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First Quarter Tree Finished and I Got Mail.

First Quarter Tree Finished and I Got Mail.

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After some final fiddling with the width of the trunk and shadow and adding a little red bird for interest, I decided I am done with the winter tree.

Next is spring so I have to figure out what kind of tree I made. I wasn’t thinking of a particular tree when I started the experiment in making a tree. Here is the original tree experiment post. https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2023/02/22/an-experiment-thinking-about-the-year-long-challenge/  After doing some picture searches I think it is most like an Oak tree. The other option was a Maple but the bark on a Maple is quite grey and Oaks have much more brown and textured bark. Naturally, neither of these makes the kind of flowers that pop into your head when you say tree in bloom. They make droopy green (sometimes red) tassels. Maples make maple keys and Oaks make acorns.  What kind of tree do you think it is?  I may decide it is a fantasy tree so I can make blossoms anyway. What do you think?

 

The other exciting thing Jan told you about too. I got my Package from Georgia (Russian Federation whether they like it or not).

Here are some unboxing pictures.

 

I was surprised it was all assembled. Jan had some assembly required with hers. The other fun thing is it is purple and has a cute little bee. It has 4 what look to be size 36 felting needles in it. It holds 4 of them.

Purple and a bee are all very well but how does it work? It took a little experimenting on how where to hold the machine in relation to the felt surface to get the best felting. It worked well but it is hard to engage all the barbs on such a long course needle. We decided to switch out my big needles for one of the smaller crown needles. This also helps with a comparison of Jan’s machine to mine as hers only holds one.  I like it. It is bigger than Jan’s and I like hers too.  I like the Chinese one the least. A lot of that is the way you hold it. It is a much slower machine and we all know that patience is not one of my stronger qualities. One thing I would recommend is that you get an awl or sewing stiletto or something similar to use to hold new fibres down so you are not getting your finger so close to the machine. Unless you have long talons like Jan for doing such things.

 

In this last picture, you can see how much ( the white fibres) gets punched through when you fully engage all the barbs of the large 36 triangle needles and how big the holes are even when you only engage the first barbs( yellow fibres).

You will get to hear about the rest of the testing later. Jan is making a chart and doing some analyzing of data. Better her than me. 🙂

Cretan Felted Shepherd’ Cloaks – Guest Post by Jill

Cretan Felted Shepherd’ Cloaks – Guest Post by Jill

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This is a guest post by Jill about her recent trip to a local museum. Thanks Jill for this great post!

A recent visit to the excellent Cretan Ethnological museum in Vori, South Crete, gave me an unexpected surprise – a glimpse of a felting machine! This folk museum, in a tiny town in rural Crete has won many awards and has an interesting textiles section. I knew of the historical farmers’ woollen capes, but had not realized they were felted.

For hundreds of years, life for sheep and goat farmers in Crete remained almost unchanged. Indeed, many people still live in a relatively similar way now, albeit with 4 wheel drive trucks instead of donkeys for transportation.

During the winter, shepherds lived in their family’s village in the lowlands , with olive trees, a kitchen garden and often orange groves; moving their flock around this area to graze. In April-May the sheep were shorn then moved up into higher altitude pasturage, until November; the shepherds remained in the mountains during much of this time. Their most important garment was their felted woolen cloak.

It is a voluminous coat, heavy, water-resistant, with a large hood, and often below knee-length.

Cretan sheep are kept primarily for milk (much used for yogurt and cheese) and meat, the wool is a by-product. Coarse, it was used mostly for weaving heavy rugs, bags and blankets.

To make the cloaks the wool was usually washed, carded and woven at home by the women of the household and then was stamped by foot by the men for long periods in a water-filled wooden basin and support frame. OR by using a kind of felt machine, water powered, which had paddles to agitate the wool into felt.

I have read that each cloak took 4 kg of wool. Mostly white or brown (natural), some were dyed dark blue or black. Whilst the most basic are a simple tent shape, I was surprised that most do have sleeves. The cloak was used as bedding as well as worn outside.

The wool was also used as padding in donkey saddles. I loved the recycling element on this saddle.

The decoration is made of bottle tops from the local fizzy pop, called Gazoza. The museum’s displays are kept dark to avoid light damage to the artifacts, hence the poor quality photos.

Trying to Get Organized

Trying to Get Organized

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The first two years I was felting I used the shoe storage method to store my fiber.  But as a fiber enthusiast and one to try new things my inventory and tool collection kept growing.   So, it became quite unruly. The picture doesn’t show the overflow and piles in bins I couldn’t fit in.

