Inspiration

Where My Feet Have Been

Maude Bath and Liz Wauchope recorded the process of developing art works for their joint exhibition at T'Arts Collective, Adelaide, April 2012.

When Maude was looking through her photos to put together a book about her residency in Japan, she noticed that when she looked at images of 'views' her logical brain was engaged. The larger scale made her think about what she was seeing in the context of the event. When she looked at images taken looking down she had a far more emotional response. She felt grounded, looked within and remembered how she felt when the photo was taken.

Looking 'up close and personal' rather than at distant vistas is also a hallmark of Liz's photography. Both women are great travellers, and have been to many of the same places in Australia and overseas. That shared delight in the extraordinary details of new places, and new perspectives on familiar places, is how the exhibition 'Where my Feet Have Been' came about.

'Looking at the cobblestoned road in Arimatsu, Japan, I remembered the feeling of awe and respect and timelessness; all those generations of women working on  Shibori resist-dyed textiles, in the same way with the same patterns and the same fabrics, walking this same road over six hundred years.'



Aramatsu Road Coat

Aramatsu Road

Sketch for Aramatsu Road

'The incense drying in Vietnam made me feel all over again how small and insignificant an individual is. The peace and sense of well-being you feel when you breathe incense came flooding back.'



Sketch for Incense

Incense in Vietnam Top

Incense in Vietnam

'Revisiting the hakea blossom in the Olive Pink Botanic Garden in Alice Springs took me straight back to my childhood, evoking a calm sense of belonging to that country.'

Maude and Liz hope that the work they have created will in a small way help you to feel that inner peace and centredness.

Jacket & Camisole

Sketch for Rajisthani Sandstone

Rajisthani Sandstone

 
These are some of the starting images and resulting art works we created, they are taken from the little book we published to accompany the exhibition. The book includes the collaboration process of  design sketches, painting, printing the silks and felting the pieces.  “Where my feet have been” is available from Maude.

Fashion Photography by Malcolm Downes

Modeled by Elsja Stalk

Book Review

Here are two fantastic felting books published towards the end of last year that are well worth owning.
500 Felt Objects
Contemporary Explorations of a Remarkable Material published by Lark Crafts
From Felt to Fabric
New Techniques in Nuno Felting by Catherine O'Leary also published by Lark Crafts


From Felt to Fabric
Some of you will know Catherine O'Leary from her workshops in NZ and from past Felting Convergences in Australia.
Her nuno technique of laminating and layering fabrics into felt is beautifully photographed and explained.
The book contains just the right amount of information and enough photos to inspire and awe us.  I brought mine from Fishpond for around $40 with free shipping but a quick check today shows that it is on special at $19.61 with free shipping so grab that one fast.
This is one of my most prized felting books.

Must Have Felting Books

from 500 Felt Objects

500 Felt Objects

from 500 Felt Objects

from 500 Felt Objects

Catherine O'Leary's From Felt to Fabric

Catherine O"Leary

the back of Catherine O'Leary's book

Catherine O'Leary's From Felt to Fabric

500  Felt Objects is a book of photos of the work of felters form all around the world. It even has a photo of our own Tracy White's frilled scarf.

What I most love about this book is its lovely chunky size and how it sits on my coffee table enticing  me to flip a few pages every now and then and be inspired, wowed and excited that I too am a felter and this is the sort of thing that can be achieved with wool and fibre.

This book is pricey at around $60 but well worth it.
By Jill

Hilde Blank  has added:

500 felt objects is NZ $ 30 only from The Book Depository (UK)  incl. postage! I get most of my books from them!

Cheers
Hilde

What is a Feltmakers Convergence ?

A Convergence is a gathering of felt makers, and the sharing of knowledge, experience and ideas is the underlying theme. 
The Southern Hemisphere Feltmakers Convergence has been happening bi-annually since 1990. 
 Each convergence is a little different, reflecting the fact that a feltmaking group in a different location hosts it entirely voluntarily. 
A convergence is an amazing event and some feltmakers have been attending them over many years ensuring lifelong friendships. 
The convergence program differs from year to year as it is traditionally largely made up of feltmakers who volunteer their time to share their knowledge, ideas and experience of felt making.
 A convergence attendee can expect many inspiring tutorials, workshops, opportunities to display your work, a fashion parade, installations, community group projects, lectures, professional development, informal demonstrations, a place to felt to your hearts content, traders trading their supplies, many networking opportunities, and much laughter and camaraderie with other feltmakers. It is a whole week immersed in the wonderful stuff of felt. Eat, sleep, and drink felt if you are that keen! It covers every aspect of felt making and is suitable for all levels of experience, wherever you are at with your own feltmaking journey. 


