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
Needle Felting Blog by Feltworld Creative Art Courses
Hello and welcome to my creative world information on Needle Felting.
Sad hare day
Needle felting is a very popular technique and can be seen at most craft fairs around the country. With needle felting, the fibres stay fluffy and dry with little hooks along each fibre still end up looped together to make the bind together. The process uses a special very sharp barbed felting needle which come in a variety of sizes. There’s a thicker blunt end that you hold and a much finer end that you use to stab into the loose woollen fibres. But make sure it is the fibres you are stab and not your fingers, because they are very sharp! But this technique is fun and it never ceases to amaze me what you can make from just stabbing away at the fibres.
As with wet felting, needle felting will allow you to make flat or 3D items. For flat pieces, the wool is placed on a piece of foam or polystyrene that will let the needle penetrate the wool easily . Further strands of wool are added and joined to this base later using the same technique. Pretty soon you will have either a 3 dimensional animal or flat picture that can be framed and hung on a wall.
To get started with 3D pieces, you first make a ball of felting wool and gently stab the needle into it until it becomes a compact mass that holds together on its own. Once you have this basic ball, you can add to it and begin to give it shape. I have formed natural carded wool sculpted it into the shape of a rabbit. It takes a full day class to creat a hare. But small animals such as a pengin, birds , owl etc can be made in a half days. Once you are proficient at needle felting, you can even include wire formers inside the arms of an animal to allow limited movement.
If you would like to learn how to do needle felting, I offer half and one-day courses. All the materials and refreshments are supplied. The full-day session also includes a light lunch.
You can get in touch via my website www.feltworld.co.uk/courses
email me: barbara@feltworld.co.uk and I will be in touch promptly. Feltworld gift vouchers are also available and make fab presents. or felt kits on on my Shop page.
Website: www.feltworld.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Feltworld
Instagram : www.Instagram.com/Barbara_Feltworld
Pinterest: www.printerest.com/Barbara-Feltworld
Feltworld – Creative Art Courses offer a variety of fun creative courses covering wet-felting, needle felting, batik, and textile printing techniques. Based in Penkridge we are easily accessible from the M6 and the Rail network.
www.feltworld.co.uk
Have a very merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Barbara Simmons Meek
Feltmaking & Batik Painting Workshops
My summer so far:
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.
Student’s lovable pooch 
Student’s doggie 
Sad hare day 
Student’s batik painting 
Me Batiking 
Batik for Granddaughter 
Landscapes-Half Day 
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 your diary or please do follow me on social media to see more information.
Feltmaking-pictures or animals: 9th,18th,, 29th August and more
Batik painting- 28th August 4th August 10th August 17th August,8th September
FB: Feltworld –Creative Art Courses
Please do leave a short message. It is always good to see who is following me.
Barbara x
Creativity is Having Fun
In the words of Albert Einstein “Creativity is Intelligence having fun“. And Sir Ken Robinson
said “Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it’s produced the most extraordinary results in human culture”. These are my two favourite quotes.
Creativity – it’s good for you
Finding time to do something new and creative in a relaxed environment has many benefits besides the satisfaction of making a unique piece of artwork. Participating in creative activities is well recorded to relieve stress, and I must agree that this is the case when I have been under pressure; I get my sketchbook and paints out and focus on the creative process for a while. There is a lot of information on the web if you care to take a look.
I had great fun using charcoal and pencil 
I loved painting this little fellow in watercolours 
Finger painting haha
Our priorities change over time
As interests have changed throughout life; family have flown the nest, two grandchildren arrive, and with several different career paths, now I ask myself, is the creative career path I am following the right one? I ponder this question regularly after leaving a job to become a self-employed artist/educator rather than teaching in mainstream education. The answer is varied, but most often it’s a Yes, I made the right decision! Still loving to educate people but without the restrictions and red tape! And developing my own work, though that sometimes takes a back seat to my business.
Bali- Not quite a holiday.
Teaching May 2019-Charity Event.
Sunny side houses Inspired by my visit to Portmeirion Village, nrth Wales on a cloudy day.
Being creative has a strong effect on my life and is a great happiness booster, I love to help create memories for people, being involved in their creative journey, if only for a short while. My students often comment on how they can put aside everyday worries whilst creating something unique in my classes – many describe their time with me as therapeutic as well as a bit of escapism from everyday life. A chance to indulge in a bit of me time!
