Sunday, October 12, 2008

Rolling Stones ...

I love the idea of something solid, smooth and heavy wrapped in something soft, textured and fluffy.
These hefty beauties were found here in Titahi Bay. I was sick for a week, the weather was miserable and the kids were home for school holidays. So I made a quick trip down the beach and came back with these, with a mind to do some low-key felting in my warm home in front of the telly and with my kids joining in the fun too.

They look like dinosaur eggs.
Today I went to gather some more as they are disappearing fast. Each time someone visits, they choose a stone.

The view out to Mana Island was gorgeous. People swimming and playing and enjoying our sunny weather. There was a cool breeze coming off the ocean so one needed to be quite thick-skinned to get in that water.
Here is my first batch of giant felted stones. I experimented with sewing some pre-felt to get an 'X' mark on some of them but it wasnt as seamless as i hoped. Still they look and feel amazing. I use 100% NZ merino wool that is predyed and combed. The brown felted stones haven't been dyed, that is their natural wool colour.

I made some small teacup bowls too using two colours. I made mention of this process a couple of posts earlier if you want to know how to do these. I was pleased with these ones.

I was in Napier last week, staying on the beach front so experimented and made a few more things. The brown and white bowl is made from a bunch of prefelts sewn around a rock with silk and wool threads, then felted, then stitched some more and finally I added the mother of pearl buttons to the inside of the bowl. In the foreground is a stone I felted in Napier.

The back of the bowl in detail.

This orange/black one just has a plain black silk blanket stitch around the top edge, while the other orange/black one has orange glass beads sewn to the outside of the bowl. Unfortunately the photo was crap. I need to do a photography course and get my 'macro' happening. I'd be interested to hear some feedback. I was thinking I might have a go at selling these little objects at a couple of art gallery's around town. I have been approached but I always get shy about my work, and honestly for the amount of time that goes into them, i would rather give them away to people I love than get a smidgen of money for them. So how do others get their work valued and make money? It is a funny job, marketing oneself and ones work. I always feel odd doing it.

Making beautiful objects is my passion. I am enjoying my final weeks of pregnancy with a bunch of little art projects and a final art and craft market in November to look forward to pre-Xmas. I am hoping to make a truckload of yummy goods for sale.

Thanks to all the newcomers who left me messages and emails. Feedback here is always so encouraging. Happy days all.

1 comment:

india flint said...

just imagine a gallery floor covered in felted stones placed at intervals....