WOOL IS A GLUE

 Yesterday I pursued my fascination with felting by attending a full day workshop on Nuno felting which was conducted by a very talented, creative tutor.  Most people felt using bright colours, but I really want to mainly use the natural colour of my camelids.  However I was prepared for one day to play with colourful tissue silk fabric and colourful wool and silk fibre to learn the procedures which will enable me to Nuno felt with my alpaca fleeces.  It was great starting with a blank canvas and watching 10 women produce their own interpretations of the the tutor's creations.

At the end of the day I had produced 4 items.  Each one doesn't really represent a finished article, but rather will remain as samples of techniques learnt.
The main thing we were told to remember is that wool is a glue. 

THE CUFF The cuff is made from a piece of ancient (about 40 years old) green lace and the blue wool added to the middle gathers the lace during the felting process.  Before felting, I added pieces of purple material (remnants of an evening dress made over 20 years ago) and then chunks of green silk.  The blue wool in the middle also extends at the ends to make ties with the possibility of  the article being a wristband.

THE BLACK AND GREEN OBJECT.  This piece is a work in progress and may end up a necklace.  The black strand which holds it together is alpaca wool and then I added strips of green tissue silk and then black lace and then chunks of orange silk.  I am going to play a little more with the green tissue silk and may add beads along the way.

THE BLUE TISSUE SILK.  This piece was an exercise in adding wool to the silk to produce the gathering effect.   I also leant how to add wool to the ends as well.

 

THE ORANGE STRING.  This again is a work in progress as a series of these are made and then you put them all together to make a rather beautiful necklace.  Wool was added down the middle, then I put a piece of spun wool on top which extends to make the ends and finally I added some white silk.  The felting process gathers the orange tissue silk which may eventually fold around the centre or it may stay flat.  Either look is a possibility.

My main aim of learning the technique of Nuno felting is to produce more usable products like scarves or maybe to enhance the edge of a skirt.  Then again I might just like to dabble with colour every now again and play with beads and sequins......  The trouble is the weather will eventually cool down and my vege gardens are calling for a lot of attention.  Play time might have to be after some earnest toiling outside.