New arrivals

A cot blanket for Jonas Timothy, born earlier this month. Hand felted merino wool with recycled kimono silk and crochet doilies - some made by his great grandmother - and hand stitched.



This jacket of hand felted merino wool on cotton muslin is for an Italian cousin whose birth is yet to be announced.

A similar one is available from Studio Altenburg, Braidwood. Size: Newborn to 3 months.



For Claudia, born yesterday in Italy. Hand knitted merino wool.




This little jacket is a combination of hand felted wool and cotton muslin, hand dyed with old roses from the garden. The central placket is hand felted from merino wool and silk. I made this one for a little "premmie" due to be delivered this week.

Decay

Decay = decomposition =

De – compost – ition: Tote

Explores the idea of reusing the earth’s resources to their full capacity.

Hand felted merino wool with cotton muslin lining, hand dyed using leaves from Eucalyptus Cinerea (Argyle Apple), picked up from under the tree, presumably ready for decomposition into mulch.

Machine sewn and trimmed with leather to become a tote, to help to avoid the use of plastic bags which take so much longer to decompose than leaves.

(30.5 x 7.5 x 34 cms.)

Special Challenge

A scarf of the Volutidae Shell design I have been working on. This shell is found rarely, off the coast of the Northern Territory. I am entering it in the class "Australiana - any article of felting depicting our Australian beaches. It is a combination on merino wool and tissue silk.

Canberra Show, 2012

It's approaching time to hand in items for the Canberra Show early in 2012.

As well as entering the Mandala Mat in the Hand Felted original item for the home in the Professional Class, I will show a Vest, called "Forest Floor" in the Hand Felted original item for the body.



The vest is made with a combination of merino wool and mohair on black tissue silk.




Detail of hand stitching.

By comparison...

These two pieces were dyed with Eucalyptus Cinerea (Argyle Apple) leaves, flowers and buds.

The scarf on the left is one layer of fine merino wool laid out on a length of tissue silk, then bundled with fresh leaves, flowers and buds and heated on the fire one cold Spring evening.

The scarf on the right is one layer of a mixture of merino wool and silk fibre, laid out on tissue silk and bundled with dried leaves of the Argyle Apple, then solar dyed ie. pot placed in a sunny spot, in the garden for 3 days.

The wool appears to absorb the natural colours much more readily. The fresh dye material gives a much richer colour, as can be seen clearly in the detail below.



Detail