A day felt making

A design with felt

5 times a year I travel down to Oxton to meet like minded people like me interested in flowers in a contemporary way. This weekend we had a tutor who taught us the art of felt making and incorporating it into flower arranging. Her name Pam Fleming-Williams a floral teacher, demonstrate and a national judge.

We took different colours of Merino tops (carded fleece fibres) I chose lime green, yellow and mauve. I put an old towel on the table and a sheet of bubble wrap on the towel. First I took the yellow and in aprox 4inch squares thinly overlapping made a larger square aprrox 20inches, then with the green put the fibres the opposite way. a third layer of yellow a lot thinner and then random pieces of the mauve. We were told to bring silk waste or alpaca if we had any, I took some wool fibers and dotted then thinly over the whole piece. I then covered it with piece of net and sprinkled with water as hot as could handle. worked on some soap then turned it over more water and soap, did this twice more. The idea of the hot water is the hotter the better which will then gel the fibers together (like when you put a wool jumper in a hot wash). Then rinse out the soap with hot water, roll in a towel and leave to dry.

I decided to make a hand tie and made a frame for it. Two rings of cards with four covered wires meeting at the centre to form a handle. Then I cut my newly made felt into strips and wound it round the card finishing it of with a fine purple wire and strips of midelino sticks, this formed a coller for my hand tie bouquet.

I had some tall flowers so used a tall green vase for my second design. After arranging them I again took strips of felt and threaded two midelion sticks. I left the strips wavy and placed them opposite sides of the vase, one high amongst the flowers the second down the side of the vase.

This was one of the teachers designs

My friends Julie and Jacky designs.

Me with my two designs

My friend Cathy, the green flowers were a perfect colour with her choice of felt oranges and browns.