This was a project that took months to come together. Like a fine oil painting, I’ve worked on it several times until I was satisfied that it looked right.
Starting with a silk scarf printed in a multi-colored pattern I bought from my local consignment store in the spring, this was my second attempt at nuno felting. Since my first piece shrunk dramatically in length, I thought I would try placing the roving across the piece, spanning the width instead of the length.
My plan worked a little too well. When the wool had sufficiently penetrated the silk scarf, the fabric looked like changed at all. With the busy dot pattern on the scarf, the stripes of magenta didn’t really provide enough contrast, nor did they provide balance. There was something missing, but I wasn’t sure what, so I put it away. It ended up in my suitcase when I went to New Hampshire on the off chance that inspiration would strike, but it didn’t, so back home it came untouched.
After examining my first nuno felted scarf, I decided the best part was the puckered silk. To reproduce this effect, I added a second color crossing the first on an angle, but starting on the opposite side.
The end result was just what I had hoped: a transformed piece that can be worn many ways. This item is now listed in my shop. If you’d rather learn how to make your own nuno-felted scarf, I’ll be teaching a workshop in my home on Wednesday, November 7th.
it’s beautiful! and what a lovely textural combination