Monday, February 11, 2013

Making a Seamless Nuno Felted Jacket


Making a nuno felted jacket is not for the faint of heart but boy is it ever rewarding. 

This jacket has no seams at all and involved absolutely no sewing. 

I created a template for the jacket calculating a shrinkage factor of 50%.  In the final analysis, I would have used less of a shrinkage factor since I really had to work to get the felt to shrink so much especially in the length.  Next time, I would add a few more inches to the width since I forgot to add in ease but would definitely cut down on the length of the sleeves and the body.

 I laid bubble wrap on the table, bubbles up and then laid painter's plastic on top.

 I laid wool roving on the back of the resist extending it over the edges.  

  I laid silk fabric on top of the roving and wetted out the whole thing with my "watering can" made by drilling holes in the top of a plastic jar.

 I flipped the whole package and placed merino roving and silk fabric one the right front side and wetted it out.  I then added a second template and completed the left front side of the front in the same way. Lastly I did both sleeves.

 Rock and roll. 

When the felt adhered to the silk fabric, I cut the bottom edge of the jacket open and removed the template. Hey, Tucker get off of that couch!!


I then cut the sleeves open.

More rolling and then slamming it.

 
It's getting there.


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A night on the town wearing my new jacket and top which I also nuno felted and then eco printed with eucalyptus. 


12 comments:

  1. It turned out beautifully! I love it with the scarf and top. Very nicely done.

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  2. Amazing jacket, thanks for sharing the process! Isn't Jean wonderful?

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  3. Great job! Beautiful work! :)

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  4. Beautiful and very creative. Wow, thank you for sharing the process.

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  5. Hi Sarah, Just got these Google comments to work...finally! Thanks for your comments on my jacket.

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  6. Hi, Absolutely beautiful! I love your work! I have been trying to figure out how to make a vest with all the holes, lacey. Would you know how? I wonder if wool batting is used since all the holes seem uniform?
    Thanks for sharing!

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  7. Hi Knotty Knits, Thanks for the compliments on my work. To form the holes, I either lay out my roving or batting to form the holes or cut into the roving/batting once I get it to the prefelt stage. Good luck.

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  8. Hello Beth. I love your jacket and want to have a go at making one. I wondered how much wool you used? Thanks.

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  9. so gorgeous. i didnt reallly understand the instructions but it looks fab. i think its maybe like making a slipper lay the fibres then the resist then fold over then flip fold over the edges and fill in the other side roll up and felt? did i basically get that. ? thanks cant wait to try!

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  10. Your jacket 8s beautiful! I just have to do this, but I am not fully comprehending the adding of the left side front template. I am assuming that this is so that you can close and button it in front. I am very new to wet felting but I love it. The only things I've done are the head feet and legs for my granddaughters Halloween costume. She is going to be a peacock. I did the head as if I were making a hat and then cut away the eyes and the area below the beak then decorated accordingly. The feet I made as if they were slippers over a resist,but addee the three toes at the front of the foot and the 1 toe at the back. I "painted" the feet with tea over the natural off white of the roving wool. I made the claws out of polymer clay and after painting and clear coating I sewed the to the feet. I did the legs
    Over a resist also and flaired it at the bottom where it lays over the foot like a spat. I thought I might have to make a slit at the lower edge and then close it up with Velcro but she was able to slip her foot all the way thru. Fit her perfectly. I painted the legs with the tea also. They all came out great which was very lucky for my first wet felting experience. But I just have to understand how you added the extra template for your jacket. When I wear jackets I usually want to be able to close them in front because it's cold! Please help me to understand, if you would be so kind, how it works????

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