Felt, Nuno Felt, Capes and Awards

I could almost start every post with, "Gosh I've been busy..."  but really I have. Here's some pics to prove it. My entries into this years Royal Brisbane Show - EKKA - and the sections they were in.

Felt Garment 

Accessory

Wall Hanging

Nuno Felt 

Then there are all the gossamer shawls I have been making to order.

And this very special full length one

and these are only the nuno-felts.

There are also the shibori silks

Eventually I'll get some of these listed in my Etsy shop.

Oh, and how did I go at the Show?

A Few Of My Favourite Felt Things

Here are a few of the things I have been making lately.

ABOVE: Felt flowers. 

These are bigger than my hand and make beautiful brooches, hair accessories or decor items.

ABOVE: Fairy LED lights.

Pods and Hanging Flowers with LED lights that change colours.

ABOVE: Shawl/Vest

These are a nunofelt item that works like a cross between a shawl and a vest.

They are made from hand dyed tissue silk with hand dyed merino wool felted in like leaves.

I am happy to custom make these to fit and in your choice of colours. Contact me via my etsy shop, 

Beljays Felt n Art

 if you want to know more.

Silk Flare Pants from start to finish

I thought I'd give you in insight into how I make my silk accessories and clothing. It occurred to me that I should after a conversation with the lovely woman who commissioned this set. She kept asking what colors I had and I'd answer what colors do you want. It wasn't until I said that the silk started out white that she realised what I meant. Sooooo

This is a selection of silks that I begin with.

I then dye the fabric a base color. The fabric is allowed to dry before being folded and stitched to create the shibori patterns.

This then goes into more dye pots, the number depending on the desired outcome.

This is what it looks like partially unfolded.

Here is the same piece of silk fully unfolded but still wet.

And here it is dry and ironed. The colors are rich and lustorous with many subtle shades.

I then sew the silk into the item I am making. This is my little sewing corner. It was a very rainy day when I took this photo but the sense of the garden and light is still good.

And here is the finished set. A pair of Silk Flare Pants and a matching Tushi Tie.

Beautiful Bellydance Pants

Well hello! It's 2013 already! I've been steadily working with new ideas and have now combined two of my passions. Shibori dyeing and Bellydancing.

I have launched a range of pants and hip ties which are made to order, so they fit well. Each piece incorporates a hand-dyed design element, so no two items are exactly the same.

So far I have designed and listed lycra pants, with flared silk lower legs. The silk ripples and flows as you move and feels fantastic against your legs. They look great with a matching Tushi Tail hip skirt or under a full ATS/Tribal style skirt.

I also have a range of lycra straight leg pants with a shibori detail up the sides. These are fantastic paired with a lycra Tushi Tail, or with a coin belt. They are really comfortable and would work well for yoga too.

I am currently working a a few styles of tops to go with the pants, which I should have listed by the end of the month. You will find them here http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeljaysFeltnArt So if you are into dance or yoga, and like something a little bit individual, or have problems finding stretch pants that are long enough or short enough, take a look at my offerings :)

Clowning Around with Felt

Every now and then, you have to explore new things. Different techniques. New materials. Alternative methods of construction.

And sometimes when you do all these things, what you end up with is a bit of a surprise.

This ensemble was designed for a craft show using the circus as the theme. But in doing so, I created some little challenges for myself.

Drafting a pattern for the puffy sleeves from segments of a circle. Multiple layers of shibori dyeing to create the striped silk. And the button holes are constucted from silk paper. I've never made this before so it was fun to research and learn a completely new technique.

I'm kind of happy with the outcome. The added bonus is that I have some new skills to use with the other things I make.

Felt Beret

I was on a roll for a short moment there and actually found time to post on a regular day. But, alas, life got complicated again. What I have done recently is list a couple of handmade felt berets in my etsy store. I thought with winter on the way, there may be a few people out there who are looking for something beautiful and original to keep their heads warm. So, here are the first two. They are made using wet felting techniques. I have incorporated bits of shiny silk and tissue silk to create texture and tonal changes. They also have threads of brightly coloured silk that catch the light and make the surface even more interesting. I am fond of making long tails on my berets. It is just another design detail that sets these ones apart from your stock, standard, mass produced item. They remind me of the beautiful textures you find on rocks and trees which are covered in lichen and moss. If you like them they are available in my etsy store www.beljaysfeltnart.etsy.com

A Day at the Races

It was the annual Caloundra Cup race day yesterday and, as usual, the local social club arranged a coach journey there and back. Again, as usual, the weather threatened to be bleak, wet and windy, which would mean the grounds would be soggy and muddy.

I'm no longer of an age that is silly enough to wear pretty, strapless, short cocktail dresses to such an event (especially in winter as it is here). Hence the predicament. What to wear. I'd settled on a warm long sleeved skivvy, longer skirt and thick tights with boots, but it needed something.... Again the feltwork came to the rescue. I settled on making this nunofelted vest. The design is made of various hand-dyed silk fabrics which have been cut into petal shapes and laid onto the wool before felting begins. Quite a few brightly coloured silk threads were also added to the composition. After quite a bit of rain over night, the race day began quite cold and grey. But as the day wore on, the clouds cleared and the sun shone brightly. There was however, a wicked cold wind. The lightweight nunofelt vest was snuggly warm. I forgot to take my camera so no race day shots unfortunately.

And how did I go on the horses? Lost my money of course. But it was a fun day anyway.