fibre Archives - Jane Mercer Felt Artist

In my studio last week : felted spirals

I have in my mind a vision of a felted piece all covered in spirals , made from naturally dyed wool. This piece will be for a exhibition being put on by York Textile Artists called InSpiral . It’s in October. So in order to made this piece I first need to practise making spirals. I have used up some merino fibre in multi colours. Then I needed to work out , using a bit of geometry and stitching, how to capture the felted spiral within a flat piece of felt. Success.

0 Comments

06/06/2022

Why is there a touch of March madness in my life?

March. Spring is in the air. It certainly seemed that way last weekend as I sat in the garden in the sun. Lots and lots of gardening to do as well. The madness started actually a few weeks ago when I was introduced to a free internet course by my husband. The course by Jodie King was about how to use Instagram better as an artist. There were some great tips and lots of great people to interact with. So I started paying a bit more attention to Instagram. I learnt about stories and reels and rewrote my bio. I also started posting more frequently. My daughter and husband are taking part in #the100dayproject challenge so I started watching the posts and wondering why I wasn't taking part ? Then I noticed that it would soon be #MendingMarch on Instagram. Well, I am a bit of a mender trying to do my…

0 Comments

07/03/2021

fibre / Fibres / Wet felting

Can we exploit physics in wet felting ?

The question can I exploit the physics in wet felting has been running through my mind in the last few weeks. I think it was sparked by the fascinating TV series called from ‘From Ice to Fire’ . This made me start to recall the facts I learnt at a highly technical and fascinating felting workshop with Lisa klakulak . Long before I was a felter I was an engineer working on chemical manufacturing processes. What you might ask has that got to do with wet felting . Well professionally as an engineer I was involved with changing the physical state of materials in an efficient and environmentally friendly way. By more fundamentally understanding the physics of the process we could become more efficient. As an example finding a way to keep the water flow turbulent to make the heat transfer more efficient and use less energy. Exactly the reserve of…

6 Comments

11/03/2018

Fabric / fibre / Wet felting

How I know my precious fabric will felt ?

Over the years I have collected lots of fabric. Completley randomly at one time, just because I loved them, but now always with an eye to felting or dyeing. But and its a big BUT I am not always sure that my precious fabrics will felt well. Of course I know chiffon and pongee and organza will felt . But what about an old heavy silk scarf from Thailand and silk fabric from a market in Rotterdam, or some embossed silk sari from India, or some recycle fabric from a charity shop. Knitters are always advised to knit a tension square. As a knitter I rarely do. I just know it will turn out all right.Mostly I am correct. You could take the same attitude with felting. With felting I am far less cavalier. Knitting can always be pulled…

4 Comments

25/02/2018

fibre / Stitches / Wet felting

Here is my new method to make better FELT

I am rusher, doing everything at high speed. Is this a problem? I walk, read and talk fast and I can wet felt fast. It is a great time saving skill ! So why have I come to the conclusion that when making felt - slower is better. AS a result of this conclusion I am working on a personnel slowness re-education program. I started on my journey at a workshop with Jeanette Appleton. She makes beautiful felt pieces very slowly and thoughtfully and I greatly admire her work. But it is not easy for us naturally born rushers to slow down. Here an example of my slowing down reeducation process in action. I love the vibrant orange silk embedded in this piece of flirty felt : the shadowy hidden depths below and the sea green spirals are like thought patterns. But and its a big but this felt screamed out at…

1 Comment

30/10/2016

fibre / Wet felting

My favourite colour

Purple is one of my favourite colours. I wanted to test of some surface decoration effects on a felted vessel. I have done many tests before , but never with the high degree of shrinkage that is needed to make a felted vessel robust enough to stand up. This high degree of shrinkage tend to make the fabrics and yarns that have been added completely disappear, which defeats the objects of adding them is the first place. As a change from the more muted colours obtained by natural dyeing I decided to make this vessel from purple merino. My surface effects were dyed scrim , dyed cotton broderie anglaise and purchased purple silk yarn.Laid out these additions can be clearly seen. After removing my circular resists they are still visible. After completing the felting the silk yarn was virtually invisible, and the scrim was now a very subtle effect, well imbedded into…

0 Comments

30/04/2015