Friday 17 July 2009

Felt Feet Mobile






Last month we made the feet felt as a family project. We got so much fun and comfort out of making the feet felt that it seemed a shame to let the feet end their lives in a box getting crumpled losing all shape and beauty so we made them into a mobile.

This has also been a family project. Paul collected the gorse supports while we were in Wales. He stripped down the wood removing all thorns and prickles revealing the magical pattern of the wood below before dressing the wood in linseed oil.

I made the supporting ropes using the technique for making friendship bracelets. I used a whole length of stein for each rope so the making of the bands was slow progress with many breaks. Paul did try to help making one of the friendship band ropes but found it more difficult than he anticipated so I finished it off.

Naomi helped choose the beads (all from a collection of my broken jewelry/ jewelry does not last long near a toddler!). All of the materials are natural and recycled. The beads are a collection of glass, metal, wood and mostly semi precious stones. We have added sea shells where possible to tie in the connection that the feet were felted on beach walks.

The centre string is mostly made up of crystals, turquoise and lapis lazuli beads to represent the sea. The outer strings are beaded from a mixture of jade and red jasper. Red jasper is often used to attract love and jade symbolises a concentrated essence of love and calming. All green touch stones are symbolic of unconditional love and all gem stones have healing properties.

It is difficult to get a picture that does justice to how pleasing the mobile is to the eye. I am however prepared to accept that most people may find it strange to hang feet from a mobile and that it may not appeal to their sensibilities. My daughter is disgusted that the feet now hang from the ceiling. We have appeased her by promising to make some more feet felt with her.

12 comments:

Ruthie Redden said...

Oh Jasmine, those feet were made with such love & so much healing, i think that your felt feet mobile is a wonderfully creative way to preserve them, and so perfectly symbolic x x

Jasmine said...

Thank you Ruthie x

Anne said...

i love the symbolic behind all the materials.

ArtSparker said...

A very sweet memory keeper.

This might not go over well in a Navajo home, in which one never steps over sleeping people. Maybe Naomi has a Dineh connection.

Jasmine said...

Quite possibly Susan, although she now insists the mobile should be hung in her room!

Thank you Anwarunya :)

Anonymous said...

I laughed so much when I saw such. Oh lovely, you. But really I would want on my feet, they look so soft and cosy.

Jasmine said...

Glad they made you smile Sarah, there was a lot of fun in this project so it feels appropriate :)

Caio Fern said...

this mobile is wonderfull !!!! what a dream ... i believe that a realfuction of a mobile is to make you wonder it and contempling for hours ... this one is able to alowed us to do it .
but is so good to read how you made this , your way to tell the story , your family , it is all lovely ...

Jasmine said...

Thank you Caio, I have had quite a journey with these feet felt. Some of it very sad, but a lot of it was happy too.

Yvette said...

all the love to make this showing through and it's stunning.....beautiful!

t said...

Wow I love your mobile of felt feet Jasmine. And the beads and wood, wonderful.

Jasmine said...

Thank you Yvette and T. I'm so in awe of your works that I feel encouraged when you like my efforts :)