Phyllis' blog

I found Phyllis' blog today, more information on the vest book as well as some detail about her doll making using needle felting techniques.

I am playing around with ideas for our Play assignment, not settled on anything yet.  I have had fun going through an old Golden Hands Encyclopaedia of Craft magazines that I collected many years ago.  I still remember the enjoyment of going to the newsagent's to get the latest one.
There are some amazingly ghastly things in it but there are also quite a few articles that I have found of interest during the years of doing this course. I am currently highlighting articles about making soft toys as that is a direction I could go with the assignment.
The magazine had a huge array of crafts you could try.  I have seen some of them then collected into books, mainly patchwork, knitting and weaving.
I found a link to someone's blog while searching for Golden Hands craft magazines, with some knitted dolls on it.

Dolls

Our new assignment for Design Concepts and Applications (taught by Ilka White) is based on Play.  One of the things for us to research is dolls and I have found that Phyllis does felted dolls.  She told us that they all tend to look like her. She says her latest one looks very like her but I haven't seen it, so I can't comment.

As a primary teacher (in my former life), we often did a theme based on toys, leisure or play.  So I will have to see if I have any notes or references from then to help me in my work now.

I still have my bride doll that I was given for my 8th birthday - I learnt to knit by making her clothes.  They involved different stitches and patterns but were of a size that was achievable.  

I am pretty sure that they were all Patons patterns.

Most of the clothes are lost now but, as you can see, she still has some of them.

She used to have an overcoat to match the hat and I distinctly remember making a little singlet, maybe underpants too.
She still has her veil but it is starting to shred.

Phyllis Hoffman's book

I have tried to link to Phyllis' book but it is not on her website yet.  She kindly sent me a picture of the cover, so you can keep an eye out for it (that is an expression that used to cause great hilarity in our childhood). I think it will be available through the Victorian Feltermakers' Association

I really did like her vests and her explanation of what is important in making a felted vest fit - the neck measurement.  As I have already said, I will have to keep an eye out for her workshops as clothes making has never been a strength of mine.

Nuno Felting workshop - day two

Well, this is a bit late, a week late really, but I have been without the computer while they tried to find my photos and then I was doing other things and didn't post.  So, back to the Nuno Felting workshop.

On the second day of the workshop, I was going to make another few samples but ended up making them in one piece that could be worn as a scarf.  I will have to decide whether I want to wear it or just keep it as a sample.  It has various ways of laying out on it - some worked well and others did not do what I had expected.  That is the point of doing classes, I suppose.  To have an expert on hand to give advice but to also make mistakes and get surprises.

There is a LOT of rolling necessary to make the felt.  It was slightly different for the cotton muslin and silk but both required lots of rolling.

The ladies who had done other classes with Phyllis had obviously enjoyed them enormously and had learnt different techniques.  I will have to go to her website and see what other classes she is going to teach.  She teaches a wide range of felting techniques and is very knowledgeable about wools and what sorts suit different felting techniques better.

Yet another textile area for me to learn!  I had better start focusing on what it is I actually want to develop, stop being a serial class-goer, after I go to the Fibre Forum at Ballarat, in April.

If you look closely, you will see one of Phyllis' beautiful vests, she wore a different one each day.

Phyllis wore some gorgeous vests that she has made.  They were beautiful.  She is bringing out a book about making felted vests at the end of April.  She warned us that the book is only about making vests, not about any other type of felting.

I am not absolutely sure that I like felted clothing and homeware, I think I am more fascinated by the process than by the product.  But Phyllis' vests were beautiful.  You could see her dressmaking background has had a huge influence on her work.

I know it is strange to say that I am not sure I like felted fabric, considering I have done 4 workshops now, all on different techniques of felting.  I have enjoyed the workshops greatly, I am just not convinced that I want to use felted fabric - yet.

Nuno Felting workshop - day one

I attended a two day felting workshop this weekend.  It was taught by Phyllis Hoffman and organised through the Victorian Feltmakers.  I am rather tired after two days of laying out and rolling felt.

On the first day I made two samples after seeing some of Phyliss' fabulous samples.  It was a very relaxed class, Phyliss gave us some freedom in our work but was able to give me direction as I have not had all that much experience with feltmaking, and none with nuno felting.
On Saturday, I worked with cotton muslin.  It took quite a bit of rolling to make the felt attach properly but had some beautiful texture when finished.

I was not sure how much it would shrink, what it would look like when finished.  A whole new learning experience for me - both days.

One of my samples was inspired by the work I am doing for my course, you will notice the vine theme again.

Some of the ladies had attended other workshops run by Phyllis and had a very clear idea of what they would like to do.  Phyllis remembered them, what they had done previously and was able to give them exactly the advice they needed.  They produced some spectacular work.