I attended a three
day workshop with Pam McGregor last month and made a felt teapot. I have been asked by the group to share the experience.
Pam supplied
a variety of patterns and I choose one which would need a separate handle,
attached from a loop on the spout and on the handle extension piece. Finnish
wool was used as it gives a good structure. It comes in natural white, grey,
black and browns. I decided not to dye the wool in advance as I was afraid it
might begin to felt. I found working with the natural colours for the first
layers very difficult as the whole structure looked so dull. The layers were
done with great precision, making sure to keep them even. The spout and
extension for the handle got fewer layers.
Finally to colour - I decided to leave
the base in the natural shade. I put a band of multi coloured roving around the
centre to give a focal point. My original idea was to use earth browns and
rusts but the greens turned out to be a better choice. The purple at the top seemed to lift the
whole design. At this stage it was hard
to visualise the exact shape and dimensions of the handle and spout and how the
placing of colours would suit.
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Much rubbing and rolling followed. A
balloon was blown up inside for shaping and we used a variety of tools to add
friction. I still had made no decision
about a handle but using cane or wood didn’t really appeal. So I made a long
roll and attached it to the handle piece, thinking I would attach it to the
loop on the spout. But the final design
evolved and the needle felted stopper is now at the end of the handle.
Pam taught us
how to make fitted stoppers so I did make one for the learning experience. It
now awaits its own teapot!
Kay McKenna
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