From little things……
From little things…..Felt sculpture
17 x 15 x 15 cm
Wet felted using resist method, surface design techniques and free machine embroidery .
Merino wool, thread, water soluble fabric, hardener and paint.
A tribute to the miracle of the birth of a tree. Growing from a small innocuous looking seed below the earth’s surface to eventually become a large life sustaining structure above ground. Despite frost and adverse conditions, it will sprout through the hard surface to create one of nature’s wonders. While beneath the surface, the support network of roots inversely echoes the tree that will be.
Sculpting with wool
Sculpting brings to mind pottery, but with wool it most probably applies to making any 3D object in felt. Images of pottery are a useful source of acquiring ideas for felt projects, hence the inspiration for the sprouts on this piece. Many branched cords are individually attached to the pod at pre-felt stage, to create the illusion of sprouts.
The root component is made using intense free machine embroidery on water soluble fabric as in Barely there and Mists of Time. Once washed out and dry, a slight stiffness remains, which makes it easier to handle. Though stitching it into the inside of the vessel, is not something I recommend when it is so small!
The application of a dilute PVA solution creates a hard exterior that is synonymous with the hardness of a seed pod.