Workshop. Midwest Felting Symposium

If everything goes as it’s planned I will be teaching in Midwest Felting Symposium in Madison, WI (USA) this Summer – July 21-24, 2010.
I will be teaching:
working with raw wool in nuno felt
nuno felting and surface design – focus on different deapths of texture created by fabric usig several manipulation techniques
creative felt textures – bubbles, beads, craters

You can register for the classes at Midwest Felting Symposium webpage here.

I like it slow

It was like enlightening – I really don’t like to be pushed! I like it slow…

Slow fashion, slow art, slow cloth… Slow process. Whether it is the process of making or the process of thinking about it.

Any idea is like a baby who grows in his mother’s womb for a certain time until he is let out to the world. (Yet there are brainstorm ideas as well that are brilliant. But this is fast only on conscious level as any enlightening is a result of a long process hidden in the subconsciousness).

I’ve been told many times that my felt items seem to have special aura or soul, story behind them. I guess this comes from being slow with what I do and giving time for that soul of an item grow and develop.

I like taking my time for thinking about felt, sometimes even months or years. And though fast results are tempting I prefer it slow.

I’ve been thinking about this tunic for a boy for several months before I started making it. Though  the result might look simple, it really had a deeper meaning for me.

And this piece took about 3 months to dye with plants the way I wanted it. Another few months of thinking of using it in felting.

And this neck piece took 2 Summers of constant exposure to the Sun until it was bleached as white as I wanted it!

The bleacher would have done it in a day or so. But it wouldn’t have put any good energy or soul to the cloth…

Though I like being on Etsy, at some point it is out of my comfort zone as there’s so much pressure – list list list, upload, give new works every day if you don’t want to drown in the ocean of all items listed there. And it’s simply not my way of working. I am not baking pancakes… When I feel pressure (and again – it’s not the same thing as having to work for a thrilling project with a deadline that actually mobilizes all your inner processes, insights and effects the actual making with adrenaline), I start to rebel or shut myself inside and feel paralyzed, not being able to do a thing until I cure myself from any thoughts of pressure. Creative ideas are something like a fox and the Little Prince trying to domesticate each other, just a little step towards each other in a day.

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Kartais imi ir suvoki staiga – man tikrai nepatinka spaudimas! Patinka lėtumas…

Lėta mada, menas, lėtos medžiagos… Lėtas procesas. Ne tik lėtas darymo procesas, bet ir lėtas apmąstymo procesas.

Kiekviena idėja yra tarsi vaisius, augantis įsčiose tam tikrą laiką, kol yra paleidžiamas į pasaulį. (Žinoma, yra ir genialių žaibiškų idėjų-nušvitimų. Visgi jos yra greitos tik sąmoningame lygyje. Kiekvienas nušvitimas yra ilgo pasąmoninio proceso rezultatas).

Daug kartų teko girdėti, jog mano veltinio darbai turi ypatingą aurą, sielą, pasislėpusią juose istoriją. Tikriausiai tas jausmas gimsta iš lėtumo tame, ką darau – laiko, per kurį kiekvienas darbas vystosi ir auga.

Man reikia laiko galvojimui apie tai, ką aš darau. Kartais net mėnesių ar metų. Ir nors greiti rezultatai visuomet viliojantys, paprastai renkuosi lėtumą.

Daug mėnesių galvojau apie baltą komunijai skirtą tuniką vienam berniukui prieš pradėdama ją daryti. Nors galutinis rezultatas gali atrodyti paprastas, visgi man jame slypi daug gilesnė prasmė.

Dažymas augalais kartais trunka ir 3 mėnesius, kol išgauni tokius subtilius tonų perėjimus, kokių norisi. Dar keli mėnesiai skiriami apmąstymams, kokiam veltinio objektui skirtas tas medžiagos gabalėlis.

Išbalinti balikliu turbūt galima per parą, tačiau kartais prireikia 2 saulėtų vasarų, kad saulės išbalintas šilkas ir vilna įgytų tą teigiamą energiją, dvasią, kurią, tikiu, sugeria iš saulės…

Buvimas Etsyje labai dviprasmiškas. Man patinka siūlyti savo darbus Etsy-je, tačiau iš kitos pusės nori to ar nenori, patiri spaudimą kelti vis naujus darbus, atnaujinti senus vien tam, kad nepaskęstum Etsy’io pasiūlos jūroje. Tai nėra mano stilius. Aš nekepu blynų…  Jusdama spaudimą (nemaišykite to su kokiu nors įkvepiančiu projektu, turinčiu terminus, kuris išties tik mobilizuoja visus vidinius procesus, įžvalgas bei įjungia antrą kvėpavimą dirbant), pradedu maištauti arba užsisklendžiu savyje ir jaučiuosi paralyžuota, negalinti nieko daryti tol, kol neišsilaižau visų minčių apie spaudimą. Kūrybiškos mintys yra kaip lapė ir Mažasis Princas, bandantys prisijaukinti vienas kitą pamažu, po mažą žingsnelį vienas kito link.

