Organza experiment

I found some rolls of shiny - almost metallic - synthetic organza in a craft shop and wanted to see this fabric would work for nuno felting. 

I put thin layers of merino wool tops, and a few bits of silk and also trapped some wool nepps and strands of spun wool in between the merino. 

It took a bit of elbow grease - and I did use an electric sanding machine. But the wool did attach itself to the organza and start to felt. Enough for a decorative object, though perhaps not for something subject to much wear. It had an underwater look about it, so I added more organza shapes (some shiny fish and starfish) and some wool and ribbon weeds. I trapped all this under some soluble interfacing, and then machined lots of ripply lines to hold it all. Then rinsed away the interfacing. I was quite pleased with the result. But what I really like is the effect when you hold the piece up to the light. Love the way the nepps show up.  Here it is against a window:

I also experimented with a small piece, throwing it in the tumble drier to felt. Amazingly this felted quickly and much more firmly. The colours reminded me of Monet's waterlilies, so I doodled on a few with the machine.  

Oops funny how you can spot loose threads that need trimming in a photo!

Not sure what I can do with these samples, but I learned a lot and will incorporate organza onto future pieces. 

Those are pearls ...

I made this watery piece a while ago. I was experimenting with layering strips of plastic resist in the wool before felting, and then cutting along those lines to reveal the middle layers of dark blue wool. I stitched pearls into the cut back sections, inspired by the beautiful poem in the Tempest:

Full fathoms five thy father lies

Of his bones are coral made
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell.

I thought I might hang it from a piece if driftwood I found on the Suffolk coast.

Idea: If that's "water" perhaps make a matching piece, "earth" in hot earthy colours - browns oranges, and make the cut out in a rough spriral shape. Decorate with brownish seed things - star anise etc.