American Holiday Bazaar

FELT4U had a great time at the annual American Holiday Bazaar held at the American International School recently in Even Yehuda, Israel. This event attracts many internationals who stock up on gifts prior to going abroad for their Xmas vacation. For The event was like a mini United Nations with a multitude of languages filling the air.
We were excited to sell our nuno-felted scarves and wraps to, among others, a Chinese woman who arrived just two months ago for a posting with her American husband, a beautiful filmmaker from Jaffa (she looked superb in our grey/green/blue cobweb wrap), and a local PR hotshot who bought two wraps – black on white and grey lattice.
Elaine and I also enjoyed sharing the day with other craft artists and seeing their creative output. A few special mentions: Anat Brim from LiLush ( knitted scarf coats and wraps in vibrant colors – www.lilush.etsy.com); fashion designer Rina Schechter who has branched into jewelry making (a trendy ethnic look – available at her store 10 rabi Pinchas Street, Jaffa Flea Market, Anat Sapir, a jewelry designer who makes exquisite glass beads (www.anatsapir.co.il), Sheyna Lot, a ceramicist from Kibbutz Shefayim whose vases and bowls come in tones of the desert sands and talented Israeli artist Yoram Gal whose large vibrant paintings of Israeli scenes are sold and exhibited worldwide.

Best wishes to all
Elana

ART TO WEAR

Wearable Art is often the way Elaine and I describe our nuno felted creations - the silk is our canvas and the multi-colored wool our palette. So, I was excited to read an article in Time Magazine recently about New Zealand's WOW Awards (World of Wearable Art) . This annual event is described as "equal parts couture, choreography and craziness." Entries are in several categories from children's garments to clothes that can be reflected under UV light to create exciting effects. Recycling is a common theme and there were items constructed from used neckties, old sofa parts and worn-out bicycle tires. A dress by Canadian designer, Angela Bright was inspired by 18th century French court excess but made with tea bags and coffee filters! No wonder they call it the WOW Awards!

Founder of WOW, Suzie Moncrieff calls the show "a glorious rebellion against the mundane".
This is exactly what makes me passionate about craft in general - in a world of globalization and mass production finding a unique, one-of-a-kind item which doesn't break the bank balance is a complete joy.
It's uplifting to meet the creator of the item you have purchased or in our case, meet the person who is going to wear a particular scarf or wrap. A very important point we have discovered selling through a virtual store is the connection and communication with the customer and the positive feedback we receive. It was exciting recently to make a sale in the USA to a gentleman who bought a wrap in his wife's favourite color as a surprise birthday present and she loved it. WOW, thats exactly how we feel when we receive such wonderful positive feedback from happy and satisfied customers.

What best sums up wearable art for FELT 4U is the collection of cobweb felted scarves and wraps made with with the softest merino woolroving interspersed with of hand dyed shibori silk creating a collage of texture and color. Really great for the free spirited individual who appreciates the organic flow of the item.
Elana

Rio Olympics

One can only imagine the sense of double achievement Rio feels in its win to host the 2016 Olympics. Not only is it a first for the country, but on a grand scale this will be the first Olympics on the Continent of South America. Kudos to Brazil.

I remember when South Africa bid for the Olympics in the 1990's. Apartheid was dead, buried in the annals of history. There was an exciting feeling of optimism, an invincibility that "we have overcome" together with a sense of entitlement that South Africa deserved the honor and prestige of hosting the Olympics which would be the first on the African Continent. As you know South Africa lost that bid and I am not even sure who won.

Like me, you probably feel that Rio evokes a fusion of colors, passions, rythms and diversity which has inspired me to create my nuno felted tunic wrap which I have aptly name Rio.

Elaine

Vintage Rust

Ambling through the neighbourhood recently I came across an amazing old rusty bedspring.
Not one to let an old bedfellow down, I took it home with me.
How could I resist? Who knows what secrets this rusted spring would yield?

