Our first meeting of the new year and we were treated to a menagerie of needle felted animals created by Fi Oberon.

Fi described how she set her animals in small scenes as part of creating her book on needle felting. She then went on to explain the process of needle felting and the creating of her beautifully detailed creatures highlighting techniques, processes and materials in such a way that even beginners could ‘have a go’.

All artists find that their work leads them in many directions, Fi is passionate about her environment and so uses natural dyeing in her work.

This passion for the environment has led her into a new idea to highlight the effect of global warming ‘Data Wrapped Trees’. Creating an embroidery , of a tree with coloured bands, each band representing data on the effects Carbon Dioxide Emissions on the environment.

Fi wishes to carry this message to Downing Street, anyone interested in hearing her ideas and helping in this campaign can contact her direct.

Jo’s mantra taken from a quote by Ruskin, Head, Heart, Hands the three elements which go into her textile art work.

Head, the wonderful ideas Jo wants to interpret in textiles.

Heart, the friends and family, particularly her  muse Agnes, all remembered in Jo’s art.

Hands, Jo admitted the hardest part, where hands sometimes fall short of the heart and head.

Jo’s love of her textile art was inspirational and made  for a most enjoyable afternoon.

H-anne-MADE  , my journey from a to Z.

Anne kept us all enthralled with her vivacity and enthusiasm for her textile art.  She spoke of her childhood and a mother who encouraged ‘messy ‘ art. Rebelling against her father’s wish for her to become a chartered accountant Anne went on to study and eventually teach art.

The photograph above shows  a sample of Anne’s catalogue and the process by which her art continues to develop. We wonder where the next step will take her.