PAP3 samples

I've been trying out a few ideas of cutwork and lace for the background and edging of my PAP3 hanging.  These are sewn on silk organza and hand cut:

12.1

 It's not too clear from 12.1 but sections of the shapes have been cut away to give a shadow effect and colour shading

12.2

In 12.2 the top shape fabric was completely removed once the outline sewn then restabilised in a hoop and lace stitched on watersoluble fabric.  In the bottom shape only sections of the fabric were removed - a sort of broderie anglaise look.

12.3

In 12.3 I was looking at creating a staggered shape hanging in the gap, which I like and fits with my 'falling' shapes in the design.

I've also worked on some hand-dyed prefelt for the hanging, using an electric urn.

12.4

 I dyed some white prefelt a lichen / lime green using an ombre technique to get colour gradation. The wool is gradually pulled out of the pot over a wood block, then covered and steamed to set. You can see a sample of that in 12.5 below on the far right of the photo.  Then most of this prefelt was overdyed again using a dark blue acid dye again by the ombre technique (2nd from right in photo below) and directly in the pot having been shibori tied to retain areas of green (left of photo below)

12.5 dyed prefelt

12.6

A selection of tonal felts were similarly created from white using black acid dye (photo 12.6) to use in the black/white monotonal part of the design.  The colour variation within each piece was not as great as I had imagined (too much liquid in the pot so the dye dispersed and dyed fairly evenly) so I'll perhaps add wisps of wool roving to break up the colour or hand stitch after.

What can I felt now?

Last September I went into a felting frenzy following a week's forum with Anita Larkin, where I kept trying to felt objects, completely encasing things that you wouldn't expect, with varied success of course, sometimes with the associated question from someone "how did you get it in there?" but more often "so why did you do that, again?"
Undaunted I've carried on, midst comments from my better half like "wet dog smell again - your mother's still obsessed" and "is it safe to sit down yet with out being covered in wool?" and the favourite "are you going to felt something useful soon?"

Sooo, with our anniversary coming up I decided to teach him a lesson.

With his great love of music, any music it seems, he has several pairs of headphones.  But one set is treated with such care and attention, never to be laid of its side without adequate cushioning for fear of "imbalancing the connectors"etc. In fact the best storage place is seemingly on a person's head according to him.

No, I know what you're thinking but I didn't felt those - that would have been too cruel (not to mention costly).

I decided to felt a head for him!

So here it is in its dry felted infancy - a blob about 50cm by 30cm (a 30cm ruler is in the photo for scale) covering a polystyrene head which is about 30cm by 20cm inside.  I need it 1.5 to 2x bigger to account for the shrinkage on felting.

A little decoration of dark green roving strands were addded and wet felting of the outer skin started.

Once the felt has strength, the bubble wrap/  bulking material inside is removed (through a tore hole) and the fun of fulling the felt, shrinking it to shape gradually begins.  With care the torn hole can be resealed as the felt fulls trapping the head inside.
A very loose shroud -

 then more of a mask - 

Slowly shrinking in the neck area and the features begin to develop - 

 until finally a head appears - 

and does it serve its purpose?

I think so!

The truth will come out on Monday 6th.....