gold foil placed within the design
Inspired by nature – part 2

Inspired by nature – part 2

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In my previous post I had completed two nature inspired collages https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2024/03/28/inspired-by-nature-part-1/ and had then decided (in my infinite wisdom!) to create a third and form a set. Collages one and two were partners, now I was heading for a family!

 

My original completed piece
1   My original completed piece

 

A second work including a found twig, fabric snippets and embroidery stitches
2   My second piece

As I was now creating a ‘triptych’ – meaning the two different nature inspired collages needed to be tied together – I had to concentrate on colour and texture, because I didn’t have enough snippets of all the various fabrics previously used. At the same time, I needed to think about the design direction.

One of the hardest decisions was deciding which way up, I finally wanted to present collages one and two, as this would have a bearing on three. When doing abstract work, I usually work from different directions so that, to me, it is balanced from all sides. This enables me, or a client, to decide which way to hang the piece, or simply present the opportunity to ring the changes!

 

Design sketches and potential fabric pieces to be used
3   Thinking about the design

 

the final auditioning of fabrics
4   Auditioning the fabrics

 

Once I’d decided on the final hanging direction of collages one and two, the next hurdle was the actual design layout. Again, the priority for me, was to unify and compliment the previous finished pieces, for which my various sketches proved very useful.

I’ve been asked many times ‘where do you get your layout ideas from?’ Zimples…I look through my vast collection of images that I find interesting (landscape, architectural, food etc), then finding one I like, I either trace or freehand copy the main shapes. These then become the kicking off point. I’m repeating myself I know, as I’ve mentioned all this before….I just want to get the message over that this method is available to everyone – whether they are ‘arty’ or say they can’t draw for toffee!

 

Fabrics finally chosen and laid out in position
5   Layout of fabrics finalised – including some paper birch bark (the yellow underside was more interesting than the white top).

 

With my final decisions made on the design layout and the fabrics to use, it was time to start adding some embellishing stitches.

Although not immediately obvious each work also has some golden elements (paper or foil) included with the dried peeled cherry & birch bark (from felled trees), twigs, or dried bark chips (these were a beach combing find!). All from my ‘that’s too good to throw away/it might come in useful’ stash!

Then it was back to the entire same auditioning process re the placement of Mother Nature’s treasures with the added complication of now having to balance these elements with those of the other two completed works, which in turn, might decide in which order the three collages should be displayed (1,2,3 or 1,3,2 or, 3,1,2 etc).

In terms of design, balance, or colour – if I saw a glaring ‘gap’, yet more embellishing stitches were added, particularly to subtly enhance the circles.

 

gold foil placed within the design
5a   Just to show the gold elements. Notice the copper thread too on the bark

 

These collages are all about being nature inspired, so the following photographs show some close-up details which I have paired with various of my (oh so many!!!) images of Mother Nature’s spontaneous creations that surround us, even in the tiniest of corners.

close up details from my originally collage
6   Detail 1 – A variety of stitches on the original collage

 

 

close up of stitched bark paired with a twig
7   Detail 2 – Stitched cherry bark overlaid with a sheer with crocheted lichen and copper wrapped twig

 

 

close-up detail of second collage
8   Detail 3 – Eco printed fabric, expanded wet-wipe and yarn tufts

 

 

Embroidery stitces to emulate moss and lichen
9   Detail 4 – Embroidery stitches to evoke lichen and moss

 

 

Placement of fabric evokes the cracks seen in rocks and cut tree trunks
10   Detail 5 – Reminiscent of cracks in rocks and aged cut tree trunks

 

 

detail of copper wrapped bark with a tufted yarn to resemble moss.
11 Detail 6 – Copper wrapped bark, ‘cracks’ or maybe twigs and yarn moss

 

Framing the three collages….

I used my favourite method – by stitching each to card cut to fit the frame. I was so lucky that on one car boot sojourn, I found 3 IKEA frames, just perfect for my wall space. Each collage is 22 x 22cm (8½x 8½ins). At some point, I might present them in larger square frames with a wide 10cm (4in) mount (mat) to provide a counterfoil….before that….I’ll need to move house to have more wall space!!!

And herewith the final pieces, enough collage work for now I think….

The first collage
12   The original work – I blame this one for setting me off down this path….I enjoyed it so much!

 

Collage two all framed and ready to hang
13   Collage 2

 

The fianl collage all framed ready to hang
14   Collage 3 – Giving birth to this baby was not quite so easy as it had to share it’s parents’ features!

 

But maybe something beckons….

Lichen and moss covered rocks on top of a stone wall
15 Mother Nature’s circles – Mmmm food for thought perhaps!

Did I forget to mention that I also love the rocks and stones on which the lichen grow!!!

 

We’d love to hear about any dip or triptychs you’ve created.

 

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.

