Ianthe! you are call'd to cross the sea

Ianthe! you are call'd to cross the sea!
A path forbidden me!
Remember, while the Sun his blessing sheds
Upon the mountain-heads,
How often we have watcht him laying down
His brow, and dropt our own
Against each other's, and how faint and short
And sliding the support!
What will succeed it now? Mine is unblest,
Ianthe! nor will rest
But on the very thought that swells with pain.
O bid me hope again!
O give me back what Earth, what (without you)
Not Heaven itself can do--
One of the golden days that we have past,
And let it be my last!
Or else the gift would be, however sweet,
Fragile and incomplete.
Walter Savage Landor

Drying on the line supported by a bamboo blind

Mostly dried, on the line to air

And again, hung above the lavender, rosemary and thyme, and alongside my rose arch which supports honeysuckle, jasmine, vine and clematis. I wanted nature to lend her best perfumes and aromatherapy for this piece. I like the way the shadow of the honeysuckle and vine reflect upon the felt in this picture.

And here is the finished piece laid out on my bed. The lined effect is a result of most of the wet felting be done on top of bamboo blinds.

Whilst making this piece I was trying to achieve the effects of natural hand made paper. hand made paper can be so beautiful. I have been very influenced by the beautiful works of T whilst making this rug. T has been musing over curves in nature and prefers all things natural, thus using natural dyes where ever she can. Unfortunately the minimal use of colour in this piece, is not from the use of natural dyes however I have been blackberry picking and my next piece will be!

This rug/blanket weighs approximately 0.7kg (I will have to weigh it again before posting it to the 'Art for Trees' appeal. Approximate width 101.6cm (40"). Approximate length 134.6 cm (53"). I have used a combination of natural Merino wool, Shetland, Gotland and Blue faced Leicester wool in this project. the ragged edges that you ca see in the pictures of this blanket hanging on the line are intentional. I wanted a rippled effect to continue throughout this piece. Nature does not hold too many straight edges. I also wanted to create a fleece style shape as the rug/blanket is 100% wool. The project was predominantly wet felted but I have also used needle felting to reinforce the edges, working with the natural flow and direction that the wool has taken. It is my first attempt at needle felting and I am pleased with needle felting as a medium.

I would like to thank the felting forum for all of the tips and techniques it has genrously shared. I have not always left comments but do read. I am also incredibly thankful for the positive response the needle felting forum has given to the Art for Trees appeal. Please visit the felting forum by clicking on the name and here.