Retro Childhood Drawings and a New Nuno Felted Wrap.

Eden girl with mandoline.

So here a flashback to when I was a little girl. I recently found these pictures on the amazing interweb by an artist called Eden. This artist made quite a few paintings like it, but these 2 I had hanging in my bedroom. I love the pigtails.

Eden girl in harlequin diamonds.

 I wore pigtails myself through most of the late sixties and seventies. With super cool, brightly coloured plastic baubles on elastic hair-ties. I had a small box full of them. And little clips with cute things on the ends.

G.M-M.1971

Every morning my Mum would tie up my hair, and we would both dread the terrible knots in my hair. Here she is with pigtails as well. 

I remember that handbag well, cream linen with brown leather straps. She is wearing a black velvet ribbon around her neck with a pendant hanging off it.

I like to remember her like this, happy being a busy mum of 3, enjoying outings. Showing us a bird nest, or pointing out running horses in the distance. 

Not how she went, so ill. I woke up with that image first thing every morning for a year afterwards.

I don't want the word cancer and mum to be linked in my head. 

It wasn't her, and she wasn't the disease.

I rather remember how we argued together, or delighted in finding a treasure in an opshop.

Nuno felted wrap in reds.

I've recently made another wrap. I used a large piece of tie-dyed silk fabric, in soft pink and a simple dark red pattern. On the other side I laid down fine merino in bright reds, and feathery white plucks of silk fibre.

Same nuno-felted wrap, but the other side.

 So it has become a reversible wrap, light and draping, perfect for summer evenings.

Nuno felt just holding together.

Above you can see the un-felted piece, wet and just stuck onto the silk fabric with soapy water.

Nuno felt after felting process.

An hour or so later it has shrunk to this size, with much rolling, rubbing and throwing.

The edges are now uneven, something which I love the look of.

Deliciously crinkled nuno felt surface.

 The silk fabric is grabbed by the wool fibre, which shrinks. The fabric does not shrink, and starts to crinkle up, causing the wonderfully tactile surface which typifies nuno-felt.

Merino wool and white silk fibres.

The shiny white flashes of silk fibre add a luxurious touch to the other side. The whole thing only weighs 155 grams.

I am very happy with this wrap!