Category: Reports

Feltwest 2017 September Toss ‘n’ Tell

September 2017 Toss ‘n’ Tell

Demonstration – Silk Paper -Nancy Ballesteros

Please see full instructions on Nancy’s website here: http://treetopscolours.com.au/more/make/silk-paper/

Materials & utensils:

Bombyx or tussah silk tops, baking paper, iron, ironing board, starch (either spray or powder & water mixed in spray bottle), water, net, textile medium or acrylic gloss medium/varnish, anti-static spray (if required).

Bombyx silk tops are made from silkworms fed exclusively on mulberry leaves. It contains no tannin and has a higher lustre.  You may need to ‘snap’ your bombyx fibre to unstiffen it. It stiffens in response to being wet in the dyeing process.

Tussah silk tops are made from ‘wild’ silkworms, that are not cultivated and eat a variety of foods. It contains tannin as a result. Either type of silk tops can be used to make silk paper, depending on the effect you require. You could also try throwsters waste or flax fibres.

Different bonding materials have different pluses and minuses. They are available as stores such as Jacksons Drawing Supplies, Oxlades etc. Various media can be watered down to as little as 10% concentration. Some give a cloudier result than others. Atelier brand gave a nice finish without ruining the lustre of the silk. Some brands available are Atelier & Jo Sonja.

  • Textile medium should not be watered down, and needs to be heat set. It gives a nicely flexible result.
  • Ceracin (obtained from silk, the natural bonding agent used by silkworms) is not viable as a bonding agent due to its enormous cost – $1000 per ml!!! (It is in high demand by the cosmetics industry.)
  • PVA works as a bonding agent, but does not cope with humidity as it is a water based product.
  • Starch is available as a pre-mixed spray (eg Fabulon) or the old-fashioned powder type that you mix with water & put into a spray bottle for ease of use. This is still available at IGA. Nancy believes that powder starch rinses out better than pre-mixed spray starch, and has a less offensive smell.

Instructions:

Pull and lay silk out as you would with laying out wool fibre for felting. Some people have problems with static at this stage. If so, you may purchase anti-static spray from the supermarket in the laundry section. Fibres must be laid in at least 2 or 3 directions to provide sufficient strength in the paper.

If using acrylic gloss medium, the silk needs to be wet down with soapy water before applying the medium, otherwise the medium will not penetrate the fibres. It is advisable to lay the fibres down on net to prevent bonding at this stage. Media that don’t need to be heat set can be dried on something like a fly screen, so that it doesn’t bond to the fabric net. Media that need to be heat set can be ironed between 2 sheets of baking paper. Don’t use steam, as you are aiming to dry it out. If the silk paper doesn’t peel easily off the baking paper, you need to iron it more to remove the moisture.

If the layers are not bonding apply more starch and continue ironing. Alternatively, you could try starching between the layers as you lay the fibres down. Re-do if necessary.

If you choose you could lay the fibres down in a random rather than directional pattern for a different effect.

Once you have made silk paper you can cut a very precise shape from it and apply it to your felt. Silk paper for felting needs to be semi see-through, so that it can be grabbed by the wool. If it is too thick the wool fibres won’t grab it. If it is too fine, it will be swallowed up by the wool and disappear into the felt rather than sitting on top. Silk paper can be quilted or embroidered on the surface.

Nancy gave an interesting demonstration that engaged the audience, and prompted many questions. She did stress that there is quite an element of trial and error involved in this process, depending on your purpose and what kind of result you wish to achieve.  Keep experimenting!

 

 Toss ‘n’ Tell

We had a few showings of pieces worked at the recent Leather Workshop run by Bec Fogarty of Hammered Leatherwork. All participates made credit card holder to learn how to use the tools.

 

 

Marion Finneron – Marion has made a felt bag with a magnetic catch, leather strap & base, and a leather pocket on the back.

Christiane Gray – felt and leather bag in red and green tones.  Christine stitched her bag by hand.

 

 

 

 

Alison Gomes – Felt and leather crossbody bag.

Jill Jodrell – produced a number of small items at the Leather Workshop: a card holder, sunglasses case and a belt pocket.

 

Christine also made a felt necklace as thank you gift  for the upcoming workshop.

