Another catch up with a post written for the Felting & Fibre Studio but this time something a bit different. I discovered the wonderful Museum of Mechanical Art & Design in Stratford on Avon earlier this year and had a great time when I visited on my way down to a workshop at Stitching Kitchen in Brackley…..
3d felting
A catch up…..
One thing I can never be accused of is bombarding readers with too many blog posts! Every once in a while, today being an example, I realise I’ve been posting on the Felting & Fibre Studio, on Facebook and on Instagram and completely forgetting to add the same content to my website. I didn’t used to have this problem as originally it was possible to link WordPress with Facebook, but then that option was removed and I got sloppy. I’ve only just discovered that it’s an option again and probably has been for years!
So, backside kicked, rant over, and time to catch up on what’s been happening this Spring with a post I wrote recently for the Felting & Fibre Studio…..
Autumn School & the BTS…..
Two weeks ago I was at the Old Barn Hotel, Grantham as guest tutor for the Lincolnshire Textiles Autumn School. The group had invited me to teach my Tall Trees mixed media workshop for fifteen students.
Our class began on the Friday evening after checking in and enjoying a delicious three course meal. The ladies had been asked to bring a photo, sketch or idea for the piece of work they would be making based on a tree/forest theme. I talked through the various materials I like to work with including Lutradur, Tyvek, wallpaper, organza and interfacing. The group were shown examples of how I’ve used these materials in my work and also how previous students have interpreted this workshop.
During the course of the evening ideas were explored, designs drawn up and our base fabrics painted.
The next morning, as soon as breakfast was over, the group were back to work— painting, auditioning different fabrics and papers, machine and hand stitching and burning. I had a terrific group of highly motivated ladies to work with and it was wonderful how they embraced using materials and methods they wouldn’t normally have used. Some of the more traditional members of the group admitted to feeling a little out of their comfort zone at the start but a bit of gentle coaxing and encouragement “to play” seemed to do the job and very soon all appeared to be having fun!
The group coordinator, Janet Taylor, did a great job of organising the weekend and was very kind when she said “Karen did a wonderful job of motivating everyone and worked hard all weekend. We learned so much, and the group was supportive and helpful throughout. It was such a treat to focus entirely on stitching and creativity, without the usual distractions. The weekend was intense but immensely rewarding, made even better by the company of friendly, like- minded people.”
The weekend flew by and although there was still work to done when these photos were taken you can see how good the pieces are looking! The group has its next meeting on Saturday and I’m looking forward to seeing many of these finished.
Another recent event was the 2024 Big Textile Show at Leicester Racecourse last weekend. The BTS is always a great show and this year was no exception.
My first customer was the lovely Kate from the Lutterworth Stitchers who purchased my multicoloured Collar. Kates a regular visitor to my stall and looks terrific in whatever she chooses to wear as you can see by these images from previous years!
I took a few other new Collars with me including these two in blue and one in dark grey/neutral tones.
My latest distraction is Tyvek Earrings! A few weeks ago I ran a Tyvek workshop for the Louth Textile group and created a pair of earrings as one of my workshop samples. They proved popular with the group so I made several more pairs for the show. Unfortunately I forgot to photograph them all before the opening but these are what came home with me and are now in my SHOP. I’ve never been a fan of smooth Tyvek beads but I love them with the added textures. It’s quite a challenge making these and absolutely impossible to get an exact match but I quite like that as it adds to their uniqueness!
I also made a new batch of gold and silver Tyvek Brooches. I like to mix textures and so these often feature on my felted scarves and collars. These three came home with me so are also in my SHOP along with some new wet felted Brooches.
A few days before the show I started to rework a piece I’ve had hanging in my hallway for several years. It’s been hanging on display behind glass, I don’t know why I originally did that as I’ve always preferred to see textile pieces unglazed. Anyway I recently removed the glass which instantly improved the look but then decided to give it a revamp with added textures, more FM stitch and stronger colours. I’m thinking peeling paint on rusty metal and I’m liking where it’s going but it’s not finished yet so I had it displayed on my stand as “work in progress”!
I’ve detailed a few more events that have happened over the past few months over on the Felting and Fibre Studio which can be found here.
With only three more workshops before Christmas things are starting to quieten down so time to think about new projects and ideas for 2025.
Making Waves Update…..
