This post is duplicated on another of my blogs - as the subject matter overlapped.
The background (which is quite thick) was built up using dyed fleece in various autumnal colours and then extra dimension added by raising certain areas up higher.
It was then embellished using dyed spun silk thread, dyed ribbon, silk, fibre and semi precious stones
It has been a long winter and illness and apathy have stopped me from finishing any of my work.
I needlefelted the background and then felted in various stripes of colour. On the shoulder area I fused Angelina fibres and cut to shape before stitching on. I further decorated with all sorts of threads including spun silk. Then I added ribbons - both stitched and free falling.
Meet Mary... I'm afraid she isn't one of my creations, but I fell in love with her a year ago and you may be interested/disinterested to know that she sleeps on our bed - and when I am very cold - IN the bed!
Well... I've made start... The first photos shows a large piece that I have dry needle felted. I primarily have used white fleece and then decorated with coloured fleece fibres on the top. After I formed the piece I then wet felted it for added strength as I am going to attempt to turn this into a bag (I don't like wet felting as it is so messy!) The edges are still uneven - which is what happens with both felting techniques - the trimming comes later.
This has only been dry felted and I've trimmed it - probably a bit prematurely as once it gets worked on it does alter shape again - but I like some sort of precision to start with. Once again I primarily used white fleece - as I have much more of this - and then worked in the others colours. There isn't quite as much white apparent as this photos appears to show. I think the flash on the camera simply picks up the lighter shades
This is a trimmed dry needle felted piece which I worked all colours into at the same time. I think all backgrounds are interesting even at this stage - but more work will follow...
These were my earliest pictorial pieces (made in July this year) - the 2nd, 3rd & 4th attempt at needle felting (the very first one is at the bottom of an earlier posting for this blog.
These are high definition collages - click to enlarge.Initially I used to buy my fleece from the Wool Marketing Board - and what dirty, unsorted fleece that was! Then (before the days of the internet) I found places where I could buy direct and we also began to go to Smallholders Shows where I could buy fleece.
Some fleeces I washed gently in an old enamel bath - removing the dirt but keeping 'the grease'.
I loved spinning 'in the grease' - but kept becoming ill and this was found to be due to the organo phosphates used in sheep dip. Consequently, I then had to buy clean fibre - which I always think is harder and less pleasurable to spin. (Since my kidney transplant I definitely musn't spin dirty fleece - as the bacteria could kill me!)
I had a little spin this morning - in top collage - to show I am really doing it! I have also taken photos of my samples - and sample projects (for demonstration purposes) - but the balls are what I use for my work. I only spin as I need something now - I love spinning silk though!
