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Mer's in project bags on table
The Mer’s Preparing for the 75th Anniversary Exhibition Part 2

The Mer’s Preparing for the 75th Anniversary Exhibition Part 2

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In my last post, I showed you Mr. Mers’ new fishy northern pike spots (in silk!) and his son’s fancy new hair, eyes and jewellery. now let’s look at Mrs. Mer.

Mrs. Mer

I have been questing for the perfect Red for her Kohaku Butterfly Koi body.  Koi-red comes in a range of red-nesses from an orange-red to a deep intense red and in various intensities of those reds. I had found a small project bag of reds in various fibre types and preparations. I had picked up a very promising red with silk top and locks to match but it had too much pink in nature light, I had another set that had too much yellowness to the red, making for more of an orange colour. The locks I found to go with it were fabulous and if I do a mermaid that is part goldfish it would be perfect.

Mrs. Mer perused my offerings and we both agreed on the deep red bat from  Alpaca Tracks T(h)read Lightly and the lustrous long locks from Monica at Olive Sparrow. So dark red it is!

Alpaca tracks small bats of red wool Held by Mrs. Mer's Hand3.1 Alpaca tracks small bats of red wool

Odd I was sure I had a shot of Monika’s locks, let me look a bit more…oh I have a shot from the Olive Sparrow booth at the Almonte Fiberfest on Sept 7-8th.  The bat and locks go together perfectly!!

top row way to the left is right red Mer hair I was looking for. The are lots of different colours of  locks in 2 lengths.3.2 The top row way to the left is right red Mer hair I was looking for. The are lots of different colours of locks in 2 lengths.

Ok, I have the colour of fibres I was looking for! Next where to put the fiber. Great more fun research!! (really, I do enjoy the quest. research is fun!!!)

After a lot of previous browsing about koi and butterfly koi, I decided on Kohaku (the white fish with red spots) if you are curious you can check out a brief overview here.  https://nextdaykoi.com/koi-fish-facts/many-faces-kohaku/

After looking over the options of head and body patterns, and reading up on scale types,  we decided that Yondan or Godan would likely be best. If you count the red hair as a spot she would be a Godan pattern but if the hair is not counted as a spot she has the Yondan pattern. Since go is 5 in Japaneses, I bet you can guess how many spots a Yondan koi has! (4)

Head and scale diagram of Red and white Koi fish Body paterns for red and white koi fish3.3 this is a helpful chart showing Kohaku (red and white Koi)

I found the batt of “Canadian Wool” was an interesting springy, crimpy wool, not coarse but not as soft as merino or even corriedale. It is not a long staple and it needle felted wonderfully. I think it was the T38-333 I was using to add the red wool. (if you were curious about the needle used)

When I had started to block in the fishy parts of Mrs. Mer, Ann suggested it looked like the fish was eating her. I kept that in mind as I started to work on the spots making sure the red spot at her waist/hips were integrated with both her human and fish parts. Thinking of non-fishy parts I finally got around to adding her ears.

The long locks were the perfect colour and a lovely long wavy length. I found a small hair clip so she could wear her hair partly up.

Side vew of Mrs Mer admiring her new hair in a side vew3.4 Side view of Mrs Mer admiring her new hair in a side view.

Mrs. Mer Back view3.5 Mrs. Mer Back view

close up of Mrs. Mer admiring her new hair3.6 close up of Mrs. Mer admiring her new hair

I sent Ann a picture to get her suggestions.

Ann said, “Needs Eyebrows.”

Hummmm, ok, I can do that.

close up showing new eye brows and her new necklace (Red Agate, 2mm and shell)3.7 close up showing new eyebrows and her new necklace

I think both Mrs. Mer and Ann should like that! Did you notice her shell necklace? Those are very tiny stone beads (one strand of Red Agate, 2mm)

I got new project bags so Mr and Mrs Mer would not get over excited and mess up their hair! (I will have to consider a non-see-through project bag if I find them cuddling again!!!) I added Shark-boy and the Mer pets, Sharkette and Miss Manta, to another project bag. I printed out a copy of their entrance forms, for each of them, ready for pick up for the Almonte show.

Item #2  Ice Dragon

I had asked Glenn what else I should send, and he suggested either the Ice Dragon or chickadee I had made for him. I went with Ice Dragon since I would need the chickadee for a workshop in December.