 

Nancy’s nuno felted shawl “Wandering in Purnululu” felted onto both silk mesh and tissue silk in beautiful ‘outback’ colours. Fibonacci stripes were used in the design of the garment, and some stitching was done post felting for embellishment. The shawl was made for an exhibition called “Dare to Wear” which was stages in Williams and various other towns in Western Australia.

 

 

Teresa Rocchi – produced a piece of felted fabric at Sue Swain’s workshop. Teresa has a dressmaking background, and intends to use the fabric to make a skirt.

 

 

 

 

Katrina Virgona – produced an IPad pouch and a small purse of leather and felt made from a fulled jumper (sorry no picture).  Katrina showed a few pieces from a recent exhibition at Mundaring Arts Centre “The Habits of Horses”. This consisted of a neckpiece and other small pieces using felt and horsehair.

 

Sue Swain’s 3 gorgoeus garments.

Wearable felt wrap made for a friend. (Picture not shown) It consisted of two oval layers that overlap.

A wrap that was too long for requirements. Sue cut some fabric off the length, and used this to make a collar that lies over the top of the garment.

A long cream wrap with arm holes. The garment is in one piece, the top edge flips over to form a collar. Sue found that the upstanding seams were too heavy, so trimmed them off.

 

Jacquie- a returning past member introduced herself to the group.

 

 

Judith Shaw – showed a number of pieces that she produced after drum carding the wool. Leftover scraps of wool in different colours were mixed in an unplanned way. She also added pieces of white flax which combined beautifully with the wool for an interesting effect. One of the items made was a pencil case.

 

 

Our young 11 year old showed a beautifully detailed small needle felted owl & a felted pouch style bag. The pouch was embellished with beading and machine stitching. Well done!

 

Liz Owens’  felted hat with little spring sticking out the top. The hat was tall to start with, but folded down almost like a pleated effect, to become something like the shape of a fez.

Toss ‘n’ Tell News

Chair: Karen Woods.

Craft House, Menora.

Reminders :

  • Leiko Uchiyama’s artist talk coming up on Friday 6 October 2017, 7pm to 8.30pm. Craft House Main Hall.  Light refreshment available.  Those who can please bring a plate.
  • Bookings are now open for Martien van Zuilen’s ‘Jigsaw Weave and Felt’ workshop to be held on November 4-5.

Questions raised:

  • To the membership regarding the membership contact list. Do members wish to have it available electronically or in hard copy?  Members present decided that names and emails were sufficient. It was agreed by the membership that a member may have their details suppressed if they wish it. Some members were happy with an electronic document, others wished to be provided with a hard copy.
  • Feltwest Facebook page and website: Are members happy to have photographs of work displayed on the Facebook page? Are they happy to have names with the work or not? Are they happy to have members photographed ad displayed with their work?Nancy Ballesteros stated that currently the website is used to provide information to members regarding other activities and organisations that our members may be interested in. Concerns were raised regarding privacy, and the possibility of the public copying members ideas/work. It was decided at the meeting to leave it as it is currently.
  • If members wish to have items posted on the Facebook page they can send it to one of the Facebook administrators via a message on “Contact us”. Current administrators are Soosie, Nancy & Sue Eslick.
  • The Christmas Party will be held in November. As it is our 21st birthday year, Sue Eslick had the idea of inviting past members to this special event. Membership endorsed this suggestion. Karen has a list of past members, which would enable this to happen.

Correspondence:

  • Forest Heritage in Dwellingup, enquiring whether Feltwest wishes to make use of their facilities in future. The question was put to the members.   An investigation is required as to what facilities they have.

Suggestion:

  • Publishing a calendar for 2019.

An option of forming a sub-committee to work on this project next year was suggested. In the meantime, a suggestion was put forward to produce a small magnetised fridge calendar for 2018, highlighting dates for Feltwest events. This could be produced for about a $1 each if using a set format. Suggested size to fit a DL envelope, therefore postage cost would be limited to $1 each. Customising is more expensive. A member suggested that it might be worth investigating Vistaprint for this.  Liz Owens to investigate.

  • Requested for a group project for 2018.

