Felted Vessel Workshop with Andrea Graham

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a felting workshop with Andrea Graham.  We learned to make seamless felted vessels and how to make pre-felts and use them to incorporate marbles, fins, spikes, and other items into the surface of our vessel.  I took lots of pictures that show the process, which can translate to hats, bags, or whatever you want to make with felted wool.



The colors of wool I selected to work with, from Harrisville Design.



Laying out the pre-felt
 



The pre-felt cut and wrapped around marbles to
create surface designs.

Laying out the inner layer of wool



Layout of fins with a resist inside.

Layout completed.
 

Layout after wetting and rubbing
and rubbing, and rubbing...



Andrea demonstrating the use of a resist
to make a seamless vessel.

My finished piece, incorporating a long
spike that goes around the vessel and
through a loop, marbles, pom poms,
tufts of silk fibers, locks, fins, and a
strip of silk that holds a leaf bead.



The finished vessels from the class.

I really enjoyed this workshop and could not believe how each person in the class had such a unique vision for their vessel.  After my piece dried, I steamed it, shaved it, and hung a little stone leaf from the strip of silk hanging from the front.  I am anxious to get into my studio and experiment with these techniques some more.