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top of landscape sowing sky sea and rocks with cut outs from the oican
Maureen Shared her vacation, which became A Little Needle Felted Landscape

Maureen Shared her vacation, which became A Little Needle Felted Landscape

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I know some of us are very lucky to live near an active guild.  Many fibre arts people don’t have that source of fibre friends and inspiration. One of our guild members was on a road trip. She kindly brought us along vicariously through her posted shots.  Some were of the spots where she had stopped and spun yarn. One of the shots she shared with the guild particularly caught my eye.  It was a good composition, but the tilt of the horizon bothered me.  I could fix that…..

the original photo of Maureen’s Vacation spinning picture “spinning in front to the Arches at Arches Provincial Park”. not the odd tilt of the horizen. 1) Maureen’s Vacation spinning picture “spinning in front to the Arches at Arches Provincial Park”

Tuesday, July 09th: I was at the Kanata Games Club on Tuesday night, Glenn was busy and I had wool, a nametag size piece of green wool, needles, and scissors, now where is my felting mat and the fine Sharpie I thought I had?  Ok give me a minute, I know where the dollar store is, just down the hill from the gaming. It’s a bit too far to go with the walker, but really close by car. I was back with a garden foam kneeling pad and 3 fine sharps (and snacks) by 6:30 pm.

one print out of the photo to use as a template and another few to use as reference. i have croped the picknick table and some of the width mostly trees2) 6:30-ish pm at the Kanata Games Club.

The piece of green I had grabbed was a bit shorter in length than I wanted. It was also not as rectangular as I would have liked. It’s wool, So not a problem!!! I just added more wool fibre to make it the size I needed.  A bit of work with the Clover multie-needle tool and I had a solid felt base the size I wanted.

I am again using the template method of image transfer and a bit of divine editing of the angle of the horizon.

template method; cutting out the sky then using the remaining image to mark the sky, i have flatened the horizen so the picture is now on a slight angle. i did not add reference marks since the image fit over the felt i was working on. that will come back to hont me later.3) Cutting off the sky and then straightening the Horizon.

sky and horizen in, fixing not squaire felt base 4) Straitened the horizon, and squared up the short corner of felt.

cutting the next section of the photo out and then adding the sea5) cutting the next section out and then adding the sea

Cutting out the rock and the next section of ocean.6) Cutting out the rock and the next section of the ocean.

Continuing to cut away a section of the photo, draw in the new edge then felt in the open area7) Continuing to cut away a section of the photo, draw in the new edge then felt in the open area

I am not the fastest of feltres, this is about 3.5 hours.  Glenn has just finished his gaming and it is time for me to pack up and head home. I am pleased with the progress so far.

 

Wednesday, July 10th:

Resumed felting, ……time for a break, I got over-focused on felting.  Where did I put the camera? On drat, I missed a big chunk of time,  I had better stop for a photo break.

Continuing to cut out a section, then use sharpie to denote the edge, then add wool. replacing the remaining picture to check angles.8.1-8.2) Continuing to cut out a section, then use a sharpie to denote the edge, then add wool.

Laying over the un-felted space with the remains of the reference photo, to see how the image is coming along. You can also see that I have stuck the wool mat in a heavy freezer zip-lock bag. It has not entirely kept the fiber from transferring but the migration has been reduced drastically. This is the third name tag/ picture I have been working with the green base wool on this wool pad. I have been using the same side of the pad but now have rotated the plastic bag. I should last till the end of this picture then I will likely change it for another freezer bag. If you are curious let me know and we can investigate this further, looking into ways to reduce wool transfer to your work surface.

9) My Reference image is now on the computer, note zip lock baggie with all pieces that have been cut out so far.9) My Reference image is now on the computer, note the zip lock baggie with all the pieces that have been cut out so far. it’s above the Right corner of the felting.

I now have my reference image up on the computer, as I am working while waiting for Marie, from Texas, to start Wooly Wednesday on YouTube. You can see the parts of the image I have already cut off in a zip lock baggie so I can refer to them if I need to. (such as the area at the top left where I still need to add a tree in front of the water I have already felted.