Christine mentioned that a group event for 2018.   She has a contact at Wagin Woolarama. It features a fashion parade, and has the possibility to sell members work.  Member feedback was requested about this idea.

  • Be involved in next years Royal Show.

One of our members Teresa is involved with the Royal Show, and would we like to participate next year. This event also involves a fashion parade.

 

Notes by Alison Higgins, photo’s by Liz Owens.

 

 

Feltwest 2017 AGM and August Toss and Tell

The Feltwest Annual General Meeting started by welcoming representatives from the Funds for Freedom Project for the presentation of   a cheque for $2,000 – the proceeds from our 50:50 scarf project.  These funds will be used to support women and children escaping domestic violence.

The retiring Committee members were thanked for their huge contributions over the years.  These include Virginia Campbell, Soosie Jobson, Nancy Ballesteros, Sue Harrington, Sue Espie and Christine Wheeler

The following people were elected as the new Committee:

Marion Finneran      Secretary

Chris Gray                 Treasurer

Committee members – Sue Eslick, Sara Quail, Liz Owens, Alison Higgins, Karen Wood.

Liz Odd was awarded a certificate of Life Membership in recognition of her contribution over many years.

The new Rules of Association were endorsed.

Sue Eslick reported feedback from a group meeting to assess a new format to Toss + Tell. –  it is suggested that we expand the monthly demo, into a mini hands-on workshop from 10am to 11.30, this would be followed by a short meeting, then we could have the whole afternoon, from 12.30-4.40 for uninterrupted felting. Proposals also include a new name for Toss+ Tell, a variety of demos or guest speakers,  sellers to be invited by the committee to each monthly meeting on a roster basis – approx. 2 at each meeting. General consensus supported the suggestions presented. The proposed format will be referred to the new Committee for decision and action.

Martien van Zuilen showed the FibresWest Calendar 2018 which had been presented to each participant at the FibresWest Forum. The excess were being sold at $15 each being a charity fundraiser. Martien also donated to our library a copy of a newly published book on needle-felting that she had reviewed in the recent edition of the Felt Magazine.

          

Toss+ Tell Report

 Pat has knitted a fine white shawl onto which she felted beautiful wild flowers – a botanical delight !

 

Liz Odd has made 27 scarves  that she will be taking as gifts on her forthcoming visit to Canadian family. She showed us how she used the same design of silk fabric and produced  very different scarves by nuno felting them with different colour wool.

Marion made a muslin jacket in Jan Manning’s workshop and discussed the various things that she had learned in the process regarding shrinkage, preparation of the prefelt and fit of the garment. The jacket was in an abstract pattern of shades of green and peach/orange on the cream muslin.

 

Judith Walsh   made a muslin jacket in Jan Manning’s workshop and discussed her difficulties with applying prefelts to the muslin fabric. Her jacket design was in broken stripes in shades of blues and purple on the cream muslin, worn here by Jill.

Fern  made a muslin jacket in Jan Manning’s workshop and discussed her sizing ie that when it was properly fulled it was too small. Her jacket, modelled here by Alison,  was in shades of brown and cream.

 

Ann Bonnie made various jackets but used her own fabric patterns. One was felted on muslin with a matching scarf. The others were nuno felted on silk. They all were most attractive and fitted extremely well.

 

Vera showed us her bag that she was wearing. She had converted it from another project that had not been successful.

 

Alison Gomes displayed her latest wall hanging  – a beautiful , balanced mix of geometric colours reminiscent of floor tiles.

We ended the day with a delicious chocolate cake presented to Lyn Lukich on the occasion of her 85th birthday

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Marvellous Muslin Jacket with Jan Manning

Marvellous Muslin Jacket with Jan Manning August 2017

The aim of the workshop was to produce an economical jacket based on the design principles of the ‘Bog coat’. This was a simply constructed garment found on ancient bodies preserved in 4000 year old bogs in Denmark.

No knowledge of pattern making was required for this garment. Each student came prepared with a large rectangular piece of nearly felted nuno felt, using heavier weight muslin as a base. The muslin creates a more textural look than silk and is very warm. Every piece was quite unique depending on the colour and amount of wool coverage, surface embellishments and the weight of the muslin.

