Sunday, November 15, 2009

Chapeau Rouge-Part 1

 
 
 

"Why so much French", you ask? Well, something about the making of a chapeau makes me feel tres French.

I was puzzling over what to make for my eldest daughter's soon-to-be mother-in-law for Christmas, and my daughter suggested a red hat.

...so I couldn't resist.

No, honestly...I really, really struggle with resists in felting!!

...but I put my fears aside and threw myself into the experience.

I first drafted a paper pattern, making sure that there were no pointy edges and that it was a good deal larger than my final project (see ruler for approximate size).

The resist itself is made of a piece of floating floor underlayment.

I bought a huge roll of it at a local home and garden store, and I absolutely lurve this stuff!!

I applied several layers of a slightly variegated red roving to the resist, and rolled it until the resist started rolling up inside the felt.

I cut it open and fulled it more fully :O on my glass washboard.

...then tried to fit it over a blown-up Gertie ball.

No dice.

...but then I got the bright idea of putting the collapsed ball into the hat and then blowing it up.

Et voila...un succes!!

...to be continued...
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