Making a Nuno Felted Seamless Reversible Vest Using a Resist.

 

 This is a reversible seamless nuno felted vest with hidden pockets in the seam.  I bought the vintage button at the Paris flea market years ago so it really is special.  For one side of this vest, I used silk gauze pieces that I had previously bundle dyed in a pot of eucalyptus.  I also used pre-felts cut into leaf shapes.  For the other side, I used plain white silk.  

One layer of super fine white merino wool was sandwiched between the two layers of silk.  I then printed/bundle dyed the white side with eucalyptus leaves.

 

 

 I make my templates/resists from floor under layment which is nice and sturdy and holds up well to the soap and water. You can buy it in a roll at Home Depot or Lowes. 

 Steps: 

1. Cover the table with towels or something absorbent.  I now use a large welping pad which I bought on-line at Petco - got this terrific tip from Dawn Savage who I met at  Jean Gauger's butterfly jacket workshop in Portland in May, 2013.  
2. Put down your bubble wrap or non skid rug pads which is what I now use.  A great tip from Jean Gauger. 
3. Place painters plastic on top of the rug liner. 
4. Place your resist on top of the painter's plastic.

I use white super fine merino wool roving for a lot of my projects.

 

 My recent trip to the Caribbean was my inspiration for this vest which I'm calling Crane Beach - Barbados.  It is seamless and reversible and is beautiful on both sides which are lined with vintage buttons.

 

Here I've laid out the back and one side of the front. Now I'll add a second resist and lay out the second side of the front on top of it.

Work in process on the vest.  The resist is between the layers and will be removed after extensive rolling.

Another reversible seamless nuno felted vest made using hand dyed fabrics, re-purposed garments and fabrics, pre-felts, vintage sari silk and more.  I made the buttons from little stones which I collect on my travels. It looks just like granite so I'm calling it "Climbing Half Dome".

A resist was used for the vest allowing for 30% shrinkage.

Silk hankies, sari ribbons, tussah silk and yarns were laid down first. 

The vest is wetted out and ready for rolling.  The resist is between the layers and will be removed once the garment starts to shrink and it has initially held together.

Another reversible seamless vest made with one layer of roving sandwiches between two layers of silk.  One vintage button is used for the closure.

 

The garment was made using a resist.

Nuno Felted Collage Shawl

Darling Karen is modeling one of my latest creations. It's really a collage using nuno felting as the medium. I am in my element making collages whether I'm working with paper, Photoshop,textiles or whatever.

 I dyed the silk organza and the blue/peach wool roving which is the base for this shawl.  To that I added taupe and brown roving, hand knit pieces donated to me by my friend Laurie who is a fabulous knitter, (she was actually tired of some of her hand knit sweaters - lucky me, huh!!), other hand dyed silks, vintage sari ribbons, yarn, Tilly Thomas beaded string, repurposed fabric and what ever else was lying around!

If you are interested in purchasing this or any of my other work, please email me by clicking HERE. Thank you for your interest.

Laying out the wool roving, silk, and other goodies.

It's a wrap

 This nuno felted shawl is perfect for our Southern California evenings and it can be worn so many different ways.  I dyed the wool roving and the silk and then felted it using other materials like vintage sari ribbons and recycled clothing now repurposed into this beautiful, tactile wrap.

Felted scarves for fall

Before you know it the heat of summer will be behind us as we approach the cool days of fall.  A good time to wear a heavier scarf to keep warm but still look stylish.  My new felted scarves are all that and more. Made with more roving than silk and filled with goodies including repurposed clothing, these scarves are a textile collage. I've been scouring my own closet, Goodwill and similar thrift stores for just the right pieces to give a new lease on life...feels so good and right to me.  And what a home I've found in these scarves for all my UFOs (unfinished knitting objects).  I just cut them up and felt them in.  This is so much fun.

Look for me at Grau Haus on Sunday October 21st where I'll be teaching another nuno felting scarf workshop.  The first one there was a huge success so I'm coming back for more.  To find out more, go to my 'Events' page.

Selecting my Material:  roving, silks, sari ribbons, tussah silk, repurposed clothing, etc.

Laying out my design.  I did two layers of wool roving and then added by goodies.

Finished scarf/shawl.  The drape is amazing and as usual, it can be worn in so many different ways.

A fun and colorful scarf made with one layer of wool roving and lots of goodies.

Another two layer scarf that will go with everything since it contains various shades of blacks, browns, grays.

My boy Oliver looking out the door.

Making an Upcycled Nuno Felted Shawl

I feel like I'm helping to do my part for our planet when I can use recycled materials and take something old and repurpose it.  In the case of this nuno felted shawl, I started with a gauzy, oversized blouse that my girlfriend was throwing away.  Oh no you don't girl...that blouse has way too many possibilities!  And even though it had a few snags and small holes from being tenderly worn over the years, it's nothing that a little wool roving can't hide.  So I cut the blouse to form a large piece of fabric for the main portion of the shawl.  From my stash, I pulled out several types of white silk along with some old tee-shirts that I had received when signing up for the 5K races that Joe and I used to do.  My running days are over but the tee shirts abound.  Actually I was never much into running anyway and always preferred a clipped walk to a run.  I can walk for miles and miles but felt like I'd croak if I had to take one more stride after I crossed that finish line.  But I digress...click HERE to see how to cut the tee shrts into stretchy circular strips.  The wool roving I use is white superfine merino which felts like a dream.  


After I got all my materials together, that being the blouse, the various silks, the tee-shirts and the roving, I dyed them using acid dyes and although acid dyes are supposed to be used for dying protein fibers like wool and silk, I also used it to dye the cotton tee-shirts.  So even though the cotton didn't come out with the vibrancy of the silk and wool, I felt the muted colors would be a nice compliment to the other dyed fabrics.  Click HERE to see my dying instructions. 


I laid down towels and bubble wrap on my big table and spread out the blouse fabric as my base fabric.  I was ready to get started now that my roving and fabric had dried naturally for a day or two.  I create organically and add fabric and wool as the design dictates; I have a rough idea of what I want it to be but I literally let the piece take on a life of it's own. It's so exciting to see how it will evolve and what it wants me to add or not - color, texture, shape, size and negative space all play an importance in the design. Once the design is complete,  I go through the felting process to bind the wool to the fabric and finish it off by slamming it to shrink the wool (I love that part of the process!).  I am always surprised and mezmerized by the magic that happens when the wool and the silk marry and create their own beautiful texture.

And wearing these nuno felted garments is so fun.  Again their organic nature comes to life whether you wear it upside down, right side up, inside out, sideways, tied, untied - whatever suits you, your mood or the outfit you're enhancing.  The drape is unparalleled and the silk and wool is a great warm weather combo.  Plus what an inspiring statement you make when you wear art, i.e wearable art!

If you are interested in learning more about nuno felting or purchasing a shawl from me, click HERE.  If you're interested in taking a class from me in Los Angeles, click HERE.  Thanks for your interest and hope to see you.

Finished upcycled nuno felted shawl

My acid dyed fabrics and wool roving

Design layout in progress

During the felting process

Below are just some of the ways to wear the shawl.  Right side out (which ever side you consider the right side), inside out, closure in the front, closure on the side, upside down...you get the picture!