Felting Workshop

I don't get to felt much although I enjoy it immensely. It just takes so long to make anything.. But whenever I get the chance to join a workshop I try my best to participate. sitting for a few hours with other creative women and crafting and talking is a favorite pastime anyway, and I love discovering the difficulties and solutions of a craft I haven't yet mastered. With felting it seems that the wool has a life of it's own, and the creation is somewhat unknown until the end.

My friend Karmit came from England. She's a felt artist, among other things. She gave a workshop in 4 meetings, each 8 hours long.
The idea was to learn as many techniques as possible, but we decided to make things and not just stay with techniques, so we don't bore ourselves to death.
so on the first day we dived into a pile of books on botanics, sea animals, birds..
this was my reference:

I love this form of fruit, with a little home for each seed.. I wanted an object that would be an invitation for playing, with a hidden surprise.

First I created the inside with the spaces for the seeds. I used beads for that and later I cut them out.

I covered the bundle with a different color wool

and then it was time for a cigarette break.

(here's the view from the balcony at Rakefet's studio, where we were working:)

amazing Tel Aviv building back side.

In the meantime, here's a stage of the work of the other ladies: Orit made a sort of a psicho-root with lots of green branches hanging from it, Michal made an acorn, and Rakefet made a beautiful jewel-object inspired by a jelly-fish.

I covered my fruit with another layer of different color wool,

and separated the leftover light-blue wool from underneath into sort of dreadlocks

Another layer...

which I then cut in the shape of leaves.

slits to pull the beads out:

here's the inside, and the seeds:

finished!!

and here are the finished objects from the other brave felters:

In the next days animals, scarves, 1 picture and a few hats were made.

I'll post more pictures soon, hopefully.