Felt you. Felt me

When I felt, I usually felt something that has been felt by me, that is coming from the inside consciously or not, like blank verse, as well as little games and experiments or I felt something that I felt about the person who has ordered the piece of felt. From a certain point of view you can always feel more comfortable with felting just what you felt coming from your own self. But it’s just one point of view. If you don’t have a privilege of only leting people find things that warm their souls but are truly you, you are finding your ways to feel comfortable in making things that feel like “they", i.e. you take custom orders. Though there must be a healthy balance between things “felt for yourself and felt for others” (different for every artist I believe), there is definetly so much value in felting for others. When a client makes an order, there is invisible connection built between the maker and the receiver. It’s complicated to explain that if you have never tried to experience “the other” in you…

I sense “the other”. Unconsciously I see the world and feel the world through my client’s eyes. I choose colors and materials that are that person. And it seems I can sense how that person moves, talks, how he touches the things I felt… And I felt a part of that person into any piece I make for him. And it usually doesn’t look like something I would felt if I was felting “myself”. Or the colors are not the ones that I would ever pick if I was felting just what I personally feel without any thoughts of anyone else… But…THAT connection with another human being (even in unconscious level) is something like a miracle that opens a world to you. It’s a connection that shows you the places you’ve never been to, makes you meet and know people you’ve never met or knew, it makes you feel being someone you’ve never been or will be… Perhaps that’s why when my client receives his order I usually get a feedback – That’s me!..

colors, style, forms…the story that is in that piece…anything and everything – how could you ever know that??

I don’t know. I just sense.

Into the world of deep relaxation

It happened a month ago, just never found time for my blog… But I’d like to thank everyone who voted for my rug in Etsy voter and…it was a winner!
There was a short article in Storque (Etsy’s blog) with a wonderful title – Vilte ushers us into a world of deep relaxation (sigh)

And it was interesting to read the comments and find out that this rug in this photo looked like the wave of the ocean coming to the shore for many many readers. I guess it really looks like this, especially when you look at it from a distance…
And there’s definetly something so relaxing in this rug…White color, natural wildness of the raw wool, delicate touch of silk that always bring me in some state of meditation whenever I look at it or touch…

Happy Felted Christmas!

and..I know my blog has been abandoned and I haven't showed you any of my felts lately. I just know that you know there's a link to my flickr account where you can always check for new updated :) don't you?...

But today I am saying you Happy Felted Christmas! and leaving you alone with some of my latest felt items:

Nuno felted top - Wild pigeon

Scarf - Food for the soul: Christmas pastry


Nuno felted hood scarf - Food for the soul: Nuts, wheat, poppy seeds and honey


Bracelet - Treasures


Nuno felted scarf - Wild bird

p.s. there's more on flickr

My Christmas gift from Etsy community

I received a wonderful gift from Etsy community - I won New Years Glitz & Glam vote contest on Etsy!

And I decided to issue gift certificates for my etsy shop:

Food for the soul - marking the start of the Christmas Season

Some shots from hanging our mini exhibition "Food for the soul [Christmas]". Unfortunately I was not there, but...
We are going to prepare a virtual exhibition "Food for the soul", meantime, here is a preview of it:

This is my scarf - traditional Lithuanian Christmas Eve pastry served with poppy seed milk

This is my dress - traditional Christmas Eve beverage - oat jelly

Another work by me, Vilte Kazlauskaite, - cape/hood/scarf - traditional Christmas Eve food made from wheet seeds, poppy seeds, nuts and honey

These are felt boots by Daiva Morozova - hot Christmas wine

And I am totally in love with this handbag by Ramune Toleikyte - smoke spiced herring

Another handbag by Jurgita Migoniene - traditional Christmas Eve pastry in poppy seed milk

Felt slippers by Inga Samusiene - traditional Christmas beverage - cranberry jelly

Felt collar by Aurelija Masiulionyte - Christmas bakery

Handbag by Donata Dumciuviene - freshly baked white Christmas bread

Felt slippers by Inga Samusiene - boiled potatoes served with hemp seeds and salt

Collar and accessories by Vaida Petreikiene - Christmas bread with dried fruits

Scarf and gloves by Aurelija Masiulionyte - cheese - a modern taste of Christmas

Another felt bag by Donata Dumciuviene - freshly baked black bread

Felt cape and shawl by Daiva Morozova - tangerines - its smell is in every home during Christmas Season here long ago since the times of Soviet Union

FOOD FOR THE SOUL. [CHRISTMAS]

FOOD FOR THE SOUL

[CHRISTMAS]

Felt exhibition

An exhibition of functional felt objects – as a collection of traces of traditional meanings in this modern world of globalization.

