WOOL SWEATER VASE
I am always exploring new ways to use the wool scraps from the wool sweaters which I have felted. Besides blankets, I create stuffed animals (like the bunny above), scarves, mittens, etc. But I wanted to make a vase out of wool sweaters - yeah, that's right, a vase. So I selected a gourd which I had grown in my garden this year. We had a very hot and dry Summer and my gourds dried in record time (It usually takes a good 9 months to a year.) I selected a gourd that had a nice even shape to it.
I cleaned the gourd by scrubbing the mold that grows on it. I used a razor blade scraper and warm water.
Then, my son hack sawed the top of the gourd off in a fairly straight line at the thickness of the neck. I shook out most of the seeds.
The inside of the gourd has a lot of pith in it and you have to reach in and pull it out with tweezers or scrape it out with tools, etc. I used several things and continued to shake out the seeds.
I then sanded the top of the opening.
I am saving the seeds for the garden this Summer. The seeds look like they come from another planet.
I forgot to take photos of how I started but I began cutting squares and triangles of wool pieces and taped them temporarily onto the gourd. I basted the pieces together as I went and removed the tape as I went along. I decided on ivory as my color.
Then, I used various embroidery stitches in various hues of green to sew the pieces together. The stitches resemble those used in crazy quilting.
I used sweater ribbing around the top neck of the gourd and pulled that together across the top opening.
I stitched a ring of wool to the bottom of the rounded surface to help the gourd vase stand up straight.
The finished wool sweater covered gourd vase is now ready to hold dried flowers or stand alone as a unique sculpture. Small rocks or pebbles can be placed inside as a ballast so the gourd will not tip over.
Comments
Post a Comment