1. I was approached by Mary B. to make a jacket from a heavy piece of felt that her neighbor gave her. It was made in a class 30 years ago at a craft center and the teacher was Laine Goldsmith. Laine is one of the first felt teachers here in the USA. The piece was more of a wall hanging material and the wool was coarse not exactly for clothing. There was a different design on the fron and the back. I took the challenge and met with Mary deciding on the design for the jacket and I chose a pattern. I decreased the pattern form an extra small to an extra extra small since she is a size Two. I lined the jacket with some hand dyed silk I had and used felted prefelt for the sleeves and trim. Here is the result:
2. I wouldn't have been able to make Mary's coat if I hadn't spent several months working on the coat below. The body is needle felted BFL and Gotland cross (from Judy Colvin in Montana). I needle felted angora goat locks into it and then laid it on my rolling mat and placed a layer of white merino wool on top, then wet felted it. The sleeves are silk and wool felted then dyed charcoal. This coat was also lined and the buttons are raku from a local Taos artist. The edging is leather. Sherry pictured, purchased it at the Form and Fiber show in Santa Fe in August. She is modelling it in front of my booth at the Fall Fiber Fiesta in Santa Fe.
3. I attended a retreat in August in Cimarron NM with Susan Lazear (www.cochenille.com) to learn more about the garment designer software program. After purchasing the software in 2010 I finally feel confident using it. I designed a coat and made up the coat in alpaca and merino wool. I dislike making pockets and Susan suggested making detachable pockets. Below is the coat modelled by Cathy M. at my booth at the Taos Wool Festival. The collar edging is Elk hide.
4. I had several men ask if I made men's jackets at the Taos Wool Festival in October and I told them to come back next year because I am working on it. I used my Garment designer software and printed out mens patterns in sizes: 38 (which I found out is too small) 40 and 42. I started a jacket for Don (my husband) and then finished two in sizes 38 and 40. I brought the 38 and 40 to our guild meeting and the husband of our previous president tried it on and it fit great.
Below are pictured Virginia and Mike wearing the jacket at the Fall Fiber Fiesta in Santa Fe. It is grey alpaca and green merino wool inside. The sleeves are grey alpaca that I dyed with black walnut that I have had a long time so the color is more of a buckskin.
