colourful Easter with Ulla Lapiolahti

While the most of the people were searching for eggs and eating them, we were gathered for a 3 days class in printing with natural dyes and earthpigments with Ulla Lapiolahti. I have met her through her blog where she shared her experiments of natural prints on photopaper.

Ulla teached us how to make the dyebaths with madder, logwood, cochenille and reseda. After that we were able to make pastes with them. She also told the participants how to use earthpigments. They made a lot of samples on all kind of fabrics to test colours, combinations and different printing techniques. Everybody was free to experiment in the way they wanted to. In this way we have inspired eachother and learned many new ways to colour the surface with natural dyes.

the making of....... Valentine hearts

 I wish everybody a lucky time with eachother.

A few years ago I made a nuno felted top with all kind of textures which could be worn also as a neckcoll. I gave it the name 'bubblegum'. BUT............... unfortunately it was to thick and not so comfortable to wear... I guess. Anyway it was never sold.

 So with the Valentine in my head I cut the top up into twenty hearts. I handstitched them all and styled the window of Artwear Jordaan with all those hearts. If you want one for your sweethearth, please visit the shop on Friday, Valentine Day. Or make it a Valentine Weekend and visit the shop on Saturday.

I have to credit my son who made the lovely photo above. When I was looking for the best shot, he grabbed my camera, change the display and just made the photo with one shoot.

not only for the show

Since the last show in September 2013 there was only one thing on her mind - she wanted a real felted wintercoat made by me. She felt in love with one of my designs. Her husband came to ask me if I was able to do a similar one and after taking her measurements I started with the design. A wintercoat big enough to wear a sweater under it, warm enough when the winterwind is blowing, wide enough to get on a bycycle and it had to be closed with buttons, not with a flap and a string.  All practical reasons, except for the colour. She loves purple and so it would be. I made her also a small purse and wristwarmers. She waited untill Christmas Eve to show it to her husband. And right now I will show it to the world with her permission.

Al sinds de show in September had ze een wens - een winterjas gemaakt door mij. Ze was verliefd geworden op een van mijn ontwerpen. Dus kwam haar man op een zaterdagmiddag bij mij aan de deur om te vragen of ik ook op maat iets kon maken. Nadat ik haar maten had genomen, begon ik aan het ontwerp. Een winterjas die groot genoeg was om er ook een trui onder te dragen, dik genoeg om de winterkou buiten te houden, wijd genoeg om er mee te fietsen en met een knoopsluiting, zodat ie goed dicht zou blijven. Allemaal praktische zaken met als enige ijdele wens de kleur. Die moest paars zijn. En zo gebeurde het. Van een extra stuk vilt maakte ik nog een klein tasje met polswarmers. Ze wachtte tot kerstavond om het haar man te laten zien, voordat ze naar de nachtmis zouden gaan. En nu mag ik het aan de wereld laten zien. 

soap stories (3)

Using one of the soap-photo's for my new years wish...

  2014 will rock! 

wishing you all a creative rocking new year

soap stories (part 2)

Why all these efforts for a felted soap?
First of all I like to make it and it is a wonderful gift. It is a lovely interior-decoration when you don't want to use it for washing. A lot of people are surprised by seeing wool around the soap. They think it is like a wrapping for a present and are wondering how to get it of. Others put it between their garments for the lovely fragrancy.
But when using it for washing a felted soap will exfoliates your skin more or less depending on the kind of wool that has been used with felting. It gives a longer life to the soap. It won't get slippery in your hands. And when the soap is finished you will end up with a felted ball when you give it more felting, a little bag when cut open, or a coaster when totaly cut open.

Designs
I have learned that even experienced felters are making soaps too. One has shared images of her designs. With my experiments I have made some unusual designs. I have worked with my eco-dyed fabrics, with a netting,with lace and with massage-nubs. Some usual are with woolen dreads and silks to give the idea of a stone and with colours. One of my felt-friends told me that she was embroidering soaps. I had the idea of making letters and numbers on it. There are different ways to get them on it, but maybe I will use the monogram-design I have found in an old French magazine.

I have made some soaps with very fine 16micron wool with a topping of silkfibers. That was not a succes. I expected a soft, silky surface, but the whole thing feels like sandingpaper. I think that the silkfiber didn't liked the soap in it.The fun with this is, that I could start over again and made another layer of wool around it. Now they are covered with eco-dyed chiffon.

And while some don't like the idea of a string on it, I like it as a design. Also it is handy because you can hang it on your tap and let it dry after showering.