At first glance it is just a simple game of eight felt makers - Daiva Morozova, Viltė Kazlauskaitė, Ramunė Toleikytė, Inga Samušienė, Donata Dumčiuvienė, Aurelija Masiulionytė, Jurgita Migonienė, and Vaida Petreikienė. Felters, playing with felt surfaces and colours that remind you of a smoke spiced herring or “kūčiukai” – traditional Lithuanian pastry served with poppy seed milk, or cranberry jelly, or hemp salt with boiled potatoes… A subject of Christmas food and variations of common fashion accessories.

However, after getting deeper into every exhibited object and its story that underlie simple lines of felt, you realize the meaning of collating felt and Christmas food by the felt makers of this exhibition.

Christmas food symbolizes respect and consonance, it is food that unites all living family members and guests from the world beyond – souls of our ancestors. Authors of the exhibition refer to a belief that souls of the ancestors hold onto plants, hair and wool…

Drawing their inspiration from ancient traditional meanings of Christmas food, authors complement it with modern touch of this celebration, symbolically connecting wool as a sacred shelter of souls and blessed food for all living and dead, wind, cold, and bees. Authors of the exhibition, using modern felting techniques, invite us to “feast” and rediscover the meanings of this holly period of time even in such (at first glance) common and casual cosmopolitan fashion accessories – felt objects with special purport.

And a little preview of one of my works for this mini exhibition - eco friendly dress, dyed with plants. It is inspired by traditional Lithuanian Christmas Eve food - oat jelly.

“Kalėdzienė”

Funkcinių veltinio objektų paroda – senųjų prasmių pėdsakų kolekcija šiuolaikiniame globalėjančiame pasaulyje.

Iš pirmo žvilgsnio tai tik paprastas aštuonių veltinio meistrių - Daivos Morozovos, Viltės Kazlauskaitės, Ramunės Toleikytės, Ingos Samušienės, Donatos Dumčiuvienės, Aurelijos Masiulionytės, Jurgitos Migonienės, Vaidos Petreikienės žaidimas veltinio paviršiais ir spalvomis – čia primenančiais dūmų skonio silkę, čia kūčiukus, aplipusius aguonos grūdeliais, čia spanguolių kisielių ar kanapinę druską su bulvėmis. Kalėdinio stalo tematika bei įvairios kasdienių aksesuarų stiliaus variacijos.

Ir vis dėlto, įsiklausius į kiekvieną parodos objektą ir istorijas, slypinčias už paprastų veltinio kontūrų, galima suvokti, kodėl autorės parodoje gretina vilną ir Kalėdinį maistą.

Kūčių ir Kalėdų stalas, simbolizuojantis pagarbą ir santarvę, – tai vaišės, apjungiančios ne tik gyvuosius šeimos narius, bet ir svečius iš anapus – protėvių vėles. Autorės remiasi tikėjimu, jog protėvių vėlės linkusios prisilaikyti augaluose, plaukuose ir...vilnose...

Semdamosis įkvėpimo iš senųjų šventinio stalo prasmių, autorės įneša šiuolaikinio švenčių prieskonio, simboliškai apjungia vilną– sakralų vėlių prieglobstį ir šventas vaišes gyviesiems ir mirusiems, vėjui, šalčiui ir bitėms. Naudodamos modernias veltinio technikos galimybes, autorės parodos lankytojus kviečia „vaišintis“, iš naujo atrandant šventojo laikotarpio prasmes net ir tokiuose iš pirmo žvilgsnio kasdieniuose kosmopolitiško stliaus atributuose - savaip įprasmintuose veltinio objektuose.

Felt United exhibition gallery is online!

Remember International day of felt and Felt United project? Well, finally its gallery is online and you can look at the photos of felt events all over the world here.

Is felt fashionable?

Felt felt felt...we see and hear this word pretty often right now as felt is living its renaisance to my subjective opinion on these days. But weird enough, some still think that felt is an old fashioned textile or suited only for village people or Russian nation...

Looking for a proof of felt as fashionable in fashion field, one could look at the runways of world famous designers and definetly find felt there:

Calvin Klein, RTW Autumn 2009:


Yohji Yamamoto, RTW Autumn 2009:


Fendi, RTW Autumn 2009:


Stella McCartney, RTW Autumn 2008:

photos via style.com

And if you look even further, you can find such designers as John Galliano , Donna Karan, and Christian Lacroix using felt in their collections long time ago. So perhaps felt is not something that we could call fashionable today - doubted tomorrow. Perhaps felt is permanent - like classics.

Some more example of use of felt in fashion by Dutch designer Alexander van Slobbe in collaboration with Dutch felter Claudy Jongstra:

photos via orson-bodil.com