Wet Felting Techniques

So yesterday I attended a workshop at Needle and Thread. For me it was all about learning the techniques, so I wasn't really bothered what I was going to end up with. So if you are asking what it is, it's not meant to be anything!!

The craters worked out great with a colour showing underneath and one around the hole. The nepps worked out really well too. They are the patches of white.

The spikes were added and they've attached and blended in really well too.

If you can just make out the ring of dark green circles, this is where I created a piece of prefelt, cut it into circles and stacked them on top of each other.

Spikes, craters and wool locks. Love how the spike at the top just looks like part of it.

This is a fin in the purple and orange.

Here you can just about make out the ring of one of the rope canes and a ball on the left hand side.

Wet Felted Vessels Workshop

Today I went to the lovely Needle and Thread near Lincoln run by Sally, to do a wet felted workshop with Robyn. 

Firstly we had to decide on the shape of our vessel. We all (I say all, there were only two of us) chose to keep it simple and do a bowl shape, so we started off with a circle. Covered both sides in two layers of merino and put it to one side.

Next Robyn showed us how to make various things including canes, balls, spikes and prefelt.

This is my cane in the making. Once you get it started you can roll it in bamboo and it really helps to stiffen it up.

I decided at the eleventh hour to change my shape to an eye sort of shape. just so I could get all the elements on that I'd made.

Anchored the pieces down, but looking back I think I used too much, especially around the top of the larger cane circle.

Robyn had brought her drum carder and kindly let us have a go with it, so we were able to make our own batts for the top coat and blend loads of different colours together. Nepps and silk waste was also added. Eveything was then wetted down and we worked around each element for which seemed like ages to make them all 'stick' together.

Robyn laying her top layer down.

Wendy working her individual elements into the main piece over a piece of thin plastic.

In the room next door they were using free machine embroidering to create pictures.

After working around all the individual pieces to make sure they are all linked with the wool.

This one is Robyn's.

This one is Wendy's.

We then rolled about 40 times, turned 90 degrees and turned it over to until all 4 ways had been done and the resist started to buckle. 

Once this happened we took the resist out by making a cut through all the layers and pulling it out through the hole. Did the hot and cold shrink thing, threw it on the floor a few times to shock the fibres. Soaped it again in hot and cold, worked the edges so we didn't end up with a seam and basically worked it until we were happy with the look and feel of it.

Once happy with the way it had felted, inside and out, we cut the small resists out that we put in to make the craters.

Once worked and shaped, we stuffed them with carrier bags to help them keep their shape.

And a view from the top.

I will be back tomorrow once it's dried to show you close ups of the different elements.

The BIG Craft Event - Lincolnshire Showground

Today I had a day out at the Big Craft Event held at the Lincolnshire Showground.

I bought some wool felting bundles from this stall but I have no idea what it was called as there is no banner or name and nothing on or in the bag.

More stalls and it was actually quite busy.

Lots of handmade Christmas things.

And this was the other end of the hall.

There were also sewing machines demo's too.

Needle & Thread were running all the workshops. 

These were all the 1 hour taster workshops on offer, most of them had sold out, but I was booked on to the needle felting santa with Robyn Smith.

Pinched this photo from Needle and Thread FB page!!

This is where I got to yesterday as the sun was really really bright and I picked up the pale pink instead of the white and so he left the show with a pale pink beard, so I pulled it out.

A needle felting workshop in progress with Robyn.

Lots of workshops going on at the same time.

This is Sally (stood up on the left) who owns Needle and Thread and organised the workshops. I did go and say hi to her as I took a workshop at her studio earlier this year and I am booked onto one next year.

And you can't go all that way without buying anything can you, so this is what I bought.

Close up of the locks from the stall I don't know the name of!!

Silk sari ribbon waste from Robyn's stall.

And silk tops, also from Robyn's stall.

And I bought this little guy for my mum for Christmas as she is very into ducks at the moment.

His body is filled with something heavy as he is a door stop.

I think (hope) she will love him. If not, I can always keep him.

And I finished him this morning.

Indian Tag Book

Today I was lucky enough to go to a workshop not far from me near Lincoln at a place called Needle and Thread.

It's an absolutely fabulous venue with perfect views.

And fortunately for us, it was a gorgeous day.

More green fields, trees and a lovely blue sky.

This is where the workshops are held, there are two rooms.

The workshop was taken by Angie Hughes, a textiles artist who is absolutely lovely and so down to earth as well as being a fantastic teacher.

So this is sort of what we were aiming for by the end of the session.

This is Angie giving us some instruction before we start.

And getting enthusiastic about it all!!

So off we went to choose some fabric for the front of our tags.

Next some instruction on how to use the sewing maching and a quick demo.

And Emma having a close up look!

Collecting bits of fabric, some stamping, images, sari ribbon and foil to start to build up the tags.

Layering the bits and bobs to build up the tags.

As you can see, there was plenty of stuff to choose from and play with.

11am was coffee / tea and cake time. Top one is strawberry and the bottom one is tahini and dark chocolate.

The lovely lady on the right stood up is Jan. She kept us supplied with teas and coffees all day.

And this is Angie sat in my chair next to Emma, sewing some metalic thread around a circle for me on one of my tags!

And this is Sally, the lady who organises it all. Behind her there is an embroidery class going on.

I will be back at some point to show you my finished tags, once I've finished them!!!