teaching | Klara Luna

Posts Tagged ‘teaching’

Felting Workshop

Posted in dyeing, felting, felting class, wool felt, tagged felting, plant dyeing, teaching, wool felt on September 19, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

During our stay in Germany I took a day off and spent it with two of my dearest friends – felting! I had read about this day in the German felting magazine FUN a few weeks before heading over to Europe and both my friends spontaneously agreed to share the day with me.

The workshop was entitled “Felting and Plant Dyeing” and run by Barbara Eichhorn and Ute Gellenthien in Barbara’s beautiful home. Everybody could make whatever they wished to try out, dye it or not, dye it beforehand or after. Help (uncomplicated, unjudgmental, humorous, pragmatic help!) was offered to make any idea a reality.

the felted and felting yurt

our teacher Barbara

some of the finished objects (I made the purple tea cosy, top left of the picture…)

…which went into the dye pot looking like this!

If you are ever in the neighborhood, I can recommend taking a class with Barbara, she clearly loves teaching and has an abundance of experience to share. I really enjoyed seeing other felters in action, their approach, their shortcuts – learnt a lot – and had a great day with my friends. Perfect!

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Out in public

Posted in crafts with children, felting, school projects, sewing, teaching, wool felt, tagged 5th grade craft project, botany block, felt wall hanging, felting, sewing, teaching, wool felt on May 31, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

This is how the tree wall hanging looked outside the classroom door during Open House last night. We got plenty of positive comments and the students were proud to show their parents.

Due to the wind I had to come up with a makeshift solution to weigh the piece down. Matches the subject, don’t you think?!

Now it is back in my house waiting to get its final fabric backing and hanging loops. I want it to be done by the end of the summer vacations, because the tree is going to adorn one of the walls in the 6th grade classroom next year.

Have a happy last day of May!

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It’s growing

Posted in crafts with children, felting, school projects, sewing, teaching, tagged 5th grade craft project, crafting with children, felt tree, felting, school project, sewing, teaching, wall hanging, wool felt on May 30, 2012 | 2 Comments »

…the felt tree, that is!

Out of synthetic felt by the yard I assembled a background that is supposed to represent a stylized landscape.

All the felt pieces for roots, tree trunk and big branches were laid out and fixed with safety pins.

After this I carried the whole thing to school, where I had many happy helpers sewing all these parts onto the felt. We used button/craft thread for its durability and it took us a good few hours to accomplish. It was a little bit like I imagine a quilting bee to be like – everybody sitting around a table, working on the same thing, chatting and laughing. I certainly enjoyed this part of the process a lot!

All the basic parts were sewn on, now came the little branches…

the leaves…

and the fruit (cherries, apples, whatever you want these to be).

At last, the tree was fully assembled and we all thought it looks stunning! It is going to be hung outside the classroom door tonight for the school’s Open House event (picture to follow). The final step for me will be to sew a sturdy fabric backing on it and create a way to hang it securely, which will include fabric loops and broom sticks or big dowels. But for tonight it will go up as it is. Congratulations, 5th grade, on such a fine job!

Oh, and in case you didn’t know: leaves make really good teddy bear beds…

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Felting flowers

Posted in Craftology, felting, felting class, teaching, tagged craft class, Craftology, felting, Mother's Day, spring, teaching, wool felt on April 29, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

On Friday I taught four willing and enthusiastic women how to wet-felt a simple little flower with a leafy stem. Diana’s class description promised a whole flower wreath with 5 or 6 flowers, but we only had three hours and three of the four ladies had never wet-felted before. They were very patient, I must say, and worked/battled their way through my instructions and the wool. In the end everyone had a lovely flower and a leafy rope and knew how to produce more of the flowers at home, if they wished to. I had a good time, I love sharing with people what makes me so happy myself. Thank you, dear students, and Diana for having me!