Around 2014 I decided to wear and work with natural materials (for environmental and health reasons) as much as possible. I learned felting from Jessica DeHaas at her studio/shop called Funk Shui which was located for many years on Granville Island. From 2014 - 2018 I worked on studio production of Jessica's designs: hats, nuno-felted scarves, wraps, vests and yardage. In the following years until Jessica closed the studio in 2024 I always enjoyed picking up a few studio shifts. What I loved most about her studio was that it was open to the public so we could have conversations with shoppers and the could watch us while we made the felt. This environment was fun and energizing and allowed for connecting while still being focused and productive. Interesting people were always walking through those doors in Railspur Alley!
Now that I'm working at Adanac Park Fieldhouse, I'm including wet felting and needle felting as a major part of my public programming and creative practice. I've begun by dying wool and making small pieces of fabric. In the days to come I'll make hats, garments accessories and larger textiles. I'm excited to see what these pieces will look like and where this part of the creative journey leads! You can see some of my past pieces in the shop. For 10 years now I've been making and wearing felt and I've grown to love and appreciate the qualities of this material and textile! It provides such warmth and comfort and I'm looking forward to sharing this with more people in the years to come.
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Friendsday is a Tradition! A Potluck! A time to gather, Eat, Chat and Make our Handwork Together! Maybe even Jam & make some Rhythms and Music! You can host a Friendsday! It can be any day of the week! You can do it every week and then you never have to make plans to do it. It just repeats! It's a nice thing to do with neighbours. Remember to help clean up so the hosts feel like doing it again! The End. These are photos from two recent Friendsdays held at the Adanac Park Fieldhouse. On one of them we celebrated Chinese New Year, aka Lunar New Year, aka the Year of the Snake. Harley and Ali brought some delish fish. (In Chinese, "fish" (鱼 Yú /yoo/) sounds like 'surplus'.) Cass made rosemary snake shortbread cookies. Karen made a scotch broth (homey heaven!) Mendel made spicy green beans (they look like snakes!) I cooked some dumplings and David made a sheppards pie with chicken that we dubbed a "homestead pie."
What a feast! I Heart Friendsday + ! Heart Friends!
Housewarming Dates
Saturday Feb 1 - Noon to 4pm Sunday Feb 9 - Noon to 4pm Sunday Feb 16 - Noon to 4pm Sunday, Feb. 23 - Noon to 4pm Drop in for a Handwork Hangout style social with tea, coffee and snacks. Make one of our projects: a wool needle-felted nametag or collaborative mandala-painting - or bring your own handwork (something portable and good in social settings ie. mending, knitting, crochet, spinning etc.) I'll be keeping regular studio hours approximately 10am - 5pm Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Visitors are welcome! Please message me via my contact form (or text me if we're already friends) to let me know when you're coming and to confirm I'll be there. ![]() Fieldhouse Team members Hilary and Nelle handed me the keys on Jan 9 and my pal James and I moved shelves and a whack of art supplies in a couple days later. ![]() Karlis Kalnins (of BC Mobile Sauna Society and Freestyle Focus Group) cleaned out his shed and dropped off a sick electric organ that sounds amazing and will be key for random jamming. Thanks so much Karlis! ![]() Everything went really smoothly - but it was on a tight timeline for my first housewarming event - which took place on Sun, Jan 12 - a day after the move-in. So I spent Saturday night assembling shelving and getting things somewhat organized and put away so i could welcome a few wonderful guests. Songwriter Barb Shaw (aka Random Old Lady aka Sister Mary Barbara) played some guitar and organ. The House was Warmed!! A needle-felted dinosaur made by Heather. She said, "Everything looks better with a face!" The place still needed some care and attention - so i set about patching, painting and mouse-proofing by poking steel wool into holes. ![]() I grew up in Hastings Sunrise (I attended Tillicum and Hastings Elementary Schools in the '70s and '80s) - but I haven't spent much time in this part of the neighbourhood. To get to the fieldhouse, I ride the Makemobile along the Adanac bikeway (the road surface is in rough shape and needs an upgrade!) meeting neighbours and stopping in at cool neighbourhood businesses - including the family-owned Windermere Market that offers a good selection of real, nutritious food and carefully curated groceries. Other neighbours include Bosa Foods, Steamworks Brewery and the mallards of Charles Park. If you know the neighbourhood around Adanac Park, I'd love to hear your stories and recommendations for places to visit in the comments! Started some studio work: dyed some corriedale wool blue. We'll use this wool to make felt for needle felted nametags at the upcoming housewarming events. I'm collecting anagrams of Adanac Park Fieldhouse. Have a good one? Add it in the comments or send it to me.
Launching in January 2025 with a series of housewarmings, everyone is invited to the Adanac Fieldhouse at 1025 Boundary Road for tea, snacks, music and art-making including needle felting, mandala painting and stitching of all sorts. Come share your ideas and suggestions for my fieldhouse residency.
My focus will be on The Art of Everyday Life - Building relationships while hand-making useful items including clothing, textiles, baskets, lanterns and other functional objects. Meet neighbours and create together. Free public art offerings plus assistance with projects. This cold winter, help warm up this sweet little space. Let's dream and scheme together! Housewarming Afternoon Tea & Crafting Adanac Fieldhouse 1025 Boundary Road Sunday, January 12th Noon - 4pm Bring your own handwork project and / or make yourself a needle felted wool nametag. Let's create some cozy vibes on a cold January day. Come share your ideas and advice for my new fieldhouse residency. Make a suggestion for a name for this project! I just can't wait to have people over and see what we'll create together! |
The Art of
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