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 10.1-10.2) This felting experience was enhanced by the nibbling of blackberries,  just make sure your fingers are clean before getting back to the wool. note the Sharpie it’s double ended (Fine and Extra fine tip)

I am now adding the outline for the right arm. In addition, note the double-ended sharpie (Fine/Extra Fine), and the heavy zip lock bag over my wool felting mat is reducing the amount of wool wanting to transfer into the pad. Blackberries are also very inspirational but don’t let them change the colour of your fingers and then your wool.

the arm is in11) Arm is in

adding shorts12) adding shorts

this is about at 10.5 hours13) This is about 10.5 hours

I still have a lot of detail work to do adding all the flowers a bit more edge defining and tree extensions. But I am quite pleased so far. Time for bed.

 

Thursday;  Finished writing my blog post for the 14th and started writing this one. Ok, I am as slow at writing, as I am at felting. (I did wind up writing about Ann’s Name tag before getting back to finish this one.)

 

Monday, July 15h: I brought the little landscape in to get Ann’s opinion. She said it looked like Maureen’s hair was curly I will try to fix that. I also consulted on the sheep name tag I was making for her.

picture in zip lock bagie, held on to shelf by a magnaet.14) Waiting for a consultation with Ann and I was working on her sheep name tag

I worked a little bit on Wednesday and got the tree in the top left corner blocked in. as you will see when I got back to work at the social. I like to be able to put a piece down and think about what I want to do next, decide on my options and then look at it again with fresh eyes and Reassess.

 

Monday, July 22nd:

By this point, it’s getting down to details and finishing touches. You can’t tell but in person, the straw yellow is not as embedded and solid as it looks in the photo.

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15.1-15.2) Assessing the progress I have made so far.

I have added a bit of a suggestion of wildflowers and fussed with the green undertones but something is not yet right.

Helping your brain to not just look, but see what it’s looking at can be challenging.

When you are working and get to the point you are unsure, it may be that your eye and your brain are arguing.

The eye says “this is what I am looking at” and the brain says “I know what a tree looks like! I don’t have to look at another tree” There are a few ways to help the brain pay attention and actually see what it is looking at. Here are a few I learned while painting but can be applied to felting too (which is painting with wool).

  • Use a mirror to look at your felt image. By reversing the image, it gives a fresh perspective and often you can see a proportion or angle that is not quite right.
  • Photography (camera, cell phone, iPad); look at the felt image as a digital image. You often will spot something off in the photo you did not notice in the work. You can also digitize the image you are working from. It lets you scroll in close to part of the painting to see details,
    • see the image in black and white or
    • oversaturate the image with colour to see hidden colours.
  • rotate your image and reference until it’s upside down (inverted). It becomes easier to see negative space and spatial relationships when the image is not looked at in the usual way.
  • Set your work and image look at it sitting vertically (on an easel or propped up against something so you are not looking down at it) Step back and look at the work.
  • Take a break, go do something else. Come back with “Fresh eyes”.

16) ways to help your brain see what you are looking at 16) ways to help your brain see what you are looking at

Remember that it’s your image, it doesn’t have to be exactly the same unless you want it to be. You can be the god of your landscape and move a tree, make a shrub shorter or fuller or remove it. Do you feel the image needs more sky? Then add it. As long as the image makes sense  (no double points of light sources unless you are on an alien planet with 2 suns) it will be believable. You are unlikely to hang the photo reference beside your finished piece, so move a tree if it offends you. If you are working on a portrait, you have to be a bit more accurate. Then use the above suggestions to help get as close as you can to the original.

I have put my piece aside, so I can think about it and see the image with fresh eyes before I finish the fine details. So I have switched to work on another little project for Ann. (which you  have seen; https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2024/07/24/name-tag-sneaky/ .) Next time i will show you what i find and how i fix it. Have fun and keep felting!!

 

Making a cover for a teapot handle and July’s page is done.

Making a cover for a teapot handle and July’s page is done.

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I have a teapot I really like, it has good balance and is easy to pour from.  I like it, except that it has a metal handle that gets hot resting on the teapot.

I decided to make a cover for the handle. I did it for another teapot years ago. Here is the link to it https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2016/07/18/a-busy-week-2/

 

I made 4 thin layers. 2 thicker ones would have been good for this small project but I can’t layout thicker without really working on it. I got a nice firm felt at 50% shrinkage.

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Once it was the right size, I rolled it into a tube to dry. The silk pops  so nicely once it is dry

Rolled up to dry
Dry tube ready to go

The only thing left is to sew it onto the teapot. I used some thick, black cotton thread and whip stitched it on

And here it is.

The funny thing in the lid handle is part of the original messy background I couldn’t get rid of. I made a cup of tea right after finishing and it worked perfectly, no more burnt fingers.

