Bracelet obsession

I've come up with something that is so much fun to make its turning into a bit of an obsession!  These bracelets are made as a flat felt square with resists at the centre to create layers.

During the felting process I cut through the centre and to finish I turn the square inside out to form a bracelet.

There is certainly an element of surprise, as each one turns out unique and allows me to experiment with various surface additions like silk, yarn and cotton scrim.  They are also great to wear!

Fibre Fest

I have been a member of the Queensland Spinners, Weavers and Fibre artists QSWFA for around 6 months now, though its only recently that I've managed to attend their meetings regularly.  They have an exhibition and sale called 'Fibre Fest' coming up where they will display all their marvellous work, please come along if you are in Brisbane 1-3 March, at the lovely Botanic Gardens auditorium, Mount Coot-tha. I submitted my chicken tea cosy for the exhibition, but having seen some of the other exhibitors work I'm now a little in awe - perhaps my chicken will make it into the back corner of the exhibition somewhere, if I'm lucky!

My colours

We all have a favourite colour (mine is purple).  Colours can reflect moods and feelings, or remind us of places and seasons.  There are some colours that suit us better than others.  When I open my box of wool and start a project I don't tend to know what colour combinations I will use, I just let the colours speak to me.  

I made both these pieces at least a year apart, and when I made the second piece, the chicken tea cosy, I didn't have in mind the bag that I had made earlier.  So, these colours are simply a combination that I seem to be drawn to time and again, 'my' colours!  I suppose they are quite autumnal with the rich oranges and reds, autumn is my favourite season, whilst the greens are quite fresh and vibrant.  I've experimented a little with texture here, adding some fancy wool and bit of silk, also mixing up the fleece microns.  Both are made using the resist technique: where I lay out the wool on either side of a piece of thin plastic (the resist) and then remove this plastic once the item is felted.  It is possible to do some really amazing things using resists, including multiple resists, for example see these pieces by artist Martien van Zuilen.

Little Owlets

Owls are everywhere these days.  I did a sewing workshop at the Canberra Craft and Quilt Fair a couple of years ago with BeBe Bold, who sell beautiful Japanese fabrics.  They have a great Owl pattern that is just perfect for using up odds and ends of fabric, and of course, felt!

Mad hatter

I'm always rather ambitious when I start things, and always want to know everything at once!  So, a hat making workshops a few months after I began felting? Bring it on!  In fact, it was a wonderful experience, I learnt so many things in the one day, thanks to a marvellous teacher Pam de Groot.  I traveled to her cosy workshop in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, where I spent a blissful day not just learning to make a hat but learning about the design process, taking ideas and inspiration and turning them into an object.  Pam is a not only a gifted artist but also a very good teacher who seeks not just to show you what to do, but to nurture your creativity and turn your wacky ideas into reality!  I also learnt a lot about shrinkage, making dreadlocks, attaching dreadlocks, making 'quality' felt (even and tight), hat construction, colour and how a little bit of silk really can go a long way to great effect.  Here is the result of my efforts - an original design but very much based on Pam's work (we started with modifying a template of hers to fit my idea of the front 'turn-up').  This was initially flat felted using the template (resist) and then when we had done a LOT of rolling finished with a hat block.  You can see more of Pam's hat's and theatrical headdresses on her blog, they are sure to inspire.  Pam also wrote a nice little blog post about the workshop and my hat - 'what a cracker'!

The photo of me wearing my hat below is Pam's photo from her blog - taken just after the hat was made (still wet with pins in!)

From a photo

Each year, the CRF hold a club competition.  In 2010 we were each given a sealed envelope with a photo inside - we were to use this as our inspiration!  Here is the pot-luck photo I was given.

Perspective, colour, shapes, opening, depth, intrigue, layers... so many ideas!  I knew I wanted to make something like a Matryoshka (russian doll), and for it to have a geometric feel - nested boxes.  However, I was quite a novice with limited experience to draw on!  But one thing I had learnt was to felt a ball... Then, looking closely at this picture, you see there is a ball on the table - perfect!  Here is my interpretation of this photo.  I'm proud to say I won the club competition with this piece, and got to keep the 'Ashes' for a year!

Great balls of felt!

I was shown a great technique to make felt balls like these by former CRF president Lynn Petersen, at one of the first gatherings I attended.  Felt around a ping pong ball or similar (I have since used a cat toy with a bell inside!).  Firstly wrap a small piece of bubble wrap around the ball and secure it very loosely with a little tape.  Add some wool in a couple of layers, then start to massage the ball, dry felting only, until it reaches a 'pre-felt' stage.  Then, make a little hole and remove the bubble wrap.  Continue to felt the ball, now adding a little soap and hot water.  Felting the ball this way gives it a very nice even and firm finish, and they are just so tactile.