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Felt and Fibre Art
A Practical Guide to Making Beautiful Felted Artworks
The Textile Artist series
Val Hughes

Search Press
1 May 2015 / ISBN 9781844489923
Genre How-To Books / Sewing

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde

AMAZON UK

Here is felt like you have never seen it before and at its most luxuriant, incorporated into pieces of art. If you have ever wanted to have a go at felting then this book looks like a good reason to do it, with the lush photographs of wearable art the author has created.

This is a book replete with the sort of images that make me want to grab the materials and get creating. Balls of soft wool in glorious shades, shimmering silk fibers, the sort of one-of-a-kind garments that are a joy to wear and more tumble out of the book in febrile profusion. I don't do felt making myself due to allergies so I come to the book not knowing about the process however I feel that it would be possible to start from scratch and still make something impressive. Find out what you need to buy and then what can be done with it, including wet felting, needle felting, free machine embroidery and more. You can also discover the inspiration behind the author's creations and work through five staged projects to hone your new skills. Everything in this book is accompanied by a profusion of larger than average photographs so it easy to see what you have to do. Each project is a panel, inspired by a garment made by the author and although I would have rather had instructions for garments after making the panels you have learned enough to tackle a project of your own choosing. Subjects include fairies, the sea, Ann Boleyn, Elizabeth Woodville and Alice in Wonderland complete with shots of the author's sketchbook and a background to the theme and why it was chosen. This gives a good insight into how somebody else works which is always interesting and well done here as it is in connection with such a user friendly primer. A book for the keeper shelf

If you cannot find a good range of felt making materials locally try www.searchpress.com for a list of suppliers.

Reviews of other titles in the The Textile Artist Series

Felt and Fibre Art
Layered Cloth
Layered and Stitched Pictures

 

UK Reviewer: Rachel Hyde's work can be found in The Bead Magazine, Making Jewellery and www.craftsuprint.com/rachel-a-hyde/
Reviewed 2015
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