Some vessels I've made

[lauraann]

Going to try to post some pictures of some recent vessels I've made.  My camera is old (from around 2006) so the pictures aren't that great, but it's all I have to work with!

The first one is still drying out, so it's stuffed with plastic grocery bags.  It's made with orange targhee wool, grey norwegian wool, and some pieces of silk.  I actually shaved it quite a bit, since the norwegian wool was very coarse and stuck out all over.  I'll probably shave it more once it's all dry.



This next one was made with some Cheviot wool that I got from Paradise Fibers (on sale).  It felted beautifully, and it's smooth and firm.  I added the yarn, which didn't felt in very well all over--it was supposed to be 100% wool, but I'm not entirely sure it was.  This piece is about 14" tall.



And finally, here is another.  It's pretty fuzzy, probably could stand to be shaved a bit.  It was made with grey norwegian and white merino, with some beads and silk on the surface.


My biggest problem with making these is trying to keep the surface smoother.  When wet, they are all pretty smooth, but seem to kind of collapse when drying (especially the taller ones).  Does anyone have any suggestions on keeping the surface smoother?

Attachments:

[Pandagirl]

They are all beautiful Lauraann! I bought some Cheviot from Paradise, too. ;-). I've only made samples with mine. The pictures look fine.

I've had similar problems with yarn being called wool when it's not. Evidently, there is no regulation in the industry to oversee it.

I love the textured surfaces. But perhaps one of our other members can offer some suggestions on making it smoother.

[Shepherdess]

your vessels look nice to me. the best way to keep them smooth is to stuff them, blow up a balloon in them or stretch them over a form to dry. you can iron them with lots of steam and stretch them. carful not to burn yourself.

Sometimes spun wool is hard to get to stick. It depend on how its spun. Woolen is easy to attach as it's got lots of little hairs sticking out and is looser. Worsted wool is spun to be very smooth so its hard to get it to attach. You need put put a very very thin layer of wool over the yarn to stick it down.

Marilyn I bet there is regulation about labelling but here I know the department that checks is very small and they also handle counterfeit goods. So they usually go from complaints and then have to select who to go after.

[halay]

I like your vessels - both, the design and colours you used. As for smooth surface - the problem might be that you didn't full the felt enough, or as Shepperdess said perhaps the vessel needs stretching over a form and then rubbing the surface to become smooth.
I had similar problems with using yarn for embellishments but then I found out that wool was too tightly spun. What I do now is that I untwist the yarn a little so that the little hairs come out and adhere easier to the base. Untwisting yarn is especially important on the ends. Otherwise I've been using other yarns, not 100% wool and most of them felt in well.

[luvswool and dyestuff]

All of the vessels look great! I like the heavily textured look so probably would not try to alter the appearance. What I did struggle with when I made vessels a couple of years ago in a workshop was keeping the seams even and flat. That was quite a challenge, and I have not made a vessel since.

My vessels also "collapsed" after drying, but our instructor advised us (post-workshop) to dip the vessel into a glue mixture to strengthen the form. That helped some, but not totally. At some point, I would like to try vessels again. Yours look well-structured, Laura Ann.

[lauraann]

Interesting to dip them in a glue mixture to strengthen them. Not sure if I'd want to try that, maybe I'll make a sacrificial piece and see what happens. As for the yarn, I bought it off a facebook group that has destashing sale prices, and it was hand-made by the seller. I had bought it originally for rug hooking, but it was too thin for that so I decided to use for the felting. If I ever do this type of technique again, I'll put a light piece of silk gauze over the wool before felting it to see if that holds it in place better.

I would definitely be afraid to iron these pieces, I'm too clumsy and would probably burn myself.

[lyn]

They are so attractive! I especially like the grey Norwegian.

Some wools will never make 'smooth' vessels, so embrace the texture they give!

If you want smooth and non-collapsing, try merino wool. Make the wool layers even, work the felt slowly to start with, then full to the max. When a vessel is fulled to the max it will have a 'hollow' feel about it as if it's carved from polystyrene (sorry, hard to explain really).

[felicity]

Lovely vessels! As for your question I am with Lyn and halay! At the beginning you should not rush things or you will get uneven felt (some patches are felted and some not yet). And try to full more. I sometimes stuff it with a wet towel and then start to bash or drop. The towel helps to keep the shape.

[MTRuth]

I agree with Lyn - depending on the fiber you use, will determine the "smoothness". I love texture so for me the best part about using different wool breeds is the different textures achieved. I think all your vessels have a beauty of their own and I wouldn't change them personally. Keep experimenting and you will find which breeds you like to work with and which give the results you are trying to achieve.

[lauraann]

Thank you all for the feedback. One thing I like about felting is not knowing exactly what the finished product will turn out like--it's exciting. I will definitely try to full one with a towel inside, so I don't worry about losing the shape. And maybe make a few using only one wool at a time so I learn more about each of their individual properties. It would be so nice to be able to take a class in person with an experienced felter to learn all the tricks & things you can't learn off the internet.

[lauraann]

On my (too long) drive home from work tonight, I was thinking about Lyn's comment about the vessel feeling hollow and like polystyrene when fulled. I'm not exactly sure what polystyrene is, but I'm assuming it's a spongy foamy type of material because that's what I've come to associate with a finished piece. It almost feels springy, if that's a word?

[Shepherdess]

Lyn means Styrofoam. She was talking British.  When it's completely fulled it will often sound hollow like when you knock on the bottom of a loaf of bread to hear if its cooked. depending on the wool you use you will get a hard felt or a soft spongy felt or something between

[Frances]

I love the tall one with the yarn embellishments - I have a friend that knits - wonder if she would share end pieces of wool yarn with me. Would not want to by skiens as there would be too much.

[zed]

I really love the surface textures you've achieved. Like others have said, certain breeds of wool won't give you a smooth, non-hairy look, you will need a fine wool like Merino for that, and fulling over something firm and stuffing while drying will help keep the shape. If the vessels collapse and don't support themselves, not enough wool was used and/or not enough fulling.

Personally, I'd recommend you don't try to achieve unhairiness, or overly smooth surfaces, you've created really interested results, they're different and individual.

[luvswool and dyestuff]

Zed, re: my vessels class--I have always suspected that we under-used wool in the vessels AND that we did not full them enough; but in a class situation, you must move on to the next project. In retrospect, I would have preferred to make one firm vessel versus 3 weak vessels.

One of these days, I will attempt another vessel using additional layers of wool and extreme fulling! What is your preferred types of wool for making vessels? We used Icelandic wool roving.