The other thing I finished today is my July Page of slow stitch on felt. No hidden meanings this month, just some random designs.

 

 

 

sheep name tag with no name yet
Name Tag: Sneaky

Name Tag: Sneaky

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Someone mentioned that her name tag was really old and missing. I can’t seem to narrow down what I want to do, so let me look at replacing the missing tag for Ann. Now I hope I can finish it before she finds her old name tag!

Hum, what might Ann like? Sheep!  Ok, off to Google Image to see if I can find an interesting sheep. What kind of sheep might she like? The Sheep Ann has are mostly mixed with Rideau Arcott (developed at the Animal Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada), but I have heard her say she likes black sheep. Ok, let’s look for “black sheep”, “Sheep in barn door”, and  “sheep and wall”.

There was a profile photo of a Black Icelandic-looking sheep, which was very striking.

profile of Icelandic looking sheep with horn and nondescript background.4 seep in barn doorway, i sheep in old wooden doorway sheep in white painted doorway1.1) Icelandic sheep in profile. 1.2) sheep in barns

 It did not have as interesting background as I would have liked. Ann likes purples so maybe I could do a sort of purple sunset? After looking through many sheep, I narrowed it down to about 6 options but came back to the black Icelandic in profile.

Ann had mentioned that she found the nametag pieces I had cut were too big. So I should stiffen the background and then reduce the size.  To firm up the odd green felt I added more white wool (Corriedale). When I cut the nametag down, you can see the path of the needle, as it pushes the white fibre into the green felt.

wool base with white wool added then cut in half showing insertion of white wool into the green felt. 2) Showing the wool being pushed through the felt

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3.1) adding more white wool to hide the cut (front View) 3.2) Adding a bit more wool to heal the cut edge (Back view).

two sizes of sheep image compared ageist size of name tag4) Now to decide the scale of the image, to the size of the tag.

As usual, I am working from the background towards the front. In this image, there are only 2 plains, the background and the sheep! Again, I am using the template technique, which you have seen me use before.

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5.1-5.2) Starting to add a background. background blocked in.

background blocked in, used sharpie to outline face (and shadow under chin)6) Background sort of blocked in, using a sharpie to outline the face and position the eye,  let’s see if can make a sheep

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7.1-7.3) Adding the sheep starting with the head, and horn and then adding the body.

Not sure about the shadow under the chin, but let’s block in the horn, and come back to the shadow. As i worked i kept asking Ann for her input. She didn’t seem to suspect i was making this for her.

As you have likely noticed, I often have issues with keeping 2D flat….. so I am making an ear…..a sheep needs an ear!

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8.1) making a black ear 8.2) ear attached

Oh drat,  good ear-age makes the horn look flat…. Got to fix that. I need to add more wool to create a more substantial horn to go with the ear. And the head is getting lost in the body…. Lest sift it lighter.

3D ear and horn9)  Now we have a 3-D ear and Horn that looks better.

I added a magnet to the back so she didn’t need to have a safety pin or sew-on pin.

adding magnet disk behind small pice of comertal wool10)  Adding a magnet by sewing a small pocket of commercial felt to the tag.  The second magnet is in the background.

I went back, added a bit more detail, and got rid of the shadow that had been under his chin.  now he might be looking back towards you, rather than ahead.

changed the sheep body to a lighter colour11) that looks better, no chin shadow, lighter coat

OH NO! Ann Found her old name tag but said it was looking a bit ratty and needed to make another one!! I need to felt faster!!!  she has seen what I am working on but doesn’t seem to have guessed I am trying to make a name tag for her!

Ann's old name tag 12) Ann’s old name tag had been found

I could not find a yarn that worked. But Ann offered a bit of her handspun yarn. Now What font?  “Ann” in Harrington font might work, it has a nice Art Neuvoue feel.

"Ann" in Harrington Font13) Ann in Harrington font which feels very Art Neuvoue

It’s hard to fit letters when the tag is smaller but let’s see if I can fit all of them. I had a few guild members wander over to see what I was felting but had my hand over part of the name. Maybe I am going with Jan with 2 N’s? Good thing we share letters!!

added Name "Ann"14) Ann’s Name tag done!

I hope I have not spoiled her fun by making her own name tag.

Ann trying out her new name tag15) She did seem to be surprised. I hope she will like it.

