Felt Tree Trunk Piece Completed
After by last post about creating a tree trunk, I was working on making the leaves a bit more pink. I think it’s a little hard to tell from these photos, but I added pink with colored pencil.
The photo on the left shows the leaves before adding color. The photo on the right is after I colored them with a pink colored pencil. It is much more evident in person that the color is different.
Then I needed to add the branch and leaves. I hand stitched them in place and the leaves are not directly tacked down to the bark. They are attached to their respective branches so they can be moved to different positions or even flutter a bit in the breeze.
Next was to stitch the lichen in place. Again, it is hand stitched down. I orginally had a lot more lichen on the bark but decided I didn’t want to overwhelm the beautiful colors that were already in the bark.
Then to decide how to finish and frame. I hand dyed the background fabric and hand stitched the bark in place. Then I laced the green fabric around a piece of matte board so it’s ready to frame. This piece is 14″ x 28″. I have decided to call it “Hanging On”. Next up is to take my recent pieces to the framers and get them all framed. I will share the framed pieces once they’re finished.
23 thoughts on “Felt Tree Trunk Piece Completed”
The combination of colours on the bark is beautiful.
So if the piece is on a draughty wall the leaves will flutter – that’s cool – and really makes your ‘Hanging On’ title apt.
Thanks Ladies! Yes, I wanted to have a little movement in the leaves, makes it more “interactive”.
Beautiful pieces of Art, and very inspirational, well worth the time you have spent on them.
Thanks Veronica. I’m sorry that you keep coming up Anonymous. You need to go to WordPress.com and make sure you are signed in before you comment. There should be a place to check to stay logged in. I hope that helps!
I don’t know why I come up as Anonymous every time I post something. Any suggestions on rectifying this welcome.Veronica
An inspirational creation. I love the idea of the leaves being able to gently move & they look so realistic. I can’t wait to see
& read about your next work of art.
Thanks for your kind comments.
I really really love this picture Ruth. There is so much depth in the tree trunk. Isn’t it amazing what can be done with odd bits of wool and paper to produce something that looks so real?
I bet that doesn’t stay in the gallery very long at all. 😎
Ann
Thanks Ann, I’m glad you love it 🙂 It’s still at the framers but hopefully, I can get it to the gallery next week sometime.
This is great. Nice tree trunk. I know how difficult it is to show in photos subtle changes.
Thanks! The tree trunk was really serendipitous as it was really just layers of prefelt that I felted together. But it does really look like bark.
Thank you so much for sharing process of creating the tree trunk. Each step has been fascinating and inspiring. I love the fact that you repurposed an older project Ruth. I will look at my own projects with fresh eyes. And I’m eager to try some tea stained leaves and lichen too.
I’m still on a learning curve with felting and I’m anxious to explore and include mixed media in my creations. This blog is a continuing education and inspiration. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome, I’m glad that you enjoyed reading about the process. Repurposing and re-using old stuff that isn’t working for me is one of my favorite things to do. I try to avoid buying new supplies if I can help it.
I hope you will share your explorations with us. Adding mixed media to my work is one of my favorite things to do. We would love to see what you create!
Your leaves amazed me yet again: they look so lifelike! The pink enhanced the dry leaf appearance of “deadness.” I’m chuckling at such a macabre comment: outsiders would surely question my stability!
Capi
Thanks Capi, I’m glad that you like the lifelike dead leaves 😉 They are quick and easy to create.
I had to look back at your previous post to learn how you made the leaves & lichen. You really know how to take different materials and create something magical! I look forward to seeing what it looks like when framed. As Ann says it likely won’t stay in the gallery very long! For a felted piece that isn’t behind glass, how does one keep it clean & clear of dust without damaging it?
I’m glad that you enjoyed the post (and the prior one) and thanks for you comment. I love experimenting and trying new ways to mix media. I recommend using a very small low power vacuum (made to clean out insides of sewing machines) or canned air to get rid of dust.
Oh, it is so lovely Ruth. Very apt title.
Thanks Marie! Titles are tough to come up with sometime, especially because I don’t want to be too literal.
Ruth, this has been another triumph – repurposing previous redundant projects etc. to create a recognisable ‘Ruth’ piece!
The lichen, ‘fringe’ branches and interactive leaves add to the vibrancy of your work. I’m sure it won’t be in the gallery long.
X
Thanks Antje! It was a fun project and used up more stuff, Yay. 😜
I love the tree. the leaves look so real and leaving them to move is a great idea. I am with Ann too, i don’t think it will last long in the gallery.
Thanks Ann, I got the pieces back from the framer so I will get them on to the gallery this coming weekend. In time for all those summer tourists. 😉