Here we are in January 2021, with Covid vaccines being approved for use and hope for brighter, more normal days just over the horizon. January is traditionally a month for reflection and making plans for the future. This year more than ever and I have an additional reason to be focussed on the year ahead….. my partner has accepted a job offer from Aukland University, so we will be moving to New Zealand in March / April.
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NZ.jpg)
Part of me thinks, the middle of a pandemic has to be the worst time to make such a drastic move but then, is there ever a good time? At least New Zealand is one of the few countries in the world who have a managed to control the virus on their shores and, consequently, are leading a relatively normal existence.
We made the decision to move in November and have been decluttering ever since, I am horrified by how much STUFF we have accumulated in our 10 years in this house. In many ways it has been a lovely trip down memory lane, finding trinkets and photos that have languished in a cupboard or box for 10, 20, even 30+ years.
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_4521-copy-1024x961.jpg)
While my felt samples aren’t quite that old (the oldest might be around 10 years old) they did bring back many happy memories as I was sorting through them, trying to decide which ones to keep.
Some of them document some interesting ideas, techniques and experiments that I thought might be of interest to you too….
Colour blending techniques:
When we felt, we are encouraging the fibres to mix and mingle, so when we apply layers of wool in different colours, the colours also migrate and mix, a little bit like mixing paint. This first technique is something I try to get my bag class students to incorporate as it makes for an easy way to achieve subtle tint / tone graduation on the outside of the bag:
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_4518-copy-1024x991.jpg)
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_4517-copy-1024x978.jpg)
The more this piece is fulled the greater the effect the black and white fibres will have on the colours on the front. By adding a mid-grey between the black and white you can achieve a more subtle change of tone to the coloured side of the felt.
Mixing different colours is also possible and this is so much fun for anyone interested in colour-theory. For this next sample I laid out 2 fine layers of different colours of merino over a green base. Up close (if you click on the image it should enlarge), you can still see the distinct colours in a random marbled pattern but from a distance the colours blend and because I have used colours on the opposite side of the colour wheel, the resulting blends are dulling the top colours and edging them towards greys and browns.
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_4519-copy-1024x573.jpg)
Devore
This sample was made by nuno-felting some hand-dyed cotton muslin to merino wool. Then painting on devore paste, leaving it work its magic for a few minutes before washing the paste out. The paste dissolves / etches away the plant-based fibre (cotton) but leaves the animal fibres (wool) in tact, the grey wool can be seen where the violet / red cotton has been removed.
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_4506-copy-1024x876.jpg)
Layering different materials / fibres
This next sample is one of my favourites although the technique is nothing particularly ground-breaking, it is strips of hand-dyed prefelt, laid over hand dyed habouti silk on a merino base.
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_4503-copy-768x1024.jpg)
This is the back, I really like the way the prefelts on the front have created a subtle, embossed effect on the back.
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_4504-copy-1024x768.jpg)
Adding locks for texture
When most of us think of adding locks to a piece, it is to add lots of fluffy texture with the locks only attached to the base felt at their base but on a workshop I took with Heidi Grebb we explored laying out locks much as you would a final layer of tops….
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_4516-copy-1024x525.jpg)
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_7078.jpg)
Fake tweed
By laying different coloured yarns (ideally different weights too), it is possible to create felt that looks a lot like tweed. If you use yarns with a high wool content, they will felt into the wool base on their own. If using yarns with a higher synthetic content you will need to add a very fine layer of wool fibre over the top to help anchor the yarns into place.
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_4520-copy-1024x965.jpg)
Inclusions
This last sample is my favourite, perhaps I should stop calling it a sample and think of it as a mini work of art instead… It is three, silk cocoons felted between several layers of Bergschaff.
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_4514-copy-1024x741.jpg)
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_4515-copy-1024x578.jpg)
I hope you found these samples / techniques interesting, if you have any questions about them, please ask!
As part of my mammoth clear-out I have a couple of items listed on Ebay that UK residents might be interested in:
A vintage, fedora / trilby style wooden hat block: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333849774234
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_4472-copy-1024x782.jpg)
A whole Wensleydale fleece, I am gutted to be leaving this behind but I know NZ border biosecurity will incinerate it on sight and that would be even more heart-breaking: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333851163732
![](https://www.teriberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_4498-copy-1024x768.jpg)