A Convergence is Announced

Yes, we have gone full circle from our very first post on the 9th March 2010 when we started this blog as today we are thrilled to let you know that our good friends at The Illawarra Feltmakers have announced the dates of the 12th Southern Hemisphere Felting Convergence.

It will be held from 1st to 6th September 2013 in the Illawarra Region of New South Wales, Australia.

The 12th Southern Hemisphere Convergence Organisers have set up their blog at http://12thsouthernhemispherefeltingconverge.blogspot.com/  so tune in there to keep up with what's being planned.   The Bunbury Felting Group are proud to be their first blog followers.

We are so looking forward to it.  Wishing you all the best with the organising guys.  See you all again in September 2013.

Image from the 12th Southern Hemisphere Felting Convergence Blog .  Click here to view.

Thank You and Goodbye

Well, the 11th Southern Hemisphere Felting Convergence is well and truly over and we hope you all had a wonderful time.  The feedback that we have had from you has all been positive.  It has been satisfying to see the results of the Committee's hard work over the last two years come to fruition.

Along the way we have had many helpers and we sincerely thank everyone involved in making the event happen. We have been constantly over whelmed by peoples' generosity.

Particular thanks go to our sponsors, the traders and individuals who contributed to the goody bags and prize draws. Please seek them out to do business with in the future, they are all specialists in their fields and will give you the benefit of their expertise.

Others with expertise that was willingly shared with us was that of our very talented photographers Toni C and Lyn Pix .  They have generously provided us with their time and their amazing images for use in our publications and promotional material and of course the fashion cd which  Camera House Bunbury worked really hard to get ready for Thursday night.  Thank you all.

Our gratitude goes to Michelle Jones who's new business AM Management provided us with the "non felter" models for our fashion parade. Her models kindly donated their evening to us and were absolutely beautiful. Thank you guys, we really appreciated your help and involvement in making this a professional event.  We also need to congratulate the hairdressers and makeup artists and the dressers who came in to make the fashion parade work like a dream.

Thank you to Gary Palfrey-Jones and Victoria Gelmi who helped all the tutors with their IT issues. Great job guys.

Thank you to everyone who brought their work along to share whether it was in the fashion parade, the Bazaar Night or the display of work.  We were thrilled by the amount of participation.  You really made the Convergence buzz.

 Finally we would like to thank the talented tutors for donating their time and knowledge. Convergence is a gathering of felt makers and sharing knowledge is the underlying theme. Without your big hearted attitude there would not be a Convergence.

In time this blog will disappear into the blogosphere.  It was only intended to communicate on the 11th Southern Hemisphere Felting Convergence and therefore has no relevance going forward.  We intend however to ramp up our Bunbury Felting Group blog and we hope that you will join us there to enjoy our further adventures in felt.

Farewell and we hope to see you all in 2013 in New South Wales for the 12th Southern Hemisphere Felting Convergence.


 

Happy International Day of Felt

Isn't it fitting that the eve of the 11th Southern Hemisphere Felting Convergence has been officially declared as the 3rd International Day of Felt?  We couldn't have planned it better ourselves.

Pop over to www.feltunited.com to find out all about this wonderful felting event and how you can be part of it.

We'll be a bit busy today getting ready for our week of felting but here's a piece we made earlier -

Detail from Shawl by Lorraine McArthur

Our Fabulous Tutors

When we were compiling the information on our tutors for your registration packs we realised how many of them have had their work included in magazines.

In fact if you are flicking through the pages of the latest issue of Textile Forum you will find Anne Foy's work on page 22.

 

Then, while sitting having a quiet moment with our new book "500 Felt Objects" we  spotted the work of two of our tutors - Maude  Bath  and Liz Clay. 

If you are not familiar with these publications then rush out and get them now.  500 Felt Objects has just been published and is an absolute gem. 

We have a very talented group of tutors to delight you with next week.  Thank you to all who have agreed to tutor.  Without you there can be no Convergence.

Welcome Maybrook Designs to the Traders Hall

Maybrook Designs is Convergence Convener Val Hornibrook's business producing 100% Merino black wool rovings.

Let's meet the staff -

Yes, as you can see Val grows her own wool supplies which probably explains why she is such a prolific felter and frequently includes black in her designs!

If you would like some of the Val magic in your felt work then visit Maybrook Designs in our Traders Hall next week.

In the meantime if you would like to see some of Val's felting click here.

What to Pack

With only a few days to go before the Convergence begins, you will probably be getting your bags packed so we thought we would remind you of a few things to bring.

The newsletters have included a packing checklist but one item not on it was Personal Insect Repellant.  There have been quite a lot of mosquitos in the Grammar School Grounds – particularly in the evenings,  wo we  suggest you bring some personal insect repellent to help prevent bites. 

Here's the rest of the checklist.

Bring your felt making gear if you would like to do some felting on site.

Wool and other provisions will be available every day from our Traders Hall.  Traders Hall consists of a range of textile oriented suppliers and will be open daily.  Many Traders will share their expertise through ongoing demonstrations.  Stock up here with all your felting needs.

Plastic bags will be useful for transporting any still wet sample pieces.

Notebook and pens/pencil for taking notes at tutorials and lectures and jotting down all those felting ideas.

Some business cards will be useful – both for passing on to new friends with your contact details and also for labelling your work on our Display of Work area – details below.

Your felt garments and accessories for the Fashion Parade.

Your felt creations for the Display of Work area.

Your felt Banner.

Your suitcase full of creations for the Suitcase Bazaar Night.

What you need for the Days Theme .

Don’t forget your camera.

There have been quite a lot of mosquitos in the Grammar School Grounds – particularly in the evenings.   We suggest you bring some personal insect repellent to help prevent bites.

Please be aware that there is not a bank or ATM close to the school.  There will be plenty of goodies to buy at the Convergence in the Traders Hall and our Bazaar Night so remember to bring plenty of cash in your wallet but keep it safely on you at all times.

The Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School is not licensed to sell alcohol so if you want to share a glass of wine at dinner with your felting friends you’ll need to bring your own.

Looking forward to seeing you all.

The Bizarre Bazaar - Suitcase Exhibition

At 7.00pm on Wednesday 5th October the Cafeteria at the Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School will be transformed into a busy eastern souk .

This is a great opportunity to sell your work. Bring your suitcase full of creations and open it up for sale. Even combine with others if you have only a few items.

Items do not need to be felt, they can be any medium.  If you have some special things in your stash that are excess to your needs consider bringing them along so that others get the chance of enjoying and using them.  You can then use the money you raise to buy more things for your stash!!  

There is no charge for participating – we want lots and lots of suitcases to create a fun enjoyable evening for all.

 Please remember to invite your friends and family to join us. Just direct them to this blog - the information regarding the event is all at the top of the right hand side bar.

See you there.