Ice Dragon,  ¾ view, Wire armature and wool body and wings 4.1 Ice Dragon,  ¾ view

Ice Dragon,  Back View, wire armature and wool body and wings,4.2 Ice Dragon,  Back view

Ice Dragon, from the back ¾ view, Wire armature and wool body and wings 4.3 Ice Dragon, which I had made for Glenn ¾ view from the back

Item #3 Maureen’s Vacation

My third submission is Maureen’s Vacation which you saw earlier too. If you would like to get more information on this one look back to Summer 2024.

I chose it because it shows one of the guild members enjoying spinning outdoors. it seemed to make sense to include it in a show about the guild and its members!

Landscape of Maureen's vacation, woman sitting with spinning wheel infront of grasses, with rock with arches, trees and the ocian in the distance5 Landscape of Maureen’s vacation

I packed everything up, Glenn lugged it all out to the car, and off we went to the guild social on Monday. Ann got to check out the Mers and their new hair and spots!

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6.1-6.3 Ann Inspects the Mer’s at the studio

some of the items ready to go to the Almonte Textile Museum Bags and boxes on a table in the guild studio. in the back ground spinning and chatting are happening at a soical6.4 some of the items ready to go to the Almonte Textile Museum

There were quite a few pieces ready to go to the Almonte show, waiting on the table for pickup. The organizing team will get them after the social. I am sure we will let you know when the show is up and ready for viewing!

Now on to moose bags again! I have one more partly 3D moose bag underway and am starting a more 2D version of the picture too. I will keep you updated on these as they progress (I hope you are not getting bored with variations on a moose!!) (I am trying to inspire more Moose augmentation!!)

Until the next time we chat, Have fun and keep felting!

 

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 zen sculpture and some cuteness

A zen sculpture and some cuteness

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I saw an interesting Zen sculpture on Facebook. Now I can’t find the picture to link to of course. I think it was one of the Russian felters. Anyway, I thought it was an interesting resist and sculpture so I would see if I could do one.

first I made some circles. each one a bit smaller than the last one. then I cut out a bit where I would join them.

Then I used some duct tape to join them.

I forgot to take a picture of the layout before felting but here it is when I was about to cut it open and remove the resist.

Here it is finished. My husband’s and grandson’s first words were that it looked like a snowman, specifically Olof from Frozen. It looks a little better against the colourfull background.

It wasn’t a bad first go. I would make the balls smaller next time.  Also, the bowls need to be wider and flatter by comparison to the balls.  I would start early to make the bowls flatter and wider. Also, I am not happy with my colour choice. I think a solid colour might be better.

And now for the cuteness

These are the bottle lambs.  Some got cold and didn’t go back some had other problems. on of a set of 4 had a strange leg that is now much better and not causing him problems but of course, it’s too late to go back to mom now. The white one my husband is holding is called Prince Ali, named by my granddaughter. The lambs are having a bigger pen made for them as I type.

 

4th Quarter Challenge – Land Art

4th Quarter Challenge – Land Art

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I didn’t think I’d ever find time to do the 4th Quarter Challenge. When I chose Land Art, I thought it had a really good scope for some interesting felt sculptures. I really liked the work of artists using twigs and branches, whether they were abstract, patterns, designed by colour, or like Tom Hare’s work in willow, sculptures of plants, leaves, seeds, or even a sliced apple. I really liked this lotus seed head: http://www.tomhare.net/files/cache/6241679806767b541ec85e7977677c16_f44.jpg

I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. Something sculptural based on the things I’d seen with holes and stems and curves. I even thought I might do a series. Well, time was running out and I hadn’t started, and I was thinking about what I could do to take part that wouldn’t take as much time. For a few weeks I’ve had a piece of felt with a balloon inside, hanging in my living room doorway, it was the result of me thinking I’d try felting a winter woolly hat, and it ended up looking more like the start of a balaclava or fetish mask! So, I thought I’d improvise and use that. It wasn’t far off the shape I’d pictured, and though I would have preferred to work with wet felt not fulled, I thought it was worth a try. So, I started cutting, wetting and shaping, and I was happy to see it was starting to look interesting! I rinsed it and put another balloon in to keep it’s shape while it dried. I thought it looked really good, it was nice and firm and kept its shape without the balloon. I attached some string to get a photo, and this is what I saw when it spun around:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAA ribcage! My fancy felt sculpture was meant to look plant-like, but it looked like a carcass! I took the string off and put it on the table, but it sunk a bit and that didn’t look less dead either!:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI reshaped it, the way it was meant to be, and that looked much better! I know it doesn’t look like any plant or seed in particular, I wasn’t copying anything, I just had a vague idea of shape, lines and holes:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERADifferent angle:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt does look much better hung up, less flat and more round. While I was messing around taking photos, I stood it upside down and squashed it, and that looked really interesting!:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA