A bit Ruffled..

This week 3 out of 4 projects had RUFFLES!  I'm not usually into frills or fanciness so not sure where it came from really... maybe the feeling of autumn in the air.

It all started with this scarf..

Thinking of autumn leaves..
Asymmetric - one wide leaf-like end and three lovely long tendrils all with ruffled edges :)

My Truffle Ruffle scarf
I used lots of cream and black tussah silk and gold mulberry silk.
One side is darker, the other brighter

Raspberry Ruffle #1
Not 100% happy with this one.. planning to try again this week

Raspberry Ruffle Beret

I really enjoyed making this hat!  Using colours that I LOVE and experimenting.  I'd been picturing this hat and knew just how I wanted it to be..  I used everything I learned from the ruffle cushions I made last year

Using newspaper to work out the size and shape of the ruffle resists I would need,
and using the newspaper cut-outs as templates to transfer onto painters plastic sheeting

Remembering to number the templates, so I use them in the right order :)

My main hat resist is a circle of foam underlay 48cm (19") diameter.  For wetting out I use COOL soapy water in this, I want it to go slowly.

After laying out 2 perpendicular layers of fibre to encase the resist..
and adding final surface design 

The first resist goes down

2 layers of fibre are applied to the resist.. merino and silk in both layers.
The fibres come past resist by an inch or so onto the hat
BOTH layers running in the same direction

 Having both layer running in the same direction means there will be more elasticity in the felt, allowing me to stretch and manipulate it into a ruffle.

AFter wetting the first ruffle, the second resist is inset about a half an inch from the first resist
and the fibres are applied in the same way.

Wetted thoroughly (still with cool water) and covered in painters plastic

 I spent about an hour gently rubbing this, concentrating especially on the ruffles.  After an hour I gave it a  hundred rolls in each direction, sandwiched in bubblewrap. 

Cut a hole for the opening and sealed it with soapy fingers

 I used a cellulose sponge to remove as much water as possible at this point, then wetted it thoroughly with very warm soapy water and continued rolling, stretching and working it as usual.. stopping regularly to stretch and shape the ruffle, gently at first so as not to damage it.

This needed to felt down a lot (it was the size of a dustbin lid to begin with :)  For final shrinkage I took it out of the bubble wrap and rolled it in a damp towel, throwing and pummelling it a little too.

After rinsing, spinning and pulling back into shape I dried it on a hat block overnight

September.. getting back to 'normal'

The children have been back at school for just over a week now.. and things are slowly getting back to normal.  I'm still struggling to figure out how I fit in everything before the holidays.. there really just are NOT enough hours in the day!

After a few weeks without making any felt (yes I was getting very twitchy!) I think I went a little felt-mad!  There has been a flurry of scarf, bag, purse, hat and boot making .. with a fun picture panel thrown in too.  Here's a quick catch-up  :)

Turquoise & Chocolate brown Icelandic wool with navy leather soles

A little while back I thought that I had found a solution to save having to wear my hats for photos (I'm quite self concious).. A nice canvas head shaped hat / wig block found on ebay.  Unfortunately I had a 'mad one' when placing a last minute bid and bid on the wrong one!  I brought a mans sized block for ladies hats DUH.  Thats likely to be going back on ebay.  So I'm stuck having to photograph them on me head

Nice rich autumn colours.. won't be long till the leaves are these colours

This one was inspired by one of my lovely ceramic
buttons handmade by Sharry at Buttonalia

The next bag was inspired by a piece of driftwood brought back from Cornwall last summer.. it was a piece of bark which had been bleached by the sea and sun, lots of barky texture but smooth and lovely, cracks where it had dried out and tiny old barnacles in and around the cracks.  I used BFL in white and oatmeal for the body of the bag, with linen fibre, boucle yarn and tussah fibre for the lines and cracks.. and wool nepps for the barnacles.  Its fully lined with a remnant of wool-blend fabric that I've had for quite a few years now (left over from kids Dark-Age clothing sewn for a local museum :) I stitched the handle and fastener loop from the same material.

Lovely chunky ceramic button handmade in Scotland by Julia Smith
in perfect sea colours.. been hanging onto this waiting for the 'right' project

Nuno scarf in blue, green and orange

Burnout silk chiffon and satin fabric -
quite a lot of work needed to get the fibres to work through the satin pattern areas

And apart from all of this I have been totally engrossed in my new book!  Second Skin by India Flint.

India Flint actually commented on my last post, the one about my eco print shawl, pointing me toward her blog and this book.  Within a week I had my copy from Amazon :)  and I am thoroughly enjoying it.  I don't get time to sit and read for long, but I'm taking every opportunity to pick this up and read another page or two.  Its full of useful and interesting tips and info on so many aspects of clothing textiles, with lots of lovely anecdotes from the authors life, family and travels.  The photography is enough to get me drooling!  Very, very inspirational.

