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.
Hold on there JUJU!!! I'm captivated by your felt pieces. You just lost me at NUNO? that's all. I know needle felting and wet felting and love doing them but when you linked to the classes you took that have you using a mysety technique for felting with sheer fabrics!? I put it on a list to explore when a chance presents. Hence the lack of oooooing.
I don't even know what reverse appliqué is and have no time to Google it!
You are rocking the textures, shapes, and colors!
Posted by: Shelley Noble | February 25, 2008 at 09:20 PM
i've been checking back frequently and am totally inspired by your felt art. i've even ordered several felting and nuno felting books from amazon.co.uk thanks to you. i came at first because my mom calls ME "juju," so i thought you had a cool blog name. :-) keep felting. you've probably got more audience than you think!
Posted by: julie | February 25, 2008 at 10:08 PM
I love your felting! I am new to it, but I have total respect for your talent!!
Posted by: Leigh | February 26, 2008 at 12:53 AM
Are you enjoying felting? Well then, does it matter what anyone else thinks? Enjoy creating and be blowed with passing opinion....
"Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway!"
Posted by: Debbs | February 26, 2008 at 01:24 AM
I think they're wonderful. And in the felting class I took last month your work was mentioned frequently as excellent examples of what can be done in felting.
But the bottom line is that this is your space. Do what you want here.
Posted by: Dargie | February 26, 2008 at 02:29 PM
These felt pictures are gorgeous - rich colors and textures. I am curious to know more about the subjects - they are mysterious....
Posted by: Sarah | February 26, 2008 at 04:51 PM
i for one am captivated. these shown today are even way cooler than the ones before. honestly juju, these works - to me - are a meld between your sewing and paintings and i love them.
pssst... and ricky. ha! he is such a laugh!
Posted by: susan | February 26, 2008 at 08:34 PM
Hahaha, we are all suitably chastised. I too frequent here often, I love felting having come to it last year but haven't had time recently to indulge. But I am going to go track down some printed chiffon. Great idea, I have seen it once before and loved the way the print is distorted and adds another layer with it's image. Might even get the silk screens out at school and lay my own print down. Your work is progressing as do all things we practice. I have been watching you know because I first got interested in your sewing stuff. I am a big girl and loved all your creations. Well, enough said. Hope you feel loved, cause I love your site.
Posted by: rachelle | February 26, 2008 at 10:16 PM
Hi JuJu, long time no post, truthfully felting is not my thing but that said I consider your work outstanding. These images grow from your painting, its the use of colour, joie de vivre and vibrancy that I appreciate you for.
Posted by: Helen Chisholm | February 27, 2008 at 09:14 AM
I *always* like to see what you are making, just don't always have something to say.
Posted by: Michelle | February 27, 2008 at 10:16 AM