When I discovered felting in 2007, I finally found the creative outlet for which I had been searching. I love that the versatility of fiber allows me to “play” with a wide variety of materials including wool, silk, fabrics, yarns and threads. Creating one of a kind fiber art pieces to share with the world fulfills my creative passion.
I have been slowly working on my Indian Paintbrush artwork. Since the last time I showed you, I have painted the stems and added some blue flowers in the background.
Here it is after I painted the stems and leaves. I didn’t add any further color to the flowers themselves as I thought I might do. Once I was finished, I decided I should have left the bottom stems alone so they blended better into the background. I could add more paint on top but so far I have just left them as they are.
Here’s a closer view of the stems. Next up was to decide if I needed to add anything else. I decided to enhance the blue areas with some hand stitching. I found a hand dyed greyed down blue that was multi valued.
So I used fly stitch and the thread was a thin cotton slightly bigger than one strand of floss. It’s actually hard to see in this photo but you can click on the photo to enlarge it.
Here’s a closer view of the blue stitching. So what’s next? I’m not sure. I have been looking at the piece now for several weeks hanging up in my studio. Does it need more? If so what? I still haven’t decided. What do you think?
On another note, I finally saw the Northern Lights here in Kalispell, Montana. I never realized that you need to look through the camera’s lense to actually see the lights very well. Paula took the photo above and I took the one below. Do you see the constellation?
Dennis and I are the “proud” owners of a new trailer. So I have been working on putting all the trailer stuff back into the new storage areas. There is minimal kitchen type storage in this new trailer so I have had to rearrange where things belong. We have a set of BBQ tools that stay with the trailer and they are pretty big and bulky. So I needed a storage solution that will work for the under floor storage areas. (The small white door under the front window in the photo above is such a storage area.) It gets kind of dirty under there so I needed something to keep the tools in one place and clean. Here is a photo of one that is much fancier but you can see what I mean.
This is the type of project where I don’t want to spend any money and I know that there must be something in my stash that will work. I thought it would be quilted to give it some strength so I needed larger pieces of fabric and some batting. I found this printed cotton fabric and I had enough for the 30″ x 30″ size I needed. But no quilt batting. I did have some black felt so I thought I could use that for the cushioning instead of batting. I am not a quilter or a seamstress so I was heading into a bit of unfamiliar territory but how hard could it be?
So I put two pieces of printed fabric with print sides together and added a piece of felt to one side. I was going to do this “pillow case” style so that I didn’t have to bind the edges or do anything else too complex. I was given a new to me Bernina sewing machine (Thanks Christina) as my trusty Pfaff died and could not be repaired. (Insert some swearing here.) The Bernina has a walking foot which I have never used before. But I thought this would be the project for it as it is supposed to keep the layers from shifting as I sewed it together. I am sure that I should have basted this all together but I just pinned the layers together. Then I stitched around the edges leaving one area not stitched so I could turn the entire thing right side out.
Here it is after stitching.
Then I took the pinking shears and trimmer around the seam edges so there would be less bulk at the edges.
Here it is after turning it right side out. You can see the area of the seam that was left open on the right hand side. Suddenly I realized that I needed something to keep the roll tied up after the tools were inside. I was hoping to find some elastic to use but I had none. So instead I decided to make straps with the same brown and black fabric.
I tore off some strips of fabric, pinned them together lengthwise and then stitched them together. Once I have turned them right side out, I decided that they were too wide. So I folded them in half lengthwise, ironed them and then stitched some more to make the straps more narrow and also sturdier.
Here is the piece that has been folded up from the bottom to make the pockets for the BBQ tools. They seem like they will fit nicely.
Then it was time to attach the straps and sew up the remaining hole in the “pillow case”. The next step was to “quilt” the three layers together. Back to the walking foot on the Bernina. I got two lines of quilting done, I’m just doing straight lines, nothing fancy and I was out of time. These projects that seem like they should take an afternoon always seem to take longer than I think. I will have to show you the rest of the project in a future post.
