hear all of the excuses as mentioned but the analogy of ‘easy as learning to ride a bike’ is true. everyone can find a nique in a creative way! sewing, knitting, painting etc…..

I saw batik painting on my travels and was intriqued to find out how it was done, so there a seed of intrique was planted and I learnt the techniques …as easy as riding a bike :-).

How do I start? Well you could splash out on all the tools and a teach-yourself book, but from my experience a better way is to find a class. There you can borrow the tools you need, get guidance, learn the techniques and be inspired and encouraged to grow your skills. In other words, you can learn the hard way on your own, or the stress free way along with an expert teacher.

Follow this kind of introduction to art and you get to make something beautiful. At the very least it will be a fun day out. Actively doing art will also bring the health benefits, we touched on earlier.

Barbara Meek – Feltworld -CreativeArts.co.uk

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To see the courses that are available in a variety of creative art techniques please look here.

Barbara 🙂

Heart Felt Love

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Barbara creating a Batik design based on hearts

Expressing myself through art has been my saviour during this past year of lockdowns and social distancing.

The artist Henri Matisse had the right idea when he said,

“Look at life with the eyes of a child”.

I am finding this quote to be so helpful, trying not to think too deeply about the troubling situation we find ourselves in but instead to notice the beautiful things around me, noticing the silence, the birds singing, appreciating the buds on the trees and the new life of the bulbs peeping through the soil, snow, frost, fun and relaxing. And for me, especially trying to see the positives instead of hearing the negatives…much like a child does. Matisse’s quote relates to his art and I wholeheartedly agree with him… art is definitely my therapy, my way of releasing tension, my love of creating is also my way of giving something back to society and is to share what I am absolutely passionate about and love to share with adults and children1

Too often we overthink things as adults do! we decide we aren’t artistic, we have been told we are not creative because parents are not creative, or a teacher make one negative comment so we often never bother to try again for along time…if ever, and I speak from experience! But to never try is to miss out on one of the greatest joys of life, that of expressing ourselves creatively…..it may just be by doodling or decorating but have fun :-).

Of course, you might find yourself a bit disappointed the first time you try to do something creative or pick up a paintbrush, especially if you expect to create a perfect work of art at your first attempt. I had the same feeling when I started to learn to drive, disastrous attempt lol but that is for another day! But I didn’t give up at the first hurdle!

Art isn’t just about painting, and it isn’t just about turning out pretty pictures. I find that doing art has a tremendous benefit in itself – a kind of therapy that uplifts my spirit. You can find the same uplifting experience in dance, music, sculpture, and many more creative activities.

My creative pleasure comes from using texture and colour in various art media – you’ll have seen on my website how I work in four different media, each of which has its beautiful characteristics.

Using Batik To Create A Heart Design On Cotton Cloth

So what is it about creating art that is so good for the soul?

Art can be a great stress reliever. To spend time away from all the things you have to do and instead devote time to something you want to do allows you to forget those stresses and relax. Reducing stress isn’t the only benefit of art. A pleasant distraction from things that worry us is always good for mental wellbeing and reduces depression.

Being immersed in a creative pastime can be like meditation. And at the end of it, you have that sense of satisfaction because you achieved something.

Start with baby steps

If you’ve ever watched a child paint, you’ll have seen how immersed they are in their artwork. It doesn’t matter that their trees look like lollipops or their people look like matchstick men. Many a mature artist has deliberately set out to achieve the same thing!

Matisse was talking sense when he suggested we look at life as a child.

Some tips to help you start with art:

1. Be kind to yourself – you are starting on an exciting journey, and there’s no rush
2. You don’t need to spend a fortune – student quality is okay (but avoid very cheap quality materials that could put you off)
3. You don’t need dozens of colours – you can mix pretty much anything from red, yellow, and blue!
4. Look at art in various styles and several different media – art galleries are closed for visiting but always open online.

Enjoy your artistic journey and all the benefits it will bring.