October 2016 - Jane Mercer Felt Artist

Here is my new method to make better FELT

I am rusher, doing everything at high speed. Is this a problem? I walk, read and talk fast and I can wet felt fast. It is a great time saving skill ! So why have I come to the conclusion that when making felt - slower is better. AS a result of this conclusion I am working on a personnel slowness re-education program. I started on my journey at a workshop with Jeanette Appleton. She makes beautiful felt pieces very slowly and thoughtfully and I greatly admire her work. But it is not easy for us naturally born rushers to slow down. Here an example of my slowing down reeducation process in action. I love the vibrant orange silk embedded in this piece of flirty felt : the shadowy hidden depths below and the sea green spirals are like thought patterns. But and its a big but this felt screamed out at…

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30/10/2016

Eco Dyeing / Wet felting

How to construct a unique wet felting studio

Choose a location Where to build my wet felting studio? The location of my studio choose me! When the builders built my house, which was on a corner, they built the garage at an angle to the house. They built a small utility room to connect the house to the garage. This left a corner which 50 years later was the ideal corner to build my wet felting studio. Well actually it was the only corner ! If ou would like more information on why I choose to build here read A little corner Design the layout So what would you need in a wet felting studio ? Which also will be used for natural dyeing ! I would need a sink a water resistant floor Good lighting Felting tables A sewing table Lots of storage This was the felt studio vision !!! Building Great builders are hard to come by…

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23/10/2016

Creative strength training / Eco Dyeing / Stitches

Never to old to learn!

With no space to felt or dye I need some alternative creative outlets. I need to learn something new. Stitching is a good calming task , one that has been recommended to me . I am slowly stitching a piece in orange and greys that's coming on well , very slowly though. I have quite a number of Eco dyed pieces , which I have looked at and wondered what next. That's actually a bit strange for me, because normal I am good at making decisions, in fact I sometimes get caught out by my snap decisions. But I think here I will wait my time until something tells me where to cut or stitch these beauties. I am also knitting, but then I am always knitting . Only one thing on the go at the moment , this beautiful sweater , but in my case in purple. Not the easiest…

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09/10/2016

Wet felting

A little corner

I am a felt artist and have nowhere to felt. How has this happened ? In 2008 I moved to live in the Netherlands and shortly afterwards got introduced to the wonderful world of felting. Thanks to Els for that first introduction. As I became more and more addicted to felting , we converted an upstairs room in our Dutch house to a small felting and fitness room as my Christmas present in 2010. It was small and perfect . Here is my certificate of ownership. Thinking about moving back to the UK the question uppermost in my mind was not where to live , but where to felt. Quite crazy really. So when having decided to move back into our old family house, I needed to work out where to have a felting room. Upstairs , maybe enough space, but there are wooden floors so my kind of felting with…

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02/10/2016