Wool In Many Colours

How sweet is this young lamb!

Have you ever looked at the variety of different breeds of sheep in the fields as you drive or walk by? But more to the point the colour of them? what colour comes to mind? The chances are you will picture a white woolly creature gambolling about in the sunshine like the one above. You may also remember seeing the odd black lamb as well, but in England we see mainly shades of white sheep with the occassional brown or black

As a feltmaker I use mostly dyed fleece in my work because this is what makes me buzz, see my bowls below. But some artists prefer the natural look and wouldn’t touch colour.

Dyes add to the range of colours

So how do you get from that natural palette to the colours you find in a many felted pieces of art or clothing? No prizes for guessing dyes of course.

Dyes can be natural or synthetic. Natural dyes derived from various plant material can give a range of rich colours. Add to that the great variety of colours from synthetic dyes and the colour palette available to the modern felt maker becomes quite extensive.

Colourful bowls made using merino fibres and silk fibres

Felt making is an absorbing and creative art, and like a traditional artist who mixes his paint colour palette you can also mix and blend fleece to create any number of colours. Incorporating a variety of breeds and other fibre within the work is very exciting. 

Mixing the colours

To mix different wool colours you need to card the fibres. Carding aligns the wool fibres ready for applying to the piece you are making. Carding is done with paddles covered with lots of small pins – a bit like the brush you might use to groom a dog. As seen here, dog brushes work well for carding.  

Carding wool to add to the colour range

By repeatedly pulling the wool between two carding paddles, the wool fibres become aligned. And if you start with three different colours, carding will blend the coloured fibres to give a beautiful blend of colours. For example, white and blue carded together will give a paler blue. This is an ideal way to represent skies if you are making a wet felted picture but I would also add other colour within this. I take inspiration from nature but also from looking at artists who inspire me.

If you would like to try your hand at feltmaking. You do not need a huge amount of colours to start feltmaking, just two blues, two yellows, two reds and black and white are good bases to start with. From these you can achieve a good range with the blending technique you will create many variations of colours. This is ideal if you are starting with felt making, as it avoids spending a fortune when you start. 

Colourful bags, scarf, needle felted robin and a bowl

To see what you can make from fluffy woolly felted fibres. Browse the Feltworld Gallery page, for inspiration to get started and consider a felt making kit and online tuition all available in my Feltworld Shop.  Felt making is a creative art and creativity is good for the soul. Felted items can be wearable or to adorn the home and I love creating both.

If you would like to know more about the beginners level of Feltmaking do take a look at the above links.

Happy felting 

Barbara

Artist is back from Bali

Artist is back from Bali    

Wow, what an experience I had in Bali, I have been back for 4 weeks now and thought that I would share a little snippet of it with you below.

Bali is a country I fell in love with three years ago, as an artist I have been longing to return. My friends have heard nothing else for 3 whole years…Bali Bali Bali lol.

After a big birthday which was quite an anticlimax, I decided that my year was going to be a year of change and an adventure was needed. So when the opportunity arose and an opening to teach feltmaking and to develop my batik painting business, I was so excited and couldn’t wait to book my flights out there.

What do I love about Bali?

What do I love about Bali? Well, lots of things and I will briefly explain a few things that just jumped out at me! Firstly Bali is a beautiful Island surrounded by warm turquoise seas with a backdrop of mountains and Jungles. Ubud is a favourite of mine, away from the coastline it is known as the centre for traditional arts, crafts and dance as well as yoga retreats.

A bustling town, vibrant markets, busy shops, rice paddies, Hindu temples, a palace, beautiful gardens discreetly hidden amongst it all, this place is both crazy but peaceful as well. Enter a restaurant and you are in a little oasis overlooking rice fields. The taste of the delicious fresh food gets the taste buds tingling and an added bonus is it’s so inexpensive to eat there.

Accommodation

The enchanting homestay accommodation, hotels are varied, the Balinese people are so friendly, positive and spiritual, they are very welcoming and can not do enough to make sure you have everything you need.

Wouldn’t you just want to return as I did! Frankly – for me, it is a creative heaven and retreat to keep my creative mojo alive and I loved every bit of my 6 weeks experience!

Feltmaking in Bali for Charity.

I really miss my new friends in Bali- But Facebook is a wonderful thing!

I joined a group of talented artists who live in Bali, we participated in a collaborative charity event. Teaching our subjects to the public we raised 3 million IDR which paid to support a family in great need of food and medicine in a small village 3 hours north of Ubud.

See video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWQsyP-0b3U&fbclid=IwAR0qbPFCSc7YtnXZyLeU2Q1-F0e-yXE2lqx2ulL-HhbqqCb8n-UySynz2yI

The Onion Collective raise money every month for a family in need. I can’t wait to go back next year to support them again. Feel free to donate via their page.

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My Batik Bali Experience.

Being surrounded by artists in a creative country is so inspiring, I teach Batik but I was particularly excited to develop my skills and learn from the Batik masters, attending 6 different course venues I quickly decided on my favourite and attended a further 4 day days with a particular one.

Batik, for those of you not familiar with the technique, it involves making marks on cloth using hot wax with a tool called a tjanting, it collects wax and slowly releases hot wax when drawn onto the cloth. Dyes are then used to add colour to your design. The wax is removed, leaving incredible, unique artwork that can be used as wall art.

My beginner’s classes

My beginner’s classes are very popular and people are always surprised at what they create, leaving with artworks to frame.

Developing my practice

It is important for me to develop new skills and practice; I am currently experimenting with incorporating felt with batik and discovering how the two natural fibres react when incorporated.

The six weeks of indulgent creativity were fantastic and an inspiring, transformative, and truly a wonderful experience. I will be taking a group of people there on a creative retreat next Spring.

