Rising to the second quarter challenge (I hope)
Following what seemed like a never-ending period in creative limbo, the second quarter challenge has gotten me thinking again. The photos were all amazing but one in particular set me thinking:
It’s funny, loading the photo as reference now, it is not like I remember it in my mind’s eye. I thought the pole was further over to the left side of the photo. (Like most people, I would make a very unreliable eye witness). Having said that, it was the inspiration for what comes next.
It is said that a picture paints a thousand words and I thought I would add to my interpretation of the challenge by posting in photos and minimising my word count.
I thought I might post up a small project that could be completed by either new or experienced felt makers – one that could act as a ‘blank canvas’ for further development if the maker wanted to do this. Or the project could be completed just following the photos. It really will be in the hands of the creative. If you decide to give it a go, why not post your results to the site. You can do this through the following link, we would love to see them: https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/community-photo-submissions/
Here is what you will need for the project:
- Your basic felting equipment (bubble wrap, soapy water, towel, pool noodle, white vinegar (optional))
- Pattern: 23cm square piece of cardboard. this will act as your guide when you are laying our the fibre.
- A little light plastic (like decorator’s plastic)
- Smallish round shape (for example a cookie cutter 5cm diameter approximately)
- Tops/Roving in your choice of colours.
- Bits of fibre, silks viscose etc for embellishing your picture (optional)
- Iron/Ironing board
- Most of all your creativity.
So, here we go. Just follow the photos and happy felting!
Here are some other flower pictures that I made. I have mounted them on canvas which I covered with thermoformable felt (left over from my hat project). The hat project was covered in one of my earlier posts (link: https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2021/08/19/its-good-to-bend-rules-now-and-again-part-1/ )
11 thoughts on “Rising to the second quarter challenge (I hope)”
Your imagination is wonderful to be able to see a flower when looking at the telegraph pole – but actually that’s what we can see now when we look at the photo!
Lovely clear process photos and a pretty flower emerges from the bubble-wrap! You say it’s ‘ready to play with’ and there are so many possibilities – hand or machine stitching, beading, needle felting….. perhaps a follow up post with this?
Your other flowers are glorious 🙂
Thanks Lyn. Two things have happened since I prepared this post; I am just back from Paris where I spent (time and loadsa money) in the fabric district – among my finds were gorgeous embroidery threads, and a friend of my daughter’s, who trained up as a milliner but has turned to floral artistry gifted me a stash of goodies that I have yet to investigate. Good times lie ahead rummaging and creating!
Sounds grand – a trip to Paris and a stash gift!
As someone who has failed miserably felting over pre-felt, this looks like a feat of superhuman ability 😀 Looks great!
I hope you have not been put off by your experience Leonor. We need to get together and I will teach you over a bottle of Vino. Karen and Antje could join in. Imagine what a time we would have together!
Love your flowers! And the inspiration is cool, I don’t think my mind would have gone in that direction but that’s what’s cool about creativity, everyone thinks differently. Thanks for the tutorial too.
Thanks Ruth. Sometimes (possibly a lot of times) my mind is a bit weird LOL Even the kids say so!
Great interpretation. I never would have though of a flower. They are all lovely
I am sort of with Leonor. I’ve felted over dry prefelt, commercial and homemade just fine but If I add wool to already wet or wet and started felt it never sticks. I’ve watched videos of people where they rub each layer then and add another and rub some more and add another . I would end up with separate layers.
Thanks Ann. Do you know, I never gave too much thought as to why this works for me and I am trying to think of things that I might do differently. The only thing I can think of it that the soap solution is nearly cold (or pretty cool) at the start of the process so that everything is slowed down. I suspect we both would rub the same way – through the bubblewrap or if I am attempting to keep a pattern in place I would cover in decorators’ plastic and smooth all the air out. Then there’s lots of rolling. I am using 19 micron merino in these little pictures.
That said, I have a piece in an exhibition at present – it is two sided and is free hanging from the ceiling of the museum – designed to be interactive and spun by viewers. It is made with prefelts that are felted back to back, again merino and felted slowly.
Replying to your reply: I’d be very much up for that! What a gang we’d all be 😀
We would probably get nothing done – but we have great fun in the non process 🙂