B. Felt: Exquisitely Crafted Wool Felt Fashions

January is always a month for clean up, reflection and to begin anew. It is just six weeks before my first wholesale show, the Buyers Market in Philadelphia and seven weeks before the wholesale, retail show, The American Crafts Council Show in Baltimore so I am deep in design and production mode. One of the things I observed in my 11 shows last year was that it was my larger items that sold really well. Those being my dresses and vests and of those, it was the small sizes that sold. I have just 3 dresses left from my initial collection of 15 and they are all size 12-14 and only made 4 dresses in those sizes. In my vest collection I only have one size  12-14 wrap vest  and one large envelope vest.  I am not sure if this means anything, but it is worth noting. I will continue to create my Collage A-line dresses and I just finished one I call :Bird of paradise".

 

I don't like to go to shows with nothing new, in terms of design and styles.   I have been working on a new scarf design that I call the "Jackson" as it reminds me of the action painting s by Jackson Pollack. They are skinnier than my normal scarves. I was frequently asked at my shows if I had a skinner and shorter scarf. Personally, I like scarves  that are wide and long so I can wrap up and get real cozy but there seems to be  demand for something not so overwhelming.

 

I am not trained as a clothing designer. Yeah, I know my way around a Vogue pattern, but to create one is a real challenge. Since my vests were so popular ,I am working on some new styles but I really needed help. I turned to two resources, my former intern Ashley Conchieri and a wonderful book, which I highly recommend, 

Pattern Making for Fashion Design by Helen Joseph-Armstrong. With little or no experience it is very easy to follow the directions.

These two photos are of my first draping project,  my new vest design, which I call basic vest, and  basic vest, with variations. Next week I will enlarge the pattern for a size 8-10 and make a felted sample.

 

By the way I am not draping full size I am using the half sized mannequins from PGM. There is wonderful dress designer Anne Hand, an artist and associate professor of fashion design at Philadelphia University, Who I read about in Threads magazine. Though her designs are amazing it was the use of the half size mannequin that intrigued me. Here was a way to work out the problems without a huge outlay in materials or time.

I am having so much fun figuring out the new patterns. It is a little like making doll clothes, which I remember doing quite fondly.

Happy Felting

 

5 Things I am Grateful For, not all Felt.

It has been quite awhile since I last posted and just like the dieter that goes off their diet it has been very difficult to get myself back to the keyboard. You know what I mean, guilt, delay more guilt, more delay,  it is just like an endless hamster wheel.

I spent New Years Eve and day in bed with a hideous cold; I am now just starting to be human again. The first sign was that I could not watch another Law and Order rerun without a gun to my head.  So I have been noodling around in my head all day, another delay tactic on what I could write about.

Instead of resolutions, which would only add to an already mile long to-do list. I want to take time out and reflect on 5 things that I am grateful for this year. 

1.     Home: My home is my refuge I have lived in my house for 27 years. It is a very small non-descript workmen's cottage built around 1821 in the historic neighborhood of Boston, known as Charlestown.  I have raised all three of my children in this house and this will be the last year I live here. It is the right thing to do, downsize and consolidate. It will be exciting to begin a new chapter, but it will be sad to say good-bye to the home whose walls have witnessed the passage of our lives.

2.     Family: I will be celebrating my 29^th wedding anniversary this year. My husband, Chip, is my stabilizer. His calm methodical ways have been the counterbalance through the years, to my sometimes, irrational exuberance. He is my biggest fan and supporter and as he likes to say the biggest collector of original "Barbara Pooles"

 My own mother and father passed away a number of years ago, but I am fortunate in having the most wonderful in-laws in the world: my mother-in-law, Jane Pratt. She has nurtured and unknowingly mentored me. Everybody should have a Jane Pratt in their lives. Her curiosity, encouragement and infectious smile never fail to inspire.

 

This year saw the last college graduation for me.  My daughter, Emma graduated with high honors from the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana.  This is the girl, w

ho when she was diagnosed as dyslexic, announced: "well, not everybody likes to read". She learned compensating techniques, worked hard to achieve her success and fell in love with Montana where she will be making her home.  Her twin brother Oliver graduated two years ago from the Royal Academy of Music and Drama in Scotland. He came home this year disillusioned about his chosen path. He is now searching for his next chapter in Portland OR. My oldest, my son Ian who has been plagued with health problems is welcoming the new year, with a new job. 

 

These are the people who sustain me, drive me crazy, support me and who I  I love with a ferocity that can scare me.

 

3. Friends: I have a small circle of women, who I call my "sistahs" that's Boston speak for sisters who have held my hand through all major life decisions.  We have been through, illness, divorce, college applications and death together. Our shared laughter and tears could fill volumes.

4. Work: This year I made many discoveries about my felt work.

The incites led me down new paths. This year I took my work to 11 different shows across the country. 

I discovered that I don't play well in Peoria or anywhere they sell kettle corn. I learned that people in California will wear wool and when it is 87 in Massachusetts they won't. I was pleased and happily surprised to have myimages chosen by two different show promoters for use in their promotional packages. I trained and worked with two wonderful interns.

 

5.  Boston: I am a native Bostonian and this will be my last year living in my beloved city. Boston is a small compact city, with everything I need within walking distance or a short ride on the T.

This has been quite cathartic. I hope my little list inspires you to chuck the resolutions and instead start a new tradition, reflecting on all that you have to be grateful for. I think I will this next years resoltion.

In Peace and Hope for the New Year.

Barbara

I'm back from Tarrytown, NY and I had a wonderful show!

