Taking off our shoes at the door and putting on cozy felted slippers inside is a wonderful tradition to add to the home or school day.
We love to felt our own "indoor shoes". We make new ones or mend old ones each summer.
Three summers ago, mommy made herself an elfin sunflower pair from plant dyed wools while at a handwork conference at Steiner College. Then, Joey made herself a taller pair, wet felting and needle felting designs on them. Two summers ago, Wilson made a pair with just two layers, and they only lasted the year before getting holes.
Last summer, Wilson and mommy made a new pair with more layers. They are still in great shape, so we mended the leather bottoms and needle felted "W"s on the sides to spiff them up!
Next, we need to make a pair for Daddy for Christmas! Wet felting takes time and effort, but the end result is so rewarding. For more details on how to make these indoor shoes, click here for our Etsy shop to purchase our eBook.
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It has been a crafty summer here at Syrendell!
We spent an inspired weekend at the Griffin Dyeworks Dye and Fiber Retreat in Castaic, CA. Camping, spinning, teaching Tunisian crochet, weaving, dyeing, coppersmithing and so much more! Truly a treat for all people interested in learning more about fiber arts in a relaxed setting.
Next, we spent 4 weeks teaching, leading and assisting at the Davis Waldorf School Summergarden camp. Week 1: Knitting, crochet, lucet; Week 2: Spinning, weaving, kumihimo; Week 3: Plant-dyeing, wetfelting, needlefelting; Week 4: Papercrafting and sewing. Children also participated in gardening and wholesome food preparation.
Now, we are enjoying crafting at home. Joey is spinning yarn to earn $ for her upcoming 8th grade trip. Her yarns are available at www.syrendell.etsy.com and by custom order (email: info@syrendell.com). Ricky has been helping get our craft/music room reorganized (a thrilling and scary task!).
Wilson and Mommy created a calendar with gnomes. This was inspired by one that we had seen made by Mama Roots a while back, one of our favorite Etsy shops. First, we ordered a wood ring from Joshua Rutherford of Honoring Fallen Trees. He makes them out of beautiful hardwoods in different colors. We chose maple. Next, we selected 12 special little wood people. We talked about the 12 months of the year, the 4 seasons, and the colors and symbols that represent the seasons.
Next, Wilson chose colored pieces of felt for each month and matching embroidery threads. With some embroidery assistance from Mommy and sister Joey, little gnome hats were sewn.
Wilson painted the gnomes the color of each season and then sealed them with beeswax polish as they dried. Hats were glued onto the gnomes. Now, we will play games, tell stories, create math problems, and talk about the months of the year in Spanish and English with our beautiful gnome calendar!