Giving a creative experience
Workshop gift vouchers sell like never before as so many people are now buying creative experiences as gifts opposed more things for the home! My most popular Feltmaking class is the beginners Felt Picture making where students create a beautiful landscape picture using either the wet felt or needle felt technique, often combining the two! The beautiful colours of the wool fibres are mixed together like an artist mixes paints, it is an amazing technique that really must be experienced to appreciate it. Students leave more relaxed and take home a lovely piece of artwork to frame or often they over a book or diary, give as a gift. But you can also make slippers, bag, scarf, footstool etc on a full day too. https://www.feltworld.co.uk/gift-vouchers
Dividing my time
Life is quite a juggling act for me, and as I work from home I find that the distractions are immense. Do I redecorate that room, rearrange my wardrobe, spend the day gardening, shopping, having a coffee with a friend… turns in to 3/4 hours! family etc you understand where I’m coming from lol! I have to try very hard to remain focused in dividing my time between the business side i.e. marketing, promoting, writing articles and then the fun side comes later of running creative classes.
Far and wide
Family and friends who live at opposite ends of the country often meet halfway and do feltmaking or batik for the day before having a meal together and going in opposite directions again. I have had visitors from Australia, Jordan, Canada, Australia and the US attend my classes when they have been visiting family or on their travels. I enjoy listening to people’s stories and sharing stories too and often we have a laugh as well as deep concentrated moments during the design process. What is there not to love when teaching subjects that make people happy…I love my job!
Creative parties for children
Children’s parties or small groups are good fun too.
I will send you information on request: email – Barbara@feltworld.co.uk
Children’s private classes in painting, multi media or feltmaking 
Birthday parties and group bookings available
Book a creative day with Barbara
My courses run throughout the year and cover wet felt making, needle felt making, Nuno scarf making (these are really lovely and wearable too), as well as Batik painting using quite an addictive very old technique of designing with hot wax and then painting your material. See the link below.
For more details, course dates, and secure online booking follow the links below. I look forward to meeting you.
If you have any questions, please do ask.
Barbara
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:
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
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
Student’s work 
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.
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.
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
Needle Felting Festive Blog – Feltworld
Needle felting, is classed as dry felting and doesn’t require water but a sharp needle with barbs /niks in the needle, these little niks with grab the fibres and bind them together to make felt like magic. 
|
Feltworld – Creative Art Courses offer a variety of fun creative courses covering wet-felting, needle felting, batik, and textile printing techniques. Based in Penkridge we are easily accessible from the M6 and the Rail network.
www.feltworld.co.uk
|
Winter Woollies – with a difference in the Midlands UK – Please click on previous Blogs
Winter Woollies – with a difference in the Midlands UK
The clocks have gone back, any hope of an Indian summer has faded, and winter woollies are making their annual appearance. But while the weather may be drab, there’s no reason to dress in a boring way.
In fact, you can dress warmly and still turn heads with a unique scarf that you’ve made yourself at a Feltworld Creative Art Course.
Feltworld offers scarf making courses several times each year, with a number of them over the winter period. Why not come along and see for yourself the beautiful designs that are possible with felted wool.
You have two options. There’s the traditional warm woolly scarf that’s ideal for keeping out the cold on long winter walks. There’s also the beautiful Nuno felted scarf which allows you to create really stunning and unusual designs. You can even decide what sort to make on the day if you aren’t quite sure which one you prefer.
The word ‘Nuno’ is Japanese for cloth. It is a wet felting technique that merges loose woollen fibres with a sheer fabric such as silk gauze. When felted the wool shrinks during the felting process it leaves a beautifully subtle texture on the silk, unlike any other technique. This texture and drape lends itself to the beautiful movement required in a scarf. While the warm woolly scarf does not require a base layer, it still allows for beautiful designs using different coloured woollen fibres.
You can make either one of these scarves in a day with expert tuition from Barbara at Feltworld Creative Art Courses.
Why not take a look at the course page on the https://feltworld.co.uk/courses page
Follow me on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest
Gift vouchers are available £30 -£65 or £130 if you are looking for a unique and practical Christmas gift.
Details on the website- Up and coming dates: 9th December -16th December and more…
For details visit https://www.feltworld.co.uk/felt-scarf-making
Special offers at Hobby Craft Stafford -£25 Classes
Christmas Needle Felting at Stafford HobbyCraft -Taster classes – Animals and Picture https://www.feltworld.co.uk/hobbycraft-courses