Had so much fun doing this assignment with my beginning 3-D students, cuz it involves getting messy. Heated up 3 large batches of hot soapy water and we went to town felting down all these gorgeous fibers. The kids start out by layering their raw wool fibers perpendicular to each other. We call this their foundation piece. Then they begin their designing by picking out colored fibers that they lay over top the foundation in the shapes they want to be felted in. The process itself involves a lot of agitation with hot soapy water over top this massive mound of fiber until it begins shrinking and tangling into self which in turn creates felt. I think the kids really like it cuz they get to work outside with a lot of soap suds flying everywhere. :) After they felt their fibers I take the pieces home and throw them in my washer to shrink and condense them even more. When dry the kids use their decorative sewing skills to embellish the design to make it pop. The students were inspired by the work of fiber artist Renee Harris. I will post a piece of hers tomorrow. She is listed in the artists I follow. Wait till you see what she can do with fiber!! The piece above belongs to senior Ivy Hu, and it was a class favorite, and was just turned in recently, so that's why it wasn't posted with the others from Jun 2.
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