Felted Bags

When I am not in my wonderful studio, I have been working at home, focusing on felted travel bags to be sold at the Memorial Art Gallery Store. I may be able to have them for sale the day of film screening of "Who does She think She is?" I won't have the chance to meet with the store manager until next week - but I am pretty sure it will work out. If you are interested in purchasing any of these bags feel free to e-mail me, (topolski@rochester.rr.com). They all have zippers and cotton fabric linings and range in price from $35 - $55, depending on size, amount of work, and zipper pull - most of which are hand made glass beads. I am excited about some new designs. The hand sewing has been really hard on my hands though. I woke up this morning with no feeling in either hand and when I rolled over in bed I hit myself so hard with my own hand it really hurt. I only wish I could sew with my toes!

New Bags

I just posted the bird one on Etsy. But the Squirrel has already found a caring family to keep it safe and warm for the winter. Right now I am looking forward to a weekend of holiday parties! Beginning soon, at 4:00! I have to go get dressed!

I am ready to end this selling season, but nervous to find out how the money part will be, or not be, in January. I do just lovemaking these things I make. I want to experiment on some weird dolls and other strange creatures. I also want to knit myself a sweater. But I am going to focus next week on making hand made holiday gifts, so check in for the recipes and quick crafts that I will be sharing, including microwave peanut brittle, candied orange rind, hot mustard and cookies of course.

thisweekendisSecondStorie

The second show I am in this weekend is Second Storie's Indie Market at VSW. This is the best Holiday arts sale in Rochester. Vendors come from all over the eastern seaboard and inland to sell the most original unique and wonderful art. I just cpompleted the purse pictured below. There is only one like it - get there early!

it comes from me

Last night I watched an hour of the television series on PBS, Craft in America. The show is short segments of many artists, craft artists, who reveal what makes their work and the lives they lead unique. One can also view the show online. I was so enamored by the stories because each and every one of the artists spoke in such a heartfelt manner about the joy they receive from making something wonderful, something that comes from them. I was definitely inspired and also encourage to continue my efforts at making a living making things.

Part of one of the episodes covered the 92nd street Y in NYC. I would love to have a 92nd street Y here in Rochester. It has always been a dream of mine to own a part retail space, part instructional space for arts and crafts. The 92nd St Y classes and workshops are taught by professional artists - even art stars such as Jonathan Wahl, Director of the Jewelry & Metal Department and Bobby Silverman, Director of the Ceramic Center - and are available for all age groups and all levels, from children to senior adults, from hobbyists to accomplished artists who come to learn new skills.

I love teaching, and all the artists in this series speak of how important it is to share the skills and tradition of their craft with the next generation. I will find something that allows me to do this more myself.

Friday at Crocus

I have been invited to be the guest artist at Crocus Clay Works. Please come see my work on Friday 5-9.

This show will focus on felted objects. I am selling felted bags, felt jewelry, felt and hand knit fingerless gloves and mittens and some lovely little stuffed animals that I call Foundlings. I will also have January Boxes on exhibit. 

Friday August 7, 5 -9 Crocus Clay works          

http://www.crocusclayworks.com

1115 East Main Street  

The Hungerford building

Rochester, New York 14609 

Door #2, Suite 225 

Felt flower pin

I started making a bunch of these flower pins from small bits of left over sweater pieces. I put some sterling silver pins in the center. All I seem interested in is hand sewing lately. I hope I get over it soon, my fingers hurt.

more needle felting

I just love this one, and someone else did too! It sold right away an Etsy. It has a torched glass heart that my daughter made as a zipper pull.

new work

I am getting ready for my show and sale at Crocus Clay Works (Friday August 7). Sewing and felting like crazy, I am really enjoying needle felting images of birds. I feel it is still difficult for me to create a personal image  of a bird. They are so unique, each one of them, and I want to honor their individuality. We have a bird feeder and recently the mama birds have been feeding their young one's right in front of us. I have to try to make an image of that.For the red bag pictured above, I knit this awful red mohair I have knitting in intarsia the pink dots with a pink wool yarn and then fulled it in the wash. Then I embroidered the black outline around the pink and needle felted the black raven, crow, bird (?) The zipper is red and I attached two beads for the zipper pull. One is a hand made lamp worked glass bead and the other is felted wool. It has a cotton polka-dot fabric for the lining. It is for sale in my Second Seed in Stitches shop for $30.00.

This bag is made form a repurposed blue wool sweater that I purchased at the Salvation Army. I needle felted this little chickadee on a branch. I like the expression on his face. This bag has a lovely zipper pull that is two beads too. One bead is a messy brown, black and white hand made lamp worked glass bead and the other is a little brown pearl.

shrooms

I found these gnomes while surfing Ralvery (which I finally joined this week - what took me so long?) They led me through the woods to the pattern for the knitted then felted wool mushrooms too! I loved Lucinda's description of the lucky red and white mushroom on her blog on New Year's Day (also love love love her fingerless gloves which emulate them) and they also make me nostalgic because when I was in college I heard John Cage speak on mushrooms for about four hours. (Actually I did not hear all four hours of the performance as I fell asleep for most of the middle of it.)

Hut Up, Berlin

I found these through House Martin - at Rose and Radish you can find these awkard bunnies made by Hut Up, Berlin - and they are on sale!

start where you are

I keep wondering where to put my time, what is most worth making with the little time I have. I am determined to work on paintings, and I am always knitting, but I also like to throw something else into the mix. Lately my favorite thing to do is wool felting. I like the quiet washing and sqeezing of the wool, and I think it is theraputic for my hand. Rachael Hetzel has been seen wearing a felted beads necklace that I made for her and she is getting lots of compliments on it; I have also heard from many people that they have seen her wearing it and that they love it. I have two similar to it for sale in my Etsy shop and I am hoping to make more fo the next show I am doing which is Second Storie's Indie Shop on Thanksgiving weekend. But these necklaces are unique labor intensive peices, so get one if you want it, I don't see myself making too many. mark your calendars now
saturday november 29th 11-6
sunday november 30th 11-4
at visual studies workshop

Felt Beads

I will also be selling a number of felt necklaces at Artist Row on Sunday. I am really really excited for the weekend. It is making this work week difficult to get through.