2014-03-03 11.30.52I had piles of things everywhere.

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For the past year I’ve been trying to find a system to keep my fiber and tools organized. I tried a wire cube system next.  This was a real test of my patience.

2015-04-07 12.03.072015-04-08 13.42.07 2015-04-08 13.42.19I liked the openness of this system, but didn’t like it was so deep and I’d have to juggle the fibers to see all the colors I had.  I did put my batts in bins on the floor.

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So, I continued to look for another system.  I wanted an open bookcase, but because of the dimensions I was limited to, I couldn’t find something that worked.

Then we had a big discussion on the forum about fiber and bugs, so I decided to try plastic drawers.

20150907_162939Now I have drawers organized by color.  Here’s just a few.  I also have one for alpaca, one for merino and silk mixes.

20150907_162808 20150907_162852 20150907_162842 20150907_162835 20150907_162824But I wasn’t finished.  I organized my embellishments in two separate units.

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This one is under my table.

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I also used the furnace room door for coarser fibers and to hang my scarves and hand dyed yarns.

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Here is my table with my tool drawer and a bin full of WOW fibers, some foam for needle felting and other useful tools all close at hand.

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More fiber and bubble wrap marked.

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Behind my table is my felting machine with more tools close at hand.

20150907_165005And my drum carder set off to the side next to another table.

20150907_164853The cube system is temporarily holding some folders until I figure out what to do with it.

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Then there is the daybed covered with samples, bins of yarn, ribbon, scraps, etc.  This still needs a bit of work.  And my “paper” room which is now my dyeing room.  That will also have to wait.

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This system works for me right now.  Its by no means perfect.  I’m fortunate to have two water sources close at hand and extra space.  I don’t think we intended it to be a studio but that’s what it is for me right now.

What works for you?

One Artist’s Journey into Fiber

One Artist’s Journey into Fiber

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Our guest artist today is Jill Chadek with Merino and Mulberry in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.  She is also our banner sponsor for May on the Felt and Fiber Studio Forum.

To touch something soft and silky awakens our earliest emotions!
The pleasure of the touch of silk started my exploration of silk painting. A few
years later I was introduced to felting, that magical process of transforming
dampened clumps of wool fibers into cloth! Then, when I discovered that I
could incorporate the two, working the fibers to lock into the silk I was hooked!

12 Sunrise on the Reef20120613_611112 Sunrise on the Reef20120912_6769

Through time, that magical process of felting has inspired and allowed me to
express my passion for color, pattern and texture. Felting, allows me to “paint”
with fibers to create personal accessories such as scarves, shawls, vest, hats
and handbags.

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Prior to felting I had dabbled in many mediums but none have held my
attention and interest like felting has. I love working with my hands, the tactile
experience of painting with the fine and silky fibers. It still makes me catch my
breath when I wet the fibers down and the wool gets all loose feeling. I have to
remind myself that soon the fibers will start to migrate and tangle and the
magic of creating a fabric will happen right in my hands!

G6 Cloud Dreams20121020_6941If you are new to felting, have patience and have fun! It will be frustrating at
times! There are as many different ways to create felt as there are felters, and
you will find that everyone swears their way is best! So many variables are at
play: the type of fibers, water hardness and temperature, soap, pressure,
thickness, and added embellishments, just to name a few. No wonder no simple
equation will work! It is only through exploration and experience that you will
learn the “feel” of the fibers at the different stages. So have fun and play!

H7 Josie20130904_7157 H4 Ginger20130904_7131

Though I consciously have a design in mind when I start a project, my
unconscious, and the fibers influence my hands and the final outcome, which is
usually fabulous!

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I enjoy that even after all of my years as a felting artist there is still something
new to learn and to explore. Right now I am loving creating hats! I do not use
any hat forms but instead let each hat tell me what shape it would like to be. I
love that while making a fashion statement they are also keeping it’s wearer
cozy warm! I am truly grateful for the joy that I experience in the creation of
each item and trust that wonderful emotions are also awakened in the wearer.
Please feel free to browse my website www.merinoandmulberry.com. It is my hope
that my creations will inspire you to stretch and grow as a felting artist. Also on
my website you can view a video of me using the E-Z Roller Felting Machine of
which I am the international representative. This machine has allowed me to
continue felting when I was experiencing terrible vertigo and more recently
when I had shoulder and neck problems. It removes the 1 negative of felting –
the physical chore of rolling your project, therefore allowing you to focus on the
fun, creative aspect of this beautiful medium. If you would like to learn more,
just contact me!

Thanks for sharing your artist journey with us Jill!