 

A Quilt Journey Revisited

A Quilt Journey Revisited

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Quite a few months ago, the Program Chair for my local quilt guild (Camano Island Quilters) asked me if I would be willing to do a trunk show of my quilts. I had never done anything like that before so I said “Yes, of course!” I was nervous about doing it for the first time, but quilter’s are my people!

As the day drew nearer, I thought I’d better start looking for all the quilts I still had in my possession after beginning quilt making in the late 1980’s and started piling them up on my studio floor.  I was quite surprised to see how many traditional quilts were added to the pile. I had totally forgotten I had made some of them.

I had to figure out how I wanted to give my little “talk” and decided that I would look at my quilting as a journey and start with my traditional quilts and end with my art quilts.

I first began quilting because I was attracted to Amish quilts. I found 3 small Amish wall hangings that I had finished and hand quilted. When I began quilting, there was still a lot of controversy over hand versus machine quilting. Thankfully, machine quilting is widely accepted today!

Over the next few years, I took many classes from a wide variety of teachers mostly at quilt shops near my home.  I learned that I wasn’t very good at fabric color choices and that sewing ¼” seams and matching points correctly was challenging for me. I have great respect for traditional quilters and their skills!

At one point I got into making foundation paper pieced miniature quilts, thinking that would be a faster, more efficient way to complete a quilt. This piece was probably made in the late 1990’s. The foundation paper was still in it and when I went to remove it, sadly many of the seams started coming apart. I did finish quilting it and put a facing on it (versus a binding) and it hangs on my wall. It is flawed but still precious to me.

12” x 12” (late 1990’s maybe?)

Miniature blue tone pineapple quilt 12" x 12"

One lament I have after going through my pile of quilts was that I had no information about them. There was no label on them about when they were made, no notes about what class or book or pattern they referred to, no name of who quilted them.  It was hard to do a timeline without that information.

(Another lament is that I didn’t take a photo of each one before I packed them away after the trunk show).

As I went through my quilt pile, I found several tops that had been pieced but not quilted. I even found a couple of pieced backs already made for them. I decided I had to get them finished so I could hang them around the house.  I even found one that had been machine quilted but just needed a binding sewn onto it.

I texted my long arm quilter and prewarned her that I’d have at least 4 quilts that I wanted her to quilt after the trunk show was over. I spent several days piecing quilt backs and finally dropped them off to her. It’s amazing how much fabric is needed for the backs. You can buy fabric that is 108” wide but I try to use up what fabric I have on hand which results in lots of seams and math calculations to make sure the back is big enough.

She finished quilting them in less than 2 weeks’ time! She’s FAST!

Then I needed to get busy and focus on getting the labels, bindings and hanging sleeves sewn on.

Two of the 4 quilts have been entered into my upcoming local quilt guilds’ first quilt show since the 2020 Pandemic – the Black and White Sampler and the Hunter’s Moon. It’ll be fun to see them hanging in a show.

62” x 62” Black and White Sampler (early 2000’s maybe)

Black and white sampler wall hanging 62" x 62"

68” X 68” Stars (late 90’s maybe)

Star block quilt 68" x 68"

44” x 60” Wonky log cabin (made within the last 10 years)

Black and white wonky log cabin wall hanging with red centers 44" x 60"

92” x 92” Hunter’s Star (finished 2024 but took about 4 years to get there)

Blue and white Hunter's Star bed quilt 92" x 92"

Back in Sept of 2023, I wrote about this Hunter’s Star quilt on my blog post asking what color other people preferred and most people preferred the mid-range blue for the border. I finally went with the light blue border. It was my favorite but I will have to make a new bed skirt to go with it.

Hunter’s Star

I also entered my latest Full Moon art quilt into the show.
32” x 37” Snow Moon (2022)

Blue and orange moon art quilt 32" x 37"

 

It was fun to do the trunk show for my guild and to have the opportunity to revisit my quilt journey. Now all my traditional quilts are stored together in one location and my art quilts are in another. I can hopefully continue being organized going forward so I can find them easily when I look for them.

And lesson learned about labeling finished projects and putting crucial information in with the unfinished projects!

Tesi Vaara

Glengarry Pioneer Museum, Blacksmiths, Moose Toungs and a bit of Spinning

Glengarry Pioneer Museum, Blacksmiths, Moose Toungs and a bit of Spinning

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First let me wish all of you Happy Solstice, with the excessive heat today I can tell the sun is working extra hard to celebrate! I hope you can take advantage of the extra Daylight to get in a bit more felting or fleece washing!

Today I want to take you back to last weekend (Father’s Day) and invite you to join me as we visit the Glengarry Pioneer Museum. I know the sign looks a bit less fibre-ry than you had hoped but just think about those muscular arms and have hope that I will eventually get to something relevant. It has been mentioned, I can be a bit verbose and have an obscure vocabulary to make up for the lack of spelling.

blacksmithing sign with shirtless blacksmith drawing1) Sign for the smith in with a muscle-y drawing of a blacksmith, there is something odd about the shoulder rotation, and thumb and wrist rotation but it does get the idea across. (Although this depiction will have you disappointed when you get there  by the lack of shirtless working smiths.)