Jan illustrated how a few simple cuts could turn this yardage into a functional and versatile jacket. Various samples of jackets and vests were on hand to illustrate a variety of design possibilities with variable sleeve and body lengths. Folding a paper template helped to visualise the concept.  

Although the technique involves only 2 basic cuts, Jan demonstrated a variety of ways to finish off edges, join seams and shape the garment. She shared her knowledge and problem solving experience in how to deal with various issues and adjustments.

Students were keen to explore different things – variety of fabrics, different wool layouts and intriguing surface treatments possibilities.  There were many tips along the way.

Jan has a herd of alpacas and lamas on her property, and she explained in depth about the virtues and variations of alpaca fibre. She could even tell you the name of animal whose wool she had used in her various projects – it doesn’t get more personal than that!

It was a very enjoyable day, where participants learnt the skills to make a custom fitted jacket, share ideas and be inspired to create further masterpieces at home. Thank you Jan for sharing your knowledge and experiences.

Reporter: Sara Quail

5 August 2017

July 2017 Toss ‘n Tell

     July 2017 Toss ‘n Tell

Needlefelt Demo by Kerry Bertucci

Kerry set up a beautiful display of samples of work that she had made which demonstrated the the process of needlefelting . Some items were made  combining  needlefelting together with wetfelting. Many of the 3D forms were started by making the base from foam or an armature for support and form. Other shapes were made using a resist  which was then stuffed with wadding or wool or a combination of both.

Natural wool (with lanolin) could be used if you want a hard base shape. Combed and cut wool was then applied to the base shape for building up the surface detail. Kerry had various small embellishments , tools and tips to achieve the detail of the finished items including ways to display them. She also had a selection of reference books on the subject. Judith Shaw complimented Kerry on her most informative demonstration.

 

Toss + Tell

Alison attended the workshop at the Fibreswest where she learned various techniques of folding felt. She showed us her blue ribbed nautilus shell.

 

Sue Eslick showed the delightful  and practical oven mits and gloves that she made at the Muresk Retreat. Her little granddaughter was the lucky recipient of a charming hat. She stitched a band inside to make the hat smaller to fit properly. The felted jacket that she wore was also much admired.

Vimon  brought some unique needlefelted  pieces that she has made. Her attention to detail and form are most impressive with a sense of fun as well. 1. Female warrior     2. Dog  3.Acrobatic doll ( wire armature), Love Doll with gold thread embroidery and wet felted dress.

 

Liz Odd  made a man’s scarf in tones of midnight blue. Lesson: Because she had laid her wool so finely it shrank to half the starting length, but the end result was a very fine product. She also made a black frill scarf using black silk, textured fabric and black wool.

 

Pat attended Sue’s Bag Workshop and made a charming wine/red bag with black embellishments and handle.

 

Karen Wood made an elegant shaded brown/lilac scarf with silk wool felby scraps.

 

Vera brought photographs of various lamps and lampshades that she has made recently. The lamp bases are custom carved by her husband. She also made an orange mohair and silk knitted scarf. She then tied numerous balls at each end, after which it was washed twice in the washing machine to create a shibori effect.

 

 

Stacey attended Sue’s Bag Workshop and brought her bag made in shades of natural wool, finished with an artistic embellishment of contrasting natural wool and cord handle. She also showed us samples, creating undulations, that she had made during an online course run by Pam de Groot  including a shibori experiment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kerry attended the Fibreswest felt folding workshop where she made samples of various techniques incl. bracelet and “waterbomb” using different thicknesses. She also showed us 2 of her curved wool felted scarves in shades of blue denim into which she incorporated silkmesh and cotton fabric.    4 layers of wool were finely laid and the end product was light and draped well. Tip: she applied masking tape to the tassels that she did not want to felt in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jill made a beautiful nuno felted orange structured jacket . She first made the fabric of cotton voile and wool  and then cut it to her pattern and tailored and stitched the garment.

 

 

Juliette showed us her “Grass teapot” that she had made at Pam Mc Gregor’s workshop. She used Finnish wool  and silk lap Unfortunately the silk lap got lost in the wool which was disappointing but a good lesson all the same.

