I have always wanted to try nuno felting, which is a method of bonding a loose fibre, usually wool, into sheer fabric such as silk gauze, creating beautiful soft and lightweight felt. I did a course at Fibreswest with Nancy Ballesteros, where we learned all the techniques of laying out silk hankies, silk gauze and wool in the shape we wanted. I managed to produce this tunic which I have worn quite a bit on my holiday.
The basic colours are red, black and grey and the tunic goes with everything and moves from day to night quite seamlessly. I wore it to Bristol, where we walked from the wharf to the Clifton Suspension Bridge. What a view!
The view over the Avon Gorge is also pretty nice. I had a little frill of silk gauze left after I had laid out the silk hankies and wool and which I had originally intended to cut off, but I left it as I felt that the tunic was a bit short. I am quite pleased with the effect.
I had never heard of silk hankies before I did this course. They are actually produced from a silk cocoon and are made up of one continuous gossamer thread. The cocoons are softened by simmering in a solution of water, soda ash and synthapol. When the cocoon has softened it is pulled out and stretched over a frame to dry. The hankies are made up of many very fine layers and they can be separated into 3 or 4 layer sections for felting. I couldn’t find my photos from the workshop, so this photo of a silk hanky is from the Treetops Colour website.
It would appear easy to lay out the hankies into a neat geometric pattern, but I struggled a bit to make the squares even and regular, so I gave up! I laid the red ones out as best I could and filled in the gaps with the other colours. I am quite fond of my results. Here I am admiring the Cabot Tower in Bristol. We went to the very top, which had amazing views of the city, but they didn’t photograph well.
You might notice that I have a bit of a ’20s vibe going on in the hem department. My silk wasn’t quite wide enough at the bottom, so I used the pieces of fabric cut from the armholes and neck to widen it. I left the extra length resulting in that asymmetrical look at the sides. Here I am enjoying the antics of a squirrel.
The two sides of the tunic are sewn up with strips of silk chiffon, giving a really nice effect. The hem is supposed to be rolled, but I couldn’t get it to sit right, so I folded it and sewed it with silk embroidery thread, which worked well.
I also wore the tunic to the top of British Camp in Malvern. It was windy and pretty cold, but I braved it all for you, dear reader! The view from the top is pretty wonderful. British Camp is an Iron Age Hill Fort in the Malvern Hills, quite close to my sister’s house. There is a plaque suggesting that it was constructed in the 2nd century BC. I hiked to the top in dress boots and my tunic, watched by proper walkers in their boots with hiking poles and dogs. I felt seriously over dressed!
I wore it several times in the evening, here at Ottolenghi in Islington, where we went for a farewell dinner with Mark’s daughter, Tessa,
and to the amazing Royal Albert Hall, when we attended the Salvation Army Celebrating Christmas concert.
I really like this top, and although it is far from perfect, it has really given me a yearning to make more nuno felted clothes.
What a fabulous top Sue! I really love the natural shades and the slightly cloudy look of the background, with red squares laid across. Beautiful work!!
Thank you Carolyn, I am pleased to have learned the technique. Now I must do more!
This looks gorgeous. The colours worked so well and it’s great that you have already got so much wear out of it.
It is exactly what I wanted Megan!
There’s beauty in imperfection. This top looks great. All the colours and the shape are a good match. Well done Sue.
Your new top sounds divine, the colours and the use is the silk is so interesting and the fact that it goes from hill hikes (thank you) to Albert Hall just shows its flexibility.
What an interesting garment! I would love to inspect it up close!
Yes, it needs to be fondled!
It looks warm, comfortable and dressy! Lovely work!
Thank you Linda, I think it ticks all those boxes too!
This is a very unique tunic and it looks amazing. Love the colours. Sounds like a very interesting process to create.
Thank you Jean, it is like a bit of magic!
Your tunic looks very 20’s chic. I am also enjoying your tour photos of the UK!
Thank you Caroline, I do love a bit of 1920s chic, so am thrilled you said this!
What a beautiful tunic! It is indeed a gorgeous hiking top and the pic at Malvern Hills is so beautiful! The tunic looks very good at a dinner and even at Royal Albert Hall, too! I didn’t realize first it was sewn at silk. This is an interesting method. I like the plain silk at the hem!
Thank you, it is so versatile, and I really love it.
Your photos are so beautiful and so is the top!! I have done felting on a silk scarf, but never to make a garment- another addition to my to do list! You really are having a wonderful adventure!
Yes, thank you, we had such a good time. If you can felt onto a silk scarf, you can make a tunic. Just expand your pattern by about 160% and get felting!
Uhh fektibg, that sounds interesting and I really like the result. Tge imperfectness makes the tunic even more interesting and fun to look at! Also: thank you for sharing those pictures.
Thank you, I think it is quite an interesting top.
Love, love, love your pictures showing your gorgeous tunic (and you!) in ‘action’!!! You look quite at home whether on a hike or in a theatre. 🙂
What an astonishingly versatile (and beautiful!) garment. It’s an absolute treasure for your travel wardrobe 😃
Yes, it’s perfect for travel – doesn’t crease, goes with everything and accommodates big dinners!!
Lovely top – I think it’s all the more interesting for having the extension.
I hadn’t known about nuno felting before – sounds very interesting & I like the results very much
Thank you Norma, if you ever have the opportunity to learn to do nuno felting, do it, it’s like magic!
That’s such a special piece and it suits you very well!
Thank you so much! I shall wear this one forever.
What an amazing experiment! I think it turned out beautifully — I really like pattern you laid out, and the asymmetrical hem is great! 🙂
Thank you Alli, I’m quite pleased with it 🙂
Fabulous tunic! I had some friends who had a class with that same lady, and were truly inspired to make some fabulous things, but I think they were using scarves rather than hankies. I would,think the hankies would work better. (They are fun to spin, too, which is all I have ever done with them.)
Ooh, it would be nice to spin a hankie, except I am hopeless at spinning 🙂