Nancy's projects

I have been very busy preparing for the League of NH Craftsmen's Fair. I have done a bit of Shibori dyeing, and a lot of felting. I have been working on poncho type garments as shown in the photos.All of the garments pictured were felted using shibori silk, some chiffon, some hauli, and one with the silk seersucker I dyed in class. The dyeing class has really expanded my horizons in terms of what silks I have to work with, and I feel comfortable doing my own dyeing for the first time.

A couple of finished pieces and one new collage from Jen

Jules is right....you don't want to waste a thing when collaging.

So using the last 6 triangles and 3 rectangles that I had cut from the original green collage I did a couple of weeks ago (made a wrap and pair of wristlets from already), I re-collaged a headband for a new hat that I felted this week.

I've shown the hat here with the re-collaged hat band as well as with the satin ribbon I think I like better!  I love the re-collaged hat band -  but somehow not for this style hat. So I think I'm going to settle on the satin ribbon I pleated and then felt another hat (I have some Finn ready to go) for the re-collaged hat band. If anyone has any opinion , I'm glad of it!

 Since I'm still deciding which hat band to use, this is just pinned in (hence the yellow dots!) for the photo showing the back.

learning: reminded that the shrinkage rate on the re-collages is less than one would ordinarily plan on so this band came out WAY too thick and I cut it in 2 lengthwise and now I have 2 hat bands....or 1 hat band and maybe I'll take a note from Jules and play with some cuff ideas -maybe rough up the backside and felt it to some KAP wool for a good sturdy cuff?

 

My next finished piece is this clutch/bag.  Well, it is almost finished! I'm going to the opening of the VT Quilt Fest tonight and hoping someone there (there usually are some bag vendors) is selling metal straps so I can finish this (I envision this as a cross shoulder bag and don't like the idea of leather or fabric for this bag). This bag was felted from an original collage (i.e. I did not cut it up and re-collage it). I had loved the sample just as it was and it was the perfect size to felt down and have the perfect dimensions for a simple tri-fold clutch. Wish I hadn't used a flash for these pics since the colors are actually much deeper/darker than shown here - front and back of the bag pictured in that order. It's too bad since the colors are really rich - you know, the way I like them - very saturated and the photo doesnt' convey that.

learning - I started off by trying to felt this bag 3-d using resists and it was a nightmare that way so I pulled off my lining at the pre-felt stage and pulled off my gussets and felted it flat and then sewed!



Lastly, I worked up a small white on white (some of it looks yellow, but that is because the silk noil pieces are still wet and when dry they will be more ecru/light tan).  I'm gearing up to do some shibori dyeing and so wanted to make a white on white piece to shibori. I laid this out really thin so that when I re-collage it this weekend and then shibori dye it, it will still have a nice hand for a cowl. I used several silk fabrics: velvet, matelese, noil, dupioni, and satin as well as cotton cheesecloth, some linen blend and topped it off with a bit of wool/alpaca yarn. I used this array because each fabric and fiber will take the dyes differently and so that will add additional dimension to the finished collar.  The pics above are pre and post - doesn't look like much at this stage since it is really just going to serve as a canvas to dye on!

I was reminded:

• white on white is hard to do when you have a chocolate lab that sheds!
• using white thread on the white soluble stuff is hard to see where you've stitched - so I needed to go back in after dissolving the soluble in order to stich over a few places that I missed!

Having so much fun - you're keeping me going, Jules!  I am having to alternate between my knitting projects and my collaging. And of course I'm still up to my ears in hats because of the upcoming class I'm teaching and so I need lots of finished hats showing different styles, breeds, trim ideas and techniques to inspire the participants. 

MY first projects with my sample collage

I have been slow to post so I thought I should get this one on this morning even though I still need to finish it!  I took my first sample collage which was a small square and used every bit of it to create this small collar.  I used a piece of paj silk on the back that I had eco-dyed many years ago!  I like the way it has turned out so far now to make the button hole and button.

Next I worked with some leather pieces I had and am working on a prototype for a bracelet.  This leather was from an old skirt of mine that I cut up and used!  Next I want to try it with a piece of leather that I boil.  With a bit more work these might be kinda nice!  I also took some small scraps of the collage, you don't want to waste a thing! and started a pair of earrings with leather!  This is some much fun, thanks Jen!

Susan's latest....

Shibori after they were felted....

Don't give up on me, Jules!

Hi Jules.....been crazy since got back from NYC and new cabinets for workshop arrived so lots of organization/re-organization.
But I have 2 finished products ALMOST done....so I promise I will get something posted tomorrow or Saturday!
Love this new size we're doing - it is perfect for bags.

Changing the size of the sample collages

Jen and I decided to ratchet it back a bit and only do one collage a week, not that we weren't having fun!  We just decided we had to add a new challenge of a project a month out of the collages we created to make sure that they work.  Well they obviously do cause Jen's cuff are great!

I decided to increase the sample collage size to make sure I have enough if I want to do a bigger piece.  My new sample size is 12x20 and I feel more comfortable with it.  I have finished days 10 and 11 and you can see them below.

I really am having fun working out of my colorway and adding things that just don't seem like they will work but they do!  No to create something out of one of these!  Stay tuned :)

Collaged Cuffs from Jen

So Jules and I conferred and decided we would shift back from our enthusiastic, but exhausting "collage-a-day"  to a more civilized "collage-per- week" plus 1 finished product per month!

The reasoning (beyond that one per day was NUTS!) is that we need to take the collages to the next level of re-collaging into finished items in order to really learn best what we like in the initial layout.

So to share the first (post class, anyway) finished product I did, here are the re-collaged cuffs I did using up the ends from the original piece I made in class. The photo is coming out much lighter than they actually are (I used black merino beneath the collage pieces), but I don't know how to fix that! I cut a slit in the side for my thumb and did some selective shaping at the top and wrist for a snugger fit. The right hand isn't dry yet and so it is too dark to photograph - so here is the front and back of the left hand wristlet

Off to NYC for the weekend

...hitting some millinery suppliers, trim shops and fabric stores!!  Oh la la!