I havent actually read the section on eco printing yet, its toward the end of the book and I'm only about a third through.  The fact that I haven't read it yet shows how spellbinding it is.. usually I'd read the relavent section first :)  (I'm a bugger with books.. I excitedly flick through from front to back having a quick look.. then hungrily from back to front stopping and reading the bits that catch my eye.. THEN I start reading properly from the front).  I think I will be adding India's other eco dye book to my collection at some point too.. her ethos is right up my street!

Eco print experiment shawl

Over the last few months I've been really inspired by the work of my blog friends Terrie and Heather  and Nicola..  They have been ECO dyeing, using leaves and rusty objects to naturally dye silk fabrics and felt, with no nasty chemicals just vinegar and heat.. and creating really gorgeous prints!  

Last month I FINALLY got round to having a go myself :)  For my first experiment I collected leaves from trees and plants in the wood at the bottom of my garden.. and nabbed a rose leaf off a neighbours bush.  The  results of the first experiment took 'subtlety' to the exptreme lol.  I had a lovely golden glow to the previously white silk.. and a hint of a print.. but nothing distinct. 

Terrie has written some very helpful posts covering her eco dyeing method.. and I think my problem might of been that I didn't soak the fabric in vinegar/water before bundling and boiling.. though I'm sure that many of the leaves I'd collected are just not so good for dyeing with.

As the rose leaf worked best for me.. and Terrie has had fab results from rose leaves I decided my 2nd experiment would be rose leaves and a scattering of olive leaves (from my parents garden).

The rose leaves came from my Nan's favourite rose bush.. but I didnt want to take too many. SO I decided to use one to print rose leaves onto the silk fabric using my silk paints.. 

then nuno felt a shawl using the tumble drier to speed things up..

Great tip from Heather to use the body part of a pair
of tights (pantyhose) to tie the bundle up ready for the tumble drier!

I laid the leaves out on the wool side of the shawl for eco dyeing... remembering to soak it in vinegar water first this time :)

After simmering for a good hour in vinegar water I took the covered pan out into the garage and left it there for TWO days - I could not believe my own patience!  Usually it'd be opened up as soon as I can do so without burning myself :)

opening the bundle up

My rose leaves show up quite nicely.. but there is no sign at all of the olive leaves.  It is still very subtle.. but actually I like that in THIS piece.  I definitely need to find some leaves which will give stronger prints though for futureprojects!

Eco print rose leaves after drying

This is the silk side (with my paint/printed rose leaves) after nuno felting and boiling etc..
I'm impressed at the colour fastness of the Jacquard paints!

Big, soft and snuggly shawl

I am planning to give this to my Nan for her birthday in November.. I think that she will like it..  I hope she does anyway :)

I did find that there was some mottling of darker colour on the part that had been on the bottom of the pan.  Not sure if that was due to heat, or because I let it sit for so long.. maybe the colour settled at the bottom.  I don't know, but I like the effect on this piece so I'm not complaining :)

I spy with my little eye, something beginning with.... S

Signs.. 

Sea Shells...

Silvery Seas..

Sun Sparkley Seas...

 

                                                                                                               

Small, Secret windows..

Still pools...

Small pool with Silvery fish hiding in the Sea weed..

Shipwrecks...

Rust can be so pretty!

Stripey rocks..

Smiley family :)

Sleepy dog..

Sneaky dog...

And of course..

 Sand.

Then NOT beginning with S, but shared 'cos I like them :)

My lovely Jesse

So pretty!
This might be translated into felt one day

A few photos from our recent camping trip to Cornwall.

We have had very odd weather here in the UK this summer.. I think there have only been about 3 weeks of summery weather all year.  We have recently returned from a camping holiday in Cornwall, where it was (thank goodness) very warm, so even when it was raining we were happily playing in the sea.  Didn't get quite as much walking done as usual (slippery mud and high winds were taken into account there) but we got LOTS of time in the sea!  When it was calm, and all the surfers were getting fed up with the lack of waves, WE were having a whale of a time on our kayak.  When the waves picked up too much for safe family kayaking we wave jumped and body surfed (Note to self: next time remember the body-boards!)  And the weather just did its thing.. Some days were lovely and sunny.. some not, we had a lovely time anyway :)

The main impact that the weather had on us over the last few days was turning the campsite into MUD!  Not good!!   I have never a) spent so much time in mud.. and b) seen so many people camping in wellington boots (I had never suffered from welly envy before either :)   I am not complaining - at least our tent didn't flood!  

And now we are home.. the kit is cleaned, dried and packed away... laundry has been caught up.. and there is just a week of the children's summer holidays left.  Time does fly!

Hope you are all having a lovely summer..

xoxo