Wet Felted Vessels Workshop

Today I went to the lovely Needle and Thread near Lincoln run by Sally, to do a wet felted workshop with Robyn. 

Firstly we had to decide on the shape of our vessel. We all (I say all, there were only two of us) chose to keep it simple and do a bowl shape, so we started off with a circle. Covered both sides in two layers of merino and put it to one side.

Next Robyn showed us how to make various things including canes, balls, spikes and prefelt.

This is my cane in the making. Once you get it started you can roll it in bamboo and it really helps to stiffen it up.

I decided at the eleventh hour to change my shape to an eye sort of shape. just so I could get all the elements on that I'd made.

Anchored the pieces down, but looking back I think I used too much, especially around the top of the larger cane circle.

Robyn had brought her drum carder and kindly let us have a go with it, so we were able to make our own batts for the top coat and blend loads of different colours together. Nepps and silk waste was also added. Eveything was then wetted down and we worked around each element for which seemed like ages to make them all 'stick' together.

Robyn laying her top layer down.

Wendy working her individual elements into the main piece over a piece of thin plastic.

In the room next door they were using free machine embroidering to create pictures.

After working around all the individual pieces to make sure they are all linked with the wool.

This one is Robyn's.

This one is Wendy's.

We then rolled about 40 times, turned 90 degrees and turned it over to until all 4 ways had been done and the resist started to buckle. 

Once this happened we took the resist out by making a cut through all the layers and pulling it out through the hole. Did the hot and cold shrink thing, threw it on the floor a few times to shock the fibres. Soaped it again in hot and cold, worked the edges so we didn't end up with a seam and basically worked it until we were happy with the look and feel of it.

Once happy with the way it had felted, inside and out, we cut the small resists out that we put in to make the craters.

Once worked and shaped, we stuffed them with carrier bags to help them keep their shape.

And a view from the top.

I will be back tomorrow once it's dried to show you close ups of the different elements.

Wet Felted Pod

All ready and set up on the dining room table.

Laid the wool over the template.

Wrapped the wool over on the other side.

Layers of wool laid on the other side of the template.

I massaged soapy water onto the piece and got more aggressive as it started to felt. I kept turning it over and also made sure I worked the edges.

Once I was happy that it had felted I cut a hole in the middle of the front and pulled out the resist.

And this is what I ended up with after I'd gone in again with the soap around the cut edges to felt them.

Then I stuffed it with dusters to the shape that I wanted it to take once dry and left it over night in the airing cupboard.

It is now totally dry, but I wanted to show how much you have to allow for shrinkage.

Jo Prosser very kindly sent me some locks still attached to the wool so that I could attach them around the outside edges of the opening.

I put toy filling inside to make it a bit stronger and to help it hold its shape better. I also made like a shelf at the front too with the locks.

I also felted some of the same locks at the top of the hole as were on the top.

And this is how it looks from the back. 

I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Craters & Spikes

I decided to make my resist from cardboard as I wanted it a bit thicker because I wanted to slightly shape it and didn't want to create a seam.

I also wanted to experiment with craters, so I made six circle resists and a tiny ball of wool to mark where I'd placed each one.

I also wanted to make some spikes, so I rolled one end just with water and left the other end fluffy. I wrapped three round cocktail sticks, but that wasn't necessary at this stage.

Next I placed my layers of wool over the template.

I did both sides and then decided which side I wanted the holes on.

Once the resists had been covered in wool, I placed the orange dots in the middle so I could easily identify where the resists were. I also decided to see what linen bouche would do too so laid it down in a spiral around the middle.

I wrapped the twisted lengths in cling film as I didn't want them to felt to the base but I did want them to become attached at the fluffy end.

I wet the fluffy ends and massaged them onto the base with soap and water.

I worked on both sides and then when I thought I'd finished I pulled the cling film off and soaped and rolled them individually in my fingers.

I cut a hole in the middle and pulled out the cardboard resist and shrunk it more by rolling, hitting with hot and cold water and throwing it on the mat. Once I was happy with the shrinkage, I cut the resists out using the orange dots as a guide.

And once I was happy with everything, I stuffed it with cloths and dusters, tied it to help it keep it's shape and twisted three of the spikes around the cocktail sticks. 

It's now in the airing cupboard drying.

So this morning I took it out the airing cupboard, took the string off, took the cocktail sticks out and unstuffed it.

And I was really, really please with how it came out. Again, I learnt a lot from the process and what to do differently next time.

I probably should have worked the edges more and next time I won't cut as much out so I can leave more of a crater.

These ones worked a little better.

And the spikes held their shapes, the straights and the spirals but in future they need to be longer and thicker to start with.

Finally a view from the top with the linen bouche and the original hole.

But for a first try at incorporating a different shaped vessel, spikes and we'll call them craters, I am really, really please with the outcome.

Second Vessel Attempt

After watching another youtube video I made another resist, but until I'd finished I didn't realise I'd cut it wrong.

Anyway, I went with it. It was all about shrinkage and layers.

And this is what I ended up with. Not quite how it should be, but I love it and I love how the colours marbled.

I wish I could find a tutorial on how to put craters or holes in the vessels as I am dying to try it.