minimalist decor

Doll Face…

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About 8 months ago, I created a set of wet felted nesting dolls; minimal, modern, matryoshka. I always knew I wanted to embroider faces on the dolls, but I kept avoiding the project. Embroidery requires an attention to detail and precision, and I am unpracticed in needlecraft. I was worried I’d mess up and ruin the nesting dolls. Avoidance was easier. The time has now come for me to face the uncertainty and discomfort.

Recently I’ve been giving much thought to what I do and how I do it. Unlike an artist who becomes an expert in a certain medium or method, I have always been a dabbler. Certainly, I have built up enough experience (not expertise) in using various materials and tools that I have developed a comfort in making almost anything; much like a multi-lingual person might feel comfortable learning yet another language. But this experience does not preclude me from occasional insecurities and doubts which boil down to the same basic mantra “I am not good enough.”

Which brings me back to the matryoshka. I didn’t feel I was skilled enough to add the faces. I tried to see them as finished in their minimal, faceless state. But that was just avoidance. They needed personality and detail. So I thought about those times when I feel successful working with unfamiliar materials or methods. And it occurred to me that the key is to “pay attention.” Amazing things can happen when you give all of your attention to one thing; focus in and let all else fall away. The skill you thought you lacked may blossom when you spend the time to look and act with care. So I took the blank felt dolls off the shelf and researched embroidery stitches on the internet. With a pencil, I lightly sketched the faces on each doll, and then just started stitching; slowly, carefully, trying to keep stitches as even as possible. And by simply allowing myself the time and space to pay attention to my work, I was able to create personalities for the matryoshka.

I encourage anyone who feels “I’m not creative” to think about those times when you make the time and space to pay attention. Our best creative thinking and doing occur at those times. I posit that creativity is less about the skill and more about the attention. My own making is proof of that.

 

Minimalist decor for the modern home…

| plyders

This set of handmade trivets was wet felted from a blend of natural merino and alpaca wool roving. 1/8” thick mats were cut into 10” and 8” squares. The remnant cut edges were then needle felted onto the squares to create a minimal vertical appliqué. Aside from the functional (and obvious) use as a trivet, I can imagine a whole wall covered in a grid of these minimalist felted squares. Like warm, textural wallpaper. Or more simply, they could be applied to a square piece of homosote and used as a pin-up board. I could also sew them into a quilt or create six quilted panels that are then sewn into a modern cube pouf. Lots of ideas and probably not enough time or focus for me to realize all of them.

Minimal, Modern, Matryoshka

| plyders

I love nesting dolls. I have several versions of them as toys, decoration, and even measuring cups. So in my experiments with felting, I decided to try to create a version of nesting dolls. I used a set of plastic ones as a form. Many attempts failed as I found it hard to keep the thickness of the wool roving consistent in the wet felting process. Needle felting a hollow shape proved challenging too. But I persisted and was able to create this set of four dolls using a combination of wet felting and needle felting. I need to add some sort of reinforcement or fabric stiffener so the top and bottom actually securely connect and close. But I am a bit burned out by the struggle to get to this point, and I am a bit afraid to screw them up. Sometimes my experiments develop into a finished product, but often they are left unfinished and placed on a high shelf or tucked away in a box marking one more moment along my creative journey.

Folding spheres from paper…

Image | | plyders

As I focus on making things with my two current favorite materials – paper and felt – I am revisiting some craft books I’ve had in my library for years. Extreme Origami by Kunihiko Kasahara includes instructions for weaving various spheres from strips of paper. One of the simpler spheres is made using four strips and a weaving technique that is similar to braiding with four strands. These small paper spheres can be scaled up to become ornaments or bowl fillers, or strung together in their miniature form to be used as garland or as part of a mobile.