As I write this I am sitting in
the woods, overlooking a beau-
tiful lake. The birds are singing
and a light breeze is blowing.
I love nature and it’s effects on
me. I feel so at peace and
grounded when I am
in her presence.
I think you would
agree that July and
August have been
fabulous months
with lots of sunshine
and warm weather.
You might have noticed that
the days are getting shorter and
cooler. Whether we like it or
not we are heading towards
September and back to school.
As much as I am loving my
summer of 2011, I am also
excited to resume hosting
felting workshops, that gather
and inspire.
I love hosting workshops from
my home. When we gather at
the long tables in
my big red room
with bags of wool
roving, a fun, crea-
tive vibe is created.
As we felt our pro-
jects and conversa-
tion takes a life of
their own. When
people leave they feel invigor-
ated for having created a piece
of art and to have connected
with others. Many crafters
leave with intentions of giving
their piece of art to a loved
one. That is precisely what I
love about coming together
and felting; the friendship, the
creative expression and the
giving. In this way these
workshops are more like a
gathering of the spirit.
Annie Bananie
Felting is easy and fun. It’s the
art of sculpting raw wool with
a barbed needle. As the needle
punctures the fibers the barbs
pull the fibers upwards and
they bind together. It’s like
magic! There are no stitches to
count like in knitting or a ma-
chine to contend with like sew-
ing. In this way projects are
easy to put down and start
again. It is highly addictive and
meditative. My first project was
doll making. I was so enam-
ored with the art that I made
10 dolls in 1 week! Yes, I was
felting all day and night. I
could not put the needle down!
What is needle Felting?
August
Volume 1, Issue 1
Felting is...
Fun
Easy
Meditative
Creative
Inexpensive
www. anniebananie.ca
“ In this way these
workshops are more
like a gathering of the
spirit.”
Fall Equinox is but a month
away, Thanksgiving and Hal-
loween just around the cor-
ner.
What a great time to cele-
brate those great orange
pumpkins that we see in the
markets and maybe even in
your garden. In this work-
shop you will felt a mouse in
a house. The pumpkin is
actually hollow which makes
a perfect little house for your
mouse. This cute mouse and
pumpkin take on a character of
their own and make a great
centerpiece for your dining
room table on Thanksgiving or
your nature table.
We will learn a short and cute
story to go with your mouse so
that you can use them as
props. Children love to be
dazzled with a little puppet
show.
Come and join me and your
friends in the Ottawa commu-
nity for this fun workshop.
you might put a felted doll
and name her Mrs.Thaw to
represent the melting snow
and coming of warm weath-
er. Come summer you
could gather as a family to
make felted butterflies to
decorate the space.
There is a nature table in
Waldorf classrooms and in
many homes around the
world. It’s a special place, a
shelf, table that honours
nature. As the seasons
change from spring, to sum-
mer, to fall and winter so
does the table. In the spring
It is a great space for adults
and children alike to re-
member nature and it’s
strength and her year long
story. Nature is within us,
there is no denying it.
Mouse in a House
What is a Nature Table?
do as little as 11 minutes a day
to feel a difference in your life.
The class will be an hour and a
half long followed by some
yogi tea and hang out time. It
will be a small class of 7 stu-
dents. Come and experience
this great wisdom. It’s time to
invest in you.
Sat Nam...
September Yoga Class
Kundalini yoga incorporates
pranayama (breath work),
Mantra (meditation) and asanas
(posture) to elevate you into a
higher consciousness.
In this class we will learn a
simple basic set that you can
take home for your personal
practice. The beauty of
Kundalini yoga is that you can
If you’ve experienced the
wisdom of yoga you
know that it leaves you
feeling elevated and ever
so good. It heightens
your body awareness,
stills the mind and
deepens your connection
with your self.
Page 2 Annie Bananie Volume 1, I ssue 1
When?
September 21rst, 2011
Time?
19:00– 21:30
Where?
Address will be given
upon registration
Cost?
$40/person includes
supplies, light snack
and tea
Register at:
When?
September 14th, 2011
Time?
19:00– 21:00
Where?
My house address to be
given upon registration
Cost?
$14/ includes class and
yogi tea
Register at:
Mother Nature and one
of her Earth Children
Wool Anyone?
My Green TOY BOX
If you were to walk into my
crafting room, you would
find wall to wall, wool roving
and batting. The colours
come in various shades of
yellows, pinks, oranges,
browns, blues and purples.
They look so pretty and hold
millions of possibilities.
Also in my bag of tricks, I
have 50 lbs bags of white
roving. I plan on learning
how to dye my own wool
with natural dyes. Nature
supplies us with plenty of
color choices for our natural
fibers. Onion skins give
you a shade of yellow, tea
bags a shade of brown,
beets red and so much
more. Mother nature is our
playground.
I love to felt with my 6-year old daughter. It's a time
when we both get excited about making our own
projects and connect with each other while felting
away.
She was so excited when we picked up another load of
brightly coloured wool today!
-Nanda and Tray
Page 3 Annie Bananie Volume 1, I ssue 1
Available, Coriedale and
Merino wool roving. Great
for needle felting, wet felt-
ing and spinning.
$2/meter
Medium felting nee-
dles. Great for all of
your needle felting
needs.
$1.50/needle
Introducing my line of felting kits called
My Green TOY BOX. Each 100% cot-
ton bag holds enough wool to make 3
beautiful balls or wherever your creative
mind takes you. That
is what is great about
felting the possibilities
are endless. This
makes a great gift for
adults and children
alike.
Although children will
need help and supervision
there is no better way to
connect with a child than
through creative expres-
sion. Children are fasci-
nated by the magic of
felting.
$20/per bag, includes a
lot of fun.
Questions? Inquiries? Comments? Please contact me:
At home: 613-421-0523
My Cell: 613-240-1845
wares. We created a Face-
book event and invited all
our friends and family. A
sign outside invited
passerby's to feel welcome.
There was food, wine and
great things to purchase.
The Ottawa community has
a great opportunity to buy
local. From jewelry, up cy-
cled clothing, toys, food,
crafting supplies and so
much more.
Workermade wants to bring
back the value in handmade
goods and the value of you
getting to know the artisans
who put their heart and soul
into making the products
you buy.
Learning how to sell hand-
made goods has been a
learning curb. My friend
Karie and I from Rehash
walked the road blindly
slowly, stumbling along. In
our efforts to become suc-
cessful in our trade we de-
cided to form a hand mak-
ers collective called Worker-
made.
To make this idea reality we
collected names and contact
info of local crafters and
sent an invite for our first
meeting last January. Since
that first meeting we have
15 very talented members.
This past June we had our
first Trunk Show where
each artist took a space in
my home to display their
If you missed Workermade
June’s trunk show, no wor-
ries we plan on having an-
other in the next few
month’s. For now you can
check www.anniebananie.ca
for links to these amazing
talented women.
Workermade: The Handmakers Collective Indigo Designs
Haley By Hand
Tweal
Workermade
The Gallery