Juju Loves Polka Dots

Notes from the dye pot

I've been busy with all sorts of explorations with beads and fabric!

Today I'm showing and telling about the shibori felt samples I recently did on a Lizzie Houghton dying day. I've been meaning to set myself up to dye and and make shibori for ages but haven't found the time (or the money) to get going. I booked myself into Lizzie's one day dying course because I knew it would give me a kick start.

I'm not claiming that these samples are anything special. It was more a matter of putting it in the dye pot and seeing what happens. But it is such delightful magic to see a white sample come out transformed by colour, pattern and texture.

Some of these I've done at home, with silk laminated felt (nuno), since the dying workshop. The samples I made in the workshop were made on a felted (needled) pre-felt. I hadn't used it before but took it along to speed up the process of felting plain white wool. I don't like it as much as felt made with tops. I think it is a bit characterless.

Here are some more made at home with silk laminated felt.

  

 

 Now I have to put them aside and get on with my current book. But I plan to do more dying this summer when I'm at my cabin in Canada. Roll on summer!

Today's Inspiration: On the theme of shibori dyed felting, Chad Alice Hagen has just opened an ETSY store. While at ETSY, visit Nina Bagley's beautiful angel necklace on her ETSY site.
Likes: Clothkits are back and better than ever! They have this wonderful Rob Ryan skirt kit, which is the most desirable item I have seen in a long time. I'll be making one up in cerise cord for the autumn. Maybe even with a little beading at the hem...

An update...

A unicorn and a Cyclops.That's an accident waiting to happen.
Rohan Agalawatta

I have been so busy making wedding dresses that I haven't had time to post. Two of my close friends are getting married this Spring. One after 24 years and 4 children with her partner and the other 18 years and three children later.

I envy them for being able to have their children at their weddings. My friend Andrea had her eldest daughter and son witness their marriage. It was very moving! And her dress was beautiful. I don't have any pictures because I didn't want to carry my camera while acting as bridesmaid (or should that be matron?). But I'll show post some when we get the prints. She looked so beautiful. Her dress was silver and black... you'll see.

I'm working on the next dress now and having a great time. More about that later...

Yesterday I had a surprise encounter. After viewing some fancy dresses in an upmarket shop in London, I went to do some quick drawings in a local cafe. (Have you seen the clothing of FutureClassics? Beautiful, wearable cuts!)

Anyway I noticed the long braid of felter Jorie Johnson (see my last post for an enthusiastic review of her books)  at the next table so I went up and introduced myself. She invited me to join her and we sat chatting for 2 hours. How fortuitous is that? She has just come from the International Feltmakers Association AGM in Holland and is passing through Britain on her way to the States. I had really wanted to nip over to do a workshop with her in Holland but couldn't afford it at the moment.

When I came back from my day out yesterday I felt so charged up with inspiration!

Much to do!

Today's inspiration: Laura Walker's buttons. I can't get enough of these. If you want some, buy from her Etsy sight now, before I get them all!

Likes: One of my favourite painters, Tom Wood has a blog and a website. The last time I did a web search on him I didn't find these. He just let me know so now my sidebar is up to date.

You Didn't Ask, But...

I ordered a wake-up call the other day. The phone rang and a woman's voice said, "What the hell are you doing with your life?" Demetri Martin

You don't seem very keen on my felted pictures. I've had few comments. Too bad, I'm posting more today anyway.

This piece is called Hoe. What can I tell you that I haven't already said in my felt photo album or on Flickr?.. It is wet felted but I have embedded cotton gauze, devoré velvet, printed chiffon and sparkly hairy net fabric in the felt. The surface has been embellished with hand-embroidery and reverse appliqué with the green synthetic sequined fabric.

This close-up gives a better idea of the hairy fabric texture and the chiffon on the left. Both felted pieces are mounted together on a large cream coloured mount board, and framed in box frames. The felt "sticks" are attached to the piece.

This next piece is called Angus Breathes. I have embedded silk chiffon and synthetic sequined fabrics in the wet felt as well as silk and cotton threads and fibres. The hazy hand shape is a lightly felted pre-felt shape.

As well as embroidery there are small pearls and beads embellishing the surface. I love to play with the colours and the contrasts in reflective and non-reflective materials.

My last one for today is this piece, Vine. Again there are a large range of fabrics embedded in the felt and it is embroidered felting,  although I will often full the fabric a bit more after embroidery, to make the stitches sit better.

This detail shows the turquoise scrim (top left), yellow gauze (along the right), purple chiffon (middle left), black patterned devoré velvet (bottom left) and two squarish shapes of silk habotai (top yellow and green and pink stripes). None of the stitching is necessary to embed the fabrics; it is purely decorative. This detail also shows the little pearls, and felted bead that are part of the composition.

Today's Inspiration: New-to-me blog of Elsa Mora, all-round creative and interesting woman.