I was trying to complete this before Ann found her lost, older name tag, and felted much faster than I usually do.  I usually pause, and debate options as I am working. I can already see a few tweaks I would like to do. I wonder if I can borrow it, for a quick touch-up?

Up Date 07/22/2024:

Ann’s name tag, before getting back to work.16) Ann’s name tag, before getting back to work.

I borrowed Ann’s Name tag when she arrived at the guild social and got back to work.

First I edged part of Ann’s letters in white, to help subtly pop the name. I checked in with Ann again and she wanted me to change the angle on the “A” crossbar. I can do that!

“A” crossbar re-angled at Left baser and added white edging shadow.17) “A” crossbar re-angled at Left baser and added white edging shadow.

Now,  I need to add a bit more 3d-ness to face, and add a bit more shadowing on the horn.

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18.1) – edging on letters added, nest to build up forehead, bridge of nose and nose. 18.2) adding dimension to forehead, losing ear, will fix that shortly.  18.3) – ear fixed head showing more depth.  18.4) added fiber to forehead, front edge of the sheep face and nose. then added a bit of dark to the horn as well as make it a bit firmer. I also straitened the horizon.

There that looks a bit better! Time to check with Ann,

Ann inspecting updated name tag 19.1) She Likes It!!!

Ann inspects 3D sheep head19.2)  Much more 3D!

I hope Ann and her sheep will be happy and she can use it at socials, Demos and workshops!

Now that I have made a name tag for  Glenn and one for Ann do I have a better idea of one for me or will I pick on someone else next?

 

Nametags: Glenn

Nametags: Glenn

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Nametag for Glenn

As I mentioned previously,  this is the local Weavers and Spinners Guild’s 75th anniversary. One of my jobs to get ready for the party was to find and print out the nametags I had made for Demoing, quite a while ago, when I was demo coordinator.  This aligns perfectly with one of my goals for this year; to learn the names of more of the guild members.

One of the ways I am trying to do this is by suggesting using nametags. For the party, we seemed to run out of time to get everyone to make their own name tag, but I did have the old weird sheep name tags I had made when I was the guild’s demo coordinator. We used some of them last year for the Sale and Exhibition for vendors and demo people.

I dug through the computer and found an old file with some of the pictures.  After a quick perusal of Google image search, I added to the weird sheep pictures, then added them to the formatted guild name tag file. After a couple of days of work, I had the updated sheep-related nametags printed, cut, and ready to go into lanyards or pin-on tags for the party. This would also allow non-guild members to know who were guild members at the party.

a pile of nametags with odd or funny sheep photos and cartoons. printed on cardstock, cut out, and ready to use.1) Silly sheep Name tags for the Party Sale and Demos

As cute or silly as the sheep theme is, it does not fully represent all guild members as well as making their own personal name tag would. So for the long weekend, Monday social, I suggested we start the personal nametags-making project.

Name Tag Supplies: plastic bag with a bit of wool in a few colours. Bag of green wool felt underneath it. dollar store “embroidery” thread, little balls of acrylic yarn, bag of safety pins, Reece’s peanut butter cups and KitKat mini chocolate bars, plastic bin with sewing stuff, and bag with the last of the coridale bump In white and top black possibly merino wool.2) Name Tag Supplies: plastic bag with a bit of wool in a few colours. A bag of green wool felt underneath it. dollar store “embroidery” thread, little balls of acrylic yarn, a bag of safety pins, Reece’s peanut butter cups and KitKat mini chocolate bars, a plastic bin with sewing stuff, and a bag with the last of the corriedale bump In white and top black possibly merino wool.

I already have a nametag on my apron (one of the sheep ones and a magnetic needle felted sheep head), but Glenn is unidentified.  Glenn has been attending socials with me since he was released from the hospital in January. This might be his last for a while as he is finally starting a graduated return to work.  I had brought some over-washed green wool felt.  It looks like a pool or billiard table green, that’s been washed. Why someone would want to wash it, I have no idea but I found it second hand and it would either work for miniature war gaming or name tags.  It will make an excellent base to build up colour to make the nametags.

