Colorful "Wizard Hat"- Part 2 of 2

The finished project, drying.

                                                        This "Wizard Hat"...

                                             ...embellished with boucle yarn...

                                                ...and snippets of pre-felt...

                              ...was made while I was in Boulder with felting friends.

                                  It came about after Tylar made a small ornament...

                                             ...in this exact shape and design...

                                          ...and I decided to scale it up for a hat!

                                          Of course I just had to give it to Cathy...

                  ...when I saw that she owned the perfect, coordinating garment.

                                        (Plus, she makes one badass Wizard!!) 

                        Here, "Catherine de Bergère" gives us a wooly benediction...

                            ...while holding the felted ornament which started it all! :)

Colorful "Wizard Hat"- Part 1 of 2

Covering a resist...

 ...with striped layers of wool roving...

                                          ...(using different colors on each side).

                                              Adding pre-felt embellishments...

                                                            ...corner cords...

                                             ...and 'squiggles' of boucle yarn...
  
                                                      ...to the resist surface...

                                               ...and repeating the process...

                                                            ...on side two.

                                          After the project passes the pinch test...

                          ...a circle is cut from the center of the partially felted wool...

                                                ...and the resist is removed.

                                                       The felting continues...

                                                   ...in different orientations...

                                                ...until the project is fully felted...

                                     ...and the hat is pinned and clipped for drying.

                                               Next time: the completed hat...

                                        ...with a beautiful 'wizard' as model!!! :)

Woven Pre-Felt Experiment with Silk Gauze

Alternating strips of brightly colored pre-felt...

                                                ...and strips of painter's plastic...

                                                      ...(cut to the same width)...

                                                     ...to form a woven grid.

                                                     Wetting out the project...

                                       ...and covering it with a layer of silk gauze.

                                                   Mid-way through felting...

                        ...the colored fibers are beginning to migrate through the silk...

                                   ...and the plastic strips have rolled up into cords.

                                                           Fulling the project.

                                      Overall, I consider this a failed experiment...

                   ...as the intentional gaps left from the insertion of the plastic strips...

                                        ...were ultimately not all that interesting. :(

Next time: something that actually worked! :)

'Rasta' Top Hat- Part 2

Covering the resist with several layers of wool...

                                                 ...from multi-colored batts...

                                           ...and in-between the layers of wool...

                                          ...adding a number of soft wool balls...

                                                   ...for texture and interest.

                                      (Sorry that there are no photos of this step...

                     ...I was in Boulder and wasn't 'documenting' like I do at home).

                                                      After felting for a time...

                                                      ...the resist is removed...

                                    ...and the hat is turned right-side out for fulling.

                                           The finished top hat is much too tall...

                                      ...and no embroidery has yet been done...

                                                       ...around the felt balls...

                                                           ...but it's a good shape...

                                        ...and I'd like to try another one someday...

                                        
                                                       ...with a shorter resist.

                                              The yarn-embellished pre-felt crown...

                                                         ...felted in beautifully...

                                            ...and it helps to make this bold hat...

                                              ...even more...erm...exuberant! ')

'Rasta' Top Hat- Part 1

Adding a spiral to several layers of wool...

...to fashion a yarn-embellished pre-felt.

                                                      Covering the resist...

                                            ...with sections of bright roving...

                                           ...then flipping the project to side two.

                                                Repeating the wool layers...

                                                   ...in the same orientation...

                                                      ...on the second side.

                                              Flattening out the resist 'flange'...

                                      ...and applying the embellished pre-felt oval.

                                     Next time: additional layers of wool are added.