Creative Textiles Course : week 11

Well we were back for first lesson of the new term for 2008 this week!
A very full programme taking us to the half term which comes, surprisingly, quickly - 4th Feb!

Here is our schedule :

• 7-1-08 Introduction to felt-making and pre-felt with handouts in relation to health and safety and planning for an activity
• 14-1-08 Inlay technique/use of sketchbook. How to create pattern in felt and what to include in sketchbooks.
• 21-1-08 Incorporating other fibres, yarns and fabrics into felt. Using grids in the design process.
• 28-1-08 Techniques for embellishing feltwork using fabric paints, crayons, quilting and embroidery.
• 4-2-08 Completion of samples and evaluation of felting samples. Sketchbook review and completion of handouts.

Well it all sounds rather scary!! But exciting too! I am thoroughly enjoying the course and can't wait to try out more of what I don't know! We're moving away from my safer areas (knitting, sewing/quilting) and into untried ones such as FELTMAKING!

Fortunately our tutor brings in our materials but I've started looking for sources to get my own for any future projects I might undertake - if anyone has any good links for suggestions on techniques or history of or general "how to" on FELTMAKING then please do share them!!
For our first introduction to wet feltmaking, we worked with a smallish sample in a single colour to a pre-felt stage to which NEXT week we will bring along a something "inspirational" and share our felt pieces to mix the colours to create a pattern. I chose a rather brilliant shade of BLUE!
Already prepared, the wool top had just to be pulled off separated and laid in rows atop a towel, some bubblewrap (a bamboo mat if available) wet with mixture of well diluted washing up liquid, another layer of bubblewrap and then we "squished" it thoroughly all over and back and forth with a scrunched up bit of bubblewrap before finally "rolling" it.
Sarah had a rather nifty rolling pin which was textured and made the process easier and she rather kindly finished MY piece off with some fierce rolling after IT had thoroughly seen ME off with exhaustion! phew! it IS hard work!!
Everybody seemed to enjoy it and I was left with - ta-daaa! ...


THIS! what do you think? (Actually I was surprised how small it was! it shrunk considerably! Up until half way through the process I had in my head all sorts of thoughts of large outerwear garments! all stitched and embellished to create a marvellous swing jacket/poncho! but after realising how much effort is involved and how small the pieces are, I think I'll aim for a needle case!!!
A friend at work who is very creative said it can be produced in a dishwasher! I can't imagine how this works, and not having a dishwasher, I'm not sure I'll ever find out!!

We had the inevitable paperwork where we have to prove we're paying attention to health and safety etc and thats all been flung into my folder for losing, I mean completing!


I worked further on my exploration of crazy patch too:-
I decided to expand my colours from the original black and white limited selection and here is the top piece which I'm starting to lay atop the trims and ribbons to cover some seams and break up the larger areas of colour - I've machined these using either a st.st or a narrow zig zag using a clear monofilament thread and later I plan to add some hand stitching rather than machining like my black and white piece.
I have NO idea what I'll do with this - as yet - I'm hoping inspiration will strike!! If not, it will just go into my folder as a "sample".