Registration for Helene’s Hanging Felted Spiral online class opens today. Click here to register. This is a great class to learn about creating a complex sculpture from felt. The results are fantastic and you can see other students work here. I hope you will join Helene for this October session of Hanging Felted Spiral.
This is a guest post by Dani D. Her information is at the bottom of the post.
Hi again! Way back in February, I started a series of guest posts with tips for taking photos of your artwork. We talked about composition and telling the story, with basic tips about taking digital photographs of your textile art. It took a little longer than I expected, but I’m here to continue the series today with a key element – perhaps THE key element – in taking successful photographs. Let’s talk about light.
Light has many characteristics: the direction from which it comes, its intensity, whether it is harsh or diffuse, and its temperature will all affect how your subject looks in the photo. In this post, we’ll look at how to use available light to make flattering photos, and a few DIY hacks you can use to play with light in your photography. You’ll see that for these example photos, I’ve used samples from my summer project, weaving on rocks. It’s been fun experimenting with it.
Lighting conditions can affect colour, shadow and which details the eye is drawn to
Lighting conditions can affect colour, shadow and which details the eye is drawn to.
Learn to evaluate the light by noticing whether it is harsh or diffuse. Harsh light occurs when the photo subject is directly in front of the light source, like when you point a bare bulb at something or place it in direct sunlight. It makes deep, dark shadows and can wash out colour. Diffuse light happens in the shade, or near a bright window but out of the direct sun. Diffuse light is often more flattering because the contrast – the difference between the brightest and darkest parts of the photo – is reduced. Diffuse light often makes for richer, more saturated colour.
What is ambient light?
In this post, I talk a lot about ambient light. Ambient light is the light that’s already in the room, whether from electric room lights, or a window, or outside. You don’t need any fancy equipment to take well-lit photographs, as long as you learn to read and manipulate the existing light. Play with lots of different light sources to see how they affect your photo: use a lamp, move closer to the window, or move outside.
Before we talk about how to use the light, we must first ensure that there is enough light. If your light is too dim, you risk a blurry photo. Your camera / smartphone will keep the shutter open until it decides enough light has hit the sensor, but if you move even a tiny bit while the shutter is open, you will have movement blur in your photo. Or, your smartphone will try to compensate for the lack of light by raising the ISO, and a byproduct of this is a photo with a lot of noise or grain (see photos below). Ideally, always aim for the most crisp, well-lit photo you can make with no blur and no noise.
If there isn’t enough light, you may introduce blur with even the tiniest movement of your camera.
Tip #1: if you’re having trouble finding enough light indoors, try finding a spot to take your photo outside, in the shade or on a cloudy day. Or move right beside a window out of direct sunlight. The difference in ambient light indoors and outdoors is huge, though we often don’t notice it because our eyes have a much larger dynamic range than most cameras do. Photos taken outside in the shade or on a cloudy day usually have even, diffuse light. However, you may prefer the brightness of direct sunlight. Just make your choices thoughtfully.
Photo taken in direct sunlight. Notice the harsh shadows and contrasts.Photo taken in open shade. Light and shadows are more even and diffuse, and also much cooler/more blue in light temperature.
When composing a photo, try varying how and where the light falls on your subject to see how it changes the story. What do you want people to notice in your photo? Harsh, contrasty light will emphasize texture and shape, where more even and diffuse light will emphasize colour and subtle designs.
Light and shadow
With light comes shadow. Shadow is good: it grounds your subject, gives it texture and helps you tell your story. However, deep contrasty shadows can be a distraction, especially when they flare out behind your subject on a plain background. To minimize harsh shadows, try to diffuse your light. You diffuse light by scattering the photons, making them approach your subject from many angles instead of just the most direct one. I’ve used everything from a piece of opaque shower curtain or sheer curtain to simply putting my hand in between a bare bulb and a subject to diffuse the light and reduce harsh shadows.
Tip #2: turn off your smartphone’s flash. The flash on your phone and the one permanently attached to even the most high-end cameras, is usually harsh and flat. It’s the difference between applying paint with a brush (using ambient light) and using a bucket to throw paint on a canvas (using the onboard flash).