I suggested a landscape.  Glenn said he also wanted to have a train. (He likes those long, math-involved, 18XX train games. The trains are not X-rated!  it’s just that all the various versions of the game are covering the 1800’s involving trains laying track and the stock market. Board Game Geek describes them as: “18xx is the collective term used to describe a set of railroad-themed stock market and tile laying games. The 18xx set has two main branches: the 1829 branch (1829, 1825, 1853, and 1829 Mainline) and the 1830 branch (1830, 1856, 1870, etc).”)  it still doesn’t sound fun to me but OK, landscape with train. Ann kindly gave me about 6 inches of light blue combed top, for the sky, I had white, black and some weird bright green with flecks of orange and blue. I also had a bit of heathered purple with me. I overlaid the white first, it would tone down the billiard table green. Then added the green ground blended with a bit of the purple to tone down the green. As well as a blue sky with a few clouds.

covered green felt with white to make a slightly thicker baseand hide the intesity of green . starting to add sky and ground, using Clover tool and small pet brush for blending sky with clowds and grass with small flecks of colour suggesting posibly flowers3.1-3.2 ) Covering the billiard table green wool with white then adding the ground and sky. I used the Clover tool to block in the basic colours.

showing the back of the felt and how much wool has been pushed through4) The back of the wool base

Off to Google to find historical train silhouettes.

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5.1 a selection of train silhouettes

5.2) the train silhouettes under consideration in various sizes, then cut out to get approval.

-5.3) I thought he would choose this one

I had thought, “smaller train pulling the name “Glenn” behind it”.

Train selected, I printed out a range of sizes and cut a couple out to show him.  Glenn chose the largest one that obscured most of the landscape. I cut out the train and traced around it with a permanent marker. I should have cut out the train to make a stencil but oh well. I placed the train on the background and realized that a black train would overpower the tag.  so suggested a compromise, how about an outline of a train?  With the “Glenn” inside? That was agreeable to him and off I went outlining the silhouette.  I scaled up the train a bit further, so the name would be easily read inside the train.

outlineing train sillowet in wool outlineing train sillowet in wool6.1-6.2) Glenn chose the largest train which I traced with permanent marker, then started to outline in black wool

Next, what font to use? I went through the list available in Microsoft Word (2010 edition, yes I am retro but it still works just fine.) I found four options I liked and thought would work with the train, and then narrowed it down to Lucida.

4 text fonts “Glenn” in Freestyle Script, Gulim, Pristina, and Lucida Handwriting7) “Glenn” in Freestyle Script, Gulim, Pristina, and Lucida Handwriting

I drew a picture of the name on a card that would fit in the train. Going with Lucida as I like the letter spacing and the curves juxtaposed with the angles. Which I felt mimicked the feeling of the old train. Text isn’t just letters, it’s shapes, spacing and negative spaces and it’s filled with emotional content. Ok, that is likely just the dyslexia compensating for the rest of you telling me that b-d-p-q is not the same letter just seen from different viewpoints. Don’t get me started on the untrustworthiness of u-n-c, w-m-3-E or even t-f depending on the font.

glenn drawn onto a scap of file card to get spacing8) Drawing out the letters to make sure they will fit in the space available

Font decided, I worked from the guide and added the name to the tag, by this point it was after 11 pm but I was still inspired so kept going. The N’s wound up to be a bit off, so I blame the lateness and they are a tricky shape.

Well, it has all the letters, they seem to be in the right order, and I didn’t miss any of them (Glenn got both his N’s even if I think the second one is just there for decoration. Look how silly Jann would be with 2 n’s! well, actually, it gives it a bit more gravitas and does balance the weight of the J ……. Maybe I do need a second N too? No that’s just one more letter that could go horribly wrong!!!!)

text added into the train9) All letters are there and in the correct order! G L E N N

Now I am at the last step, how to attach it to the Glenn. I could add magnets, a broach pin or I could add a lanyard. I think the lanyard would be most practical for Glenn. So where did I put my kumohimo discs and fake embroidery thread (it’s braided so doesn’t actually come apart, so it’s not embroidery thread) from Dollerama.  No clue where the box with disks went. Glenn has been working through stuff in the living room and has moved everything… but I know where some of the dollar store embroidery thread is!! (Bedroom, wicker basket, little plastic bin with sewing stuff.)

I had the remains of a box of crackers so used a glass to make the circle and then messed up the bisecting of the segments. I need to divide the circle into 8 sections. Then cut a ¼ inch in at each section for the yarn to fit in. I have 7 embroidery thread bobbins (in plastic) to wind and I will find one of the big bulldog clips for a weight.

Cracker box cardboard with hole in the center divided into 8 sections. Plastic embroidery floss holders are my bobbins10) Cracker box cardboard with a hole in the centre divided into 8 sections. Plastic embroidery floss holders are my bobbins.