Liz Owens attended Sue’s Bag Workshop and made a delightful bag with  gussets and  handle all felted in 1 piece.

Judith Shaw made her scarf  using  butter muslin and fine quality white Alpaca wool on both sides. She subtly incorporated  small coloured flower shapes which were embedded in the wool .

Sara Quail also attended the Fibreswest felt folding workshop  where she learned techniques and  made a “waterbomb”, a bracelet/ toggle , a “ kaleidocycle” and a scarf = 5 days of hard work !

June 2017 Toss ‘n Tell

   June 2017 Toss ‘n Tell

Demo: Sara Quail incorporating silk carrier rods into felt.

Sara gave us a very comprehensive and informative talk on silk carrier rods and how to use them in our felting projects. It is a by- product of the reeling of silk. The filaments that adhere randomly to the rod of the equipment is cut off and that is what we call “carrier rods”. To use them you have to either roll them in your hands to soften it or else iron the product to flatten it. Each rod has many layers that can be separated, then stretched to open up the fibres to make them suitable to incorporate as surface design on your pre-felt. Sara showed numerous samples of ways of applying the rods to the surface, including making of silk paper and silk thread.

Toss + Tell

Kerry Bertucci wore a fine red shawl that she made with merino wool and drafted silk. She also displayed a shawl/wrap in shades of red that she had designed by 1st drawing her pattern on an old discarded blanket to ensure that she got the correct drape that she wanted. She then enlarged the pattern according to the expected shrinkage. The end result was a reversible garment made of wool and silk fabric.

Vimol showed us 2 beautiful framed pictures. “The gum tree” was done with needle felting on a wool blanket and machine embroidery.  “The Pom Pom tree” was done with wet felting and then hand embroidered. Her work was finely executed and most attractive.

Kerry Grove showed us all the items that she completed at our recent Retreat weekend. She made samples, a phone bag and cord, a sari silk runner and a beautiful shawl. She certainly was busy at the Retreat!

 

Sue Eslick showed 3 beautiful nuno hats – 2 were very elegant and beautifully shaped. The 3rd hat is unstructured, can be worn in various ways and can fold up into your pocket. Sue also designed a silk scarf/shawl made from pieces of silk stitched together. She then attached felted cords to 2 opposing corners and made a felt toggle to complete it.

 

Marion Finneran showed her bed throw that she made at the Retreat. It was in shades of blue and green wool with silk fabric and stitched surface design.

 

 

Marie J showed her red and black bag that she had made in Sue Eslick’s Bag Workshop. She also had made pretty flowers that can be used either as embellishments or brooches. She had also made 2 silk and wool “ocean scenes” that had been made for a project and planned to incorporate them into another project.

Sue Harrington made a fluffy striped rug using a coarse Corriedale wool mixture.

Virginia  made 2 scarves at the Retreat. The white one was made using a silk slushie (50%wool/50%silk). The nuno felted blue scarf had a surface design of circles.

 

 

Liz Odd showed us 2 silk and wool scarves/collars that were made using masking tape as a resist in order to curve the fabric to fit correctly around the neck.

Pat made a delightful silk and wool scarf at the Retreat in soft delicate pastel shades.


Martien van Zuilen showed us nuno mosaic hats and a bag made from merino, silk fabric and prefelt. She likes to make them soft enough to be able to turn and shape them on your head or use them as a bag if necessary! See her project in the latest Felt Magazine # 17. She also made various vessels using coiled hand felted cords and fine copper wire.

Alison Gomes made a fine merino wool scarf in an autumn rust colour. She applied black wool prefelts to the one side and discovered that the edges were drawn through the rust and created a lovely black line on the reverse side.

Karen W made a quirky green cushion cover with spikes at the Retreat as well as 2 mats.

Marie M made a stunning Opal coloured wrap at the Retreat using silk lap and wool. Because she was concerned that the colours were too bright she used black wool which toned down the colours. The colours ran and stained her hands. Very helpful to have made a sample before. Luckily she was using black wool so disaster was averted!

Sara Quail showed us her delicate white scarf which she made using her method called Doubly Deconstructed Nuno which was published in the current Felt Magazine #17.

