‘My focus is to help
the individual find their unique way of making and designing. An art/ design
approach discovering the various marks and mixes with the fibre and additional
materials. The potential of discovering ideas at each stage of the felt process
is enormous.
Briefly experimenting
with art materials heightens ones awareness of the texture and surfaces
possible with textiles. There are various ways to layer or mix the fibre, which
are made into pre-felts. As these are partly felted they hold as a cloth but
still pliable to attach more fibre or other materials. They are excellent to
fold and manipulate to suggest three dimensional forms, also using a tailors
dummy for garments. Pre felt can be pulled and cut to discover many more shapes
and compositions. These change again when fully felted but this magical
transformation of materials reveal new surprising marks and textures.
The aim is not to know
what you will make but explore the possibilities of a prototype or finished
item, depending on what emerges through the process. I encourage developing an
A3 folder to display these ideas with the samples as prototypes for future
one-off textiles, interior or fashion items.’
www.jeanetteappleton.com
Beginning Again
I have built up a range of skills by felting but this was my first experience on a course with an artist totally immersed in using fibres to explore meaning, place and context. It felt very much like beginning all over again and sometimes that can but just what is required in order to move forwards.
laying out single threads on paper to understand
their unique properties.
Exploring fibres,
textures and colours
Using a mask to think about garments
First pre-felt with black chiffon
Pre-felted colour blocks
Two different colour ways
textures
and shapes
added to existing pre-felts
the bottom of the sea
exploring folds
At the end of the two days I had four or five pre-felts whilst others had larger, more finished felt pieces. I thoroughly enjoyed the two days and Jeanette's approaches to using felt as a material for art making or a as component part of an installation. I love using the wool / alpaca, I thought I was going to make a coat, now I am on a journey with these unfinished things wondering where they will take me.