Glengarry Pioneer Museum is having their annual Father’s Day blacksmithing Smith-in or Hammer-in (like a spin-in except differently aromatic and louder) on Saturday there are vendors, including one that had alpaca roving and one that had a support spindle and a couple of hand beaters. There will be just the blacksmiths on Sunday.

Spontoon project in various stages of production2) stages of this year’s project, a spontoon. Parts and various stages of the project are displayed on a wooden pick-nick table, there are two spring swages just out of the picture (you can see the handles).

This year the Workshop was to make a type of spear used for military parades (spacing people in columns and rows), but it can also be used as a spear. This is based on a historical piece and figuring out how it was constructed. It requires forge welding of very thin pieces of mettle.   I don’t want to overwhelm you with all the steps and the use of Borax to assist in the forge welding. Let me show you a few shots and then we will move on to a more on-topic, topic.

If you are really interested in the history of this weapon please check this or enjoy a browse through Google. (https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/halberds-and-spontoons/)

a series of picrures showing the curling up of the fan shape to creeat the coller, also using borax to forge weld it.3.1) montage of making the collar for the Spontoon, Borax is used to forge weld, since the area being welded is so thin we don’t want to see the magic Cross shaped sparks. The last image is one of the spring swages that will be used in this project.

2 samples of a Spontoon being held by visitors to the museum3.2 These are two of the samples being admired by other museum visitors

 (you can find more information on the museum at: https://glengarrypioneermuseum.ca/about-us-2/ )

I wandered over to the main office building, they have a washroom that fits a walker. While there I discovered they have a new to them CPW (Canadian Production Wheel. This is a fast-spinning wheel, popular in Quebec,)  it is waiting for the local Twistle guild to assess its spin-ability. A new great wheel is also waiting to see Gord, who is an expert on one of the local great wheel manufacturers. I unfortunately did not get a peek at the great wheel. This CPW has a Tilt Tension, it is missing its Footman and needs to have its treadle attached. It also is missing its drive band but that is an easy fix!

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4.1 –4.4)CPW new to the Museum it needs a new footman and to have the treadle attached

As I wandered back to the open sided area the blacksmiths were set up in, I spotted some of the local wildlife (yes I did see the deer running in the field across the road but this time I was looking up. the field behind the museum had been mowed recently and the turkey vultures kept circling the field eventually coming in to land in a little group. I am not sure what their impromptu meeting was about. Maybe who was going to order dinner? and did they want Chinese or pizza tonight?

These are truly odd birds, you can see them wheeling around enjoying the thermals. When they get closer you will recognise them by their red heads.

3 photos of tureky vultures, top flying in blue sky, middle 2 about to land, bottom 3 on the ground red heads are noticible on 25) turkey Vultures circling, coming in for a landing and then in conference, possibly discussing dinner?

I had brought my latest moose with me. But I could not find my reference photos when I got there. Oh, they must have been in the other moose bag…. So I focused on the lower jaw and inner mouth since I can work on both without checking the photos. (I had spent quite a while looking at Moose’s tongues when I was collecting reference photos. Google image search can be very helpful.)

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6.1-6.3) I was distracted by photographing the blacksmiths and forgot to photograph the moose tongue!!

I spend most of the day working on the mouth and taking (217 –day 1) photos of the blacksmithing workshop. Then it was time to drive about an hour to get home.

Sunday!!! 6 am wake up to get ready to get on the road for day 2 at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum. Today I had my felting but also brought my Lendrum Rook spinning wheel. She is such a sweet wheel but still needs a bit of repair. One of the blacksmiths made some suggestions. I will investigate that after the guild anniversary is done.

first a few shots of the Smith-in and then on to fibre.

 7.1-7.2) Glenn getting answers to some of his questions

I took a stroll to the red building, with the textile and fibre display. There is equipment for weaving spinning and flax production. The great wheel on the floor has an interesting tensioning system with a garden tap-like nob. It also has a miner’s head or accelerator that increases the speed at which the spindle turns.

Red building top pictue also 2 vews of great wheel with tilt tention and odd nob to set the angle. looks like a bit like a garden tap.8) great wheel with interesting tilt tension.

