Friday 11 October 2013

I am still here...

Apologies to everyone (anyone??) who has been waiting with baited breath for a new post from me! Well, life has rather overtaken felting during the last months. We are in the slow process of moving from Belgium back to the UK after a very long time away - we first arrived in Brussels in 1981! We packed up our home here in May, and are leading a nomadic existence while we renovate a 400 year old barn in Suffolk.
And maybe - just maybe - the renovations will include a studio for me where I can make felt to my hearts content!

Meanwhile, my wool is all packed up in boxes.

So here are a few pictures of an exhibition in Cahors, (SW France) this summer by the artist Odon. Huge cobweb structures made from intricately plaited and woven paper, which is first hand made and dyed.





Saturday 2 February 2013

The Egg-Bag (part 1)

I haven't done any felting for ages! And it was hard to decide what to make to break the felting fast. How about an egg?
I have been wanting to try a one piece handbag with an integrated handle, so here goes.
I used 3 layers of merino wool around an egg shaped resist with a slightly flattened bottom.
To make the felt very strong, I incorporated a layer of cotton scrim between the top 2 layers of wool. I'm not sure if this has made very much difference, but I had some purple dyed scrim.
I carefully felted and fulled the piece using a bamboo blind and cool water with savon de marseille.  In this picture it is lying on the resist, so you can see how much it has shrunk.
I also added small pieces of silk in a random way as surface decoration, but they have all but disappeared into the felt.
It is still damp, and I have cut a curved line to remove the resist and form the handle and flap.
And the same on the other side.
Here it is stuffed with plastic bags and drying. I am feeling very pleased with the shape. 
I am planning to put some thick cord into the handle, and stitch the edges together, so that it holds its shape even with some weight in the bag. 
How should I decorate it to finish it off? - any ideas welcome!