Monday, September 19, 2011

Product development - and psychedelic guinea pigs!

With a mind to the Winter season, and our ever present quest for new designs, we spent a happy day today creating new products - from fibre felt. 
The workshops have been such a success this summer, and a happy spin off is all the creative ideas generated.


Here's a pictorial snapshot of one development including the vital "psychedelic guinea pig"


Making Felt Purses


the layers of loose fibre wrapped around the former
- does resemble a guinea pig no?

We want to make the purse 'in the round' so the first stage is to wrap the fibres - in colours of your choice around a former (bubble wrap in this case)

the many careful stages of agitation in more bubble wrap - with plenty of soapy water
more like a drowned rat now!
but you can see the fibres moving together
once it is pretty firmed up we made a cut across for the opening

after a good deal more working it is ready for finishing off



a few more 
in the pipeline


 Once we've perfected the process, and added the zips, look out for them at a craft fair near you!