Testpanel
I'm still searching for the best kind of soap. One of my first try-out soap to test and to felt was a soap of Lux, a very creamy one. The man who used that felted soap could kneed the whole soap like a ball. Fortunately he liked just that idea. Funny enough he didn't care about the nubs on it. Now he is testing the Chevrefeuille Soap with eco-design.The rubbing he likes only on his arms..

I prefer the soaps on base of natural ingredients. I have bought for this reason Marseille Soap, with all kind of fragancies. There is orange, vanille, almond and chevrefeuille. The colour of the silk will tell you which one. There is also haselnut, citron, honey and rosemary, lavender and peche. One of the first things people notice is the softness of the wool and next they want to smell the soap.

My hubby and I started to use the soap for testing. I have learned that you first need to wet the soap thoroughly and get it soapy before rubbing it. Otherwise you will end up with loose ends of wool. Unfortunately I have bought a soap which give enough cream when showering, but the foam is disappearing too soon. So that one is probably better to use in the bath-tub. Next soap to try is the chevrefeuille Marseille soap. 

soap stories

The smell of soap is every around me since I was asked via some feltfriends to find someone who could make felted soaps for a gallery in Normandie in France. I had a few felters in mind, but my head was already spinning. What could I do with this theme. So I myself contacted the gallery and started to experiment with felting soap. 
I have done first some investigation on the internet and learned several new things about soap. You can have soaps that are shaped by liquid and soaps that are pressed. Some are very, very creamy and some will last longer because of the extra pressure they had. This is a plus for felting, so the soap will not go slimey. Soap can be made in an articificial way or soap is made on a natural base. Also there are many different kind of shapes and flavours. 
My own experiments was about testing different kind of wool, colours and designs. I never thought that is was so much fun to make this. My mother in law offered me to help when it get to an order. She is 81 and suffering from Alzheimer. Felting soap and to be in good company will get her hands busy and comforts her wellbeing. 

Via, via werd mij gevraagd of ik iemand kende die zeepjes in kon vilten voor een galerie in Normandie. Toen ik daarover nadacht, bedacht ik me dat ik het ook wel zelf eens kon doen. Op dat moment begon het in mijn hoofd te borrelen met ideetjes. Dus ik nam de uitdaging zelf aan en legde contact met de galerie.
Eerst heb ik een zoektocht op het internet gedaan naar zeep. Al snel leerde ik dat er verschil is tussen gietzeep en geperst zeep. Goede geperste zepen worden niet slijmerig, wat een pre is voor een vervilt zeepje. Bovendien gaat zo'n zeep langer mee. De ene zeep is erg romig en een andere zeep is weer erg schuimig. En behalve zeep met kunstmatige toevoegingen is er ook nog de zeep met natuurlijke ingredienten. Deze laatste heeft mijn voorkeur. Tenslotte is er veel keuze in vorm en geurtjes.
Mijn eigen experimenten zijn gebaseerd op soorten wol, kleurtjes, ontwerp en 3D elementen. Ik was verbaasd over de mogelijkheden en had nooit gedacht dat het vooral erg leuk is om te doen. Mijn schoonmoeder van 81 en met Alzheimer heeft me aangeboden om me te helpen als de order doorgaat. Het vilten zal haar goed doen!

folding and felt

A very new and original way of making a flat piece of felt into a 3D sculpture was demonstrated by Andrea Noeske-Porada from Germany. I have been in contact with Andrea since 2011, when she started organising and hosting the workshops with Horst. Since than Andrea, Ricarda and I 'share' teachers from abroad. And this year she herself was a teacher at my place. Andrea has developped this technique herself and althought it looks very mathematic, it isn't. The only thing you have to be concerned about is that you have to work very precisely and planning the work at forehand. In this 2 days workshop we were able to make 2 objects, but she has showed us many other possibilities.

Andrea Noeske-Porada uit Duitsland liet ons een hele nieuwe en originele manier van viltmaken zien. Door middel van vouwen komt een plat stuk vilt tot 3D leven, met vele verschijningsvormen. Ik ben in contact gekomen met Andrea toen ze Horst uitnodigde voor een aantal workshops. Sindsdien hebben we contact gehouden en nodigen we in samenwerking ook met Ricarda Assmann buitenlandse docenten uit.
Deze keer had ik haar uitgenodigd. Het was heel leuk om haar in het echt te ontmoeten en te ontdekken dat je op een lijn zit. Andrea heeft deze techniek van vouwen in het vilt zelf ontwikkeld nav het boek van Doris Schatschneider. Het is echter niet wiskundig, maar je moet wel precies kunnen werken en een en ander goed voorbereiden. Behalve de 2 proefjes die we maakten, liet Andrea nog diverse andere mogelijkheden zien.

photo's at FB-page Fiberfusing