Set of indigo- from wrap to blouse 披肩變襯衣

 I used not quite fond of indigo blue but recently I felt in love of the dyeing.  Still can't manage well the technique. This blouse I like it as it's not too much dark blue.  Indeed it was a cotton wrap I just modified..........

我的上海學生上月來港跟我學習羊毛氈工藝, 很客氣的送給我藍染手藝披肩, 欣喜的我把披肩簡單的剪裁也不浪費任何一絲的成為今夏襯衣一款.

 Last month my lovely student Silky from Shanghai came to my wool felt tutelage.  She's so nice to give me gifts, one of it was the indigo cotton wrap.  It's very large and I do not want it just a wrap for cold days since warm days are more in Hong Kong. So I just changed it into a blouse with only a little cut off.

 I'm lazy and not that good in measurement. I put my blouse over the double folded wrap, cut the shoulder pieces and the  taller neckline, then sewed both waist lines and some pleats on shoulders.  That's it.

                                             

 Styles with different waist ties. One with wool felt rope, the other with indigo cotton scarf tie.

                                            

              Styles with different necklines.  Folding outside or inside

 I wanted zero waste. 

The scrap cut off for shoulder lines from the wrap are made for a necklace.  First I wet felt the necklace with Finn wool, then stitched the indigo strips around the wool felt rope.  

 

  Simply a necklace with my own handmade ceramic pendant.

 

The indigo blue set of blouse will be my summer wear.
Linking with Creative Princess Party.

Wool felt pendant and the threading 羊毛錬咀的穿引

 

Making wool felt beads no matter round or long is easy but threading with thicker lace I need to have a hole.  Beause of the upcoming workshop I may need to do some wool felt accessories thus made the samples.

 

I used the Finn wool and colorful yarns.  With a plastic straw.......

 Wrapped around the straw with wool and yarn,  a few in a row.

Soaked in hot water and rolled with soapy hands

 Rolled it over the rough side of the bubble wrap then rubbed with both palms

Till it's firmer and passed the pinch test

 Pulled out the straw. See the big holes of the beads.......

then insert the thicker nylon string, rope or wax thread are fine. 

Rubbed the beads in between soapy palms till all are firm.

I made a longer bead with colorful yarn inside.  After it's firm I cut into pieces to make a few beads

 This one with the outside part of blended mulberry silk and yarm for textures effect. 

 After fully felted I used the needle for the threading.

 So, with the hole inside the wool bead it's easy to thread a few ropes,

A turquoise silky bead with wax lace

 The Finn wool bead with swirl colorful yarn inside and crystal beading

 The other colorful beads rubbed with a thick wax rope, the holes are bigger and the beads will be used for other purposes.  So some more wool felt beads can be done in a go.

 

Not a precious jewelery but nice to play with the unique simple accessories 

A simplied tutorial feel free to copy.
Linking with CreativePrincess Party

My wool felt keepsake 我的羊毛紀念樣品

 

I call this  "Nicola Sample Pack" - a pack with samples of wool felt and eco prints.

 To prepare for the upcoming series of eco prints and wool felt workshops for a NGO, I made a sample pack of different  textures for students' reference.  One of the techniques is the object enclosure.   A week ago my Irish artist teacher Nicola Brown spent a day with me in Stanley where my tiny studio located.   We strolled in Stanley beach for treasure hunt for future creations. She picked a few broken pieces of pottery bowl used by the fishmen living there decades ago and gave me a sand washed broken glass plate. 

這日為一非牟利團體準備羊毛氈工藝及植物染課程, 做了一份學生參考樣品包, 當中有愛爾蘭老師Nicola Brown  教的技巧, 她訪港期間我們踏海灘, 我把她在灘上檢拾給我的玻璃片包含在樣品上紀念我跟她在葡萄牙的學習與她在香港的時刻. 

I made a nice keepsake for the memory of her nice visit. That's the pack with various samples, some of the skills Nicola taught me in her Portugal workshops.

Lots of shells, broken sand washed pottery and glasses in the bay .......

Handful treasures for Nicola's creation

I got the shell and the sand washed broken glass Nicola gave me.

I used Finn wool as base and part of  the cover made with nuno felt skill.

Surface with techniques of "coble stone", "hole" and "object enclosures".

I wanted it with eco printing sample as well. One side with eucalyptus prints.
The bundle boiled for 1.5 hours in water with onion skins 

The other side with not quite strong print on wool felt surface so I stitched for the clear outline.

I also wanted to show students the making of loops. The flower ring is a good sample.

The hole with "golden sands" running out and a shell enclosed.

  The pack cover is made and named "Nicola ●Stanley 3-3-16"

Then various surface techniques are enclosed - "spikes", " twisted spike", "wool coming out of the hole".........

Nuno felt and fringes......

Textures of nuno felt

Colorful textures with  yarns

Felt with my own cat Mogi's hair

"Clear cut" review

"Shibori" textures- this technique shared by Heather while we're in the same trip to Nicola's workshop

                                  Then I made the pack with all together

 

A sample pack with some of the techniques learnt from Nicola's workshop

 

Sounds Mogi likes it as a wall hanging

Honor to have Nicola visited my studio with some displays I made in her Portugal workshops.

I knew Nicola Brown via Facebook in 2012.  I remembered that year I approached her if I could come to Ireland to learn wool felt. At that time she was going to run a residential wool felt extravaganza in Portugal.  I immediately signed up. For the two consecutive years I learnt from Nicola many skills of wool felt.   To refresh my good memories here 2012 and there 2013 are the blog posts. This year she will have ten days luxurious residential retreat Felting and Eco Printing in Ireland, (details here), in her own country.  I am sure any one joined the workshop will be armed with various techniques.  Since I have schedule conflicts would not be able to join. Do wish to visit the beautiful country sometime in the near future and learn from the brilliant teacher again. 

Nicola Brown , 一位非凡的藝術家, 有幸曾在葡萄牙參與她 2012 (網誌重溫) 及 2013 的工作坊,   七月份她在愛爾蘭的工作坊, Felting and Eco Printing in Ireland, (詳情)  能夠跟隨她學習將會獲益良多.