Felting in the Studio

Making making in the studio this past week... felted rabbits and talismans. Thought it might be nice to share some work-in-progress pics. My plan is to create some online workshops in the near future, so photographing some step-by-step process pics helps me think more linearly too. (Photos, top to bottom: Felting rabbit head shaped around a resist; wetting down the loose fibers; dry fibers laid down and felted dreadlocks for talisman; checking rabbit ear to ensure strong enough to remove resist; final felted rabbits, stuffed with Pima cotton and weighted with a silk, hand-sewn bag of river stones.)

Felted Botanical Vessel

I just wet-felted and finished another round, botanical-themed bowl in preparation for the 2-day Vessels & Votives Workshop which I'll be conducting here at the Grand Canyon in October. With a finished size of 10.5" (h) x 14.5" (diam.), this smaller format seems more manageable for a beginner-intemerdiate level class. Working with pre-felts can be challenging for those who've never felted before, but with so many other surface design options available, I know class participants will have no problem decorating their vessels. If you are interested in a weekend immersion class where you'll explore felting both small- and large-sized vessels using resists, as well as learn to dye wool roving with acid dyes, then sign up now! Class size is limited to just 12 participants. Come learn in one of the world's most beautiful wild classrooms!

Experimenting with Surface Resists

In preparation for an upcoming workshop, I wanted to do more experimentation with surface resists. This 14"(w) x 10.5"(h), wet-felted, white-on-brown wool bowl is the most recent result. Kitty was hoping it was a cat cave, but alas, it is not. The slits were made using crescent-shaped pieces of plastic which were removed midway through the fulling stage — thereby allowing the cut edges to "heal" during the final fulling. Some stiffener was used to keep the soft vessel from denting when roughly handled. I've a few more experiments to do prior to the next Vessels & Votives workshop, so stay tuned.

Felted Botanical Vessels

I just completed this large, round bowl and added a second layer of stiffener to the tall vessel, then had them photographed this week. The round vessel is approximately 12"(h) x 17"(diam.); the tall vessel is 24"(h) x 7"(diam.).  This work is a continuation of a series entitled, "Botanical" which utilizes pre-felt cut-outs along with Merino top (100% wool). The round piece will be available for sale at the upcoming Flag Wool & Fiber Festival with some of the proceeds benefiting the event. The Festival is hosting several fiber arts workshops the weekend of June 2-3, 2018, including my 1/2-day Vessels & Votives workshop where you'll learn to make mini versions of the round vessel pictured above. Learn more and sign up here.