 The flax tools are in a glass cabinet. The glass seems particularly thick and is very light reflective so hard to get a good shot.

tools of flax production hackles Skutching knife and flax with teasales9) Flax Tools, Hackles, Scutching knife, Flax and teasles

small saxony flax wheel with distaf infront of coverlet and blanket10.1) Small Saxony style flax wheel with distaff. Note the coverlet in red black and white behind the wheel.

close of of coverlet, looks like an overshot pattern in read black gray and white (the Gray may be the mid tone)10.2) Close-up of the coverlet 

There are also gardens, the roses, and peonies were particularly photogenic. I hope they will inspire you.

a few of the flowers in the museum garden, roses, peonies and a small purple flower i dont recognize11)Roses on top, unknown Purple flowers and Pink Peony

Lendrum Rook, small castle wheel made in the 1980's has an intersting tentioning for the flyer. this is a Canadian made wheel near Kingston ontario. 12) My Lendrum Rook spinning wheel from the mid-1980s. there is Cashmere on the bobbin, I will have to ply it to empty the bobbin

I had oddly only one bobbin with me, I wonder where I put the other 2, I will have to search later.  Since I had brought a braid of Bluefaced Lester (BFL) with me I had to remove the cashmere blend I had on the bobbin and ply it. I could not find Glenn’s book so tried my phone as something to wind a double ended ball around. It worked but was a bit larger than I would have liked. (it gave the yarn the opportunity to tangle if I wasn’t paying attention.) I took the inside and outside strands and spun them the opposite direction to ply a nice relaxed skein of yarn.  It was a bit fussy but it did eventually work out.

Now I can start the BFL braid, I split it into a thin section so it would be easy to draft.   I quite enjoyed spinning this braid and wish I had bought a second!

Combed top of Bluefaced lester my hand holding the fiber and my lendrum Rook wheel with some of the fiber on the bobin.13) Starting to spin the BFL

Through the plying and spinning my wheel had been unusually quiet…. Then the Blacksmiths started to pack up and stopped hitting mettle….. my wheel is a lot noisier than I remember the last time I spun with her. I think it may be coming from the footman. I guess I should start to pack up too.

Oh before you head out I just wanted to show you a display in the main building. You probably want to use the washroom before driving home (some of you will have a very long drive!)  there was a display of figures of rural life that I thot you might like to see. They are quite cute.

a figure with a knitty knotty and a man holding a skain figures Read Coat and lady winding a ball from her spinning wheel14.1 14.2) A display of figures, I have taken pictures of the fibre-related people

At the end of day 2 the blacksmith students brought their vehicles to load up their equipment.  Now I am sure this will make you feel that your wool horde is so much lighter than you did a few minutes ago.  You can have a lot of wool for just the weight of the anvil! Think how much more fibre you could get to equal a leg vice and forge!!!!

Packing up blacksmithing equipment, top photo blacksmith uses moving hand truck to move equipment. lower picture this blacksmith is takeing her forge home on the roof of her hatchback car. she is getting help from anther blacksmith to get te forge on the top of the car.15.1-15.2) Students packing up their equipment.  There were pickups, transit vans, a trailer, a cube van and a little hatchback car.

  At the end of day 2, I had taken 148 more blacksmithing photos (365 total)! As I mentioned that sign was very misleading, after watching, all weekend, none of the blacksmiths were shirtless.  I hope you enjoyed the weekend and will have a lovely Solstice today!

on far left small hand beater and suport spindle16) Oh I almost forgot to show you my perches from Saturday! a support spindle and a small beater for weaving

Demo at the Log Farm.

Demo at the Log Farm.

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As some of you know the farmers market I go to is at the Log Farm in Ottawa. https://thelogfarm.com/ Along with the farmers market on Saturdays, there is also a working small farm with the original log house and barns where you can visit and see some animals and enjoy a break from the city without leaving the city.   Last weekend was shearing day for the sheep they have at the farm. They asked my guild to do a demonstration, and of course we said yes.

Here we are setting up under the tents. You can see in the first shot that the styrofoam head and hat had already taken the first of several tumbles with the wind. in the second shot, you can see the container of goodies I brought as a treat. A little bonus for coming out to demo on an iffy weather day.

This is Josee demoing on her table loom.

This is Paula spinning on her electric spinning wheel. She also has her incle loom set up and was demonstrating that too.

This is Maureen Spinning on her wheel, an Ashford Traveler. You can see it in Paula’s picture too. I think Maureen was chatting with someone when I took this.

And to be fair here is a picture of me teaching some girls how to make felted beads using some pencils. I know I am blurry but it was the best shot of the girl’s hands.

 

As I said we were there for shearing day. here are the sheep staying dry while they wait for the shearer.

Here is one getting shorn. They had their own tent so the shearer could also stay dry.  All the wool was donated to the guild and Jan and some others bagged it all to give to fellow members.

Here are some pictures of the surroundings. Some barns were renovated last year. after a few years, they will weather and not look so brand new.

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We had a great time despite the ominous clouds and several downpours. I was surprised at the number of people who attended with the forecast we had but they all seemed happy and I think we gained a couple of guild members.

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.

