I inherited a small amount of money from my grandparents and bought a Groovi 1000 felting machine. This has pressure rollers and was the main felting machine around at the time. I attended a workshop at Artybird Carnforth with Rod Welch and Karolina Arvilommi and as Rod had developed a similar felting machine some years earlier their influence was helpful.
I experimented with wrapping methods and using different pressures during felting and resulted in enabling me to make the felt I want. It will cope with some low relief and I often layer the felts at different stages, building it up as I go. One of the experiments was to use the pressure to compact dry fibres so I didn’t have to carry heavy wet felt to and from the machine. This was very successful and created a thick ‘half-felt’ that I was able to cut into shapes or use as a layer.
Many other tools are available to help with different stages of felting and one of my favourites is the original felt rolling pin, which I use at all stages of making. Kate and I researched many other felting tools and published our findings in Felt Matters, the IFA magazine.
The embellishing machine is a godsend for adding lines and details as well as texture. I also blend most of my fibres to create the colours I want and for this I use a drum carder and a blending board.
One of H. Jackson Brown’s inspirational quotes is: “However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.”
By embracing the need for help with tools I can be who I am.
By Maggy Lightfoot