I want the cord to be reasonably thick so it will be comfortable on the neck so I divided the scenes in half. The tags say they are 7.3m or 23.9 feet. That should give me about 8 feet of braid. I will need enough to go around the nametag then up and around his neck. Not more than 4 feet. Just keep braiding until it’s long enough! You would need less if you did not want to outline the tag too. I got comfortable with making the cordage,  watching YouTube then listening to my book and realized I had enough cord and still quite a lot on the bobbins. I guess I can finish it while I listen to another book later.

Before I cut it off I sewed around the tag and got Glenn to try it on. There is enough! So did a bit more tied off and cut the braid. The last bit of sewing is to join the braid to the name tag and then assess it. Hmm, it needs a bit more wool to hide the stitches at the back and a quick touch-up of the front and it will be all ready for next Monday’s social.

Kumihimo cordage sewn to the name tag11) Border on and length of lanyard adjusted

testing the nametag at a guild social. yes it works12) Name tag working correctly at the guild social.

Ok, the tag works at socials, one last test will it work with the Kanata Board Game Group?

the Name tag works on gamers as well as it works on spinners and weavers!13) The name tag works on gamers as well as it works on spinners and weavers!

While Glenn was busy,  I started another little landscape on one of the name tag bases. I was inspired by a friend’s vacation photo and wanted to try it as a landscape, but I will show you how that turns out later.

June’s page is finished

June’s page is finished

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My June page is done.  I started late but once the mood hit, it didn’t take long to do. It’s not a very complicated one but June is a busy month. I work best against a deadline.

a pink piece of felt with stitching and needle felt

There is a birthday cake for my birthday. I hear I share June with several other blog members. It looks like grey icing and a grey candle but they are purple in person.  DAD is for Father’s Day.  It is International UFO Month so I had to have a cute little alien. International Bicycle Day is this month and it is International Blood Donor Month.

I drew out the different pictures on some washaway stabiliser. It worked well, except for the blood drop as you can see it looks fine here

water soluble stabilizer with pictures over felt

But when I washed away the stabiliser it looked like this.

The first thing I tried was needling the felt to move it back into place. it works well a lot of the time when things need realigning.  but that didn’t work.  So, I used more of the red thread to fill in.  I thought it might make the shape funny but it worked great.

I picked some grey for July. It’s neutral so it can take anything. I may just do abstract stitching but I haven’t decided yet. grey felt

Leafy Seadragon

Leafy Seadragon

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Several of my recent posts have been about the work that was being created by members of the Waltham Textile group for our Making Waves Exhibition. It’s been about six weeks now since that took place so many of our readers will have already seen images, and possibly the video, but if you haven’t, and you’re interested, you can view them on Facebook or Instagram.

Something else I had wanted to make for the show, but didn’t make time for, was a felted Leafy Seadragon. I discovered so many weird and wonderful sea creatures while researching for the exhibition but this species is in a category of its own!!

The ethereal looking Leafy Seadragon has leaf-like appendages that provide camouflage for this delicate creature
Image source: Treehugger.com

Leafy seadragons inhabit rocky reefs, seaweed beds, and seagrass meadows in waters off the coast of South Australia, where they have been adopted as the state’s marine emblem.

These timid creatures grow to between 20 and 30cm in length.  They use their ornate leaf-like appendages as very effective camouflage to blend in with their surroundings, becoming almost invisible to the untrained eye.

Belonging to the same family as seahorses and pipefish, Australian leafy seadragons are generally brown to yellow in body colour, while their spectacular appendages are typically olive-tinted and provide near-perfect camouflage in seaweed. Depending on the age and health of the individual some Leafies can also change their colouration if they need to.

The leaf-like structures are not used for swimming. They move very slowly using their pectoral and dorsal fins which are so delicate they are almost transparent.

Image source: @animalfactfiles


So I thought I’d have a go at making a Leafie this month and I’m hoping there will be space for me to display her as part of my submission to “Water“ – the 2024 Lincs Textiles Exhibition in Lincoln Cathedral at the end of August. Our work will be on show in the Chapter House at the Cathedral so if you are in the vicinity it would be lovely to see you there!
I know these creatures are normally pictured horizontally but for aesthetic purposes I’m using artistic lisence and hanging mine vertically! So, would it be wet felted and stuffed or needle felted? I liked the idea of wet felting the body but decided against it as I didn’t think it would provide enough support for the appendages.