Likes: I've been listening to all the Ricky Gervais pod-casts. I can't get any work done because I'm laughing too much.

I love pussy willows!

Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. Terry Pratchett

Love Terry Pratchett!

A quickie post because I don't think I was doing my felt pictures any favours by not showing a detail to go with it. So here is the picture, tug:

And here is a detail from it:

It is a felt piece made from from wool fleece with, silk and synthetic fabric and fibre inclusions. It is embellished with glass beads, pearls, copper and embroidery.

And one more. This one has just gone to Dubai with my husband. It is called Pussy Willows in March.

And a detail:

Today's Inspiration: These painted clothes by Carole Waller look interesting.

Likes: Stephen Merchant on a Sunday. I like to laugh!

felt corsages

I took the wife's family out for tea and biscuits. They weren't too happy about giving blood, though.   Les Dawson

Just playing around with some new banner ideas. Please excuse the scaffolding.

Okay, here are some of the felt corsages I made as a result of the felting workshop with Lizzie Houghton.

I made this poppy at the workshop.

This one is going to my friend Marilyn because the combination of purple and yellow always reminds me of her.

I'm having a real yellow moment.

This one is a paler lily-like creature with a spiky inside.

They are all photographed against some of my nuno samples.

And some petites:

I've taken photos of my felt pictures which I'll post soon.

Today's inspiration: Middle Aged Teacher at Flickr is my style icon.

Likes: Middle aged teacher's Carmen Miranda Necklace is very cool.

delicate felt

I told the traffic warden to go forth and multiply, though not exactly in those words.    Woody Allen

The felting excitement continues! Last weekend I went on two day courses with Lizzie Houghton. The second of which was making felt corsages and wow!
My experiments with Nuno felt also continue. I'm more and more enthusiastic! I feel I can paint like this!

My only problem is that they don't photograph as beautifully as they look in real life. This is frequently a problem with textile works but even more so with these delicate felts. I will take some pictures from other angles so that you get more sense of the textures and how thin they are but today I have been playing with photographing them flat. I want to make  box-framed compositions with these so I need to get good flat photographs.

These pieces are about 4" x 10".

I'll keep working at the photography and show some more next week.

I'm also finally setting up my Etsy shop.  I'll let you all know when that's done.

Today's inspiration: This amazing book about interesting garment designs.

Likes: Fine gauzy wool

Dislikes: Tax forms

A new year

"Employee of the month" is a good example of how somebody can be both a winner and a loser at the same time.
Demetri Martin

Christmas is over. My daughter's 13th birthday is over. The holidays are over.Clean up time is never over, but I'm back in my studio.
I've got lots of exciting things planned for this year.

I've been felting like a fiend!

I've gone made for nuno felting and have been making nuno hats with no seams. I studied millinery at college so am pretty good on all those techniques but when you combine it with making your own felted hoods...Wow!!! Wish I'd done this years ago!

These are just a couple of felt photos I took this afternoon as illustrations for my Christmas workshop at the Battery in October (contact me if you're interested in attending). I'll do lots of felting this year.

I've set myself up a little photo studio in my living room because the main reason for my posting tardiness is that it was such a hassle to take the pictures. We have NO light in England in the winter! Anyway I'm all set up, so hopefully this will promote a more frequent return to posting.

If you've emailed me in the last few months, you may have noticed I'm not great on responding. I'll try and turn that round. Thanks for your comments. It's nice to know I'm still being read even though my posts aren't as frequent!

I'll be back with pictures of hats soon.

Today's inspiration: Chad Alice Hagen, felt maker.

Likes: This crazy cow felted hat on these pages via felt faction.

Felt day

I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it.
Jack Handey

I'm very excited by felting since Lizzie Houghton's new book has come out.

This is the most delicious looking book on felting ever! I found it very straight forward in its explanations too.

I have long wanted to have a go at making nuno felt by trapping a gauzy layer of fabric between layers of felted wool. This book inspired me to have a go.

The resulting fabric is light, warm and drapes beautifully. I allow the base fabric to show through in some places and even cut holes in the fabric. The edges are worked to form natural shapes.These pieces have seen been turned in to a vest.

This next piece of felt is trapping a synthetic organdy with sequin appliqué on it.

It forms the front panels of this shirt pattern from Diane Ericson.

I left the edges raw and just sewed them on top of the original panel. That way they are lined with cotton and comfortable. This looks great under another layer. Like an amazing scarf peaking through.

It's not perfect but I love it and will wear it a lot. I'm keen to make more felt like this now.

Today's Inspiration: Lagenlook (go to Ebay, Europe to see examples.) I didn't know there was a particular name for this style of dressing, but in Europe they call the layering look Lagenlook (German). It is very popular with larger ladies but the best examples look very interesting.

Likes: A great example of lagenlook is German label Privatsachen.