Handmade Christmas gift 手作聖誕禮物訂單

 A commission from a special client who wants a DIY and unique nuno felt shawl for a friend's Christmas gift. I created this one suitable for most occasions.  Jade green/blue on black chiffon is good for all purposes, all seasons, work or banquet...

It's handmade with merino and mulberry silk on pure silk chiffon.

 Here it goes......

 

 A shawl, a wrap, a scraf...... whatever you use it.  It goes well in all styles.    

 It's nicely packed in a box which I saved from other sources.

 Tag of business card with my eco leaf-printed card from used paper.

 Back of the paper written with description.

 Packed in the box with styles of the shawl and tag.

 Provided is also my eco leaf-printed gift card for the giver.

 Tied with brown ribbon, a gift is ready to go.

I thought it's pretty with my concept of handmade and upcycled materials of the box, the ribbon and the paper bag.

 Hope the giver and receiver find it nice.
A blessed Christmas for all my friends !

What customers' expectation 顧客之要求

I was asked to do three pieces of nuno felt shawls by lady C. Instantly I was chuffed for my works caught attention.  This way of making garments is still new in Hong Kong.   Glad that people find it unique and want it. My girl Jasmine showed it right after all finished.  Thought to myself it's good. 

The shawls were made by laying merino wool and some mulberry silk over the chiffon base.

After rubbing, rolling for some 200 times back & forth.  Followed by light motions of throwing and "moving" around - the effortless action I like to do.

Within hours it come the shawl.

Another piece is in brown tone

My girl was fond of it and asked me to do her a piece.  Never say no to my darling girl or shout at my sweet Mogi.

Mogi, "how soft it is?

   Totally made 4 during the weekend.   The last one for Jas...

Wrap in different styles, upside-down or inside-out with different shades of black, grey and white..... 

Girl's naughty look.

I was happy to have done the commision and ready to go for the buyer lady C.

These  shawls are what I supposed good for the winter. Lady C was nice and said they're warm enough and she loved all BUT if they're thinner would be best also for handbag carrying.  I was a bit uneasy for a while since they're not what I assume all right. I said I could do another piece with just little scattered wool which will be light and thin.  

  

That night I made a lighter one and given to lady C the following morning. She said it's excatly what she wanted.  I intended this is free for her but she's kind and  insisted on paying

 all.

I seldom sell my items, not to mention for a commission.  It's not that easy to meet others expectation.  Quite some pressure.  Anyway, that's a good start for me.

Nuno felt wrap making 羊毛被肩製作

A white nuno felt wrap was made with Gotland locks, merino wool and chiffon base.......
我實驗做一件羊毛被肩然後以桉樹印染, 效果
未如理想, 我還要跟大師學藝,  Vilte 及 Irit 一月份在加州的工作坊豈容錯過? 馬上報名, 巴不得此刻飛去.  這件製作由白轉橙的羊毛被肩這個冬天可有什麼用場 ?

 

with the helping hands of Mogi.

White locks are what I love but this is an experiment I have to turn it with some color. Going to make the euc leaves eco prints with iron mordanted.  If it turned to nasty it will be Mogi's blanket for this winter.  Well, have a go now.......

After an hour boiling, it turned out to this look.......

Not that good as I expected.  I wanted the different shades of color but none. 

Still a soft wrap.....

Be it a wrap for my girl ?

Mogi, "ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz, having a dream.......    hmmmmm, so soft"

Or a blanket for my pet? 

Mogi finds it's good for himself in the sun.

Must admit this is not my expection. 

I love this - photo source from Vilte

Indeed I wanted to achieve the outcome like this shawl developed by Vilte whose works are facinating.  Vilte and Irit will be running workshops in California in Jan for the wild fibre manipulation into nuno felt and eco print.  Can't resist and already signed up for the workshop. You'll see the blogs of Vilte and Irit for their amazing creations.  Can't wait to learn from them the alchemy !
Linking to PetalstoPicots

Eco print wordless story book 無言的故事小本

 My wordless story book with affection of the area I grew up.

這小本子的製作, 沒有文字在內, 但那製作過程印記著為何我愛上植物印染及對沙田的生活情感......

 

Again a binding journal I made with the idea come from the rust iron mentioned in my last post.

  

Each page is of leaf prints

Wool felted book cover with prints of euc leaves on both front and back.

Outer cover with string marks and eucalyptus cinerea leaves.

This is how I made the prints on paper.

I laid the leaves over the iron absorbed fabric,  lined a few small conqueror papers, again put some leaves over and covered with another iron absorbed fabric.  A total of 3 stacks (sandwiched) so made more than 20 pages in one go.  Rolled up the fabrics,  bundle tied.  Wrapped with micro wave plastic, then boiled for 45-min and stayed in the thermo pot overnight.  Unbundled and flat dried the papers. 

I made the wool felt book cover and bundled with kitchen paper core with leaves in between.  I like to use the hard paper core to make the sausage bundle so it's easily bent to fit into my round pot. Tie with strings and boiled in  dyeing pot with euc leaves and barks so the color come out browish / reddish.

Papers in 8 signatures.
  Binded it with the wool cover and embellished with my handmade ceramic button as a closure.  A little journal of 128 pages is made.

Intended to have the light prints and more spaces for writing. 

Pages of local eucalyptus leaves, rose leaves, maple leaves, cajeput leaves and other unknown species.

 

   Euc is always my fav.  I know there're local euc trees but never aware how they look, what matters to them or even make prints with  them !!  Until last year inspired by other eco print bloggers (dipandstain is one of it)  I gave it a go.  This is the first euc tree I passed by almost every weekend to my mother in Shatin (沙田).  Since then I hooked on eco print on silk fabric and now on papers. 

This little book made with my bond affection of the area where I was growing up also now my mother lives in.

I  cycle along the river bank to my mother at times.  The other day  I saw some old pictures displayed at the train station which brought me to the nostagia of this town. 

This is Shatin, in Chinese means "sand field".  A well developed town with Shing Mun River.
 

Then was a small village with the same river.  

In the 50-60's was a small village where my parents lived and worked in town. 

  Quite remote for work and school. I took the steam train to school in town.

Now linked with rapid train.

Farming or fishing. 

 Life was hard and simple..... but contented.

"Morning Mist"

Such were the famous spots for salon photography

All were reminiscence.  I love those days.  Our family lived there for some years then moved to town.  In the recent 10 years my mother moved back to Shatin and I see her weekly.
蒼海桑田, 物換星移, 城村發展或保留總有爭議, 往昔的環境祗 有在舊照中"想當年".

This is the euc woods in the Shatin Central Park.  My mother sometimes picks up the windfalls for me to play with eco printing. The string marks I made for the woods look.

With autumn drawing, old leaves blowing.....

Old barks peeling off.......

But for the wind blown and saw off trunk, green leaves are thriving....

This is a blank book with no words.  May be one day it's written with the journey of my art / craft experiments.

Thanks for sharing my story.

Linking with Debbiedoo's party