 

Launch of the 50:50 Scarf Project

The launch of the 50:50 Scarf Project on Friday 30th June at Gesha Cafe was very successful. It was lovely to see so many Feltwest members, old and new, and friends there.  We had a delicious cake to celebrate Feltwest’s 21st birthday, and also took the opportunity to celebrate Jen Blair’s 80th birthday.

Bernie Sermon from the Women’s Council for Family and Domestic Violence Services came along and spoke about the Funds for Freedom Project that the proceeds of the scarf project will be donated to.

Scarf sales got off to a roaring start with over 20 scarves being sold on the morning.  More scarves were donated as the month progressed and we reached our target of 50 scarves, making a beautiful display.  By the end of the end of the month, we had raised $2,000.  Well done everyone.

Review of Chris Wheeler’s Beads for Impact: Basics and Bling workshop, by Sue Harrington

   

Despite the beautiful autumn day outside, participants happily spent the day concentrating on precise placement and stitching with colourful beads and sequins, using a range of techniques. Chris provided stunning examples of her own work and some prepared samplers to illustrate the day’s teaching, as well as a range of reference books.

 

A huge range of seed beads, elongated bugle beads, sequins and fancy beads are available at different prices, but all have their uses depending on the overall impact wanted. Chris generally uses ordinary polyester thread, but glove thread is also useful.  Threads can be waxed with beeswax if desired, to improve tension and reduce thread wear.

Beads can be attached using simple running stitch or back-stitch. generally with double thread. Single and double needle couching allow several beads to be laid down, perhaps in non-linear shapes, and then held in place by stitching back and forth across the initial thread line. Whip stitch is perpendicular to the line of travel, resulting in the beads being on an angle. 

Sequins can create a great effect on felt as they don’t sink in and disappear and can be stacked, along with beads to create a sense of height. Possible stitches are backstitch or stab stitch. A selection of sequins and beads can be lined up on the needle and secured to achieve a raised loop.

Chris taught the complicated methods of attaching large sequins or feature beads using the Even-count Peyote  technique, and of creating a rosette of sequins. Once completed, these intricate ‘jewels’ certainly create a very impressive focus point on any piece.

Towards the end of the day Chris discussed, by reference to her sampler, how the stitches taught so far could build up to complex designs.

Important techniques learnt during the workshop include:

 

  • When threading the very fine beading needles, take the needle to the thread, not the other way around. Sounds crazy, but it works!
  • Avoid stitches that are too short as this can lead to the beads sitting up awkwardly.
  • Every few stitches make a securing stitch. This prevents the loss of lots of beads if the work is accidentally snagged.
  • A tidy reverse side to your piece can be achieved by sewing on a backing and binding the edges, or beads can be attached on both sides of a piece, or using a thread the same colour as the fabric will make stitching less obvious on the reverse of the piece.

The scene in the hall was one of contented, quiet concentration and gentle conversation along the tables. Everyone went home happy and full of inspiration for adding spice to future textile projects. Thanks Chris for a wonderful day of learning.

May 2017 Toss and Tell

     May 2017 Toss ‘n Tell

Demo and talk

Soosie Jobson gave a talk on Shrinkage Rates when felting and explained why estimating  a percentage produces an inaccurate result. In order to calculate  how much a project will shrink one has to first make a sample. Then you divide the initial laid out size of the sample by the finished size  = the correct rate of shrinkage for that project.  For wearables a minimum shrinkage rate would be 1.7 – 1.9%.   Nancy advised that for nuno wearables she would use 25g wool for 1 m of silk fabric for a good drape. Soosie has lots of information on her website.

Meeting

The President , Virginia , thanked Soosie for a most informative talk.

Visitors welcomed : Sandra from New Zealand, Kim from Tasmania, Stacy, Suzie Sheppard.

Information regarding The Retreat was discussed.

Sue Eslick’s bag workshop is open for bookings. Later in the year there will be a leather workshop which may be very useful for finishing items e.g.straps for handbags.

Members are requested to complete an online survey which will help with the planning of a 5 year vision for the group. Members are invited to attend the meeting on 25th June from 9 – 12 noon.

The next Retrospective issue will be delayed until September/October. This will be a special “birthday” issue. Members are invited to join a committee to prepare this publication.

