Sunday 20 January 2013

New Year and New Ideas..

Happy New Year to you all!  A little late.. but better late than never :)

Over the Christmas holidays we managed to get to the cinema for my birthday treat.. we watched The Hobbit.. and how I loved it!  I'm looking forward to seeing it again - though will wait for it to come out on DVD -  and can't wait for the next instalment.  It was really magical and creatively inspirational too.  I was VERY taken with the fabulous hats worn by a couple of the characters..

Bofur - one of the dwarf companions
Radagast - the brown wizard
By the time I came out of the cinema I was already working out how I'd go about making my own felted version of Bofurs hat - which is sheepskin in the film.  I had the rest of the family holiday to think it over and when everyone went back to work and school I got stuck in.  This is my first attempt..

Vintage silk sari fabric nuno felt lining
I started by roughly sketching the shape, making notes and working out how to cut the flaps..

Then cut a draft resist from newspaper, I use this as a template for cutting my resist from foam floor underlay.

I decided to work inside out for a change on this project.  The design I decided to add was inspired by cup and ring marks carved into rocks by prehistoric people.  I had done a similar design on a pouch before Christmas and found that the design didn't incorporate into the felt as easily as I had expected it to.. thought I'd work inside out and see if that helped.  Also as I was lining it with nuno silk I thought that may work better laid down last so I could see when the fibres had migrated through properly.

SO.. the first step was to lay out the outer design directly onto the resist
Then cover it with layers of merino..

Two layers down, carefully flipped it all over and continued the design on the second side.  Then folded the fringe of fibre and finished the layers on this side.
 The last step was laying down the silk sari fabric that would become the lining.  
 I lightly veiled the edges of the silk with merino, being extra careful to cover the edges of small pieces and all cut edges which sometimes can be harder to incorporate than torn edges.
 Wetted out and wrapped in plastic sheet.
 Then tightly rolled up in an old towel for a quick go in the tumble drier.. this helps the fibres to migrate through the silk fabric faster than rolling alone.
Sometime later, after the resist was removed and I turned it right side out, the design was felting in really nicely. 
 A few hours later.. shaping the crown over my rounded polystyrene hat block (treated myself to this just before Christmas I love using it).  This was so long though that I had to stand it on top of my old flat topped block.
 Used pins to mark where the front flap needed to be.
 I did have a minor panic attack around about now.  I had worked out the way of cutting the flaps wrong!  They came forward rather than down.  So I cut them off and switched them over, stitching them on with red silk thread and working working working them!

They incorporated well and the occassional stitches are just another feature to me.. they're part of the hats story.
On the hat block again to dry.. the pins keep the front flap in place so it dries neatly.

A couple of vintage buttons added for fun
Did you see my buttons in the back of the last but one photo?  I finally got my button stash organised over Christmas!  I brought 5 kilner jars from Ikea and sorted all my buttons into colour groups, it is sooo much easier to rummage through and find the right buttons now.. I think they look pretty too - like jars of sweeties :)

Anyway.. there you go.. the story of my very own Hobbit hat :)  I have made 2 more now, tweaking the resist till I got it how I want it.. more on them soon
xx

16 comments:

aKuna Kumara said...

OH it's adorable...I've been a Hobbit fan since the book first came out in the 60's...

softearthart said...

It is oh so cool, cheers from Middle Earth, Marie

Els said...

Hi there Deborah, this is really a wonderful hat !!!
We didn't see the Hobbit (yet, must happen soon ....!) but I love your inspiration. Besides there are also these Peruvian wollen hats with funny side flaps, so I can imagine that you wanted to make your own "Hobbit" hat !!!
It makes me want to start on a hat again too. I'm curious about the first step to fix the silk better to the wool, though : I don't have a tumble dryer ..... :-( Is there another way perhaps ???
If not, probably a lot of rolling and gentle rubbing must do the trick .....
You look great in your new hat !!!

Jeany said...

This is totally great, thanks again for showing how to do this, I made also onces a hat, it looked great but shrunck to much, but it fitted my grandson ;)) lots off lovely greetings to you,

Elmtree said...

I adore the hat! The curled flaps really give you a sense of fun. I just found your blog through a friend who knows I like making Tolkien inspired things, (check my blog for the halfling home).
You're an excellent felter. I have never used icelandic wool before, it sounds kinda strong to me?
I only watched the Hobbit last week, in the same cinema where it premiered in Dec.
Loved Radagast, am already thinking of how to make a hare-sleigh...

Jeany said...

Hi Deborah, I have a question, you didn't walk your work at all? I usely walk it sligtly and put it then in the dryer? This woild be easy for me, because walk the pieces is sometimes not good for my sholders ;)) so, I have to try this if I see it right ;)) have a great week, greetz from Janine

FeltersJourney said...

Thank you all for your lovely comments :) I'm a bit slow replying.. any time not spent felting or cooking this past week has been used up with snow related activities.

Els & Janine, the tumble drier is a useful tool for speeding up the nuno felt process. I still do the majority of it by rolling and later throwing the felt, but find it useful right at first to get the fibres migrating through the fabric.. this post shows how I do it http://feltersjourney.blogspot.co.uk/2011_07_01_archive.html
I know that some felters do much more of the felting in the tumbler, I don't like doing that myself - I'm too much of a control freak, I like to know exactly whats happening with it (it can go wrong FAST). But even the little bit takes a fair few hundred rolls off.
xx
Akuna and Marie.. fellow fans of Middle Earth :) glad you like it - thank you.
xx
Elmtree, I must check out your halfling home later on, I'm fascinated. I don't use Icelandic for hats.. have tried it in the past and found it a little itchy on the forehead.. it is absolutely excellent for slippers though! I like merino for hats, and I'm planning to do a 'Radagast' hat from BFL & silk.
The hare-sley was wonderfully magical I thought :)

x

Patty Biermans said...

For the next movie they can hire you to make all the hats!!!! hugzzz....peebee

FeltersJourney said...

he-he that would be fun :)
x

Unknown said...

Hello!
Such a sensational hat! I love it! I've already joined your blog. It full of very inspirational things and tutorials. Thank you! Hope to see your next lovely work soon. Greetings from Poland.
Karolina :)

Kelly said...

Fabulous job! I love that you were able to create this based on the one you saw in the movie! It looks like it would be very warm!
Happy New Year!
Kelly

FeltersJourney said...

Thanks Karolina & Kelly :) Lovely to hear from you both

It keeps my ears warm Kelly :)

xx

Lyn said...

It's a wonderful hat! (And you did well with the flaps thing.)

FeltersJourney said...

Thanks Lyn :) Them flaps were trickier than I expected lol
x

Unknown said...

Witaj. Dziś otrzymałam linka do Twojego bloga. Twoje pracę są fantastyczne. Od dziś będę podglądać Twoją pracę, zaś Ciebie zapraszam na mojego bloga www.filcykowo.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Dziękuję, że odwiedziłaś mojego bloga. Już dodała twój link na mojej stronie do ulubionych, możesz zobaczyć. Pozdrawiam.