Photo taken with iPhone flash – note the distracting dark shadow.Photo taken near an open window with diffuse natural light – shadows are present but don’t compete with the subject for attention.
In an earlier post, Jan talked about setting up a lightbox. A lightbox will isolate your product or item against a white background while bathing it in diffuse light, and they’re ideal for smaller projects but not very practical for larger ones. However, you can apply the same principles by bouncing the light onto your subject instead of lighting it directly. Bounced light is also diffuse. You can bounce light onto a subject by aiming the harsh light to a light-reflective surface. You just need to tinker with the angles a bit to get it right. A piece of white typing paper or cardstock will work, and you can line one side with aluminum foil for a different effect. I have a four-in-one photography reflector that has a gold side (harshest light bounce), a silver side (moderate light bounce), an opaque white side (gentle light bounce) and a scrim (used to filter instead of bounce light). Play with different materials to see how they change the way the light hits your subject.
A slightly sloppy pull-back of a half-lightbox made of white corrugated cardboard and my ring light.
Tip #3: if you do want to invest a few dollars in a tool to improve your lighting, I really like those selfie ring lights that you can see in the lightbox photo above. The light is even and diffuse, and they usually have a range of both intensity and colour temperature. They’re also great for lighting how-to videos. Try to get your light as close to the subject as possible while still being out of the frame of your photo, as the closer the light is to the subject, the more diffuse and flattering the light.
So far in this series, we’ve talked about composition and light. They are by far the two most important principles in making attractive, effective photographs. Master these and you will elevate your photography to the next level. If you’d like to delve into a slightly more technical aspect of photography and lighting, my next and last post will be about colour temperature and white balance. Watch this space!
Dani Donders is a photographer, textile explorer, tarot reader, rock and sea glass collector, workshop leader, and Curious Crone. She lives in Ottawa, Canada.
I went to our annual art retreat over Labor Day weekend (Aug. 30 – Sep. 1) at the Kiwanis Lodge at Little Bitterroot Lake near Marion, MT (USA). Luckily my husband is a Kiwanian so we are able to use this lodge once a year. I got there a bit early and while waiting for the others to join me, I took a few photos and gave Edgar a swimming lesson.
This is the lodge, this side faces the lake. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm, no smoke (August is usually fire season around here) but cold enough at night to need a fire in the fireplace.
Here’s a view of the lake. Even on a holiday weekend, the lake wasn’t busy and we even saw 8 loons swimming about. Edgar, my dog, has short legs and a very dense body. He’s not overweight but weighs fourty pounds. When he has tried to swim in the past, he had a really hard time keeping his head above water. He just sinks. So we bought him a life jacket and I took it with us to the lake. (Edgar got to go to the retreat for the first time because hubby was going to Missoula for a UM football game.)
After a few tries, he got the hang of it and was eager to have me throw the stick so he could swim out to get it. Needless to say, Edgar had a good weekend.
Our main art activity this weekend was indigo dyeing. Both Paula and Louise set up an indigo pot on Friday and then we dyed various fabric, clothing etc. on Saturday. Here you can see the two indigo pots and some clamped fabric soaking in water in the pink bucket.
Louise (left) is putting her first piece of fabric into the dye vat and Paula (right) is getting rid of the “bloom” on the top of her indigo pot before dyeing. I have personally never made an indigo pot but they used the directions that are available on Dharma Trading Co.
Here Louise (left) is explaining to Sally (right) about how to use the indigo pot and getting her fabric ready to put in the vat.
The coolest thing about indigo, in my opinion, is that it comes out of the dye pot green and then when it hits the air and oxidizes, it turns blue. The longer you leave the fabric in the dye bath, the more blue it will end up.
Here are a few pieces drying on the grass. The one on the right was rust dyed first and then put into the indigo.
Paula brought some clamps and different shapes of wood, which once clamped on the fabric, resist the indigo. You can see the results of some of those in the right hand photo.
It was a wonderful weekend and we enjoyed some gorgeous sunsets while sitting out on the porch.
