Skip to main content

Felt Better

red felt carnelian wrap - close up 
 In May I had a wonderful opportunity to do a workshop with Sachiko Kotaka, renowned felt maker, origami and performance artist. www.sachkokotaka.com

Sachiko Kotaka workshop 
 I learnt a lot from Sachiko – her unique origami/kirigami and weaving felting techniques  as well as the virtue of patience in creating art and repeatedly practising techniques to develop competence. This last week I think the winter blues got the better of me, so I practised some of Sachiko’s techniques and “felt” a lot better. I was really happy with the wrap I made during the week – so happy,  I wore it to a function on Saturday night.
red felt carnelian wrap 
It is a nuno felted wrap, using beautiful merino wool, a scrap of sheer fabric ( I cannot remember  what it is or where it came from) and some disks of carnelian from my bead stash. I really like carnelian, not only for its colour but also for its properties which some sources claim are close to magical.
A stabilising stone, Carnelian restores vitality and motivation, and stimulates creativity.  It gives courage, promotes positive life choices, dispels apathy and motivates for success…It helps in trusting yourself and your perceptions.  It overcomes negative conditioning and encourages steadfastness.  Carnelian improves analytic abilities and clarifies perception.  It sharpens concentration and dispels mental lethargy…

One of the other works in progress from the workshop is a funky little bag. One of the pieces I made in the workshop included very bright almost fluoro green dyed wool, so I soaked it in tea to soften it and although I can’t say I ‘love’ it, it has become acceptable and I am making it into a little bag and am currently stitching into the surface.
workshop felt 
work in progress - bag - close up  
work in progress - bag
I do enjoy working with wool in winter and have been creating some smaller projects in the last month. I am not sure if it has been documented anywhere that the process of felting is restorative, but it certainly  makes me feel better. 
felt and clay brooches
felted bowls 2013

felt redhead - wool, silk, clay, beads 

Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. CraftyleeJuly 11, 2013 at 6:01 PM

    I absolutely love your felting projects Wilma, look forward to seeing you at the Canberra retreat.
    cheers
    Lee

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Countdown to Christmas 20 - Fruitcake song!

There are many songs about fruit cakes  - not all of them referring to the Christmas cake we know and love.It is really surprising to learn via Google that there are 89 listed songs with references to Christmas cake or fruit cake - not all of them complimentary.   Probably one of the most famous folk songs about Christmas cake is Miss Fogarty's  Christmas Cake (a favourite sung by The Irish Rovers).  This first recorded comical Christmas song was written by C Frank Horn in 1883 in Pennsylania, as a variation of an Irish folk song, 'Miss Mulligan's Christmas Cake' . The chorus might give you the hint that Miss Fogarty's cake was not for the faint hearted or those who suffered from a weak stomach.    Chorus : There were plums and prunes and cherries, There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too There was nutmeg, cloves and berries And a crust that was nailed on with glue There were caraway seeds in abundance Such that...
Post a Comment
Read more

From my workshop page....

  Current Workshops  Offerings  Thinking of a workshop for your group in  2022?    Art Doll Workshops : -  Garden Thread Dolls  (one day workshop   -  WoW -(Woman of Wisdom)    - embellished stump doll with either cloth head or clay head.  This is an a rt doll workshop .... either offered as a series of workshops or  2 full days  days!   -  Message/Story  Stick doll  - doll made with found objects and upcycled cloth.  ( one day)    -  Elemental totems  - stick doll variation , with sculpture  ( one or two days, depending on surface decoration of fabric)  TEXTILE AND MIXED MEDIA WORKSHOPS    Temari - embroidered wrapped balls in traditional style.    - Dipping Into Tea  - tea and embroidery on canvas with photo transfer on fabric.  ( two days)  work by Judith Bee, workshop participant.  - Tea Bag sculpture : ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...
3 comments
Read more