Secondary images.

Here are some more images I have collected whilst doing research for my project I found them on a Facebook group which has recently been deactivated. I found them really inspirational as they show beautiful patterns shapes and different ideas for tea and how it can be taken into different perspectives.

Primary images

Here is some primary research I have collected.

At a friend’s house we decided to have a tea tasting party I took some images as it shows how less extravagant tea parties are nowr days.

I also visited a cafe where we had tea. This also shows how much tea parties have changed as today we have tea in cafes instead of in the house. I feel these images really show the difference how we drink tea and socialise compared to the different eras I have looked at. 

Sculpting with needle felting.

After I had experimented with needle felting I took my chance of sculpting with it. I did a tea cup which much to my surprise worked perfectly. I only did it on a small scale to begin with to see if I could actually do it. This technique is less time consuming then the rolling technique and once they are complete they can then be used no need to wait for drying. For any sculpting using felt I will most defiantly use this technique.

How to make a tea cup-

Step 1- Make a thick layer of merino wool in a rectangle it should be about 1cm thick.

Step 2- Needle to firm up the shape.

Step 3- Take the rectangle off the foam block and curve it around from one end.

Step 4- Continue curving the piece round to make a cup shape.

Step 5- Needle round the base to hold the cup shape together.

Step 6- Take a piece of foam cut into a former for cup shape.

Step 7- Squeeze the former into the Felted cup shape. Needle the felt to secure the seam.

Step 8- Add more wool to cover the seam and parts that feel thin. Needle the shape.

Step 9- remove the cup from the former. Hold it in your hand and needle it carefully to firm up the shape. Add wool if necessary.

Step 10- Hold the rim of the cup between your finger and thumb and needle it carefully to firm it up.

Step 11- Take a wisp of the same colour merino wool used for the cup for the handle.

Step 12- Fold over the ends of the wisp and needle.

Step 13- Continue needling until the shape is firm and add more layer of wool by wrapping them around the handle.

Step 14- Place the end of the handle near the top of the cup, curling it under and needle it in position.

Step 15- Attach the bottom of the handle but do not curl it under this time, needle to secure it.

Step 16- Cover ant visible joins but adding and needling in more wool.

If you want to add more detail such as flower detail then this can be added after.

Needle felting

After trying to sculpt using the rolling method I purchased a needle felting kit and beginner’s guide to needle felting book by Susanna Wallis. The book was great help as it showed simple techniques which are clearly explained.

Summary of needle felting:

In needle felting the whole process is done solely by the action of a barbed needle being moved to bond the fibres into a firm surface or structure. 

To do this you need; Wool, The barbed needles, needle holder and foam block.

Basic techniques:

Step 1- Pull off a wisp of merino wool and pull it between your hands to thin it.

Step 2- Pull a fine wisp of wool and lay the thinned piece of wool on your foam block.

Step 3- Continue to add wool until you have a thin layer across the foam block.

Step 4-Keep on layering the wool until you have a layer around 1cm.

Step 5- Take the needle of choice and stab through the wool and into the foam block. The barbed felting           needle pulls the fibres through each other and they bond together.

Step 6- Continue stabbing repeatedly through the wool all over the layer until it is bonded together.

Step 7-fold over the wispy edges of the wool to make a more definite shape.

Step 8- Take the needle and define the edges further by needling.

You now have a flat, compact piece of felt which can be used as a back ground or used for sculpting. 

Sculpting with felt.

As for my project I want to make felt tea cups and tea pots I experimented with sculpting felt through the rolling technique.

To do this is started like I would when doing any normal felting, I placed 2 layers of multi coloured wool fibres and wet them thoroughly, I then placed a cut out of plastic sheeting what was in the shape of a 2D tea cup, I then placed more wool fibres on the top of it to pack it in the middle and folded all excess round the sides over and wet again thoroughly. I then continued in the same way I would when doing any felting in the rolling technique. I did have to be more aware off the amount the fibres shrunk; once the plastic started to ravel I had to make an incision where the rim of the cup is going to be and remove the plastic sheeting. Once it was removed I could carry on felting as normal but with regular intervals to separate the centre and stop it felting together. When the process had been completed and all fibres are combined I had to stretch the 2D cup over an actual cup so it could dry and take shape as a 3D cup. I also made a saucer by just felting some fibres then stretching it over the top of a cup and placing an elastic band to create the lip, I also cut round it to make it a circle shape.

Once they had both dried I wasn’t happy with the outcome as the cup doesn’t look like a tea cup, I’m really impressed at how easy it is to sculpt but getting the shape correct is incredibly difficult. I feel this technique would not be strong enough to follow through into my final piece. I have been made aware of sculpting using needle felting but I haven’t before experimented with this so I’m going to look further into it and hope it gives a better outcome. 

Stencil screen print.

To experiment with the different styles of screen printing, I experimented with stencil printing. To do this I cut a simple stencil out using shapes of a candle, tea cup and a tea pot. I used different materials such as un-dyed cotton, dyed calico, satin like fabric and a material I’m unsure of.

When I first started printing the pigment would not pull through properly and was making the print look quite faded but after it had been used a few times the print was working a lot better but once the stencil had been used quite a few time it started to bleed.

Through experimenting in this style I’ve come to realise that it wouldn’t be a very good way to do a large amount of prints due to the bleeding but for very simple off few prints this way could be quicker than waiting for a screen to be exposed. I’m unsure if I will use this technique throughout my project as it can be quite hit and miss. 

Observational drawing

For this project I wanted to do some observational drawings of tea sets, the tea sets I had to hand were my late grandma’s. She was collecting them from anniversaries and other celebrations throughout her life. I found them so beautiful with the simple detail which throughout my initial research had called out to me. Previously I hadn’t enjoyed observational drawing as it had proven difficult to me to actually capture the life of the objects. I found this set difficult actually making the objects look 3D and not flat, I experimented using pencil biro and gouache paint. I feel my strongest piece is the gouache painting as I feel I actually caught the shape and light and colours perfectly. I feel the biro pieces are my weakest part as they look quite rushed even though I put a lot of effort into them.