I'm making more pears and I've altered my technique. I always used to stuff them before felting. I knew that they would felt better and faster if I did them hollow (the fabric can move around and agitate better) and yet I resisted trying it this way. I was attached to the idea that it was best to attach the stalk while sewing up the hole at the top, before felting. I would do this with the same wool the pear was knit from, and it would all fuse together nicely. I was worried that the gathered part at the top would look too chunky if it was sewn together after felting.
Ha. All that thinking! And yet when I tried it the other way I was very happy with the results. The felted fabric is firmer and I like it better. They are less like little fat cushions (I've worked on a slightly slimmer pear shape too) and a little more sculptural.
As a bonus, because the stuffing doesn't have to stand up to the felting process and also dry easily, I can use a wider range of things in the stuffing, including fabric and wool scraps.
4 comments:
You can also stuff them full of black eyed peas and sell them as "good luck" paperweights! (someone told me black eyed peas symbolize good luck)
and they are as beautiful as ever!
Just yesterday I was wondering if I should stuff my as yet unknitted birdies before or after I felted them: so thank you!!
Your pears are lovely (and that sounds just a little bit risqué when I say it out loud!!)
And can I just say that I love that your ruler for scale is a knitting gauge!
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