Stitched together the front, fiber blanket, and the back.
Originally planned to use the edge of the blanket as the border, but thought that the piece needed more. Took a look at my rope supply and now thinking about it. Thought of the possibility of using birch branches as a frame.
Also what is the best method for hanging the piece?
Detail of piece with sisal rope.
Detail of piece with jute rope.
Detail of piece with coconut fiber rope.
Applied a stiffener to the hemp sections–right, left, top, bottom. Then applied another application of the sittener to the entire piece.
The stiffener helps to keep everything in place. It also can change the color, texture, and visual feel of the piece.
Need to find a rust colored yarn to bind the three pieces together. If I can’t find what I want, I will use the last bit of rust colored wool that I have. If it is not enough, I am will use gray wool to finish the piece.
Stitched Border and Filled Background on Fiber
Detail Top and Right Side
Detail Left Side
Detail Bottom
Sticks and Stones Left Border
Border Right Side
Border Bottom
The lighter colored hemp for the background is a nice contrast to the grey color of the stones.
Next comes the border. Something geometrical I should think. Most of the lose ends will be bound into the border.
Then comes binding together the sticks and stones component, the coco fiber, and the additional piece of metal mesh.
The sticks and stones component still has a bit of a bow. Might be a good idea to construct a wood frame and insert it between the coco fiber and the second piece of metal mesh.
Application No Wax Shield
Before I trim off the extra nettle and hemp I need to seal it to prevent the possibility of the knots coming undone. Not likely that could happen, but sometimes even when sticks should be dry they can still dry more. The drying can cause shrinkage and even if the knot is intact the binding might be too lose for the bundle. Using a sealant of sorts can help to keep things in place.
When I am using fiber without the addition of stones I often use liquid starch. I like that the starch does not seems to cause a problem if I add other materials–wax, stain, shellac…
I read about using the no wax floor shield several years back in Carol Huber Cypher’s book, Hand Felted Jewelry and Beads: 25 Artful Designs.
Detail of a portion of Sticks and Stones.
Sample piece with the application of no wax floor shield. It should not change the color of the nettle and hemp while adding a little shine to the sticks and stones. Now I wait.
All of the bunches of sticks and stones are bound.
Next–Fill in some of the open spaces.