Thursday 14 March 2019

Marvellous Mixed Media Felting Workshop Part 2

Please see previous post for Part 1 of this workshop.

We returned the following day, having some ideas of what elements we wanted to include but still very much prepared for the part serendipity might play.

As in Part 1, I'm grateful to Bernice (BH), Caroline (CM) and Deb (DD) for extra images.


Bernice produced several pieces and again documented the process well.


Experimenting with the orientation.


Adding surface decoration


A different kind of resist


Deb also tried this type of double resist ...

(BH)

... with a beautiful result as she began to cut into it later.

Detail of the above, after beginning to cut into it (CM)

My piece using a similar double resist has a border of nuno felted recycled silk chiffon but it was still awaiting the scissors here ...


... but I did spend a lot of time thinking about the layers on this next piece!

My clothes don't always match my work but it does happen quite often! (CM)

Unfortunately, I was so engrossed thinking about the layers that I forgot to take many photos of the different stages of this but I began with a layer of purple needle-felted pre-felt, adding a copper shim circle, which I'd marked in a spiral with a 'dead' biro.


After adding more layers, including glass beads, more copper shapes and another resist over the copper spiral, I also used some of the purple pre-felt as added decoration on the top layer, along with some dyed Blue Faced Leicester curls.

I finally remembered about photos!

After felting, it looked like this ...


Here come the scissors ...




I was very pleased with it at this stage and resolved to cut into it more at home.

Deb's next piece had several resists in the different layers ...

(DD)

... with added delicate surface decoration.

(BH)

Cutting into the layers to remove the resists

Detail of the above after Deb has begun to cut into the felt (CM)

We were all inspired to continue working on our pieces at home. Deb made a fabulous new piece using the same techniques ...

Detail (DD)

I finished cutting into my rainbow copper spiral piece, concentrating on the purple pre-felt in the bottom corner ...

Detail of cutting into top layer of purple pre-felt

... and thought about stitching but decided not to.

Finished piece waiting to be mounted

Then, look what happened when I started cutting into my double resist piece with nuno-felted strips!


Still work in progress but, when I bent it in my hands to see more clearly what colour was under the turquoise, it became decidedly 3d and will probably be a vessel. Did I mention Serendipity?

Come and see us in Uttoxeter at Quilt & Stitch Village (12th - 14th April) to see this and more of our work in Traverse's new exhibition for 2019, 'Revealed'. We'd love to see you there.

We thoroughly enjoyed our two days at the Felt Foundry with Caroline and came away with many new ideas and techniques to explore. Bernice is writing a separate blog about what happened next with her work. Watch this space for Part 3 - coming soon ...

Cath