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/ )

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.

Happy New Year 2020

January is a time for resolutions, goals, Intentions…and planning what I would like to do in my business.

Barbara Batik Painting in Bali

My new A5 diary in front of me is quite exciting if I’m honest and as I fill up with my planned workshop dates for the next few months and not forgetting to pencils in family and social time I am aware that the start of this year is going to see many changes for Feltworld :-).

Batik painting is a really exciting technique to learn; for adults and children. I will teach you to create a design on to paper, first choosing your own design source or If you need help with this then have books and handouts to inspire.

You can ring me or email me to discuss your design beforehand if you would like.

Then transfer this to 100% cotton material. Stretch this over a frame.

Use the hot beeswax and then paint batik dyes on to the cotton cloth. Once this is done we iron out the wax.

Children’s Batik parties available 11 years plus

See: www.feltworld.co.uk

I wish you a Happy New Year and hope to see you in 2020

Feltmaking & Batik Painting Workshops

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My summer so far:

Well this week’s heat wave has been a challenge, although a beautiful start to the summer holidays and time to spend in the garden or prepare for the holidays. But I have been working away throughout with doors and windows wide open. I did have to stop at one point as my brain had had enough of trying to concentrate for too long on my designs. That and promoting feltmaking & batik painting creative workshops etc., but I am in no means complaining… long may the summer last.

At this point I want to just say, I am an artist and not a writer and am quite new to the world of Blogging. I am constantly told that it is sooo important to blog but a fog comes over me every time so I asked myself the question below that I hear from people in conversation, so I am briefly touching on, ”What do you want to achieve when attending a creative work”? Please bear with me and suggest things that you would like to see from Feltworld. Some tips and comments would help but please no business marketing!

Questions to ask

The most common questions to people are:

What do you want to achieve when attending a creative workshop in feltmaking & batik painting?

The person who participates in a creative activity usually joins me as they have an interest in the arts and crafts, have always wanted to learn but never had the time or opportunity to have some time out just for themselves. It often takes someone else to do the nudging who buys them a gift voucher to attend one of my days …then they are on the road to wanting to be more creative. Here are a few examples of what can be made and I have videos on my website …more coming very soon.

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  Student’s lovable pooch

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  Student’s doggie

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  Sad hare day

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  Student’s batik painting

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  Me Batiking

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  Batik for Granddaughter

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  Landscapes-Half Day

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  Children’s Parties

Fancy having a relaxing experience & create something for yourself?

The common thing that takes place with people I find is they get great pleasure in the whole making process, it is great to watch peoples faces as they concentrate and go silent in the making process. The chatter is vibrant and upbeat for at least the first hour but then the serious design work and emersion in to the process begins. This is when I quietly step back, watch and guide ..make a cup of tea and take a few photographs/videos.

I provide a whole day experience so as people can just turn up and enjoy the experience without worrying about making a packed lunch and all materials, cake and a light lunch are provided so you just have to bring yourself and a few design ideas, just be open minded and have a fun day, the bonus is that you’ll learn something new, be with like minded people and leave with a fabulous unique piece of artwork.

My students often comment on how they can put aside everyday worries and enjoy a relaxing day creating something unique – many describe their time with me as therapeutic as well as a bit of escapism from everyday life, time to indulge in a bit of me time!

My Creative Experiences

On a personal note, being creative has a strong effect on my life and basically makes me feel good, oh how I can lose myself when I am designing alone and allow myself that rare creative day. I also attend workshops to keep my skills updated with new techniques, and to have fun of course! It simply has to be done doesn’t it :-).

But I love to help create memories for people and be involved in their creative journey, I really enjoy sharing my skills, meeting people and hearing their stories along the way. What is there not to love when teaching subjects that make people happy.

My most popular Feltmaking class is felt pictures where students create a beautiful landscape picture using either the wet felt or needle felt technique. They can even combine the two! 

I run half day and full day experiences, give talks to groups on my International creative travel experiences -see here for more information: https://www.feltworld.co.uk/rug-making-in-turkey as well as running children’s parties and creative hen parties….oh these are fun!

My workshop gift vouchers can be found here but please contact me if you have any questions: https://www.feltworld.co.uk/gift-vouchers

A few dates for yourdiary or please do follow me on social media to see more information.

Feltmaking-pictures or animals: 9^th,18^th,, 29^th  August and more

Batik painting- 28^th August 4^th August 10^th August  17^th August,8^th September

 www.feltworld.co.uk 

Instagram: Barbara–Feltworld

Pinterest- Barbara_Feltworld

FB: Feltworld –Creative Art Courses

Please do leave a short message. It is always good to see who is following me.

Batik painting

Barbara x

Artist is back from Bali

Artist is back from Bali    

Wow, what an experience I had in Bali, I have been back for 4 weeks now and thought that I would share a little snippet of it with you below.

