Felt Vessels

Thought I should share some of my most recent work. 

Handfelted vessels that glow at night with LED lights

Gorgeous aren't they. If you want one for yourself, have a look in my esty shop to see what I have listed

Hand Felted Glow Lamps

I realised I haven't shown you these yet.

 I have been making them for a while and they evolve with each batch I make.

Different shapes

And sizes

I love the way  they look light a kind of pottery piece by day.

By night I use LED tealights to add the glow.

Felt Scarves for the cooler days

A couple of recent pieces.

These scarves are made from merino wool, felted into sheer black tissue silk and maybe some silk threads here and there to give the colours lustre. A special little feature at the centre are the little felted beads. Your scarf can be worn so that it looks like a scarf with a matching necklace.  I will have a couple of these in my etsy shop from time to time so pop over and take a look.

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?

Felt Challenges

So I have set quite a few challenges for myself over the last few months. None of them have to do with being more frequent here unfortunately.

The first challenge was a little nuno felt bolero with little ruffles on the front.

The piece incorporates some beautiful silk that I dyed using shibori techniques. The main challenge, apart from designing the pattern of the bolero, was to keep the edges of the silk at the front from felting into the rest of the item. It is these free strips that have created the ruffles.

I was really pleased with the result and entered it into the Queensland Royal Show, known as the Ekka. I was awarded a first prize in felt garments for it.

My second major challenge had been creating a number of felted 2D wall hangings for an art exhibition in Sydney. I had to draw on my long background in painting and combine it with my technical knowledge of felting to make four works (3 here).

 

 

I have to say that they looked pretty good up on the walls of the gallery. They were in good company with paintings, sculptures, quilts and tapestries by other wonderful artists.

Felted Fibres

I've been experimenting of late, with small 2D works. Kind of like little abstract paintings, but with felted wool and other fibres.

It's been interesting playing around with colour and composition and not having to take into consideration what size it will be and whether it will fit after its shrunk in the felting process.
It has also been fun to see how that composition changes with the felting process.

So, I'm having a little online exhibition which starts on 12 June and finishes on 1 July 2012. I would love it if you would take the time to have a look and leave some feedback. Either here or on my FB page.

To get to the exhibition, just click on the Beljays Felt Online Store button on the right.

Felt Art

Anyone who has read my profile or knows me well, is aware that my background is in visual art. For many years I worked in and exhibited my paintings and pottery, but I haven't exhibited my art pieces since discovering feltmaking.

So now I am working on a number of small pieces to exhibit in an online exhibition. They are explorations in the extraordinary beauty and endless possibilities of the felting process. I use the colours and textures of the regional setting in which I live as inspiration, a place to start. Then as the layers, selection and placement of different threads of wool, or silk, or cotton takes shape, the piece takes on its own life.

This is one of my "Threads" series. It is difficult to capture the way mood of the piece changes as shifting light picks out different threads and relects back to the viewer.

The work is small(approximately 12cm high by 19.5cm wide). A number of these images are closeups and details too.

I would love to hear what you think. Leave a comment here or on my FB page
Beljays Felt