Jul 30, 2006

Felting... Finally!

I was introduced to felting (using raw wool to create fabric) through my daughter's Waldorf school in Jamestown, CA. We used needle felting and wet felting techniques to create play balls and storytime scenes. I loved this hands-on the technique, how involved I can become in making a textile piece of art and yet how flexible the artist must be to the whim of the medium. There are so many variables in creating felt- water temperature, use of needles, pressure applied during rolling process, length of rolling process, type of wool fiber. The possibilities and variations are endless.

This past Saturday I took an Embellished felting class at the "Dixon Lambtown USA Festival". As luck would have it, my brother and his new wife live in Dixon within walking distance to the festival. What a sign!! I met several wonderful women during my class. We had an enlightening discussion about allowing yourself to make a mistake when creating art. It was very freeing for me and I could not wait to get home and get to work. Ideas brewing...