Frutti

At last! Some technical problems with the sewing machine, a quick trip to the States and receiving an important but brief visit in between, kept me from finishing this project before. Originally I was working on a pomegranate motif (see fruit on bottom right) but then other fruits entered the scene. This felt pillow is specially cosy and sweet, and feels like a pink creamy pie. I love how the wool loop trimming inspired the frutti lettering.

On my board

After working on a bunch of designs for a local sportswear apparel collection (that means lots of drawings in Illustrator), I drew these sweater/cardigan/pullover and pinned them on my board. My white leatherette board had been empty for months, except for a "Yo no canto tonteras" decal. It means something like -I don't sing silly things- and it has been like my motto since I read this phrase from Violeta Parra's last interview.

Wool forever

My coat finally arrived! A couple of weeks ago I ordered a knitted coat from kelgwo and now it's here! Kelgwo is a small textile company based in the island of Chiloé, Chile, producing beautiful knitted and woven woolens (clothing and home decor). The coat, though very thick and heavy, is surprisingly fitted and flattering. I love the contrast of the textured knit with the bold and geometric coat style. Kelgwo website is packed with the most lovely images from their collection surrounded by the stunning landscape of Chiloé. A must-see!

Siboney

As we are heading for the autumn/winter season, I'm getting prepared for it creating new designs for facing the cold temperatures in our poorly heated buildings. In fact, we lack that northern hemisphere culture of central heating, double windows and well-insulated living spaces. Though we seldom have freezing temperatures during winter, it's cold enough to make you shiver everyday as you try to warm your house only with an electric or kerosene heater. Of course there are places and houses that have central heating but that's not the most common and it's way too expensive. I even remember once talking to some Swedish diplomatic women and hearing them say that they have felt colder here in Chile than in Sweden. It's not just a thing of temperature, it's a matter of how good you prepare for the cold weather.

So, until the day I can make a bodysuit out of an electric blanket and plug it in every corner of the house, the old and dear hot-water bottle comes in handy for the season. And now that evenings are getting colder it's especially pleasant to work with wool and felt.

This new two-directional floral pattern was felted on wool while the back cover was knitted (row 1: *knit 2 st, purl 1 st* / row 2: *purl 2 st, knit 1 st*) and then felted by washing it in hot water and tumble dry afterwards. The back opening is trimmed with cotton bias binding, hang loop made of felted knitted braid and cotton bias piping for contour trim. Why so many finishing details? Because of the felted pattern. It was so complex and time-consuming that it deserved an equally detailed work. When designing this pattern I thoroughly considered felt qualities so I tried to stick to wide strokes in order to avoid losing detail when felting the motif. Note to self: don't use strokes less than 3 mm wide. I'm calling this new pattern Siboney, just as this song I listened to infinitely while felting.

The beautiful camisole with a crocheted top was made by my mother as a gift and she was kind enough to unwrap the package just for the shooting. Gracias.

I heart PG

I'm always making felt samples just for trying new tools or materials. Most of them are made on small pieces of wool but today's was more complex than usual so I decided to make a shot along with other things I heart.

Pincushion

I have this dream of having and using a pincushion for many many years until it becomes so worn that it will acquire a new beauty, just as my mother's which is at least 20 years old. Hers is a mouse-shaped pincushion made of black floral-printed corduroy that right now looks more like new navy and the flowers are barely visible.

So after making the Diamonds pillow I thought felted wool would work great for a pincushion. I took the motif from a pattern I created some time ago I hope to be printing by the metre soon!

While looking for a translation of the stuffing material I used here -huaipe- I found out that the name is apparently a Chilean adaptation from the English word wipe, as both sound very similar. Huaipe is a wad of loose threads and other textile waste used instead of rags for automotive and industrial wiping and cleaning. In this case it worked so good because it's thicker than the regular fiberfill and gives the pincushion a firm body and tight grip for the pins. Besides huaipe looks and feels like made of cotton (subject to confirmation). I wouldn't recommend it for stuffing things made with fine fabrics as it may end up looking bumped.

Diamonds pillow

Wool felt / 50 x 30 cm / cotton back cover

Diamonds

After a long while here I am taking up again my felt projects. In fact, I started another one months ago but haven't posted about it because it needs further sewing (it turned out to be quite a difficult pattern to sew).

This one also needs to be sewn yet into a 50 x 30 cm pillow. I still have to pick a fabric for the back cover, probably something black to contrast with the winter white felted wool of the front. I'll post a complete shot of the pillow once it's finished.

Chocolate Taffeta

During the last days I have been hand-felting this taffeta pattern on a wool remnant. I finished it and decided it was enough of practising so now I want to start a real project.

I have taken a couple of pictures of this work, including a close detail and a general view. I like taking close-up pictures of textiles. I think it's one of the best ways to tell its intimate story as it allows the viewer to stand as close to the fibres as the crafter/knitter/weaver himself. And it is during this dialogue between the material and the crafter that I'm able to recognise even the tiniest fibre or irregularity. Though many times I struggle with the yarn or fibre trying to force it into a defined shape or position, I find this micro vision I adopt totally relaxing and absorbing.