For those of you who wish they belonged to an art group (felting group or whatever), my suggestion is to start your own group. If you meet someone who might be interested, ask them to join a group. All the people in your group don’t have to be felt makers. You can learn so much from creative people who enjoy other media. So don’t be shy, just ask others that you know or meet and start up a group of your own. That’s what I did and now more than ten years later, we are still going strong.
My dyed scarves have been selling at Northwest Handmade in Sandpoint, ID. So I needed some more since we are heading over that direction next week.
I only had 8 scarf blanks available and I knew I still had green scarves at the gallery so I decided to do four in blue/violets, 2 in orange and 2 in deep red. Since this method has an unpredictable outcome, I went with what I had. I put a wire rack in the bottom of the aluminum pan, place the soda ash soaked silk scarves on the rack and cover with ice. Then the dye powder is sprinkled on top. I was doing this outdoors as it can get messy but didn’t take the wind into account.
Thus I ended up with some blue/violet on the right end of the red/orange pan. Oh well, we’ll see what happens. I left the pans out in the sun and the ice melted pretty quickly.
Here is one of the scarves from the blue/violet pan. I decided to call this set Perseid Meteor Shower. This is what the scarves look like after rinsing out, washing and ironing. It’s always such fun to see the patterns appear when you iron. I really don’t care for ironing but I enjoy this process much more than ironing a shirt.
This scarf is from the more orange side of the orange red pan. I decided to call these two scarves Campfire Memories.
And the last scarves were on the red + drifting blue/violet side of the pan. I decided these looked like the red rocks in Glacier National Park so that’s what those two scarves are called. I found that naming the scarves helps to sell them as it gives them a bit of a story. Now to stock up the gallery!
Slow progress is being acheived on my Indian Paintbrush landscape that I have been working on. With my other classwork and out of town visitors, it’s not as far along as I had hoped it would be, but it will get there eventually.
I started on the foreground, larger flowers. The center one needed to be completed first as it had overlaps from the flower on the right. The furthest away petal is stitched down first and then other petals are added over top, working forward as I go.
Here’s the progress of the center flower. I am using a very small needle to avoid fraying the cotton organdy fabric. I also push the needle up along side the petal and then back down into the petal. Hopefully, the fabric doesn’t fray as much this way.
Here’s the piece after all three foreground flowers were stitched down. I’m still thinking about whether the background flowers need any suggestion of stems. If I do add any, it will be thin thread in a running stitch.
After looking at the foreground flowers and comparing them to my original photo, I realized that I needed some darker values in the centers and by the stems to create more depth. I decided to use acrylic paint to achieve this. I dry brushed the paint on carefully in very small amounts at a time as I didn’t want to get too much on. It would be very difficult to remove or cover excess paint.
And here it is so far. I will probably add some other shades of orange into the foreground flowers so they look a bit more realistic. I am also going to add some yellow green to the leaves. Then I think that I might add some suggestions of blue flowers where there are blue blotches in the foreground. Perhaps the common camas? How would you add suggestions of blue flowers? Stitching? Painting? More applique? Something else? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
A group fiber art exhibition is being shown throughout the month of August at 4 Ravens Gallery in Missoula, MT (USA). I have three of my pieces in the show and went to the opening on Friday, August 2nd. The artists were myself, Karen Straight, Melissa Thompson, Angie Evenden, Julie King and Judith Colvin. It was 99 degrees F (37.2 C) so very hot and a bit smokey in Missoula but there was a good turnout despite that.
Here is a view of most of the work at the front of the gallery. I am on the right and that’s Judith sitting down on the left.
Here is Karen Straight standing by her two pieces, the needle felted bison and the bear. Karen has written a few guest posts here on The Felting and Fiber Studio and does amazing animal portraits in wool.
Here’s a closer view of me by my three pieces. If you’re a regular reader, you should recognize these three as I have written about all of them here.
This is a needle felted raven by Julie King, she also created the foxes and a couple of other needle felted creatures on the wall by my work.
This needle felted rabbit is by Melissa Thompson and her pieces are a mix of fiber, found objects and mosaics.
These three felted lamps are created by Judith Colvin. She also creates felted hats, scarves and felt ornaments.
