Tag Archives: Carrie Cahill Mulligan

Back to The Balsams: Winter 2011 Edition

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The Balsams Grand Resort is beautiful in winter

The Balsams Grand Resort is beautiful in winter.

It’s my favorite time of year: I’m returning to The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel as Visiting Artisan for the week of February 21 – 28, 2011.

Felt hat embroidery workshop for guests at The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel.

Beautiful any time of year, The Balsams (located in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire) is especially enchanting in winter.

The scenery is gorgeous:
A dusting of snow frosts Dixville Notch & The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel.

The skiing (both downhill and cross-country) is fantastic:

Felt hat fiber artist, Carrie Cahill Mulligan enjoys the xc-skiing at The Balsams.

Guests at The Balsams enjoy access to fantastic wilderness skiing.

And the hotel architecture is always lovely:

Mismatched balusters of the grand staircase in the John Dix Social Room at The Balsams.

One of the many gilded cornices that grace The Balsams' grand dining room.

Winter is the perfect time to showcase my felt hats & demonstrate their construction to hotel guests. I especially enjoy teaching workshops to students of all ages:

Rachel's diary says: "On Tuesday I sewed my hat"!

But, of course, at The Balsams it always comes back to the food!

Mmmm... The Balsams has a fantastic breakfast buffet...


... with a dazzling array of tasty choices...


And an omelette chef, awaiting your special request!

The Balsams gets all the details just right:

Elegant silver service adds a special touch to an already special dining experience.

So if you’re up for a very special winter vacation, consider a trip to The Balsams. I promise, you’ll be glad you did!

New Ribbon Embroidery with Antler Button & Seed Beads

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Tiny glass seed beads embellish this freehand ribbon embroidery on felt.

Tiny glass seed beads embellish this freehand ribbon embroidery on felt.

The 77th Annual League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair runs August 7-15, 2010. That means I have 2 more months to embroider the 100+ felt hats I’ve made this winter.

One of my latest designs is this lovely pink flower embroidery, featuring a hand-cut caribou antler button with glass seed beads.

Simple & sweet. I can’t wait to see who scoops up this one…

Canaan Hat Studio Welcomes Visitors of NH Open Doors 2009

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Curious to see the mayhem behind the felting magic?

Carrie Cahill Mulligan's felt hat fiber studio.

Felt hats line the walls of my home fiber studio in Canaan, NH

Come visit my home fiber studio at 693 Canaan Street, in beautiful historic Canaan, New Hampshire this weekend!

Hours:

9am – 3pm Saturday, November 7
10am – 5pm Sunday, November 8, 2009.

See how my hats are made, and custom design your own embroidery to match your favorite winter coat.

Custom cherrry cabinets for our 1840's kitchen remodel

Andy's gorgeous shaker-style cherry cabinets for our 1840's kitchen renovation.

I’ll have some warm apple cider on the stove, and we can talk gardens, too, as well as admire the new cherry cabinets Andy made for our kitchen remodel (gorgeous, eh?).

For printable maps & more information about other artists in the Dartmouth area, visit the NH Open Doors website.

I hope you can visit!

Happy (belated) Felt Hat Day!

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A felt hat is the perfect accessory for exploring the rainy ruins of Achill Island, Ireland, September 2006.

A felt hat is the perfect accessory for exploring the rainy ruins of Achill Island, Ireland.

Apparently, yesterday was Felt Hat Day… who knew?

(FYI: Two days ago was Cream-filled Doughnut Day, while today is Collect Rocks Day.)

I hope yours was happy… I spent the better part of the day signing myself up for a Twitter account: @CCMFeltHats, if you like to tweet!

Moments in Glass: Nicholas Kekic of Tsuga Studios

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Miniature bud vases by 3rd generation American Glass Artist, Nicholas Kekic of Tsuga Studios

Miniature bud vases by 3rd generation American Glass Artist, Nicholas Kekic of Tsuga Studios

My Blog Triage classmate, Jackie Jacobson recently wrote about glass artists she knows from the Pacific Northwest.

