‘Log Cabin’ 12” X 12” Wet Felted Hand-dyed Silk Velvet
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What is Felting?
Felting is the most ancient form of textile art, predating weaving and spinning. Hand-made felt is still used in some cultures for the basics of living, most notably in Central Asia, The Himalayas and the Baltic Countries. It is a low-tech solution for creating very warm and heavy fabrics for of housing and clothing (Mongolian Yurts, Nepalese clothing, felt rugs, etc.).
Wet Felting is a technique for transforming wool and other protein fibers into the dense fabric known as felt. Warm, soapy water is applied to layers of wool positioned at angles to one another. When wool gets wet, the small scales of the individual hairs open up, and gentle agitation causes the scales to interlock with each other. The heat, pressure, moisture, and friction involved in felting causes them to hook together into a single piece of cloth from individual fibers.
After the wet felting process, the piece or object is finished by 'fulling', agitating and shocking the fibers by tossing and rubbing them against a rough surface, such as a washboard to shrink and set the piece into a sturdy piece of resilient fabric. The felt can be formed into shapes such as bowls or shoes, made into clothing, rugs or any number of functional pieces.
In my Fiber Art pieces I incorporate multiple methods and techniques but primarily focus on the ancient art of wet felting and fabric felting, while using other techniques to embellish the primary creation. I aim to create a lighter and more flowing work of art with modern style, flare, and technical adaption to raise this craft to the level of fine art. I use a variety of primarily natural fibers - many of which are my own hand-dyed wools and silks.