This is a mixed media fiber art piece by Angie Evenden. She uses a variety of techniques, fibers and fabrics to create collages of the natural world.
This was the sunset after the opening was over. The sun was even redder than this photo shows. Sadly, that’s due to forest fire smoke in the air but it is certainly beautiful. If you happen to be in Missoula, MT in August, please stop by to see the show.
I have been slowly stitching down the applique flower pieces for my Indian Paintbrush landscape piece. You can see prior steps here.
I started by laying out the background flower applique pieces for distant flowers. I still haven’t decided if there is more stitching needed for stems and leaves. I’m waiting until I have the foreground flowers in place. I don’t want to add too much detail to the background.
I used very simple straight stitching to adhere these small flowers. I purposely made the stitches longer than the fabric as Indian Paintbrush have a frayed edge. I tried to make the stitches random sizes and directions.
Next up was to add the center flower. I went ahead and added the two stems on the right side to make sure I had the flowers in the right place. All of the placement of applique pieces was done by eye. I didn’t try to mark where they were to go as the markings usually tend to stay when I don’t want them to. I appliqued the cotton organdy applique pieces in place with small stitches, a very fine needle, and one strand of cotton floss.
Then it was a matter of continuing to add pieces and stitching them in place. I listen to podcasts while I’m doing hand stitching as it is definitely “slow stitch”.
The center flower is now completely stitched down.
Here’s a closer view of the flower and the stitching. It’s possible that I could add more detailed stitching over the top of the foreground flowers but I haven’t decided yet. I should have made a sample so I could try out some different ideas but I forgot and I don’t think I have any more green silk for a sample piece. That’s what I get for not planning enough!
I have started working on the green nuno felt that I showed you several weeks ago.
Here’s where I left off and you will see that I eventually turn this piece so that the orange bits were at the top instead of the bottom.
I looked through my stash to see what fabric I had that would work with my inspiration photos of Indian Paintbrush. I have tons of photos that I have taken of wildflowers so I printed out some that were closer and some that were farther away.
Next, I needed to scale the foreground flowers up a bit. I do that on my copy machine and then use the photos to trace the design on to tracing paper.
I use my light box to trace the design on to the tracing paper.
Here’s the design beside the background nuno felt. I have turned it around so the orange is towards the top and further in the background to represent more flowers.
The next step is to copy the designs on to freezer paper. I picked out which petals I wanted to be a darker orange and transferred the petal shapes on to freezer paper. I decided to leave the edges of the fabric raw when I appliqued them down since Indian Paintbrush have ragged edges. Therefore, if there’s fraying, it’s not a big deal.
Then I cut out the flower shapes, some in darker orange and some in lighter orange. The fabric is all hand dyed so it has color changes throughout and looks more natural for flowers. I then peeled off the freezer paper to see what the flower would look like on the background. At some point, I decided to leave the freezer paper in place as it was preventing too much fraying before I started stitching the pieces down.
Here are all the pieces in place over the tracing paper which is laid on top of the nuno felt. I haven’t decided if I need to add anything else or not. I think I will stitch the small flowers down on the background and then lay out all the foreground flowers and decide if it needs other flowers or grass or… More to come!
Would you like to learn new methods of “mark making” on your felt? Are you looking for ways to create work that is uniquely your own? Are you wondering about surface design on felt? If you are looking for a new learning experience, please join me. Registration is now open for my online classes! The classes are listed below with a link to each class page. You don’t need to be present at any certain time to participate in a class and you will receive PDF’s to keep with all the relevant information learned in the class.
All four modules of my class, EMBELLISHING FELT WITH SURFACE DESIGN TECHNIQUES – A MIXED MEDIA APPROACH, will begin on July 19th and end on August 30th. Registration is now open for these online classes. Click on the class link below to register for that particular class.
Click on any of the links above to find out more about the class and to register and join in the fun.
Also, don’t forget about Teri’s concertina hat class or her felt bag class. Registration is open but closes soon on July 16th. So don’t miss out, click on the links above for more information and to register.
Our Wet Felting for Beginners class is always available. You can start any time and follow along at your own pace. Register here.
