Sundown

I was lucky enough to catch this wonderful sunset this evening and as it’s been a while since I wrote, I thought I’d drop in to share it with you. I am fine and despite the constant worry of finances, am remarkably calm. My heart has mended fairly quickly, with just a few hairline cracks left and I am just about managing to juggle everything. I have realised however that I need to take a little more time out for myself, after working for ten days straight and becoming a bit rundown recently. 

So many learning curves...I have restructured my Zoom classes now, so that they can be easily bought from my Etsy shop in one purchase - the kit and the one-to-one session, with date and time of choice, meaning that I can work around time zones, and I am offering free kit postage in the U.K. Each kit contains plenty enough wool for the project, which means that once someone has made their first toadstool with me, they can make more in their own time. So far I have only toadstool workshops available, but next week should see one or two seasonal projects added. 

Workshop kits and bookings

I’ve also been getting a big backlog of my own work finished and listed online and keeping up with my Patreon page, which is now up to fifteen lovely members. Their support is reassuring and  invaluable, providing a real incentive to keep writing - so for the first time in months, I picked up a kind-of-ghost story I started last year and have almost finished it. I will be drip feeding it to them over there in three instalments. The setting is remarkably like a cottage I (and possibly you) know well, in Shropshire, with a person newly moved in and finding her feet, with the help of very kind elderly neighbours.

Although despite the possible resemblance, I hope I never go through what my main protagonist experiences in ‘A Bundle of Crows’...

Heading onwards with toadstools

What a month it has been. So many thanks for the supportive comments, advice, emails and messages - who knew there was so much love in the world? I’ve been a little taken aback at how much there is, but profoundly grateful, as it has been an immense help. 

I’ve had my self indulgent week of beating my breast and wailing - it was inevitable, but it’s over now and I feel cleansed and strangely calm, under the circumstances. I have spent the last week organising and planning - some plans that I was already putting in motion before things went wrong, and some new. My brain can be a slow moving animal, but with the aid of numerous lists, I am making progress and dealing with as much as possible. 

My other studio is the bedroom and it is the best place to sort out wools for add-on workshop packs. I held my first Zoom workshop last Wednesday and despite my initial nerves, it went very well. None of the participants had tried needle felting before and over the two and a half hours, with much live demonstrating from myself, they produced excellent toadstools. It was remarkably like holding a real-life workshop, but in some ways better, as I had equal access to everyone and was able to show working techniques to everyone, equally,  without constantly moving round a table. Later, I was sent this lovely in situ photo of a finished piece - 

So with more confidence than I had before, I have set up four hanging toadstool dates for October in U.K. time, with limited spaces of four people per session. 

October 9th, Friday 10.30am - 1pm

October 15th,  Thursday 10.30 - 1pm

October 23rd, Friday, 10.30 - 1pm

October 29th, Friday, 10.30 - 1pm

I’ve already had a couple of bookings, and it’s early days. All of my courses can be booked directly through myself (email me here) with payment via PayPal or booked on my page on Craft Courses here. I am also offering one to one sessions with flexible dates and timing, which should allow for overseas sessions in differing time zones. (Hello America!) 

So, that’s one thing started and a Patreon page is set up for a launch next week, which will initially be a more personal ‘plus’ extension of this blog, for a small subscription. And although I’m spending most of my time tapping away at one website or another, I am still making a little time each day to wind down with my own work. 

Discover more wanderings by supporting me on my Patreon page