Needle Felting With Cotton

 Lavender Fields, cotton, 5.75" x 9"

 

Blog 34


Cotton is the latest vegan fibre I used to create a felted landscape painting. It is the most widely used natural fibre. Do you see the fluffy balls of shrub in front of you when you think of cotton or your favourite shirt? 

 

 

Cotton Tops

To have a variety of colours available, I ordered the Fibre Garden Paint Box again. The fibres I worked with had a staple length of about 2 inches. The cotton tops were less shiny than the viscose and ramie fibres but very soft. At first, I wanted to create an iris image, but then I found a photo from a trip to the Kamouraska region. I replaced the dark aubergine peet moos fields with lavender fields. Due to the limited colours, I needed to blend the fibres because the blue was too intense, and I did not have any green.

Fibre close-up 

The combed fibres were all going in the same parallel direction. When I started laying the cotton onto the felt piece, the strands were easily visible and did not felt well. I used my dog slicker brushes to blend and agitate the fibres. After brushing the fibres in different directions, they started matting, helping with the felting process. 

Blocked in colours

I was surprised that my nose started itching not long after I started the project. I assume that the short cotton fibres which absorb humidity got stuck on my fingers. When I touched my nose, it created the same sensation that you feel after a haircut. Once the fibres had bonded with the felted backing, I did not have any more problems. Maybe, I was also more careful not to touch my face anymore.


I did not enjoy the feel of the cotton for felting. The fibres felt cool to the touch and dry on my skin. If I had to pick a vegan one so far, I would use the viscose as a wool substitute. However, if you like to dye your fibres, the natural white cotton works well due to its absorbency. 

 

This blog is my last regular one for the year. In two weeks, I start with my traditional Advent Calendar of 2021 artworks.