The workshop is for fairly experienced felt garment makers. This project is a fun way to make very lightweight felted garments with high drape-ability and gorgeous texture.
If you have already taken the Structural and Textural course or Introduction to Felted Garment Making and want to go further and master your new skills, this is the class for you! You may use any basic bodice pattern and slightly modify it to suit your design idea. The printable pattern PDF for this top is also included.
This workshop's primary technique is also shown in one of the Structural and Textural class lessons, and many students liked it a lot and used it in making shawls, wraps, and scarves. This class teaches how to make a top or tunic, but when you are not into large garments, you can successfully use this technique for making smaller pieces!
How the online classes work (FAQ): https://www.feuer-und-wasser.com/online-classes
For the class sample top, I chose a calm color palette of greys and blue-greys, plus small white accents. I decided to minimize color and let the complex surface and rich texture be the dominant design feature.
For our class sample top, regular US size M, I used approximately 95 g of 19-micron merino roving. I prepared the base silk (Margilan sparse gauze) for the project. I chose the darker hue of the same color family: grey. You will need enough fabric (besides the nuno-prefelts) to cover the back and front of your garment resist.
My list of materials:
Light Blue silk for nuno-prefelts, Margilan sparse gauze, 2 yards (one yard wide);
White silk for textured accents, Margilan sparse gauze, 1/2 yard (one yard wide);
Gray base silk, Margilan sparse gauze, approximately 3 yards (one yard wide);
95 g ( 3.4 oz) of 19-micron merino roving of grayish-blue color and tone slightly darker than my silk for nuno-prefelts.
I also prepared a few extra ounces of wool; how many - will depend on your design. We will need this extra fiber to draft around the edges and cover some areas with the usual chevron layout (around the neckline, for instance, to make it more stable).
Prepare a little bit of a plant-derived fiber (optional). This time, we will use it for decorative purposes only.
For my online garment felting class, you will need the following supplies and tools:
Table big enough to fit the big garment layout; it could be a big dining table or a couple of foldable tables put together. Remember that we are making the layout considering the shrinkage of a felted garment; the surface should fit twice as big as the regular size vest, flat and buttoned up;
Bubble wrap enough to cover the felting table, plus an additional piece about 3' X 3' ( or 1 m X 1 m)
Resist material (clear, flexible plastic, or white, very soft and thin foam-like material used under laminate flooring), about 4 square meters;
Watering device (ball brause), squirt bottle of choice;
Container for water/soap solution (small bucket);
Natural liquid soap (clear, biodegradable, eco-friendly dish soap is the best); your favorite soap bar as well, but we will mainly use water/soap solution;
Pool noodle, about 3' long;
Elastic ties for rolling (stockings or pantyhose);
Window screen material (soft fiberglass mosquito screen material is ideal, a synthetic fabric shower curtain is okay); size from 1m X 1 m or bigger;
Two old bath towels;
Any favorite felting tools;
Sander (electric sander is optional, I show how to use it in my class videos);
Good sharp scissors;
Small hand carder or metallic dog/cat brush (optional in this class);
Cheap grocery plastic bag;
Duct tape;
Ruler;
French Curve ruler (optional in this class);
Measuring tape;
Permanent marker;
Pencil and eraser;
Printing paper to print a pattern + average home printer;
Calculator (optional).
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with Katia: https://www.feuer-und-wasser.com/contact