Featured Artist: Libby White
Libby transforms wool into felted items that are enchanting and whimsical! Like many artisans, she also dabbles in other fabulous mediums such as roving and batts; sculpted dolls and acrylic paintings. She designs and creates remarkable one-of-a-kind art pieces.
For her woolen pieces, there are a number of steps she follows to prepare the wool and craft her pieces:
1. She starts with wool as it is sheared from the sheep.
2. The wool is thoroughly washed and dried completely.
3. A carder which is a hand run piece of equipment to run all the wool thru, the process gets all the fibers running in one direction.
4. Next she hand dyes the wool and once it’s dry she fully “cards” wool again to make sure the fibers are still running in one direction.
5. Now, the detailed designing begins!
For each piece she creates~ a scarf, vest, purse, hat or shoes, Libby places the carefully prepared wool fibers into the patterns and with very warm soapy water, she gently rubs the wool to artfully intertwine each shade. This process causes the scales on the individual hairs to open and interlock as she continues massage fibers.
Once this step is complete, Libby carefully rolls the piece in bubble wrap and a towel. This bundle is then rolled it back and forth, opening and flipping the wool every 5 minutes or so. When she can pinch the piece and pull it all up without pulling out any fibers, she puts the entire piece in cold water to shock the scales closed and then she tumbles it in the dryer to remove wrinkles. The final step requires shaping and ironing. Then it’s ready to wear!
Libby’s Figurative Art Dolls are a blend of expert techniques including needle sculpting and hand painted features.
Libby enjoys consignment work. To her, these assignments are always fascinating for you are never quite sure what the dyed wool will look like once it has gone through each step of the process.
The North Georgia Highlands Seafood Festival will be an exciting venue for Libby as she will be debuting a brand new line of “Funky Birds” and “Quirky Houses”. These fanciful pieces of wall art are made with acrylics.
Libby White (AKA- The Fiber Felter) will be at the North Georgia Highlands Seafood Festival June 3-5, 2016.