 

 

 

Eleanor Shadow vending booth at Tangled Galashiels 2024. There's a table in the middle with fibre and yarns in wire cubes, plus one yarn rack on either side and a large basket on the ground
Becoming an in-person vendor again after 7 years

Becoming an in-person vendor again after 7 years

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For those who read this blog but aren’t familiar with what I do, I sell fibre and hand dyed yarns under the brand Eleanor Shadow. For a while, I was happy simply doing my thing of selling online only, until I moved to Edinburgh and started receiving emails via my site from people asking to come to my shop and buy in person.

I can’t allow customers to come into my studio for contractual and insurance reasons and so had to turn people down, which made me really sad. I hate disappointing fellow fibre lovers! This turned out to be a great thing because it lit a fire in me to start vending again in person. Enter Tangled Galashiels, a new fibre festival that two lovely ladies named Naomi and Samira decided to create near the Scottish Borders.

I had been to Tangled last year for their debut and had a lovely time, accidentally buying two fleeces in the process. When I found out they were taking applications for this year, I decided to apply.

 

Instagram post by Tangled Galashiels where I am seen with three friends at the door, just having bought two fleeces and smiling broadly
From left to right: my friends Si, Liz, me and Lisa. Just look at our smiles!

 

Having not done any in-person vending in years, I was slightly apprehensive about the whole endeavour. My friend Liz was super supportive and offered to help me out in any way possible, which included the most important step in this whole thing: transportation. I can’t sell if I can’t get there with my wares, right?

Well, my application was unsuccessful! I was obviously sad, but also very relieved; this meant I wouldn’t have to do any prep and overthink things. I was off the hook for potentially feeling stressed for 6 months as I got ready for the occasion! Life went on.

Six weeks before the event, I receive an email from Samira – one of the vendors had to cancel, would I like to take their place? Panic. Mode. ON! What to do? If I was already convinced I’d be stressed having to get ready 6 months ahead of time, how would I feel with having only 6 weeks? They gave me a few days to decide, so obviously I agonised over it, asking my friends what they thought, asked Liz if the offer of help still stood, asked my husband if he was willing to put up with a frazzled wife and fibre in the flat everywhere (ok, more than usual)… Everyone was super supportive, so I had no excuse to say no.

After replying positively to Samira and questioning my sanity, I got to work. I ordered more yarn and fibre, planned my dyeing schedule and colourways, prepped my marketing and watched videos on festival vending for booth ideas. If this sounds like a well organised me, trust me, this was done with a lot of sighing, swearing and wanting to dig a hole and disappear.

After six weeks, I was ready! Things just slotted into place: the stuff I had just about fit Liz’s car, my husband was my trusty sidekick, my ideas for the booth worked out almost exactly as I had envisioned, and I still had time to do last-minute adjustments on the first day.

Eleanor Shadow vendor booth at Tangled Galashiels 2024. Leonor is standing in front of it, smiling, waiting for the festival to start

Luckily I didn’t have time to feel nervous, I just went into meeting-and-greeting mode, talked to people and was grateful when they bought something from me. Some of the things I thought would fly off the shelves weren’t too popular, and some I didn’t think would garner much attention sold out!

Most of all though, I was so happy to hear people say nice things about my fibre. Being a one-woman band hidden in my studio means I don’t often get feedback on my work, so having fibre-loving strangers telling me they loved my sense of colour or my yarn bases was just soul-lifting.

The event was only two days, perfect for me to get my feet wet and not get too overstimulated. By the end I was exhausted but oh so happy! I loved the whole experience and couldn’t have asked for lovelier people to have met, talked, or sold to.

Now I’m looking into refresher driving lessons (I’ve never driven in the UK and am unaccustomed to driving on the left) and car rentals. I might just start applying left, right and centre to all the fibre festivals!

Tell me all about your experience at yarn festivals, be it as a vendor or buyer – I’d love to hear it! Thanks for reading.

Theatre Textiles – Act 2 Scene 2

Theatre Textiles – Act 2 Scene 2

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This is a further Scene from my theme of costume and prop making for my local Amdram group, SNADS. The first one can be found here https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2021/08/23/theatre-textiles-part-1/  followed by https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2023/04/17/theatre-textiles-act-2-scene-1/

The next production for which I can remember making a costume was Sleeping Beauty in 2015.  I was asked to make the costume and do the makeup for Baskerville, the blood hound.  (You didn’t know that there was a dog in Sleeping Beauty did you? – How else did anyone find her inside all those brambles?)

After looking up some reference pictures (including one of Sir Clement Freud and his pet) I decided that the face would be part mask and part makeup.

Man - Sir Clement Freud and 2 bloodhounds
Sir Clement Freud and his look alike pet and another bloodhound – my reference images for Baskerville

The costume was in the main made from an old poly-cotton sheet which was a sort of mid brown colour with the odd dark brown markings in acrylic paint, and included a hood from which the long ears hung either side of the face. The mask was wet and needle felt, which covered the actor’s forehead, cheeks and nose, leaving large eyeholes.  This so that there was room for the eye makeup which revealed dropped lower eyelids.  The forehead had bloodhound-like skin folds, and the muzzle had my usual needle felted nose painted with Artist’s Gesso and then with black enamel.  The actor’s chin was visible beneath the mask so was made up to match it.

