Felt making.

Felt making:
Equipment list:

• Bubble wrap.
• Felt fibres.
• Soap and water.
• Bamboo mat.
• Netting.

The process:
To create a piece of felt you first choose the colours you wish to use. You start by layering the pieces of felt onto the bubble wrap bubble side up in your desired pattern. You lay down the felt going horizontal, the next layer then needs to be placed on vertically and so on until there is at least 4-5 layers. Lay the netting over the felt and sprinkle some water over it, then using soap you gently rub the felt using circular motions. Turn the piece of felt over and do the same to the back of the piece. Place the piece in the bamboo mat and roll it until it shrinks to your preferred size. Rinse the piece off under water and leave to dry.

This is what it looks like when the layers have been placed on the bubble wrap before using soap and water.

This is what the piece looks like when it has started to transform after using soap and water.                                           

This is what it looks like after being put through the bamboo mat a couple of times.

 

My work links to the work of Mary Clare Buckle and Moy Mackay whose work is shown above. As you can see they both have different styles of working. Mary Clare Buckle goes for a more abstract effect just using blocks of colour as a background and then working into them using different lines and patterns. She also creates small holes so she can place lights behind the piece which then shines through the holes, which then makes the piece more luminescent. Moy Mackay creates more realistic pieces taking inspiration from her surroundings from her home in the Scottish Borders. She works into her pieces using stitch