Fleece Felt Retreat, June 25 - 27, 2011

Olive on Fleece Felt

The Woodlot

Food at BYO Felt Retreat, 2010

Sunrise at the Woodlot

A quick post to share a link to images related the upcoming Fleece Felt Retreat my family and I are planning this June 25 to 27, 2011.  Participants will be sleeping, dining and relaxing at our family camp, The Woodlot, nestled in the woods at the edge of Skaneateles Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York.  Felting takes place about a mile away at the Odd "Felter's" Hall. 

Felting in the Odd Felter's Hall, our retreat venue

$450 is All inclusive of meals, 3 nights lodging, 2 day workshop.  Last summer we held a Bring Your Own Felt (BYOB) Retreat here and it was fantastic.  Our goal is to raise income to  help maintain our family camp and the extended family pitches in to help.  My nieces and their partners take turns cooking our fabulous dinners, we all help clean and prepare for the event.  My sister Sue will be helping out at the retreat along with our dear friend Cher Benda of Wild Turkey Felt Woolworks.  Sister Margie will be back from a bell ringing event to help out on day two.  Sadly, our sister Polly is back home in Australia, but she'll be with us in spirit, I'm sure!

Proud first felter outside the Odd Felter's Hall at BYO Felt, 2010

There are a few more images here: Picassa web album for Fleece Felt Retreat!


For the two day workshop we will be using raw, uncarded longwool fleece to felt dense mats that can be used for throws, rugs or pet mats.  I  taught a version of this workshop at Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festiaval a few years ago.  It is very tactile, fun felting with wool so close to its origins, pure and unprocesed. 

Student making Fleece Felt at my Rhinebeck Workshop

This retreat is as much about waking up to the lull of waves lapping on the shore and hanging out with felting friends new and old, as as it is felting.  But our felting will be great too!  The felting venue is located on beautiful Old Salt Road, which I've been told was named for the route it provided for transporting salt mined in the region many years ago. The landscape is a patch work of rolling farm land, one of my favorite locations in the world. 

More to come, but I am off to the Woodlot for opening weekend with my family. Time to wash, vacuum, rearrange, plant and breathe the fresh Spring air, ahhhhhh. Trillium season in our woods and the lake will be very still. Email me for details if you are interested or visit my web site! www.luckystonestudio.com

Sisters: Margie Sutton, Polly Stirling, Robin Blakney-Carlson, Susan Blakney

We LOVE it there!