Boy on hands and knees dressed and made up to look like a bloodhound
Baskerville the Bloodhound

The next panto we did was Alice in Wonderland and I got roped into making bits for various animal costumes.  Unfortunately I don’t have any progress pictures and most of  the pictures I do have have been extracted from the DVD we had made of the show, so they are not of the best.  Hopefully they will give you a flavour of the costumes.

First there was the Cheshire Cat.  As with Baskerville, the cat’s body was made from an old cotton sheet, this time “dyed” ginger-ish with acrylic paint and with stripes added roughly following tabby cat images from Mr. Google (what would we do without him).

image of grey tabby cat face and brown tabby cat back
Reference images for tabby cat markings

The head and mask were also made from the same fabric and from felt.  The only photos I have of the Cat are of it inside a “tree”.  They aren’t very clear because the hole in the tree is faced with gauze so that you could only see through it when what was behind it was lit from that side.  This was so that the cat could slowly disappear as the light faded, leaving only a grin visible.

actor dressed and made up as Cheshire Cat and seen inside tree set.
Cheshire Cat inside it’s tree
actor dressed and made up to look like a grinning cat inside a tree set
more grins
Cheshire cat grin inside the tree set with 2 actors, (Dame and Joker) on stage
And just the grin, with Alice, the Dame (Alice’s nurse) and Joker (Queen of Hearts’ Jester)

Next there was the March Hare whose ears I had made from felt and attached to a felted hood; and the actor also used the muzzle with two front teeth that I made for her, also in felt.  Unfortunately it looks as if whoever did her makeup didn’t match the face colour to the mask so the Hare looks a bit odd.  This could be because the actor had a couple of other, bigger, parts in the panto, so her makeup needed to fit all three parts as far as possible.  I had made the mask so that it could be removed with the hood and that adds to the odd look I think.

Head and shoulders of actor playing Mad March Hare with felt ears and muzzle with 2 front teeth
March Hare with ears and teeth
actors dressed as Mad Hatter, Dormouse and Mad March Hare
The Mad Hatter, Dormouse (without his teapot) and March Hare in the final walk down.

The next and most testing task was the Hookah-smoking caterpillar and the subsequent butterfly which emerged from it. The script called for the actual metamorphosis to happen on stage, which was really going to pose a bit of a problem.  If this was going to work it would be necessary for the caterpillar costume to be worn over that of the butterfly.

In the story, the caterpillar sits on top of a large toadstool.   Usually depicted as a fly agaric mushroom – the one having a red cap with white spots.  This in fact is my scenery-making friend’s signature image and there are always some of these mushrooms somewhere about the stage in all our pantos (did you spot them at the bottom of the Cheshire Cat’s tree?)  Before the mushroom was made I asked that the back be cut away to enable the actor to be able to stand up against and behind its (chunky) stem.   I had decided that the caterpillar costume would be mainly affixed to the top of the mushroom and the head and “torso” would fit over that part of the actor which appeared above the mushroom.  The costume would have to be open down the back so that the butterfly could immerge from the caterpillar by stepping down and backwards.  I would need to make the butterfly costume first so that I would be able to fit the head and torso of the caterpillar costume over it with sufficient “ease” to enable her to get out of the caterpillar without assistance.

Again Mr Google helped me with reference pictures of a swallowtail butterfly, which I had chosen because of the lovely shape of its wings, and it’s caterpillar.

2 images - a green and black caterpillar and a swallowtail butterfly displaying its wings
Reference images for the caterpillar and it’s butterfly

I wanted the costumes to be as naturalistic as possible, which meant finding a way of making enormous butterfly eyes, remembering that the actor would need to be able to see through them.  I was sure that I had seen some half globes in clear plastic covering a large sweet, and after lots of buying and tasting (!) I found some, though I cannot now remember what the sweets were.  I made a mask which held these over the actor’s eyes and side of her head and which also covered the top and back of her head but left her nose and mouth free.  From the images on the DVD, it seems that I covered the globes in some way since it is not possible to see the actor’s eyes through them.  I can’t now remember what it was I used, but it must have been transparent at close quarters because the actor was able to dance around the stage without falling over the “little butterflies” which were dancing with her.

I made up the lower part of the face and I seem to remember making “mouth parts” and a version of the curled tube the butterfly uses to suck up nectar. These were attached to the mask between the bottom of the eyes.

head and shoulders of actor dressed as butterfly to give more detail of the head.
A very hazy image of the butterfly’s head (it looks as if she’s managed to dent one of the eyes, but I doubt that would have been visible from the auditorium.)

