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Post by magzie on Apr 17, 2012 0:53:12 GMT
Here's my seamless nuno felted alpaca jacket. I just finished it about 2 weeks ago. I'm going to a wool festival soon and hope to find buttons for it (or some kind of fasteners). I used 3mm silk gauze and 200 grams of alpaca. I also included metallic yarn/thread in the jacket. Its super soft and I think it fits me pretty well. I wish it had a collar, but I don't know how to make them yet. This is my 1st experience with alpaca and maybe it was a bit foolish of me to use it on such a large project without getting to know fibers first. I'm concerned about how it will wear. I've included a close-up shot of one of my areas of concern - locks of alpaca, that won't felt. I've tugged on them and Its securely locked into place. I don't know if this happened because of my inexperience or if this is a trait with alpaca. Also, I'm not so sure about the natural color and have thought about dyeing or painting it. Enough of my babble, any comments, thoughts etc are appreciated. Thanks! Mag
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Post by christiewn on Apr 17, 2012 1:08:08 GMT
I have heard that alpaca is difficult to work with but I haven't used it myself so can't help. My only advice is that sampling is always a good thing and although it takes a bit of time up front can save a lot of headaches in the long run. Whether you change the colour through dyeing/painting is a very personal choice but you might want to make a few small samples and try out colour ideas before tackling the whole jacket.
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Post by Shepherdess on Apr 17, 2012 1:18:51 GMT
If it is secure I would only worry about catching it on something because it is a loop. I always catch that sort of thing on stuff. I find alpaca is difficult to work with. It takes much more effort and time to get it to felt well. so you have a picture of the whole jacket.
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Post by magzie on Apr 17, 2012 1:32:44 GMT
Ladies.......thank you so much for the comments. For whatever reason I'm not able to send a photo of the jacket. I'll keep trying...........
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Post by magzie on Apr 17, 2012 1:47:12 GMT
Here is the back of the jacket
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Post by magzie on Apr 17, 2012 1:48:28 GMT
........and a front view ............
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Post by pamd on Apr 17, 2012 2:07:51 GMT
Oh, Mag, what a wonderful jacket. It came out so nice! Congrats.
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Post by magzie on Apr 17, 2012 2:15:05 GMT
Thank you PamD. I thought i was going to lose my eyesight laying it out. My table is off white, my silk was off white, the alpaca off white and I did this all in a dimly lit basement. What was I thinking!
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Post by zed on Apr 17, 2012 7:34:00 GMT
That's really nice I bet it feels so lovely being alpaca. I'd get it grubby running my hands over it all the time
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Post by lyn on Apr 17, 2012 8:35:57 GMT
Wow! The metallic yarn/thread running through the white is divine. Congrats on the whole jacket - it's a lovely shape. The 'snow blindness' was worth it!
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Post by MTRuth on Apr 17, 2012 15:48:13 GMT
You did great and using Alpaca for the first time for such a large project was a feat! I think it looks really nice. I think making samples of different colors would be a good idea to see if you want it in a color or to leave it white.
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Post by karen on Apr 18, 2012 2:32:16 GMT
Wow Magzie thats very impressive for your first Jacket, i love the metallic yarn as well and i can see a nice big white button on the front, Well Done
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Post by magzie on Apr 18, 2012 17:50:41 GMT
What a wonderful group - thank you for your support! I think I'll leave the jacket in its natural color, I don't want to dig myself into a hole. Life is funny, now its spring time and the weather is too warm for me to wear the jacket!
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Post by MTRuth on Apr 18, 2012 18:04:12 GMT
Have you tried wearing it? Wool actually works well in summer and winter. I wore a nuno felted top to a party in August when it was in the 80's (F). I didn't get hot at all.
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Post by magzie on Apr 19, 2012 1:01:40 GMT
Ruth, that's very interesting and I will give it a try. But now you've inspired me to make a top specifically for summer! Hmmmmmmm.....I'm going to my basement now and check out my inventory! Mags
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