Bali is a country I fell in love with three years ago, as an artist I have been longing to return. My friends have heard nothing else for 3 whole years…Bali Bali Bali lol.

After a big birthday which was quite an anticlimax, I decided that my year was going to be a year of change and an adventure was needed. So when the opportunity arose and an opening to teach feltmaking and to develop my batik painting business, I was so excited and couldn’t wait to book my flights out there.

What do I love about Bali?

What do I love about Bali? Well, lots of things and I will briefly explain a few things that just jumped out at me! Firstly Bali is a beautiful Island surrounded by warm turquoise seas with a backdrop of mountains and Jungles. Ubud is a favourite of mine, away from the coastline it is known as the centre for traditional arts, crafts and dance as well as yoga retreats.

A bustling town, vibrant markets, busy shops, rice paddies, Hindu temples, a palace, beautiful gardens discreetly hidden amongst it all, this place is both crazy but peaceful as well. Enter a restaurant and you are in a little oasis overlooking rice fields. The taste of the delicious fresh food gets the taste buds tingling and an added bonus is it’s so inexpensive to eat there.

Accommodation

The enchanting homestay accommodation, hotels are varied, the Balinese people are so friendly, positive and spiritual, they are very welcoming and can not do enough to make sure you have everything you need.

Wouldn’t you just want to return as I did! Frankly – for me, it is a creative heaven and retreat to keep my creative mojo alive and I loved every bit of my 6 weeks experience!

Feltmaking in Bali for Charity.

I really miss my new friends in Bali- But Facebook is a wonderful thing!

I joined a group of talented artists who live in Bali, we participated in a collaborative charity event. Teaching our subjects to the public we raised 3 million IDR which paid to support a family in great need of food and medicine in a small village 3 hours north of Ubud.

See video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWQsyP-0b3U&fbclid=IwAR0qbPFCSc7YtnXZyLeU2Q1-F0e-yXE2lqx2ulL-HhbqqCb8n-UySynz2yI

The Onion Collective raise money every month for a family in need. I can’t wait to go back next year to support them again. Feel free to donate via their page.

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My Batik Bali Experience.

Being surrounded by artists in a creative country is so inspiring, I teach Batik but I was particularly excited to develop my skills and learn from the Batik masters, attending 6 different course venues I quickly decided on my favourite and attended a further 4 day days with a particular one.

Batik, for those of you not familiar with the technique, it involves making marks on cloth using hot wax with a tool called a tjanting, it collects wax and slowly releases hot wax when drawn onto the cloth. Dyes are then used to add colour to your design. The wax is removed, leaving incredible, unique artwork that can be used as wall art.

My beginner’s classes

My beginner’s classes are very popular and people are always surprised at what they create, leaving with artworks to frame.

Developing my practice

It is important for me to develop new skills and practice; I am currently experimenting with incorporating felt with batik and discovering how the two natural fibres react when incorporated.

The six weeks of indulgent creativity were fantastic and an inspiring, transformative, and truly a wonderful experience. I will be taking a group of people there on a creative retreat next Spring.

If you are interested in finding more information, please contact mail@feltworld.co.uk
www.feltworld.co.uk
Facebook: Feltworld – Creative Art Courses
Instagram: Barbara_feltworld

Gift Vouchers are available, please click here: www.feltworld.co.uk/courses

My July Workshops. I will be donating 10% of your fee to the Onion Collective Charity.

Barbara Simmons Meek

Batik in Bali

Six weeks in creative heaven!

I fell in love with Bali on my first visit there three years ago. So when I had the chance to make a second visit, I didn’t need much persuading; it’s an artist’s heaven.

For those of you who have never visited Bali, I am based in an area called Ubud and it’s April 2019. It is known as a centre for traditional arts, crafts and dance amongst the many terraced rice paddies. But if you get out of the bustling town, you will be surrounded by rainforest , dotted with Hindu temples and beautiful gardens. The deliciously fresh, local food is ridiculously cheap and enchanting homestay accommodation is fantastic. The Balinese are friendly and very welcoming – who wouldn’t want to return as I have!

Meditatiing on the beach with Herbert the Hare

This time, rather than a short holiday I decided to come for almost 6 weeks and while here I have been doing a lot of sight-seeing with friends who live here but my main aim was to do creative work. Followers on Facebook and Instagram will have seen Herbert the Hare on my posts. He’s the needle felted hare I made to accompany me on my travels.

Studying with the masters

My Feltworld – Creative Art Courses include several different courses based on wet felting and needle felting, and also Batik, which is a beautiful way to create designs on pieces of cloth. So this time in Bali I’m sharing my knowledge of feltmaking, which isn’t so common here, while at the same time taking masterclasses in Batik. Indonesia is one of the centres of Batik excellence, so the chance to study with some of the great Batik experts is not to be missed.