The butterfly’s wings, were painted white organza which had wire along the top edge.  I couldn’t add wire in the usual way the whole way round the edge of the wings because they would have to be squashed and held behind the actor’s back whilst she was still a caterpillar.  So we clad the actor’s arms and hands in black and she used her hands and arms to open and “flap” the wings.  This meant that the verisimilitude of the butterfly costume ended there – only one pair of legs instead of three.  I could have made some “pretend” legs to attach to the actor’s chest, but they would be likely to get hooked up inside the caterpillar costume and make metamorphosis difficult!

I made the caterpillar costume out of various bits of cotton fabric which I painted, and because the butterfly mask was quite large, the caterpillar had to be very large too.  The head of the real caterpillar is as wide as it’s body, which made that a bit easier.   I made it to fit right over the butterfly head and shoulders, with the actor’s black covered arms poking through as the first of the caterpillar’s six legs.  This was so that she could use the mouthpiece to smoke from the hookah which was sitting on a little green hump beside the mushroom.

Actor dressed as caterpillar with it's tail on top of fly agaric mushroom
Hookah-smoking caterpillar. You can possibly just see that the mouthpiece of the hookah is clutched in one tiny “hand”.
image of back of actor dressed as butterfly showing spread wings with empty caterpillar costume on top of mushroom and with Dame and Joker in background
The emerged butterfly showing off her wings. The empty caterpillar on the fly agaric mushroom is no longer smoking its Hookah and Nursie and Joker are seeing the little butterflies off stage.

Our next panto was Ali Baba.  I didn’t have to make any of the costumes for this.  I played the front half of Kamil, the clever camel, and when I wasn’t doing that, made up one of a trio of revolting looking gossipy women.

This was followed by “A Right Pantomime”, written by two of our members – “a comic conflation of almost every pantomime story you can think of.…”  I played one of Snow White’s dwarves (I can’t remember how many we were, but I don’t think there were seven of us) but wasn’t involved with more than helping with scenery.

I will end this Scene here, and yes I know that we still haven’t reached the Panto in which the Wicked Queen in the title image appears, but maybe next time.

 

moose bags and wicker basket with felt chichadee in curling arnena
2024 CanGames (and Felting) Convention Part 2 – Moose-bag

2024 CanGames (and Felting) Convention Part 2 – Moose-bag

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Beginning of another moose bag.

We left off on Saturday, having just finished the Chickadee, let’s continue from there.

compleated moose bag on white plastic chair moose bag in embroidery hoop ready to start22) the latest moose bag sitting on the table with the partly 3-D moose bag sitting on a chair full of bags of wool. (proof that noose bags make good project bags)

This time I want to peel part of the moose off the bag while leaving parts in graphic 2-D.  I may or may not leave the writing visible but I will need an armature construction. I want a head, antlers, lower jaw and neck. I also need a spot where I can securely attach the armature to the shoulder/neck of the moose print on the bag.

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23.1-23.2) Adding the beginnings of an attachment point at the shoulders and then using the shape of the moose to shape the armature for the head

I used the bag to guess the size of the armature I would need. I added a jaw so I could open the mouth and add pond lilies later if I wanted to or the moose seemed hungry.

extending wire for lower jaw24) extending the wire armature for the lower jaw

As I started to wrap I realized the mouth length was too short. So, I added a supplemental extension to the lower jaw. Once the wool is felted over it, the lower jaw should be quite secure.

fiber added to lower jaw 25) Needs more lip but looking good so far

Opps! I missed a step here, I built up to the spot behind the eyes where the antlers will attach and then stabbed a steel floral stem 20ga through. I used the end to make the main branch of each antler then added the 26ga floral wire as the points/ribs. I then added more wool around the base and between the antlers so they don’t slide

using reference to build the understructure26) Using Reference pictures to help understand the shapes of the moose face

As I was finishing the wire twisting, Glenn arrived from the game he had been playing. It was time to pack up and go home.

Sunday was a family visit and lunch at the cottage but we made it back in time for Glenn to attend the evening game. I found an empty table, beside the life size kill doctor lucky game! The convention was almost over but there were still games going on, and now the felting convention was back underway! I had one of the couples who had checked in to see what I was doing stop in to see how I had done with the chickadee and liked the beginnings of the moose.

Sunday night gameing at the curling rink felting suplys on table in front of picture 27) back at the curling arena, many of the games are finished but a few are still running. 

The last few moose I have used the Maori short staple batt fibre, both for the underlayer and the overlayer. This time I didn’t think I had enough of the colour to do both so I continued with the world of wool core carded roving for the underlayer.

securing the wool to wrap the antlers to the head 28) Using the head to anchor the fibre, then wrapping up the base of the antler.

wrap the main trunk of the antler then wrap the branches29) I focused first on the main trunk of the antler then worked on the branches/points on the way back.

moose with wraped anlers the wire is stuck into the woven willow basket30) wrapped wire armature of Moose antlers and head stuck in the weaving of willow basket. Kill Dr. Lucky game progressing in the background.

game bord is drawn on sheets on the floor. players are standing in various "Rooms"31) The Kill Doctor Lucky game.