The 12th Convergence will be held in The Illawarra Region of NSW Australia, 1st-6th September 2013. It will be hosted by The Illawarra Feltmakers inc. Come along, learn, share, felt and have fun.
Check out our blog HERE
Email us HERE
Applications for enrollment are expected to go out October 2011. If you would like to be on the email list please let us know.

Canberra Felters

In the recent past Canberra Felters have sent us hard copies of their newsletter. They are suggesting we receive them via email to save costs to a small group.

Gail writes:

"Thanks for agreeing to have the Newsletter via email which, over the year, is a great saving to our small group in printing and overseas postage.  We don’t have a blog but we do have a website.  I don’t see why you couldn’t put a link to our website on your blog, although only financial members can have access to the Newsletter via the members’ section."  Canberra Felters click (here)

If anyone is interested in the content of these newsletters, please contact me via the link on the side bar.

I Was A Felt Ball Tragic

All the way from Adelaide (via a Kiwi!!!!) we have a technique I am very curious to try out. I can't believe its this simple. Thank you very much to Maude Bath and brilliant photography by Malcolm Downes

I Was A Felt Ball Tragic

I was always known as the ball tragic in my felting group. Everyone else could effortlessly turn out beautiful hand-made, smooth felt balls.

Not me.

For me they were lumpy misshapen things resembling a sheep’s brains as much as anything. Definitely not something to be proud of, or to use in felt jewellery. I was the butt of many jokes. I had to plead with other members to make balls for me.

Last October all that changed for me.

I attended the 11^th Southern Hemisphere Convergence in Bunbury.

As we have for several previous Convergences, the SA Felters did a workshop called 'Felt Jewellery for Beginners'. As usual, I was relegated to teaching rat tails, coils and licorice all sorts.

I was busy explaining to the group why I was demonstrating these aspects, and that I was a ball tragic, when a voice from the end of the table piped up,

'Why don't you make them in a jar?'

'In a jar??', I asked.

'Yes,' she answered, 'we all make them in a jar in N.Z. It's really easy. You can't go wrong.'

I looked at her in disbelief.

So, the student became the teacher. This angel got up, found a Tupperware container, some fluff and a bit of yarn for fun, and proceeded to turn out ball after ball.

Look Maude, no hands!

I imagined this must have been a very closely kept secret in New Zealand until my innocent saviour let the cat out of the bag. A bit like the Chinese with silk, eventually the truth leaks out. So, now I'm going to tell the world – sorry NZ.

So how do you do it?

Necessary Equipment

Find a squarish plastic container with an airtight lid. A Kinder Surprise plastic capsule or a small glass jar are also perfect. The smaller the container the smaller the ball.

Pull enough fleece in whatever colours you want. Trial and error will teach you exactly how much is right for each container; you need to about half fill it.

If you want to jazz up your ball, add a little bit of yarn to the pile at this stage; or glitz (one of my favourites), or anything else that takes your fancy.

Adding a bit of Jazz

Poke the fleece into the container. You don't have to form it into a ball, just stuff it in.

Serious Poking

Half fill the container with water. Add a minuscule amount of soap if you want; it works without any, but I think it takes a smidgen longer

Smidgen of water

Put the lid on tightly and then shake.

Shake the container in all directions as fast as you can. Make like the Zumba!

Doing the Zumba

In no time at all a ball will form in the container.

Open the container, drain the water out.
Roll your ball in your hand a bit. If it isn't as hard as you want, put it back in the container, add some more water and shake again.

Repeat the shaking and rolling until your ball is perfect (hard and round).

Completed Balls

That's it!

You can then use the balls to make great jewellery, to decorate Xmas trees, or use as buttons or whatever. The main thing is you won't be a ball tragic!

PS you can make cubes too! Just over-stuff your squarish container and you get this....

          Cheers Maude

Photography by Malcolm Downes