Woolfest Archives - Jane Mercer Felt Artist

Masham Merino Mixes

I am trying slowly to use more and more British or at least European fibre in my felt and dyeing work. In pursuit of this aim , I bought some Masham fibre from Adelaide Walker at Woolfest. Creamy white and beautiful brown. Although I have this aim I do have a large stash of coloured merino. I decided to try working with the coloured merino and the natural Masham together. I did not physically mix them , but have used them together to make a number of pieces. The Masham is slightly more coarse than the merino , but they blend together beautifully and I love the mix of natural colors in the Masham with the bright colours of the merino. Here are my finished mixed pieces. and here is a small one, actually made with left overs before stitching. This post has been reissued due to problems with the…

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13/08/2015

Fibres / Wool

Counting Sheep

The book called "Counting Sheep" by Philip Walling is a fascinating read for anyone like me who has an interest in wool. Based on some of the 60 native wool breeds that live in the UK it charts their development , their history , and the realities of sheep farming today. Although I cannot convince my family of the fact it is a really interesting read , I recommend it - there is even a chapter on different kinds of sheepdogs . Historically sheep were kept for their wool. Wool was the mainstay of the UK economy for four centuries. Fortunes were made on wool production and export of the wool to Europe. As the demand for meat grew , new breeds were developed , often with an impact on the quality of the wool. Today sheep are almost exclusively bred for meat and the value of the wool although…

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05/07/2015

Fibres / Wool

A rainbow of fibres

For the last two days I have been at Woolfest , soaking up all things related to sheep , wool and fibres , meeting old friends and making new friends and buying a few things too.! One thing that really struck me was the beautiful displays really showing both fibres and colour in all their glory. Here are a few examples: Great event to visit , well organized by the wool clip. I will be back next year. 🐏🐏🐏🐏🐏🐏🐏🐏🐏🐏

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27/06/2015

Eco Dyeing / Natural dyeing / Wet felting

Felting in the garden

It has been the most beautiful weather this week in the Netherlands . So I decided to do some felting in the garden . I always feel freer to use loads of water in the garden where I don't have to worry about mopping up , I also use the hose to rewet my pieces which is really quick and feel that the slats on my wooden garden table help the process. Outside with my neighbours apples tree in full bloom and the sun shining it's hard not to be inspired. I am making a series of vessels to naturally dye. I decided to have a go at making three at once. One Polwarth , silk and merino , one Blue Faced Leicester and one LLewyn and merino. The LLewyn had been in my stash since a Woolfest a number of years ago. It proved to be the problem child…

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26/04/2015