The sheets have the Rooms drawn on them. Some rooms can see into other rooms. Doctor Lucky is very annoying and has made many enemies, all of whom are at his house tonight. They all want to kill him but not let the others see them do it. With each move, you end up in a new room (not a hallway), and you get a card. Sometimes it’s a card that helps you kill or save Dr. Lucky, sometimes it’s an extra movement card or room card.  If someone makes an attempt to kill Dr. Lucky you can try to save him from cards in your hand, or if you find him alone in a room no one can see into,  you can try to kill him yourself! He is Very annoying.  https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/257/kill-doctor-lucky

There is a board game version of Save Doctor Lucky if you are opposed to killing him, but he is annoying!

secure wool to armature to create a base to add the colour and webbing32) carefully firming up the wool wrapping around the antler armature

antlers and under structures ready to add colour to antlers. chickadee is stitting on the handle to the basket33)The underlayer of moose in progress and  complete chickadee supervisor

Next to add the brown for the antlers. It will take a lot of poking to firm them up to the stiffness I want.

starting to add and firm up antlers with Maori short staple batt fiber34) I switched between single-needle and multi-tool

I am starting to lay in the spaces between the finer wires. The multi-tool punch helps firm and things the felt.   go slowly and feel for the wires so you can avoid them.

The second game of Kill Dr. Lucky was well underway when Glenn returned from his game upstairs. So it was time to pack up and head home.

Long weekend Monday.

As with most Mondays, there was a guild social scheduled.  Since it was a long weekend it would start earlier and would have the option of sheep related board games!

Long weekend Monday sheep (and cat) related board games35) Long weekend Monday at the Gild Studio,  Sheep and Kitten games.

Sheepy Time (a push-your-luck type of game), Sheep in Disgise and Exploding Kittens, I have not yet played so I am not sure what to expect. Yes, Kittens are not sheep but I just bought it at the sale and was curious if I could get anyone to try it.

walker with bag of library stuff and 2 moose bags and a basket full of felting stuff36) walker carrying guild library bag, 2 moose bags and a basket of felting stuff

I brought the felting I had been working on over the weekend and the bag of library stuff with me.

I worked on the library for a few hours then set up for felting.

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 37.1-37.2) Bat on a stick and chickadee are supervising work on the Moose’s head. Close-up of supervisors.

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38.1-38.2) Ann was working on her May felt and stitch.

I had been adding bits of fibre to the antlers, creating the large curved shapes, then spending long periods of time stabbing it into a firm thin felt. It still needs more flattening and firming.

adding fiber to the space between the branches of the antlers39) This was the point I reached by the end of the long weekend.

Poor moose will probably have limited opportunities for further work until June 22nd which is the 75th anniversary party for the local guild (OVWSG).  I did get the antlers looking a bit better and have started the undercolour on the head. I am sure he will look much more moose like as soon as I add the ears and do a bit more nose sculpting.

using photo reference to get the nose angles closer to correct40) Progress; adding undercolour for the head and continuing to sculpt the face

I hope you enjoyed the last bit of the gaming (and felting) convention.  As well as the progress on the latest moose-bag. Until we chat again, have fun and keep felting.

 

 

 

May and June and the Moose Bag

May and June and the Moose Bag

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The last time I showed you my May page, I just had a little to go.  Once I finished the stitching I cut away most of the stabilizer so I wouldn’t have to rinse it as much to get it all out of the felt.

colourful felt with stitching and wash away stabilizer

And this is it all done. It’s a bit sparse but I like it well enough.

Hand made felt with stitching. tulips, MOM, maple leaf and crown for Queen Victoria's birthday.

 

The tulips are for the tulip festival we have every year. Many are sent as a gift of thanks from the Netherlands.  The Dutch Royal family was in exile in Canada during WWII. We designated part of our hospital as part of the Netherlands so Princess Margriet would be born on home soil.

The maple leaf and crown are for Queen Victoria’s Birthday. She gave us self-governance so we have a holiday.

And of course Mother’s Day, at least here in North America.

 

I picked out a new piece of felt for my June page. I have some ideas for June. I was thinking I may do some more needle felting this month along with the stitching but I am not sure yet. I like the way the fiber goes across leaving lots of the white background showing.  I did this a long time ago but I am pretty sure the fibres are silk. The other thing I am not sure of is which way is up. the difference is more pronounced in person

 

The other thing I did was add some yarn to the antlers of my moose bag. I think it is all I will do. I like him the way he is. Not very ambitious but there you go.  I may add something to the other side of the bag. The yarn is handspun silk. I am not sure how well it will stand up to being on the bag.