Hello Everyone on the Aussie Felters List

 

America calling.......can you guess........yes, its me, Julie, the one that you have not heard from in SO LONG.  Well, I thought it about time I did some real emailing and updated you all as to what I am doing, have been doing, and am going to be doing.

 

When I first arrived in US, I flew into Los Angeles, spending a week there with my cousin before travelling down to a place called Encinitas, just north of San Diego in California.  What a lovely place.  I spent a week there, with a feltmaker and we did a lot of sight seeing, felting and talking and eating.  It was there that I started making a vessel, which I still have not completed.

 

I went back to LA spending another week with my cousin, before travelling by train up to Oregon, where Pat Spark met me at the Albany train station and hosted me a her place and studio for a night,and another day, then went to stay with Loyce Ericson in Forest Grove, closer to Portland.  I spent two days in Loyce's studio with her whilst she taught other students, then went back to Albany to Pats studio and did a workshop with her. During this time, I instructed Pat how to lay out a silk lap, as it was something that she had never done before, and she instructed me in how to felt on silk Habotai, which I had never done before.  The following day, we went to Woodland Woolworks and stocked up on wools again.  I continued to work on my silk habotai, which I had not finished at the time, and I went to spend the night at Sandoval McNair's place in Tigard, and the time there was spent hunting in Good will stores, for supplies for a workshop that was organised for me to conduct.  My first workshop here that I was to be paid for.  That went well, and I did instructions on a laminated resisted bag, with resist roses on the front of the bag.  Good bags resulted, and I was very pleased with how it went.

 

The next day, I was taken to stay out on a Llama farm for 3 days, then I felted with my hostess, showing her a few feltmaking tricks that she did not know.  I was then put on the train in Salem, to go to Seattle, where I was met and hosted by Zia Gipson for a couple of days.  After Zia put me back on the train, I headed to Vancouver, where I was to teach a workshop of the same resisted bag, organised by Rebecca Lavell, of Celtic Moon.  I stayed with Rebecca also.  From there, I travelled by Air to Nelson, BC in Canada, to Ilana Pengelly's place, and we felted our little hearts out so much that I had to have serious treatment with deep tissue massage and reflexology. 

 

After leaving Nelson, I went back to Seattle, where I was met by another lady, Jo Story, who lives on Kingston and raises sheep.  We had more workshops on the laminated silk scarves and Roses and bags, and then I was off to Spokane, on the invitation of the Spinners and Weavers Guild out there.  I had two workshops to do out there, teaching the scarves and Roses.  I also had the opportunity of staying on another small farm, where Joyce raised Shetland sheep.  A week and a bit went by very quickly, when it was time to leave there and go to visit Judy Colvin in Montana.  Judy had organised three workshops in three days straight, and by the end of the last one, I was a candidate for Laryingitis and a chest infection, and could not talk for three days.  Under Judy' gentle nursing back to health over the next few days, I recovered enough to travel by air to Tucson, Arizona, to visit Sally Hall.  I was with Sally a couple of days, and then flew to Durango in Colorado, where I write this from. 

 

I have just done a workshop today, teaching the silk laminated scarf with 10 students, and will probably be helping shearing on Raylene's (my hostess) farm, of her Icelandic sheep and Alpacas.

 

I will be here until 5th June, then I fly to Austin, Texas, where I will be staying with Jill Gully of Outback Fibres, and then we will drive together to Houston, where we will be doing a 3 day workshop together and staying with Barbara Kile, who is organising the workshops for the weekend.

 

After that, I will go shopping for fabrics for my mother, and head off for a holiday in Tallahassee, with my cousins in Florida.

 

Well, it is very late at night, 11.00 pm and I am wanting to go to bed. 

 

Goodnight, and hope that all is well in Australia......not too cold, no droughts, no political uprisings and everyone doing lots of lovely felt.   So far, since being here, I have made 3 scarves, one hat, two bags, many roses.  Sold one hat, two bags, all the roses, so all is well.

 

Warmest REgards

Julie Williams

Jaruleeli FeltART

Felting my Way Around The World (with Spotty the stuffed dog) and a lot of huge suitcases full of wool and felt and silk and stuff)