Here is my Felting for Peace pre-felt that will make its way to Hungary. Felt makers from around the world are sending palm-sized pre-felts along with a monetary donation to support Ukraine. The talented Hungarian felt makers will unite the blue and green pieces, colours chosen by felt makers from around the world to represent Peace. by Diane Goossens
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Day 7 - Favourites by Judith Mueller#marchmeetthemaker #meetthemaker
Are we only allowed to have one favourite? Ah gosh, so limiting. I would say that my favourite thing to make is hats. I come from Canada and its cold in the winter and i hate cold ears, so I always wear a hat. One year, I made 26 hats going on the bus to University - I was a mature student. I still knit a few hats a years, though nowadays, I love to make nuno-felted fabric and sew hats. These hats are warm, light weight and stylish. I do love making multiples, too, so I rarely just make one at a time. These are my latest creations. #coloursparks #marchmeetthemaker #ecofriendly #feltartist #fiberartistsofinstagram #fiberartist #nunofeltedhat #nunofeltedcloche #sewnhat #clochehat #artist #globalpractitioners #feltedcloche #nunofelting For Us, the process of collaborative working to create a project has been different every time we chose to work together. This time, we decided to work on a garment. We were each tasked with creating 5 pieces of fabric in the colour scheme of purple, chartreuse, black and white and funky. We then came together with all our fabric and from it, chose the garment. We laid the material in piles to see which ones worked together and from there fitted it into the pattern pieces, measuring to make sure it was enough.
In the jacket, there is a piece of all 5 of us, each has a fabric in this garment. We then proceed to cut it out, sew it and finish it, each of us adding our special talents along the way. A friend gifted me a book from her shelf: Artwear Fashion and Anti-Fashion by Melissa Leventon. For anyone interested in textile arts, and various methods of garment making, the book is a treasure trove. Like a delicious box of fine chocolates I knew I needed to ration the lavish colour illustrations. Unlike a box of chocolates, this book will be a treat and a source of inspiration again and again. The dense text illuminates the history and context of ArtWear in North Amerika and worldwide. Each illustration comes with the title, artist name, dates and an insightful explanation of the piece. On page 97 I discovered a loom-knitted coat created by Linda Mendelson. The coat is beautiful, long and rainbow coloured. Mendelson is known for referencing text and music. I found her poetic inspiration for the coat in the work’s description: I made my song a coat Covered with embroideries Out of old mythologies From heel to throat; But the fools caught it, Wore it in the world’s eyes As though they’d wrought it For there’s more enterprise In walking naked. The poem is by William Butler Yeats, 1914. Intrigued and drawn to the rhythm of the poem I looked for information Poetry Foundation’s website and discovered that the coat in the poem is a metaphor for Yeats’ poetic style. Yeats simplified his style of writing, “walking naked” and thereby disappointed many readers of his time. It was one of many style changes he made over his working life. According to Irish poet Seamus Heany, Yeats came to believe that it was important to constantly discard the old and find the new voice “to say that area properly”. The principle translates well from writing poetry to other arts. Like Yeats, fibre artists will not run out of ways to hone their craft and “face into another area of experience” to do justice to their project, sometimes without considering audience appeal. Did Linda Mendelson’s need to apply new skills or use a different style to create the coat on page 96? I will have to look it up. Alice Pallett ![]() Delivered with her Aussie accent, Pam De Groot assured me that the stiff silk organza with even stiffer embroidery stripes on it would felt on the inside of a lined nuno vest without the need for fibres to “glue” it down … “She’ll be right” she said. And she was! Again, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from the amazing community of felt-makers from around the world, this time a Felted Vest with Pam de Groot. Every workshop (in person or on-line) is an opportunity to pick up more skills to make the fine felt products I aspire to create. The angle of the template, the curve of the neck, the patterning of the design, and the shaping of the “fit” were all techniques picked up from Pam. Here is a snap of my vest which I’ve called my “NYC-Transit Vest”... although perhaps I should call it “She’ll be Right”! Diane Goossens Com·mu·ni·ty* |