Photograph of wire armature for a 3 dimensional Leafy Seadragon

Best to start with a 1.2mm galvanised wire armature and needle felt the body…..but what was I thinking when I switched to 0.5mm aluminium wire for the appendages? I was thinking I could form the leaf shapes using that wire and fill them in with painted lutradur……what I wasn’t thinking was that they would twist and bend and drive me nuts all the time I was needle felting the body! That wire was making the whole thing too fragile and too difficult to work with so it had to go!

It was replaced with 0.6mmgalvanised wire which, being retro fitted, would now require careful poking and anchoring to ensure they all stayed put! This also meant the leaf/seaweed shapes would need a rethink. They wouldn’t be outlined with wire, as I’d originally intended, because the replacement wire was far too stiff for that. But at least it was easier to work on now!

I began adding detail and colour to the head. When I was happy with that I moved on to wet felting several boney spikes to attach in rows along the back, front and sides and then needle felted colour to the body.

Next the new wires that will hold the foliage were wrapped with fibre and I made flat felt to cut up for the leaves.

This is where I’m at right now. There’s more foliage to add and the de-fuzzing to do so I’ll include a photo of the finished dragon in my next post. In the meantime I just have to share some inspiring Leafie sculptures I came across online.

I was blown away by the beautiful design and detail in these first two which are the work of artist Ellen Jewett Ellen says “Each sculpture is constructed using an additive technique, layered from inside to out by an accumulation of innumerable tiny components.  Many of these components are microcosmic representations of plants, animals and objects.  Some are beautiful, some are grotesque and some are fantastical.  The singularity of each sculpture is the sum total of its small narrative structures.”

In addition to her life as a professional artist Ellen operates a small scale animal refuge with the help of her partner on their Vancouver Island farm.

Image source: ellenjewettsculpture.com
Image source: ellenjewettsculpture.com

I also like this one made by Australian artist Dean Fox using recycled copper and brass on natural rock…… “I am much inspired by the beautiful environment of Kangaroo Island in South Australia where I live. The beaches and bush alike are a constant source of ideas and materials. During my working life in the building and metalwork industry I learnt the many skills I now employ in my creative work. I work in metal, copper and brass and may incorporate found objects and natural timber into my work.”

Image source: deanfoxsculptor.com

Mine is still very much a WIP but in my head I’m already working on a more abstract version for Leafie number two which may or may not involve fibre.

 

Artwork Taken to 4 Ravens Gallery and a Start to a New Piece

Artwork Taken to 4 Ravens Gallery and a Start to a New Piece

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Lots of people have asked to see my artwork again after it’s framed. I got three pieces back from the framers and took my work down to 4 Ravens Gallery  in Missoula, Montana yesterday.

Framed textile artwork depicting a landscape with sunlight streaming between two tree trunks on to foreground of rocks and flowers.

Sunlit Dance 14″ x 16″

Textile artwork felted landscape depicting an autumn tree.

Autumn Symphony 14″ x 16″

Textile artwork depicting a felted tree trunk with a branch, leaves and lichen.

Hanging On 14″ x 28″

If you are interested in any of these pieces, please contact 4 Ravens Gallery directly.

Now on to the next piece! I found another piece of hand dyed silk in my stash and it’s ready for nuno felting.

Green hand dyed silk with orange highlights.

Here’s the piece of silk. I have decided to try another floral based piece. I haven’t created one of those for a while, so ‘gasp’, no trees. The bits of orange remind me of Indian Paintbrush so I think I will see what I can come up with based on those as the main wild flower.

I went searching through the wool that my friend Paula gave me and found this lovely white merino that seems to be about 18-21  micron. I have run out of prefelt but this will work great for nuno felting.

Nuno felted green silk with highlights of orange.

Here is the piece after I have felted it. Now on to designing the flowers and background.

 

 

 

Multicolor wet felted tree trunk with felted branch and tea bag leaves stitched on to hand dyed green background fabric and laced on to matte board.
Felt Tree Trunk Piece Completed

Felt Tree Trunk Piece Completed

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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.

Multicolor wet felted tree trunk with felted branch and tea bag leaves stitched in place.

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.

Multicolor wet felted tree trunk with felted branch and tea bag leaves stitched on to hand dyed green background fabric and laced on to matte board.

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.

