Asymmetrical Footed Vessel With Handles-Part 1 of 3

Egg-shaped resist with dyed silk selvedge 'ribbons'.

 

Paper templates for the 'footer' and vessel 'orifice'.

 

Trimming pre-felt to the proper size and shape.

 

Laying out the 'footer'...

 

...and covering it with blue-black wool roving.

(It looks lighter in this photo than it actually is.)

 

Flipping the resist to side two.

 

Wrapping the selvedge strips to the front side...

...and adding clumps of bamboo viscose thrums.

 

Centering the pre-felt 'mouth'.

 

The process for making this vessel was described to me by a friend...

...and I decided, for my first attempt, to try it with an asymmetrical resist.

I prepared a sheet of pre-felt and cut out my 'footer' and 'orifice' shapes...

...then laid out embellishments on the resist surface.

The pre-felt bits were applied next...

...followed by layers of wool roving on both sides.

Next time: handles are fashioned...

...and the real felting begins.

The Art of Elis Vermeulen- A Video

My beautiful friend, smiling...



...and looking quite horrified.

 

I've also seen her 'worried' look once or twice...

...while she was looking at one of my projects...

...and let me tell you, it's not a pleasant experience!! :)

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Elis is a spectacularly unique woman and a fantastic friend...

...and she's also one of the most incredible feltmakers I've ever met.

 

So, if you haven't yet seen it...

...I invite you to watch this wonderful short film about her work.



Congratulations and big kisses to you, Elis!!

There Are 'Many Ways To Skin A Cat' (Idiom)

An experimental project using multiple resists.

 

The finished 'accordion-pleat' felt...



...and seen again, here, from the open end. 

 

A second version of the project, done in a completely different way...

 

...using pre-felt circles stitched together with wool yarn.



I think it looks very 'sea creature-like'...

 

...especially the 'boingy bits' of art yarn which were a gift from my sweet friend, Lindy.

 

'Look, Mama!', it's a mermaid throne! :)

 

This is a project that I first noticed...

...during the 'Midweek Sharing Time' at Felter's Fling, 2011.

When I returned home that summer...

...I fashioned the yellow and orange piece (above) using multiple resists...

...but found it a 'fiddly' and frustrating thing to do.

At Marjolein Dallinga's class this summer...

...I discovered that there's a much simpler way to make a project like this!

By stitching pre-felt circles together with lengths of wool yarn...

...I was able to avoid the awkward fiber layout of my earlier attempt...

...with virtually identical results! :)

'Grapes Project' From A Summer Workshop

Laying out two very thin layers of wool...

 

...in colors that I love...

 

...and colors that I 'resist'. :)

 

Filling each circle with something...

...and tying them tightly with nylon string.

 

After felting the piece and removing the string...

 

...you can see the filled protuberances...

 

...and the empty ones which were originally filled with stones or bits of plastic.

 

My finished sample.

 

I'm afraid that this post has arrived a bit out of order...

...since this project pre-dates my recent red purse post...

...yet these techniques informed the making of that bag.

This sample was from my wonderful class with Marjolein Dallinga this summer...

...and it was a really interesting project to do.

We used very thin layers of wool to make a pre-felt...

...and stuffed hand-stitched pre-felt circles with things like stones, raw fleece, fabric and foam.

For me, the really 'magic' part came...

...when it was finally time to cut open the tops of the 'grapes' and peek inside!! :)

A Rather 'Spicy' Scarf!

The telltale color of turmeric dyeing...



...is one that I like very much! 

 

You can see how the red wool...



...has migrated through the fabric to the 'silk side'! 

Nuno felting makes for lots of lovely ruching. 

 

Here's a view of the 'wool side' of the scarf.

 

There's quite a contrast between the two sides, don't you think?

 

I prefer the lovely texture of the silk side, myself.

 

After our jacket workshop in Tennessee...

...I had a couple of extra days to spend with my dear friend, Kathy.

Inspired by a week of intensive feltmaking and a trip to an International food market...

...(and aided by the purchase of an enormous bag of powdered turmeric)...

...we decided to make a couple of nuno scarves.

We soaked the silk in a solution of water and vinegar...

...and brought our turmeric solution to boil in a pot.

The fabric was added to the pot and taken off the heat...

...then allowed to sit with the lid on for some hours.

After rinsing, we proceeded as usual for a nuno scarf...

...and the color remained bright and true despite all of the soapy water and handling!

Felt Jacket 'Details' and Giveaway Winner

The finished coat front...

 

...and back...



...and a close-up of some of the Mawata silk hankies that I used.

(The blue wispy bits near the center of the photo.)

 

The cuffed sleeve.

 

The bit of raw silk at the edge of the hem.

(I'm grateful to my good friend, Kathy, for her masterful 'serging'!)

 

Adding a leather buttonhole and button 'support'...

...shown with coat open...

 

...and closed.

 

The completed jacket.

 

Since I've been home from my workshop...

...I've managed to finish the last few details on my jacket.

My friend, Kathy, machine serged (overlocked) the edges of the raw silk for a more finished look...

...and I added a lovely ceramic button with leather buttonhole and button 'reinforcement'.

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For my blog anniversary giveaway (the 'Sandwich Felt' purse)...

...a random number generator chose Karen.

Congratulations, Karen!!

Finished WIP: 'Sandwich Felt' Purse- Part 2 of 2

The back side of the dyed felt piece.

 

My 'custom-sized' resist with variegated wool roving.

 

The various elements of the purse. :)



The finished bag...

 

...with front flap open...

 

...peering inside...

 

...and, again, from the 'outside'.

 

It's a great feeling to finish a long-standing WIP!

 

After seeing how much nicer the felt looked after dyeing...

...I was inspired to create a resist to match its 'tooth-shaped' profile...

...and turn it into a purse!

Using variegated roving in blue and grey...

...I created a purse body that would 'just fit' inside the folded felt...

...plus a long cord for the strap.

I stitched the back flap securely to the felt lining...

...and allowed the dyed piece to act as the front flap of the purse.

Since I'm already a month late for my annual Blog anniversary giveaway...

...I would like to offer this purse as a gift to one of you!

If you would like to be entered in the drawing for this bag...

...please leave a comment on this post by midnight (EST) on Wednesday, November 7th...

...and make sure that I have a way to contact you!