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.