This week's lesson uses felt. Well, I have felt.
And more felt - made during my "felting phase", something every serious stitcher has to go through. The Dreaded Moth has lived in some of it, and it's all spent weeks in the freezer, so hopefully no moths have survived that.
I decided to use this piece, which has a nice dark colour on the back - and as background, some "vellum" made of layers of scrim/gauze quilted together.
Pulled out wool threads and silk threads - the silk is more appealing at the moment, but it will be interesting to see whether it "works" and what effect the wool will have. Or I might get out the machine...
The search for a motif sent me looking for an actual picture of the square motif used in the background of medieval manuscripts (with all that patterning in the felt already, I wanted something simple). Thought I had it in the sketchbook from the "medieval" course (my first creative embroidery course at City Lit, and so exciting!) but the closest thing is the motifs on top right of this page.
Filling that sketchbook was a delight, and the subject matter was a major discovery. These enticing letters might find their way into the felt quilt somehow ... you never know:
My memory is that the square motif appears "everywhere", but it doesn't seem to be in any of the MSs in the several books about medieval things that are on my shelves. It was great to look at those books again, what wonderful objects - embroideries, ivories and enamels as well as manuscripts. Another near fit is on this page from the Luttrell Psalter:
Nature abhors a vacuum and so did the medieval illuminators. What a strange creature in the margin.
And more felt - made during my "felting phase", something every serious stitcher has to go through. The Dreaded Moth has lived in some of it, and it's all spent weeks in the freezer, so hopefully no moths have survived that.
I decided to use this piece, which has a nice dark colour on the back - and as background, some "vellum" made of layers of scrim/gauze quilted together.
Pulled out wool threads and silk threads - the silk is more appealing at the moment, but it will be interesting to see whether it "works" and what effect the wool will have. Or I might get out the machine...
The search for a motif sent me looking for an actual picture of the square motif used in the background of medieval manuscripts (with all that patterning in the felt already, I wanted something simple). Thought I had it in the sketchbook from the "medieval" course (my first creative embroidery course at City Lit, and so exciting!) but the closest thing is the motifs on top right of this page. 
Filling that sketchbook was a delight, and the subject matter was a major discovery. These enticing letters might find their way into the felt quilt somehow ... you never know:
My memory is that the square motif appears "everywhere", but it doesn't seem to be in any of the MSs in the several books about medieval things that are on my shelves. It was great to look at those books again, what wonderful objects - embroideries, ivories and enamels as well as manuscripts. Another near fit is on this page from the Luttrell Psalter:
Nature abhors a vacuum and so did the medieval illuminators. What a strange creature in the margin.
2 comments:
oh wow! Do I ever covet your felt stash! Gorgeous stuff, and fabulous threads. hmm, can I come play at your studio? :-)
Gosh, I've never thought of it as a "felt stash" - it really has been more of a "what on earth am I going to do with all this stuff I've made" kind of thing. I very much like the idea of a felt stash, to be used how I decide, rather than for what it wants to become...!
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