Through an amazing process of dyeing the tissue silk, my vintage springs long hidden secrets are revealed in the wonderful shapes with circles and spirals and bleeding rust.
All that remains is for me to decide what to do with the silk. Should I nuno felt it and turn it into a tunic or wrap? Or should I leave it as it is?. Any ideas are welcome.

Zen of Tides

Photo taken Muizenberg Beach South Africa 1942



For twenty odd years during the 80's and 90's the rythmic sounds of crashing waves was music that lulled me to sleep. I lived with my children, a dog, a cat and my partner Sid, in a gabled cottage on a winding street in a quaint seaside resort that had seen better days, called Muizenberg.
Over the years, my early morning walks along the waters edge enriched my life and inspired me to be fully aware of the joy of each and every moment. I observed how on stormy days the wind worried the waves into broken segments, shoving from behind and tumbling them ceaselessly and finally leaving an outline of scummy foam which dried to a dirty grey green and left in its wake pieces of driftwood, shells and debris.
At other times days, it was different. If there was a light breeze off the ocean, and the green sea had some blue in it,the foam frill that swept up from time to time was creamy white and altogether more friendly and left behind amazing etchings in the wet sand.

So why am I telling you all this. Who or what is the inspiration that Elana and I get during the process of crafting our nuno felted garments. We basically start off with a piece of white silk and talk about hot and cold colors and combinations , and should we shibori dye some pieces, and we mix and match and then choose merino wool and other items for texture and pattern. . My latest nuno felted wrap for our shop FELT 4U is aptly named Tidel Foam and was inspired by simple walks on the beach long time ago.

Wish I were in New York...

It was great to read about the Fashioning Felt exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York – both Elaine and Iare so tempted to fly over there just to see it.
Although Israel is close geographically to Turkey where felting has a very old tradition, felting isn’t a well-known craft in Israel. The first reaction we often get to our work is “but HOW do you do it?” “Do you really make the fabric yourselves?”
Actually I enjoy it when visitors to the FELT 4U studio or those who see our wearable art want an explanation of the exciting nuno felting creative process. Yes, there’s a lot of water and soap to slosh around, each item we make is rolled more than 2000 times and at the end of it all we throw it forcefully down on the table about a dozen or so times. The reaction is usually wide eyed but with a little bit more understanding for this wonderful and versatile craft that was used by nomadic people 8000 years ago as a way to make their shelters and clothing.

Getting back to musing about the NY exhibition…it would be wonderful to be exposed to an exhibition that shows how felting is utilized in so many different mediums (architecture, fashion, industrial design, jewelry, soft furnishing etc)
At present I still feel passionate about using nuno felting for making scarves, wraps and tunics. There is enough to learn, evolve and experiment with in this small sphere… and Elaine and I come up with new ideas weekly. Such as the kimono wrap we devised. Different body shapes, heights, and the fact that many people feel intimidated to tie a scarf, caused us to look for alternatives to the traditional scarf. Summer is also round the corner and we wanted to make a garment that can be thrown over a bathing suit.

The exhibition is on at the Cooper Hewitt until September. Hold thumbs for us that we will make it there somehow!!!!

Free Spirit

Ein Gedi, the famous kibbutz at the Dead Sea in Israel is perfect way to relax and chill out after a hectic five day Felting Master Class presented by International Felting Teacher and my felting guru Phyllis Hoffman from Australia. www.phylstudio.com
This was organized by The Israel Designer and Craftmen's Association of Israel
www.designcrafts.org.il and their very efficient secretary Tali Talmor.

A year ago we started FELT 4U www.felt4u.etsy.com and I must say felting is really unique in that it is dynamic and an ongoing learning exeperience, something like my philosopy of Life itself.

When I was in my early thirties, I met a man who was 21 years older than me. I was in the process of a divorce with two children. He was ruggedly handsome, an artist and bohemian who had been briefly married. He was so different from anyone I had ever met before and I fell head over heals in love with him. He changed my life in many ways made me into the person I am today. He taught me to be a free spirit and that is how I think of nuno felting. www.felt4u.etsy.com
Free and floating with texture, color and simple versatile structure.