Batik, for those of you not familiar with the technique, involves making marks on cloth using hot wax with a tool called a tjanting. The Tjanting holds heated wax, and a short tube slowly releases it when drawn onto the fabric. This is a skill that takes a little practice but I run classes for beginners which are very popular, and the technique is surprisingly easy to pick up. Dyes are then used to add colour to your design. The wax is removed from the cloth leaving incredible, unique artwork that can be used as wall art, or made into cushions, and bags or clothing to name a few items. Click here to see Batik courses: https://www.feltworld.co.uk/batik-painting

The finished batik

Creative learning

I’m also exploring organic eco printing, a technique I had touched on previously and was excited to purchase natural dyes and bring some 100% cotton fabric home with me. As an artist it is important to me to try new techniques and keep on learning; I am currently experimenting with incorporating felt with batik and discovering how the two natural fibres react when combined. Being surrounded by artists in a creative community is so inspiring.

Eco-printing is great fun

I have spent 4 hours a day working on marketing, social media and writing articles as running a creative business doesn’t stop when you are away. My time in Bali, has been transformative, and a fantastic experience. Frankly – for me, it is creative heaven and just what I needed to keep my creative mojo alive! I will definitely visit Bali again.

Still working, even if the “office” location has changed!

If you’re curious about felt making or batik, do visit my website or look me up on Facebook and Instagram
www.feltworld.co.uk
Facebook: Feltworld – Creative Art Courses
Instagram: Barbara_feltworld Twitter: Feltworld

Batik - an ancient art form going back thousands of years

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  Student’s work

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  Student’s work

Batik is not so much an art form as a journey in art. With it you can create beautiful, functional pictures. The colourful Batik piece will look lovely when framed. Alternatively you can turn it into soft furnishing or even an item of clothing.

Using 100% unbleached cotton, silk or other natural fibres you define your design with hot wax.

I like to mix my own cold water dyes with soda ash to fix the colour. I mix my own colour pallet from 5 basic colours. I then carefully paint the cotton with my dyes as a water colourist would paint his paper.

The cloth used has to be one that will absorb the dye and become colourfast when finished. Cotton cloth holds a dye easily and is therefore a popular choice. As you can imagine, applying dye to a cotton cloth will cause the colours to bleed. This is sometimes desirable but you still need a means to control the spread of colour.

Applying hot wax using a Tjanting tool

A tjanting tool with a spout to release the wax enables you to draw lines or dots, and different sizes allow you to design with varying degrees of line thickness. You can also apply wax using sponges, brushes or printing blocks. The hot wax penetrates into the weave to enable the underlying cloth to remain white, stopping any dye spreading to that part of the cloth. We remove the wax once the dyed cloth is dry.

But don’t expect to create fine, intricate designs – we are talking hot wax which itself can be a little unpredictable at times. In fact it is the organic design due to the flow of wax and dye that gives Batik it’s charm and encourages a loose style of art.

Poppies (Student’s work)

Questions a newcomer to Batik might ask:

Q. Is it safe?

A. The wax is hot to make it flow but no hotter than wax in a lit candle.

Q. Do I need to bring anything to a class?

A. Older clothes and an apron are advisable as we paint with fabric dye.

Q. How do I book a course?

A. Visit the Batik Painting course page (https://www.feltworld.co.uk/batik-painting), select the date you want to attend, and pay securely through PayPal or Bank Transfer via the link.

Feltworld End Of Year Greetings

Feltworld End Of Year Greetings

Hello, as I write this the …’Tis the season to be jolly’  is half-way through, the turkey’s been eaten, the chocolate pile is dwindling, and the house decorations are still twinkling – with thoughts of when to take them down in the back of my mind. Elsewhere, shopping is back in full swing with the sales signs everywhere to lure us in – something I have avoided so far! On the subject of stress and shopping, my advice is …’don’t spend on things that you don’t need’ :-).

Possessions are great but making memories is also important. I find that learning new creative skills lasts longer and gives tremendous satisfaction… and hopefully with a thirst to learn more. I love going on courses myself and have my eye on quite a few scrummy courses already.

Batik Class

I’m looking forward to running my Feltworld courses in the new year and gift vouchers are always available should you need ideas for late presents. My courses include batik painting, wet felting and needle felting, and also mosaics.

Do you have a birthday coming up? need ideas for a hen party? a children’s party, or even a community get together? Well just take a look at the course details and video clips on my website and for some inspiration.

For the website click here: www.feltworld.co.uk

Gift Vouchers here: https://www.feltworld.co.uk/gift-vouchers

Creative gift voucher

Wishing you a very happy New Year.

Barbara x