1 post tagged “felting”
When I got some of these silk cocoons I was a bit concerned about WHAT to do with them at first. I managed to find a recipe for "ungluing" the silk by boiling them in water and dish soap. When dried I found it extremely difficult to handle as it sticks to everything, each strand is so fine. As it turned out I had some roaving and managed to layer the two together on my felting mat. It helped to add small bits and pieces of strings and yarn to the layers. This was my first attempt at felting and I kept telling myself it was a test piece and no one would ever see it!
The end result was plain wonderful! My excitement contained, I then decided that I could embelish it and use it - maybe - someday. Perhaps as a background where it's primitive ness may not be noticed. The idea of stamping the back of the piece with a rubberstamp came to me, I could use it as a pattern right? Right! It worked out great and I was quite pleased with the results. Continuing to admire my "test" piece as possibly no longer a test, I kept going. Taking tiny little threads and painstakingly weaving them through spots for added dimension. With that done, I wanted more, so I took little charmy things and sewed them in. Viola!
Now what? Everytime I placed this piece on something it either just wouldn't work or I couldn't part with it. I really became attached to my little slip of accidental art. It sat safley tucked away for two years until the day came to put this Nature Page in a book I was commissioned to make. I didn't know this woman, never met her, never heard of her and I was making a Beaded Tassel Book for her, about her! Then as the information and history came into my hands regarding her I found out what a truly remarkable woman she is. I read documents she wrote, snippets of her travels, the list of accomplishments throughout her career and personal life. The information contained enough background for me to know that she not only rose from being a backhills country girl to a Major Corporate Executive who never gave up her roots and ALWAYS stayed true to herself. With great pride, I let go of my little test piece. It is in Barbara's Beaded Tassel Book of memories now.
Jacquie
