Stella Motus (For Felt Feutre)- Part 2

As the felting continues...

                             ...black fibers begin to migrate through the white wool...

                                            ...turning it a lovely heathery grey.

                                     I roll carefully, changing orientation regularly...

                                         ...to maintain the piece's circular shape.

                                                          Once fully felted...

                            ...beads and seed pearls are sewn onto the felt surface...

                                                       ...as 'celestial glitter'...

                                           ...and I embroider running stitches...

                                                      ...and French knots....

                                         ...to indicate the movement of the stars.

                                                The reverse side of the project...

                                                        ...with hanging loop.

                       The organizers of Felt Feutre asked Canadian feltmakers...

                                              ...and all workshop participants...

                                            ...to create a small wall-art piece...

                               ...depicting the movement of the stars (stella motus).

                         They will first be displayed as a community felt installation...

     ...and later sold to provide scholarships for the next Canadian Felt Symposium. 

Stella Motus (For Felt Feutre)- Part 1

Using a large lid as a template...

...I cut a circle from a sheet of commercial pre-felt...

                                   ...fold it into a wedge, and cut curved slits into it.

                                The lacy cut-out is laid atop a sheet of white pre-felt...

                                        ...pulled open a bit, and pinned into place.

                                             The project is flipped to side two...

                   ...and two thin, perpendicular layers of merino wool are added.

                                                   The project is wetted out...

                                             ...and flipped back to side one.

            The pins are removed and beads are lightly stitched to the project surface.

                        (Unfortunately, this experiment didn't work as I had hoped...

                             ...as the thread did not felt into the body of the piece...

                                ...and nearly all of the beads fell off during felting.)

                            The excess roving is folded in to create a neat circle...

                   ...and extra wool is added (over a narrow bubble wrap resist)...

                                                   ...to make a hanging loop.

                                        Rubbing commences (but no rolling, yet)...

                                       ...and once the project develops a 'skin'...

                                     ...the narrow white wool border is trimmed off.

                                           Next time: the finished stella motus...

                                             ...with beads and embroidery!

Mr. Fox- Part 2

Mr. Fox is looking a bit more animated now...

                                                      ...and I'm happy to see...

                           ...that the tail (engineered to help hold him 'upright')...

                                                             ...really works!!

                                                        Once he's fully dry...

                           ...I stuff him with commercial wool scraps and roving...

                                                ...and needle felt his eyes.

          (I don't want to add anything that can be pulled off by a baby and eaten!)

                                                          I stuff him firmly...

                                                             ...but softly...

                                                       ...so that little hands...

                                                      ...can easily grasp him.

                              I'd like to make a couple of other long-tailed animals..

                                                  ...for my 'Honey's toy box'!

Mr. Fox- Part 1

I fashion a 'fox' resist from foam underlayment...

                                         ...and cover it with lovely, hairy wool...

                                                ...in natural black and brown...

                                 ...wrapping the wool carefully around the resist...

                                              ...after each thin layer of fiber.

                                        Bubble wrap and painter's plastic resists...

                                    ...are employed to keep the tail (and muzzle)...

                                          ...from felting into the body of the fox.

                                           A thin layer of white wool comes next...

                                         ...and then dark wool is added in spots...

                                              ...to create Mr. Fox's markings.

                                                      As the felting continues...

                                 ...the wool begins to shrink and pull in on the resist.

                                   A small slit is made on the underside of the tail...

                                                 ...and the foam is removed.

                               Felting continues with the help of long, narrow tools.

                                                 Next time: the finished toy!