I have long been intrigued with the use of burning on wool. Friends have been customizing akubra hats for clients by burning the felt.
Why not try that in my felt making I thought? Without any instructions or knowledge, I tried a small sample using a gas burner. The burner was the type used for caramelizing sugar on desserts. It didn’t have any way of directing the flame. Once it was burned, I tried to scratch a pattern using a skewer. Hmmm, not really the affect I was looking for.
I shelved the idea and went on to other projects.
Then I had an opportunity to visit a community arts and crafts collective and watched the artists burning on wood. They demonstrated the equipment they were using, and my imagination was fired up again.
A trip to the hardware store to purchase the proper equipment and I was set to go.
I was running a name badge workshop for a local group and decided to test my new equipment on one of the scraps I had made as a sample. The recipient of the badge was thrilled but I wanted to explore the medium further.
How could I use the technique in my artwork?
I have been gifted a large bag of Perendale wool and have been experimenting with its use for bags and vessels. Maybe I could combine two experiments?
I set out to make a vessel on a rubber ball
Once the felt was dry and shaped I used my new equipment.
Working on a flat piece of felt for the name badge was pretty easy, but a vessel was a bit trickier. I couldn’t lay it flat to burn as it would lose the perfectly round shape I was trying to achieve.
Burning the wool as it flexed and moved proved challenging and it wasn’t as easy to get the pressure consistent.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with the result. I reckon after some more experimentation there is a mini-online course on pyrography on felt in the project plan for next year.
Let me know if you would be interested. Contact me through my website thefeltworkshop@godaddysites.com . You can also enrol in my course “Your First Felt Project – A Beginners Guide to Felt Making” if you want to start your creative journey with my tried and tested felt making technique.
