Wet felting Archives - Page 6 of 9 - Jane Mercer Felt Artist

Eucalyptus

I have naturally dyed a number of large felt pieces but never tried dying jewellery until this week , it has also been my first experience of dyeing with eucalyptus as I was recently given some leaves. I have made lots of jewellery , mostly brooches , and I intend to dye them in matches in different colours. This time it was the turn of eucalyptus. Here is all the jewellery being made. A lot of circles cut out . Various fabrics stitching and resists added. The collection drying in the sunshine . A choose three to dye on this occasion , adding some cotton and silk machine stitching before dyeing. Looking good but without a lot of difference in the colours between the different fibres so I decided to modified the pieces with iron. The iron really changes the colours. The silk has become a lot more coppery , and the linen…

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24/04/2016

Prefelts / Stitches / Wet felting

Step by step

Following my resolution to take things more slowly , I have been gradually developing a piece , felting it and then letting it dry before felting some more. This gives more opportunities for adjustments along the way . My starting point , was a collection of prefelts , all covered in silk organza, one piece of which had been stitched. Here is the back , showing the prefelts pinned together , at the back , so the pins can be removed. After the first felting. Looking quite good , apart from end of stitching which needs to to threaded to the back and the edges that need a bit of straightening. A little more felting and thinking about bottom edge. Should it be straight? To add constrast I now removed some parts of the silk. Well I think its felted now , I just have to decide what to do with the…

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17/04/2016

Felt Workshop / IFA / Wet felting

Both sides now

It has been a good week of experimental felting at Skeeby Mill, guided by Jeanette Appleton and organized wonderfully by the IFA's region 10. In these circumstances there are lots of opportunities to try lots of ideas in one piece. I decided to try and make a two-sided piece. Here it is suspended temporarily in my conservatory. The both side-ness works as does the suspension and I am pleased with the effect of the old scarf I have incorporated. But I think maybe it's just all too much . Some lovely parts .But the whole thing , I am just not sure. Perhaps it needs some calming stitches. I am going to look at it over the next few weeks / months and decide. That in fact was my major learning in the whole workshop . Slow down !!!

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10/04/2016

Stitches / Wet felting

Simple straight stitches

I am not a natural hand stitcher, I am more comfortable with a sewing machine. As I prepared to attend a workshop by Jeanette Appleton on stitching and texture in felt I have been reflecting back at where I think my hand stitching has really worked and I feel happy with it. I think I was initially put off stitching by hand by the idea that it had to be complex embroidery. In fact sometimes the simpler the stitching the better. Random straight stitches adding more texture to some felted silk. Using straight stitches to connect elements of a piece together, and to show the contrast between the felt and the felted silk. A bit of glitter. Gold stitching drawing patterns across a piece. Using again just straight stitching combining different colours with running straight stitches in different directions. Following the curve but…

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03/04/2016

Natural dyeing / Wet felting

Iron contamination

It is often importance to control the temperature of the dye bath. As I had broken my digital thermometer this week I bought a replacement . Just a simple sugar thermometer this time. I used it to keep the temperature of my onion bath at around 80 oC . This worked well . I was pleased. Then I left the thermometer standing in the pan whilst everything soaked for about 24 hours. Perhaps this was a mistake. Look at these spots . I can only think these are iron contamination. I have dyed many times with onions skins and never seen anything like this before. These are test pieces so it's not the end of the world , but it yet another reminder of the care that is needed when using natural dyes. Change nothing !! Easy to say , but really quite hard to do . On…

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20/03/2016

Wet felting

Anniversary give away

A year ago I was busy building my website and it went live on the 29th March 2015. I did not know if it was the right thing to do , but I felt it was a move I should make so I could showcase my work. I did not get someone to build it. I thought that after all my years of working with computers it could not be that difficult, in most respects I was right and I was pleased with the final outcome. But did it deliver me anything. That is an impossible question to answer. In the year I have written 42 blog posts , have had 900 visitors and 3000 views. Nothing drastic has happened , nothing has gone viral - never mind I never expected it too. The target I set myself was to grow my audience gradually over time and this is…

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13/03/2016

Eco Dyeing / jewellery / Photography / Wet felting

Frustrating week

Everything this week seems to have gone not quite right. Firstly I have finished framed and hung on the wall , nine felt pieces. These pieces originated from a felted jacket that did not fit too well. They are simply framed in wood box frames. I am very pleased with them but unfortunately I can photograph them in situ , due to reflections . Well I can but they don't look so good, Perhaps non reflective glass is the answer , but that's quite a bid deal to change them all. Here is the best I can do. So I have come up with a bit of a cheat. All individually photographed and then added here one by one. On my screen this is a square , not…

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04/03/2016

Drawing / Photography / Uncategorized / Wet felting

Rocks

I went to Australia last November and one of the things I became entranced by was the rocks. Of course the koalas, penguins and kangeroos were lovely , but nothing like the rocks. With moving house I have not had time to look back at all the rock photos I took until this week . They give me lots of ideas for felted , natural dyed pictures. Firstly at the coast , pounded by the South Pacific seas, I loved the strata and circular patterns, and the repeating nature of the marks . Moving inland to the Grampians I thought the scenery was stunning. And when you got up close so were the rocks I am inspired again. I hope I will have time soon for some drawing and felting based on these photos.

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28/02/2016

Textile art / Upcycling / Wet felting

Remnant

Remnant. I like this word. I like the sound and I like the meaning. A remnant is defined as a small part that is left over after the majority has been used. I have lots of remnants I have bought as bargains but most of my remnants are true left overs. Having made these felt squares from a long abandoned felt jacket , as you can imagine , I had lots of remnants. I thought perhaps they could be become part of another felt piece. Maybe combining then with some natural white Shetland would be an interesting experiment. I choose a selection of remnants , looking here a bit like tombstones. I laid out Shetland fibres. And a felted the two together. After drying the piece needed to be stitched. A choose to use the same collection of stitches I had used in my felt squares ,…

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21/02/2016

From The Earth Textiles / Natural dyeing / Wet felting

Exciting News

I learned early this week that my piece "After the ice " has been accepted into the From the Earth exhibition in June. The exhibition is to celebrate natural and ethical textile practices and will take place in PA Arts Centre Datchworth, Herts. I am thrilled. I even get invited to the private viewing ! Here is the piece that will be on display. Other artists that I know are taking part at this moment are Jenny Leslie and Caroline Bell. This great news has made me revisit some of my other favorite naturally dyed felt pieces and I thought it was worth bringing them all together here. Autumn Storm I love the subtle shade changes in these pieces I hope you do too.

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14/02/2016