I can't say enough about how beautiful the Lyndhurst mansion and grounds were.  Besides being lucky enough to exhibit with some great artists, the area around us was perfectly manicured and included immense trees and  plants that you can only find on the Lyndhurst estate.  I didn't have the chance to wander around but what I saw took my breath away.  Here is a picture of one of the large specimen trees on the estate:

Hello Felters!

A lot of things are happening lately.  I'm still getting ready for my first show in Tarrytown, NY at the Lyndhurst Fall Crafts Show.  This week, my son, my assistants, and I are putting the last finishing touches on work, redesigning my booth and getting tags and labels on all my pieces.  It's a lot of work, and the fun parts over but it is all necessary.

I'm going to be leaving in a bit of chaos as my backyard is being used for the movie R.I.P.D.  The movie is about an undead detective solving his own murder.  It's very exciting, but I will have to move out of the house for a few days while they film.  Here are some photos of the house as it looks now:





My house is now a star!

Finally, my son, Ian, wrote an article about our installation at the Bromfield Gallery. It's his first published writing, and you can find it in FeltMaters.  I'm very excited, and if you get a chance please check it out.

I hope everyone is well, and the next time I post, it will be from the wonderful show at Lyndhurst.

Happy Felting!

Hello Felters!

September is here and I am almost ready for show season!  It's very exciting, despite the fact that it means summer is ending.  I have had a great summer preparing and going to the beach, but am ready for taking my felt on the road.  I will be visiting eight states and doing ten shows in the next three months.  I'll be blogging each week about the different shows and my travels.

The first show is going to be the Crafts at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, New York.  It takes place on the grounds of the magnificent Lyndhurst Mansion.  Besides the wonderful art and architecture on display, the show will also have amazing food.

I've been creating like crazy and am going to be sending a number of my bubble and ruffle scarves to the Pop Gallery in Gloucester.  Peggy Russel is the owner of the store, and also sells her own work under her label Iro Designs.  She creates eye-popping designs on silk.  Here are some examples of what I'm going to send her:


Bubble Scarves!


Ruffle Scarves!

I think that this stuff will go wonderfully with the other things that she's showing.  I'm very happy to get another opportunity to bring my work to you.

I hope everyone is well, and enjoying the last vestiges of summer.

Happy Felting!

Hello all!

Today is both a happy and sad day.  Ashley has been one of my interns for the past year, and she is going to be leaving me shortly.  I would like to show off some of the wonderful fabric work she does for her own label: madeby Ashe.  She is a great seamstresss, weaver, fiber artist and a good friend.  I wish her the best of luck.  Here is some of the work that you can see on her website:

Hello Felters!

I'd like to take a moment to show off the work of one of my interns, Monika Plioplyte.  She has a show of her beautiful etchings at The Mission in Boston.  I encourage anyone who has a chance to go see these works in person:

Hello Felters!

I took a course a short while back about dyeing at Pro Chemical & Dye Incorporated.  The course, An Introduction to Dyeing, was a great introduction into the world of dyeing cotton and other non-protein fabrics.  However, it didn't focus on dyeing wool or silk, which are the two fabrics I use most.

I've been muddling my way through dyeing, and I have had great success with the knowledge that I'd gotten from the course.  However, I have now found a book that is really helpful for dyeing wool and silk.

The book, Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece by Gail Callahan, is amazing.  It's very reader-friendly because it uses little industry jargon and is full of photos.  I had been somewhat frightened of dyeing before the book, but the book gives me a lot of confidence to keep going and experiment.  I highly recommend it to anyone looking into dyeing.  Here's an image from the book:



I hope this image inspires you, as much as the book has me. 

As always Happy Felting!

Last weekend, I went to NYC to purchase new fabrics for use in my felted work.  I go to New York once every two months to purchase silks and be inspired.  There are only a few fabric stores in Mass, but they don't carry the selection or the quality that I can find in NYC.  I also order fabrics online, but it's not the same as going to a fabric store and getting to feel the silks with your hands.



So, Saturday, I headed off to NYC on the Mega Bus.  It as one of the hottest days of the year and I sweated my way through the streets of Manhattan going to my favorite fabric stores.

I always go first to Chic Fabrics (225 W. 39th Street, 212-308-9451), as they have a huge selection of chiffon silks and they are always on sale.  They are willing to sell in small amounts, even down to a yard.

Next is Metro Textiles.  They have an inconsistent selection of printed silk chiffon, but they do have a good selection of solid and iridescent silks.  Their prices are a little higher, but the quality is good.

Mood is a little more expensive, but they have a wondrous selection of high quality  printed silk cotton.  I love incorporating different patterns into my collage scarves, and most of those come from here.

Paron is a small store, but they have a back sale room and I always find a really choice fabric that has had the price reduced by 50%.  Down the street is New York Fabrics.  I find that they have a good selection of shiny fabrics, and cotton gauze.  I have bought amazing iridescent cottons there.

Finally, Butterfly Fabrics has a good selection of patterns, and the owner is very pleasant and gives reasonable prices.

Every time I come back home I feel  re-inspired.  I am going to have a lot of fun with these new fabrics and I will show you as I'm working on them.

As always, Happy Felting.

So this week I've been making dresses.  In doing so, I discovered a new technique: Flat Draping.  For those who don't know, draping is literally a freehand placement of your fabric on the dress form and adjusting or cutting into a pattern of your choice.
Flat Draping is different because I take the same idea, but build the dress around a flat resist.  I place the seams in places that I know will be hidden by the felt, so that it appears seamless.
I've already finished the first one, and it looks fabulous.  Here is a picture of the process with the second dress I'm making:



And here is the previously finished product:



I don't know if this is a completely new technique, but I am surprised by it.  If you have any questions, post them in the comments, and I will get back to them as soon as I can.

Happy Felting!