Felt Making

Felt art is a unique form of textiles art which can be transformed into different imagery, clothing and jewelry. Not only is felting a 2D art form but can also be used to create 3D textile art. Felt artwork has been explored by artists such as Yumi Okita and Moy Mackay. Both artists are very unique but both use similar methods to create very different pieces of artwork.

Moy Mackay is an artist living and working in Scotland. She is most known for her textile artwork using different fibrous materials but also creates artwork using paint and other traditional 2D methods. Her pieces are very colourful and vibrant and use a variety of textures. I was inspired by Moy Mackay to create a similar style piece using felt, hand stitch and machine embroidery.

To create my felt piece I first set down a layer of bubble wrap and began to layer my fibers together in different directions to ensure the fibers bind together. I used a variety of different colours and even mixed my own colours together to create different colours and mixes. I also twisted different fibers together to give an illusion of branches. To achieve a floral effect I cut different coloured felt fibers which gave the appearance of petals on the blossom tree.
To create the bird shapes I rolled and molded the felt fibers into a similar shape and placed them over my background, I also used a similar method to create the branches by twisting the felt fibers and laying them down over the piece.
When I was finished with the composition of my piece I then covered it in a thin sheet of netting and added warm water evenly to my work. I then ran a bar of soap over the top which allows the fibers to bind easier and speeds up the process. I began to agitate the fibers with my fingers flipping it over when needed; once I felt they had bonded sufficiently I then placed the piece in a bamboo mat and rolled it in my hands to add further agitation. The more I rolled the mat the smoother and cleaner the image would become, as I wanted to imitate Moy Mackays work I did this for quite some time  to achieve a smooth precise look. I then rinsed my work and allowed it to dry.
Once my piece was dry I was able to neaten it up using a felting needle and a sponge pad, I went round the edges of the imagery in a stabbing motion getting rid of all the loose fibers and uneven edges. I then decided to define the edges and imagery using machine embroidery outlining the work and emphasizing the appropriate areas. I also decided to add further fibers and other materials to my piece using a dry felting technique using a felting needle and a foam board, simply poking the fibers into the work until they bonded together.

As well as machine embroidery I also added hand stitch to give the illusion of the flowers on a cherry blossom and to add the details on the bird itself. I first tried a variety of stitch techniques on a scrap piece of muslin to decide what to add to my final piece of work. The stitches I experimented with included blanket stitch, chain stitch, lazy daisy, fly stitch, couching, seeding and french knots. I used french knots in a variety of colours in different shades of pink and white to give the appearance of the flowers themselves as well as lazy daisy stitch to create more detailed flowers in different locations. To make the branches more interesting and to connect some of the flowers to the tree itself I used fly stitch in brown embroidery thread to make them look like small branches coming off the tree.
Due to the characteristics of the felt fibers it made it very difficult to achieve the shape I wanted, the edges of the piece were not very straight and the fabric began to morph and change shape when agitated in the bamboo mat. This was improved when I used the dry felting needle to neaten up the edges of the image itself but I was not able to adjust the border of my piece.

Equipment List-

• Felt fibers
• Bamboo mat
• Bubble wrap
• Soap
• Warm water
• Embroidery Thread
• Sewing machine
• Embroidery needle
• Dry felting needle

Textiles Health and Safety.

• When setting up a sewing machine care should be taken to ensure there are no leads trailing that could cause harm to myself or others.
• People with long hair should tie back their hair to ensure it is not caught in the sewing machine whilst using it.
• Fingers should not be placed near the needle and care should be taken during sewing, concentration is needed at all times.
• Food and drink should not be used in the sewing area where electricity is used.
• Hands should be not places near the dry felting needle and embroidery needle to avoid harm.
• Any water spillages in the felting process should be cleared to ensure there is no water around the electricity or to make sure that no one slips. 

Slip Cast Bowl

To create my slip cast bowl I first created a solid form using red clay. For my form I chose a moth as I thought it would make a unique bowl and would give my bowl an unusual shape, it would also allow me to experiment with different patterns and decoration methods. After I made my form I began to smooth it off with a rubber kidney and got rid of any undercuts that would make the bowl difficult to cast.
After my form was completely smooth I made a barrier around my form using a piece of plastic sheeting and clay to seal off all the edges. Once the form was completely incased I used plaster of paris to fill the mould. I removed any excess water coming from the plaster and waited for it to dry out. This took a few days.
When dry I was able to remove my form from the centre of the mould, I then had to clean it to ensure there were no left over bits of red clay which could effect the colour of my first casting. Once my mould was completely clean I then poured in slip to fill the mould. I allowed this to dry leaving about 1 cm thickness around the edges. One the 1 cm thickness has formed I removed the excess slip. This was then allowed to dry out to allow the casting to be removed easily from the mould.
When I removed my casting from the mould it was very fragile and broke in the removal process, I could have improved this by allowing my casting to set longer making it thicker and more durable. Although I cleaned the mould of the majority of the red clay before I created my casting it still left a light layer of red clay on the surface of my casting giving it a red tint. This isn't the look I wanted to achieve but I thought it worked well with the theme of my piece as the moths colour scheme consists of different reds and browns.
Due the the fragile state of my first casting I decided to use a different method of creating my bowl. I decided to press mould my form. To do this I first rolled out a 1 cm thick piece of clay to fill in the mould I had created. I then placed this thin sheet of clay over my mould and began to press the clay into the form I had created. I then removed the excess from my mould to leave a clean edge. This was also allowed to dry and shrink slightly before I was able to remove it from the mould.
This form of casting was a lot more sturdy due to the thickness of the clay allowing me to handle it easier and create a more durable bowl.

To decide what decoration to use on my bowl I experimented with different slips over different clay. I first placed white slip over a red clay tile which would then be decorated with sgraffito (the technique of scratching into a surface creating texture or line) and coloured slip over a white clay tile which would be used to create a similar effect allowing the lower colour to show through.






Equipment used-

• Red or White clay
• Plaster of Paris
• Clay tools (knife, kidney ect.)
• Plastic sheeting eg. Linoleum
• Rolling pin
• Wet sponge

Ceramics can be a very dangerous activity if not practiced properly and safely. Here are some health and safety issues to consider whilst creating a ceramics piece. -

• Silica dust exposure- Clay dust contains crystalline silica this is known as 'free silica' and poses a serious health risk. The dust particles cannot be seen by the naked eye so the person working with clay with little knowledge would not know they were at risk. The dust can also remain airborne for long periods of time in your working area allowing it to penetrate deep into the lungs during the working process. This exposure to the crystalline silica can lead to serious lung damage and ultimately the lung disease named silicosis.  To prevent exposure to the silica certain precautions should be taken, these include-

1. Ensuring that clay is kept damp during use.
2. Do not dry sweep when using clay floors must always be washed down with a wet cloth.
3. Clean all surfaces with a wet cloth after using clay.
4. Any spillages should be cleaned during the slip casting before the dry out.
5. Protective clothing should be worn where appropriate to ensure silica is not carried on clothing.

• Using clay tools and other equipment. -

1. Care should be taken using sharp clay tools to ensure the user or others are not harmed.
2. All clay equipment should be cleaned after use.