Thursday, May 3, 2012

Wet-Felted Compost Bin- Part 2 of 3

The promised Nick Cave impersonation! :)



Sizing the chicken wire prior to trimming it with wire cutters... 
 
....by letting the roll expand to fit the felt cylinder.



Cutting a bottom for the bin and wiring it on... 


...and here, from another angle.
 
An 'outdoor shot' after hand stitching the felt to the top and bottom of the bin...

 
...but prior to attaching the lid.




Because I want the finished compost, as it settles, to 'return to the earth'...

...the wire bottom was not covered in felt, but left bare.

 

To give you a sense of scale for this project...

...my boyfriend was kind (silly?) enough to do his best 'Nick Cave Soundsuit dance' for you. ;)

He did all of the wire cutting and assemblage on this project, as well...

...and I am quite grateful to him for that!

We expanded the roll of chicken wire inside the felt cylinder...

...adding several inches for an overlap, prior to cutting.

After wiring it together, he cut a chicken wire circle...

...and affixed it to the bottom of the project as a base.

To make this as neat and elegant a compost bin(!) as possible...

...I hand-stitched the felt to the wire at the top and bottom with strong thread.

Next time: the lid...

...and the solution to my hinge and fastener conundrum! :)
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14 comments:

FeltersJourney said...

Its certainly the most 'easy on the eye' compost bin I have ever seen.. well done to you both :)

FeltFinland said...

I am intrigued as to how it will stand up to the elements, birds, mice and the general great outdoors!
Amanda

Heather Woollove said...

Deborah--Thanks!! :)
Amanda--Me, too! I'm also wondering how it will alter the rate of decomposition. It's less open to air, so that may retard it, but it'll be hotter, so that may increase it. It's a science experiment!! :)

Rachel said...

Help, help, someone's being eaten by a bin!

Voie de Vie said...

This is definitely an intriguing experiment - I had the same question in my head about holding up to the elements. Felt is pretty hardy stuff, so this will be cool to see.

Definitely post periodic updates! And nice impersonation. :)

krex said...

Hold on to that guy...I feel lucky when I can get mine to take out the garbage . Very ambitious project and love experiments .

Anonymous said...

I would be willing to bet there is not another compost bin as lovely, in the whole wide world! You are going to have some really classy compost my friend. Now, let them dare to say a word, eh? LOL :)

Heather Woollove said...

Rachel- :)
Denise--Good idea about the updates!
Krex--Yep...he's a great guy.
Sandie--I'm hoping that they just think it's some weird sculpture or something and leave me alone!! :)

Cloverleaf Art and Fibre said...

This is brilliant, and beautiful, and it makes me laugh. Thanks!! Margaret

Heather Woollove said...

Margaret--I'm glad that you enjoyed it! I was so angry at first, when I had to remove my well-functioning compost pile...but I translated my desire not to be bested by 'petty bureaucrats' into this project, and it was very satisfying! ;)

Karen said...

Heather this is so innovative! I love it.....

Heather Woollove said...

Karen--Thanks so much! I love making 'useful' things! :) XXO-

Felt Happiness said...

Very cool! Like the color too. So how has felt held up with outdoor elements and internal heating / microorganisms?

Much prettier than the usual black plastic bins.

Heather Woollove said...

Hi F.H.-I've made several of these bins. Here's how one of them fared: http://woollove-functional-fiberart.blogspot.com/2013/11/compost-bin-cover-redux.html