I mentioned in my last post that Waltham Textiles Exhibition will feature an Octopuses Garden. Well, after many hours of needle felting Olivia, or Oli to her friends, was born. At approx 36cm in diameter she’s a blue ringed octopus, fully articulated and created from carded Corriedale with Merino markings. The only thing left to do now is create and attach her suckers but that will be a fiddly time consuming job and one that will be fitted around less repetitive projects!
In real life the blue ringed octopus is much smaller than Oli. Size differs between species, but they range from around two to six centimetres long, with arms reaching lengths of seven to 10 centimetres. They usually appear as pale-brown in colour, and are only identifiable by their iridescent blue markings when they are agitated or hunting. Native to the Pacific Ocean, they can be found in the soft, sandy bottom of shallow tide pools and coral reefs. Although small and pretty they carry an extremely toxic venom which they use to paralyse their prey! Like other octopuses the blue-ringed octopus has a short lifespan of about two years. During the mating season the female will lay anywhere from 50-100 eggs, which she will guard for a long incubation period lasting almost two months. The male blue-ringed octopus dies after mating.
I’ve also recently given a makeover to a 3D wet felted piece, this was the first of two coral inspired vessels I made in 2023. The second one was heavily FM stitched, and far more interesting for it! I’ve been looking at this first vessel for a while and thinking “should I”? Over Christmas I finally bit the bullet and added FM stitch. The images on the left show before and on the right show after.
I absolutely love stitching into felt, whether by hand or machine, and I’m really pleased with the outcome and the added depth the machine stitching has created in this project.
2021 First Quarter Challenge…..
The 2021 first quarter challenge from the Felting and Fibre Studio going out to all felters, spinners, weavers, stitchers, knitters, crocheters and mixed media fibre artists is to make something inspired by the decade 1900 – 1909.
Normally, with so many possibilities, I would spend quite some time looking at the different options but this time I knew instantly where I would be taking my inspiration from. It would be the book Art Forms in Nature which consists of stunning illustrations by the German biologist and professor of zoology, Ernst Haeckel. These illustrations were first published in 1904 and so fit the brief perfectly!
Haeckles illustrations have provided a source of inspiration for many designers and artists over the years starting with the Art Nouveau movement and continuing today.
Source: https://aboutartnouveau.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/a-sea-of-glass/
A recurring shape seen throughout this book is the hexagon, hardly surprising as it’s everywhere we look in nature……from the basalt pillars of the Giants Causeway to honeycomb, it’s also found in the eyes of insects, tortoise shells, algae, fish scales and microscopic Protozoa…..the list goes on and on!
The first was a very simple form which can be open or closed.
The second was created using exactly the same template and resist but what was negative space on the top layer in the first sample became positive space in the second, creating a totally different look.
If you are interested in joining in this particular challenge, or any future challenges, or if you simply want to see what others have created you can find details on the Felt and Fibre Studio website
Cuffs & Stuff…..
Continuing with the “Wearable Art” theme, another project I was working on during lockdown was making wet felted cuffs. You can read all about it over on the Felt & Fibre Studio….. https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2020/08/08/cuffs-and-stuff/
Pebble Necklace…..
I’ve currently got a thing for pebbles so thought it would be nice to create a Pebble Necklace. This has been wet Felted using grey and lichen superfine Merino and white Silk. It features hand stitched Colonial knots and is finished with a bronze coloured metal chain and fastener.
Rock Pool with Seaweed…..
This Rock Pool with Seaweed is approximately 33cm x 38cm. It has been made using Bergschaf fibres for the background and rocks, Merino for the seaweed and Angelina for the water. The barnacles are hand embroidered Colonial Knots.
Rock Pool with Seaweed
Merino & Silk Hat…..
This is a hat I made last weekend in Ipswich where I attended a wonderful wet felting workshop with international feltmaker Annemie Koenen. Annemie had come over to the UK from her home in the Netherlands to deliver a three-day workshop for Region 7 of the IFA and I wasn’t going to miss it as it’s always a real pleasure to work with her.
The wool I used was a beautiful Merino and silk blend which Annemie dyes in her studio. This is only my third hat and it’s been fascinating making them as each one has involved a different technique, learnt from different tutors. This design is by far the most flamboyant and I’m looking forward to showing it at the Big Textile Show at the end of the month.
Wet Felted Flowers…..
Wet felted flowers made with multiple resists
Ive been using up my bright Merino wool tops making wet felted flowers to add to the CCTG display at Cranwell next month.
Lincs In Stitches 