Student's vivid spring scarf 燦爛春日圍巾

My student Stella, local art designer and founder of s+click (fb page),  wants to explore the interest of wool felt.  She has a great sense of color, particularly loves red, purple....bright and cheerful color.  She made this vivid scarf with the spring feel yesterday. 

Actually, the first thing she learnt was a wool felt box made last week.

It's made with resist and nuno felt flower on the lid.  Light glowing from the flower lid with a LED lamp is ambience added.

 

Stella lives on an outlying island Lamma. She came all the way from the tiny island to my urban home not only wanted to make a box in 3 hours,  She asked me to teach nuno felt scarf. 

Spent some time in layering wool over the fabric, rubbing, rolling.....

 OMG, how come it didn't entangle ! I burnt the corner and found the fabric was synthetic not pure silk ! No wonder ! What an embarrassing moment for me to waste my student's effort.   I didn't charge this scarf session and offered her half price to make a new one at her convenience. 

Yesterday she came and wanted to do a whole wool felt scarf with new technique.  I showed her to make the pre-felt sheep, 3D popping flowers and wild fleece manipulating.  She picked her favourate color.   The first layer (underneath) was mustard, the top was mixed bright. She loved the twisted loops that reminded her when she's small she used to twist or braid her mum's hair.

My intention was to put the sheep on the back but she insisted on the front position  with two big flowers above.  I let her do in her way.

 I do not use many tools for this sort of scarf making, simply bubble wraps, some rubbing on the surface or with a net over it for direct rubbing then rolling.

To help rubbing the prefelt flowers and sheep we used the handy massager. 

When almost finished, just used the needle to make the sheep outline sharp. 

In a few hours the brilliant scarf was made.  Very vivid color of spring. 

The sheep are so sweet on this side and with some curly Teeswater fleece look like clouds. 

Cheerful and lovely with the flowers above. 

Soft and free style 

Ends of the reverse side are with long curly Teeswater fleece. 

A wild look and goes with other styles 

A pretty pack  

Teaching is way of learning for me too. Form students' own ideas I know the trends and their different taste.  Thanks Stella for joining my class.  You rocked!  We've a bright and colorful time in the gloomy day - our typical humid and raining spring time.

Wish you all a bright spring - cheeful and colorful !

Sustainability of eco print 可持續發展的植物印染

 My class of eco print and wool felt scarf held yesterday.  Students were brilliant to have made each 2 pieces of silk and a wool felt scarf with leaves bundles. 

 昨晚 的「環保植物印染」工作坊，學生先製作好白色羊毛圍巾，隨後把葉子放上羊毛圍巾及絲質布料上，分別扎緊，在鍋子煲1.5小時，過一晚上，拆開便是明亮葉子圖形.　　　

 While the silk fabrics were in the vinegar water, students began the wool felt scarf with whitle merino wool. 

 When the wool felt scarf was completed, they designed the layout of leaves over the scarves. 

 Bundles look like rice dumplings.

 After boiling and stayed for some 7 hours. Got the reddish/orange leaves prints

 Mogi, "I like the yummy color ....

huum.....and the fragrance!"

 Eucalyptus is a good ingredient in eco dye. Some give red, some brown, some green,  the euc cinerea  always come red.  We also used rose leaves to have some greenish.  They made it, a scarf, a shawl or a wrap, whatever purpose you want, may be a table runner ? 

Below are their wonderful creations.

A silk scarf

A wool felt wrap

A wool felt scarf or a table running

A light silk wrap

A yummy chiffon scarf

 Prints on silk are soft.

 Prints on wool are stronger. 

Thanks for students joining my class.  It's a Tue evening, a working day.  They

keen on learning and have the passion of handmade stuff. I'm happy to share.  Do hope to promote the concept of sustainability and awareness of natural dyes. 

 Mogi, "Mum, are you serious in the mission?  Looks like you bury deep in dyeing. "

Eco dye is amazing.  With the combination of iron, sometimes painting effects can be achieved.  Will post my recent experiments shortly.