Toss n Tell

Marion made a nuno scarf using  silk dyed in a workshop with Heather Davis.

Marie had works in progress viz. little birds and badges that she is making with children she is teaching at an art elective in Darlington.

 

Stacy showed us her beautiful blue wearable art vest/scarf that she was wearing, as well as  a scarf and bag. She attended Nancy’s workshop where she learned to make a colourful striped mat and a grey and white striped one .

sara quail

Sara has been doing an online workshop with Pam de Groot where she learned interesting 3D techniques – 3 of which she showed being : Splash, Twistie and Spiral.

Linda showed us her piece that started off as a vessel but changed into a cuff that she was wearing.

Karen is a new member who has an art and fashion background. She has been trying to combine the techniques from different workshops and brought numerous garments that she is working on to  develop her own style in wearable art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Katrina  brought a collection exotic items that are all works in progress using horsehair and red dyed goat hair.

 Alison showed her latest project that she has just completed. She explained her procedure of work from concept to execution. Her colours and design are quite unique and admired by those present. Although it is a large wall hanging she only used 250g wool for this project.

Liz is a new member  and brought samples made in Alison’s beginners workshop. She also made various vessels which she learned from Soosie’s online workshop.

Nancy showed her blue striped nuno scarf using silk mesh as well as a fine striped one in neutral shades which she used when teaching her Stripe Sequencing workshop.

At Pam McGregor’s workshop Nancy made a felted boab tree /teapot/sculpture .

Susan Sheppard ( visitor) had made a lovely wrap in blue and brown.

Sue Swain showed us a very sculptural piece of sea sponge that she found on the beach.

Pat showed us her latest knitted jumper she had made in a geometric design in shades of grey, black and red.

Soosie Jobson  made a vessel demonstrating differential shrinkage and explained the process. She has a free tutorial on her website.

She also made an intriguing 3D multi-ribbed Eucalyptus tree .

She accessed a website : Redbubble.com that will print any designs you submit. She printed her “synchronised fish” design onto a bag, a scarf and another design onto her mobile phone cover.

 

Judith Shaw  showed us a pair of warm woollen slippers , a bag in progress  and a necklace of dyed seedpods, as well as the jacket she was wearing.

Vimol used a combination of  wet felting, needle felting and embroidery to make 2 wonderful, whimsical hats, 1 with a face of a cat in relief. She also needle felted a head with a face in relief for a hat to be displayed on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Report by Marion, Photos by Nancy

March 2017 Toss ‘n Tell

 

March 2017 Toss ‘n Tell

Christine Wheeler  gave a very insightful talk on how to restore your favourite handmade felted garment after many years of wear. She showed us her jacket that she had restored.Christine also showed us her beautiful shawl . She combined fabric with and fine merino wool and silk using an attractive colour palette of reds.
    

 

 

Sue Swain spoke about her recent workshop that she ran on “Wearable Art” and mentioned that she would be repeating it again in April. She also showed samples of the type of garments that can be designed.  Sara Quail and Alison Higgins showed us the garments that they had made in her workshop.

 

 

 

 

Sara Quail  had various samples that she had been working on  with the intention of using the ideas in larger projects viz. a handbag strap. Also samples for padded surfaces using foam filling – to be used in floor mats or rugs.

                

Wimon  wore an attractive bag and explained how she had made the bold, strong corded strap  that was attached.

Marion had made an assortment of vessels following a workshop that she attended run by Martien van Zuilen. She explored various materials and techniques which included stitching, padding, resists, cutting, silk paper and the use of merino wool vs Finnish wool.

 

 

 

 

 

Marie displayed a sample in which she started with a wet-felted base onto which she applied a needlefelted design and finally wet-felted the piece.

Alison Higgins showed us her neck warmer felted in white with a charming orange and green organic design.

 

Kerry had attended the Pam McGregor workshop and showed her finished teapot that had delightful little birds nesting on the branches of the “treepot”.

Katrina had also attended Pam McGregor’s workshop and her one was a dramatic teapot in black, shades of grey and red.

Alison Gomez  showed us her latest wall hanging  with striking geometric shapes on a dark background in fine merino wool and silk.  Her work, as always, is of a very high standard.