Which got me thinking about some of my favorite League of New Hampshire Craftsmen glass artists:

Hand-blown Spring Tree wine goblets by American glass artist Jordana Korsen.

Hand-blown Spring Tree wine goblets by American glass artist Jordana Korsen.

There’s Jordana Korsen and her fantastic tree goblets. There’s Nathan Macomber’s beautiful sculptural work, Philip Jacobs’ amazing blown glass lampshades, and Harry Bessett’s wonderful stemless wineglasses.

But my latest favorite is Nicholas Kekic, maker of gorgeous, luminous vases, each exquisitely shaped.

Nick Kekik's frosted hand-blown glass vases add so much joy to our 1840's dining room.

Nick Kekik's frosted hand-blown glass vases add so much joy to our 1840's dining room.

Do you have a favorite glass artist? Do tell… I’m always looking for functional fine art to grace our old home. ;)

New Embroidery Design for Felt Hats: Mandala of French Knots

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New freehand embroidery, with variegated french knots in wool on felt.

New freehand embroidery, with variegated french knots in wool on felt.

If you didn’t get a chance to visit me at this year’s League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair, you missed seeing my latest design: Mandala of French Knots.

According to Wikipedia:

“Mandala [...] translates as ‘circle-circumference’ or ‘completion’ [...]
a concentric diagram having spiritual and ritual significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism.”

That makes sense to me. I’ve been thinking a lot about Mom. And the circle of one year of grieving was completing just as this design was born.

Cool tones on black was the first incarnation of the new Mandala embroidery.

Cool tones on black was the first incarnation of the new Mandala embroidery.

Plus, it’s summer, my garden is booming and broccoli reminds me of french knots!

Back to School: Blog Triage Class Begins!

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On Monday, I head back to my day job, checking id’s at Dartmouth’s Alumni Gym.

Checking id's at Dartmouth's Alumni Gym while Embroidering Hats

Checking id's at Dartmouth's Alumni Gym while Embroidering Hats

I love my job! Not only do I get to enjoy all the energy of a vibrant, Ivy League campus, but I get to make my warm, felt hats at the same time.

And for the next 4 weeks, I’ll be part of the online Blog Triage Class led by art business guru, Alyson Stanfield and creativity coach, Cynthia Morris.

My first assignment: determine who reads this blog.

I hope that this site is useful for my friends, family and hat collectors, who want to know more about my hats, how they are made, and what inspires me.

I also imagine that other fiber artists stop by on their search for embroidery inspiration and tips.

And I hope that the occasional hockey nut (who gets here looking for CCM brand hockey gear) is amused at the intersection of my passions for fiber art and hockey.

Knitting hats between hockey games, Healy, Alaska, 2003.

Knitting hats between hockey games, Healy, Alaska, 2003.

Am I close? Who are you, really, Gentle Reader?

Feel free to introduce yourself by leaving a comment. I’d love to get to know you better!

Thank You for Visiting the LNHC Craftsmen’s Fair at Sunapee!

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Fantastic weather combined with fantastic people made this year’s League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair at Mt. Sunapee a real treat!

Julie & Dorothy Model the Hats That Chose Them

Julie & Dorothy Model the Hats That Chose Them

So many happy hat folks stopped by to say hello and tell me how much they love their hats…
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Thank you! I’m grateful that my art-to-wear hats are out there in the world, making lives warmer and brighter.

(Couldn’t make it this year? The LNHC Fair starts the first Saturday in August every year. Mark your calendars for August 7 – 15, 2010!)

NEW for the League of NH Craftsmen’s Sunapee Fair: Embroidered Felt Hat with Antler Buttons

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With just 5 days until the start of the 76th Annual League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair at Mt. Sunapee, I’ve been embroidering felt hats as fast as I can.

Hand-cut caribou antler button, seed beads and ribbon embroidery on felt.

Hand-cut caribou antler button, seed beads and ribbon embroidery on felt.

I love the over-sized caribou antler buttons on this hat (2008 #124)…

I’ll be in Tent 7, Booth 713 for all nine days of the Fair, with as much new work as I can muster!