Feltmaking: exploring nature's palette

Using the hues and textures of nature as inspiration, explore how colour and surfaces can be transformed during the felting process. With a focus on the tints and tones found in West Dean Gardens throughout each season, you will heighten your perception for observing and connecting to nature, as you create a number of felted samples with potential to make into a finished piece of artwork..

Ability: Beginners/Intermediate
The minimum time required to watch and respond to the video content and complete the tasks is 6 hours. The tutor also recommends how you can develop your work further so that you can continue to use the skills acquired on this course for future projects. Six months of online access to all of the course content.

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Introduction to your tutor Jeanette Appleton and workshop overview

Getting started

Materials, equipment, health and safety, what is felt?

Workshops

Colour mixing fibres inspired by West Dean Gardens
Adding a second layer of fibres
How to bond fibres together
How to manipulate prefelts and securing method
Completing the felting
Conclusion: Exploring the potential of your samples

Course includes:

Access to our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with course content
A series of instructional videos to work through and repeat at your own pace
Practical tasks to complete
Helpful materials suppliers list
Student online gallery where you can post images of your work for tutors to review and comment on
Support from the college and tutors via email should you need it during the course
Additional notes and ideas

You will need:
Materials

Dyed merino wool tops, 21or 22 micron
Two tones of each of two complimentary colours (eg two x reds and two x greens), five other colours and white.
Approximately 5-10 grms per colour
Natural sewing threads, cotton and/or wool
Two white, two black and one variated. Approximately 1-2 metres each
White silk chiffon, minimum size 30 x 5 cms
A2 sheet of white cartridge paper, medium weight
2 x sheets of A2 paper
Masking tape

Equipment

Olivia olive oil soap (easily purchased from health stores)
Plain synthetic net curtain material, open weave(not patterned), minimum size 30 x 30cms
Bubble wrap, approximately 70 x 45cms
Absorbent cloth
Old towel
Fabric scissors
Headed fabric pins
Soft plastic bag, slightly bigger than your hand
Small plastic bowl
Clear flat workspace covered with plastic sheeting

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Jeanette Appleton’s has an international recognition for the work she has developed through various projects and exhibitions since 1990. The principle technique is felt, one of the oldest forms of non-woven fabric and used by Nomads for clothing and tents.

Recent life changes have created a new focus from travel and tourism to ecology and nature, from global to the local. Jeanette is constantly developing and challenging the felt process by various methods of layering fibres with other materials, to discover the unexpected surprises of colour fusion and transformation of surface and structure.Jeanette is a member of the 62 Group of textile artists and has work in public and private collections across the world.

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Feltmaking: exploring nature's palette

Tutor

Jeanette Appleton

Course content

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