Five leaves made from painted tea bags and free motion machine stitching that have been burnt with a soldering iron.
Creating a Branch, Leaves and Lichen for a Felt Tree Trunk

Creating a Branch, Leaves and Lichen for a Felt Tree Trunk

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In my last post, I showed you the beginnings of a tree trunk that I have been creating. Next up was to make a branch, leaves and lichen for the trunk.

Felted fringe cut from a scarf above felt tree branch made from similar fringe.

The branch was made from the fringe that I cut off when I felted the tree trunk. There is extra fringe at the top of the photo above and the branch that I created from a similar piece of scarf below. I did a bit of twisting, tacking it down with a felting needle and then wet felted the branch.

Interfacing and nylon organza painted purple.

I painted some lightweight interfacing and some nylon organza to make the lichen. It was fun to make lichen in purple!

Here’s the set up that I use for burning synthetic fabric. It gives off bad odors so I put a piece of glass on my stovetop, turn on the fan in the vent hood and burn with a soldering iron first. Once I get the shapes, then I use a heat gun to further shrink and change the shape of the fabric. It shrinks the fabric down, so you need to burn out more pieces than you think you need. (Make sure to be very careful with the soldering iron and keep it away from your fingertips. You also might want to wear a mask.)

Here’s the burnt interfacing on the left and the result after heating with the heat gun on the right. I usually tear these pieces up into smaller sections as that looks more like the way lichen grows on tree trunks. Do you like the little dog at the bottom? Totally unplanned.

Here’s the nylon organza. I do both the interfacing and the organza because they each give a different texture. That way when mixed together, it looks more like real lichen.

Next up was to create the leaves. I used tea bag papers that I painted. I wanted a soft peach-pink color but ended up with more of an orange color. Oh well, I kept going. The top right shows the tea bag papers layered with two papers and then free motion machine stitched to make veins. Then I cut out the leaves to the correct shape and then used a soldering iron to burn bits away and make little holes. Now they look like fall leaves.

But I was still unhappy with the color. I definitely wanted them less orange and more pink. So I took some leftover tea bag paper and tried several different media to see what I liked best. I ended up using the pink colored pencil. Now to stitch it all together and see if it needs anything else, but you will have to wait until June for that post.

 

Plans, Shopping, Lambs and Flowers

Plans, Shopping, Lambs and Flowers

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Spring is so busy and we have a lot going on. First, even though it is already the 13 of May I have just picked out a piece of felt for my May slow stitch page. It is thin and soft so it will probably need some stabiliser on the back when I am done. There is a little sparkle that the camera is not picking up.  I have picked some things to stitch on it but I will keep that for when it’s done.

a rectangle of multicoloured handmade felt

Also only in the planning is another spiral. I am thinking of using some locks on this one.

Next was shopping. The first fibre show of the year for me was last weekend.  Well, if you don’t count the shopping at the spin. It’s called For the Love of Fibre.  It’s a small show but lots of great stuff. I picked up a small amount of 2 colours I don’t have, just to have them. What better reason could there be? I am sure Jan will have lots of pictures to show you

blue and purple fibre top

 

and 2 art batts. this first one just screams summer beach and will probably get used as is with a few embellishments.

a fiber art batt for spinning or felting.

 

This one I don’t know. I may deconstruct it and use it in a picture or spin some. I don’t know yet.

a fibre art batt for spinning or felting, blues and greens

 

And some lovely dark brown Gottland locks because I can’t resist locks. Well, actually, I resisted a lot of locks, despite Jan’s best efforts to get me to pick other colours too.

Next, we have lambs, there are about 20 in the barn and maybe 10-15 sheep waiting to have their lambs. We now have 2 in the house. 2 I showed you  Sven and Henna and now we have Jett. Poor Jett. his mom likes him but won’t let him drink. he has sharp teeth or rather he had sharp teeth. We used a fine emery board to gently file them but Mom was not willing to take a chance, so he had to come in. He has only been in a couple of days and hasn’t worked out drinking from a bottle yet. We are working on it.

 

A black lamb

Here the 3 of them are in their outdoor pen.

And now for some inspiration. Spring is so inspiring. My front yard has very little grass, mostly it has violets. Most are the standard purple ones.

violets

But also some white and purple ones, and some purple speckled ones.

 

white and purple violets

I think the speckled ones are my favourite.

And soon there will be lilacs. I can’t wait to smell them.

Lilac budds

I hope your spring is going as well as mine.