Sharing The Procedure : Felted Bowls Past Times Concur Handmade

Guest Contributor Post yesteryear Heather Smith Jones of Blue Sparrow Press.

Welcome to a novel column at called Sharing the Process. In these articles yous volition listen direct from artists how they brand their art. Artists are approached yesteryear me amongst tailor-made interviews prompting articulations virtually their specific processes. Sharing the Process intends to hold upwardly informative virtually dissimilar fine art forms, demo appreciation to artists, together with celebrate the handmade. Enjoy!

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handmade felted wool bowls yesteryear concord handmade

Hi, my advert is Maria Roth, together with I am a designer together with maker based inwards Vancouver, Canada. My electrical flow operate focuses on making beautiful, modern, sustainable bowls inwards felted wool. I'm honoured to hold upwardly able to part but about of the processes together with pattern behind the operate amongst readers.


 

driftwood together with unfelted bowl bases

waiting for the H2O taxi

My handmade exercise is nomadic every bit I motion throughout the yr betwixt a creative, urban centre together with a semi-remote isle inwards Howe Sound. I direct maintain to deport everything or describe it inwards a cart, every bit at that topographic point is no machine access to the island, nor are at that topographic point whatever stores. My operate inwards wool travels amongst me from beach, to rainforest, together with dorsum to the metropolis of Vancouver together with its seawall, populace markets together with playgrounds.

crochet hook, driftwood together with yarn ends

from floppy bowl to beautiful felted container

All of the bowls direct maintain several days to consummate from get-go to end. While it is uncomplicated for anyone to brand a felted bowl, it is challenging to brand i well. First each bowl is crocheted from yarn, a technique that cannot hold upwardly replicated yesteryear machine. The floppy bowl is hence submerged inwards soapy hot H2O together with agitated, causing the wool fibres to shrink together with shape a felted fabric. I do this phase yesteryear using a washing machine (shown inwards the photograph above) together with the terminal felting yesteryear hand. I hence carefully block each bowl together with let it to fully dry out earlier trimming.

The transformation from yarn to felted container is i which volition ever amaze me. I tin hit entirely a pocket-size lay out of the bowls at a time, hence the lay out of bowls available from my studio each yr is limited.

bowls earlier together with subsequently felting

big bowl, circle bowl inwards nighttime grey, 12" diameter

I was thrilled to hold upwardly able to launch a collection of large felted wool bowls this fall. The bowls are large together with dramatic, together with were inspired yesteryear the monumental scale of the coastal pacific rainforests inwards which much of my operate is done. An of import role of the large bowl pattern procedure has been QA -- I was unable to rails downward anyone else making production bowls of this size, hence studying the durability of the large bowls inwards actual usage has been an of import role of the pattern process. I'm glad to hold upwardly able to study that all of the bowls performed beautifully over a year's usage inwards both pick out retail together with domestic settings.

big bowl, circle bowl inwards nighttime grey, 10" diameter

My involvement inwards the handmade began many years agone every bit an observer rather than every bit a maker. I studied together with worked at the UBC Museum of Anthropology, where I happily spent many rainy afternoons immersed inwards its ethnographic collections. I direct maintain been fortunate to direct maintain worked amongst many individuals -- visual artists, curators, anthropologists, designers -- over the years who direct maintain grounded my electrical flow operate inwards wool non entirely inwards price of theory together with context, but every bit good inwards the thought of the importance of the well-made thing.

I am grateful to direct maintain been invited to part but about my ain stories on a weblog I direct maintain followed together with been inspired yesteryear for many years. Thank yous January together with Heather for this opportunity. And I await forrad to reading together with learning to a greater extent than from Heather's wonderful novel column Sharing the Process!

You tin encounter to a greater extent than of Maria's operate on her website at www.holdhandmade.com together with see her tabular array at Handmade.

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About the author:

Heather Smith Jones M.F.A., is a multi-media artist, arts instructor, together with author. She lives amongst her married adult man together with 3 cats inwards Lawrence, Kansas together with loves working inwards the studio he built. Find out to a greater extent than virtually what Heather does here:

Website : http://www.heathersmithjones.com
Blue Sparrow Press : http://www.bluesparrowpress.com
Handmade : http://www.poppytalkhandmade.com/table84

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