If you are interested in finding more information, please contact mail@feltworld.co.uk
www.feltworld.co.uk
Facebook: Feltworld – Creative Art Courses
Instagram: Barbara_feltworld

Gift Vouchers are available, please click here: www.feltworld.co.uk/courses

My July Workshops. I will be donating 10% of your fee to the Onion Collective Charity.

Barbara Simmons Meek

Needle Felting Festive Blog - Feltworld

Hello and welcome to my creative world.

In previous posts, I’ve written about wet felting techniques. Wet felting is where you use soap and water to felt 100% natural lambs wool fibres together to form a durable material, the tiny hooks that are on the individual  fibres link together due to the action of rubbing the wet fibres. This month I want to tell you about needle felting.

Needle felting, is classed as dry felting and doesn’t require water but a sharp needle with barbs /niks in the needle, these little niks with grab the fibres and bind them together to make felt like magic.

These needles come in a variety of sizes. There’s a thicker blunt end that you hold and a much finer end that you use to stab into the loose woollen  fibres. And make sure it is the fibres you are stab, not your fingers, ‘cos they are sharp! But this technique is fun and it never ceases to amaze me what you an make from just stabbing away at the fibres. 

As with wet felting, needle felting will allow you to make flat or 3D items. For flat pieces, the wool is placed on a piece of foam or polystyrene that will let the needle penetrate the wool easily . Further strands of wool are added and joined to this base later using the same technique. Pretty soon you will have either a 3 dimensional animal or  flat picture that can be framed and hung on a wall. 

To get started with 3D pieces, you first make a ball of felting wool and gently stab the needle into it until it becomes a compact mass that holds together on its own.  Once you have this basic ball, you can add to it and begin to give it shape. 

In the pictures, you’ll see how I’ve formed the felted wool into the shape of a rabbit.  Little animals lend themselves to this kind of needle felt sculpture, and you can make small birds or other furry animals. Once you are proficient at needle felting, you can even include wire formers inside the arms of an animal to allow limited movement. 

If you would like to learn how to do needle felting, I offer half and one-day courses. All the materials and refreshments are supplied.  The full-day session also includes a light lunch. 

Why not come along and see how it’s done – or perhaps give a Feltworld gift voucher to someone you love.

Details of all my courses and gift vouchers can be found on my web site:

www.feltworld.co.uk

Feltworld – Creative Art Courses; felt making and other creative skills Feltworld – Creative Art Courses offer a variety of fun creative courses covering wet-felting, needle felting, batik, and textile printing techniques. Based in Penkridge we are easily accessible from the M6 and the Rail network. www.feltworld.co.uk

Have a very Merry Christmas however you spend it.

Barbara 

Winter Woollies – with a difference in the Midlands UK – Please click on previous Blogs

Winter Woollies - with a difference in the Midlands UK

Winter Woollies – with a difference in the Midlands UK

The clocks have gone back, any hope of an Indian summer has faded, and winter woollies are making their annual appearance. But while the weather may be drab, there’s no reason to dress in a boring way.

 

In fact, you can dress warmly and still turn heads with a unique scarf that you’ve made yourself at a Feltworld Creative Art Course.

Feltworld offers scarf making courses several times each year, with a number of them over the winter period. Why not come along and see for yourself the beautiful designs that are possible with felted wool.

You have two options. There’s the traditional warm woolly scarf that’s ideal for keeping out the cold on long winter walks. There’s also the beautiful Nuno felted scarf which allows you to create really stunning and unusual designs. You can even decide what sort to make on the day if you aren’t quite sure which one you prefer.

The word ‘Nuno’ is Japanese for cloth. It is a wet felting technique that merges loose woollen fibres with a sheer fabric such as silk gauze. When felted the wool shrinks during the felting process it leaves a beautifully subtle texture on the silk, unlike any other technique.  This texture and drape lends itself to the beautiful movement required in a scarf. While the warm woolly scarf does not require a base layer, it still allows for beautiful designs using different coloured woollen fibres.

You can make either one of these scarves in a day with expert tuition from Barbara at Feltworld Creative Art Courses.

Why not take a look at the course page on the https://feltworld.co.uk/courses page

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Gift vouchers are available £30 -£65 or £130 if you are looking for a unique and practical Christmas gift.

Details on the website- Up and coming dates: 9th December -16th December and more…

For details visit https://www.feltworld.co.uk/felt-scarf-making

Special offers at Hobby Craft Stafford -£25 Classes

Christmas Needle Felting at Stafford HobbyCraft -Taster classes – Animals and Picture  https://www.feltworld.co.uk/hobbycraft-courses

Felt Slipper and Bowl Making

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You’ll be surprised at what you can make using felted wool!

I love to teach this class and am really looking forward to teaching it again.  My workshops are usually very flexible as I prefer to have people making what they would like to make. I would much rather you make something that you want to use or give as a present. Just ask me any question and I will endevour to get back to you pronto!

Slipper information

We will use the wet felting method to make slippers to fit the shape of you’re own feet.

I am always surprised at the very different shapes and sizes that are put in front of me lol. No seriously, you will make slippers custom made to the shape and size of your feet I promise you.

We will use a custom made template/relief and set to work with my beautiful array of different coloured fibres. We then layer wool to the required thickness before wetting with soap and water.  This causes the fibres to felt together when agitated.

You will be amazed at how quickly you can make your personalized slippers. They make fabulous Christmas presents if you feel the urge to make some for your family and friends. You can find out details of the courses and book online here: https://www.feltworld.co.uk/slippers-bags-bowls

Bye for now 🙂

Barbara.

A selection of felt bowls

Felted slippers and bowls

Making a felt slipper

Slippers made from felt

Working on a felted slipper