The template technique is one I used frequently in my master's thesis work, although I had begun producing felted ball gowns before that time. I first conceptualize and design garments on paper. The production of the gowns is always a challenge in more ways then one: felting is hard physical work and the process entails considerable shrinkage. Two-dimensional pieces also have to be produced and joined to create a three-dimensional gown.

From previous felt-making experience, I know that shrinkage has to be considered carefully as it is a necessary part of the felting process. As a result, I have devised a precise system to create two-dimensional patterns that take shrinkage into account. Specific measurements are usually taken from a live model, in most cases my wife, Jessica Horst. In the case of long strapless gowns such as AFLAME, I measure the circumference of the torso from the bust level at the underarm every half inch to the hip level. The gown produced will be tube-liked and, because it gets laced at the center back for more definition, the part that will be compressed as the gown gets laced also must added into the circumference measurements. In this case, four inches are added for every twelve inches measured to allow for shrinkage and closure style. Thus the pattern pieces are made 33% larger than the finished garment.

The basic pattern parts of AFLAME eventually were made into a tube-like structure. However, they first were produced as a front part to which a back was added. Unconventionally, both the front and back patterns are identical. As a result, one single pattern piece was created. This piece is made of water-resistant plastic sheeting so that wool fibers can be placed directly on its surface, wetted and soaped without destroying the pattern. The sheet is usually folded in two: the fold represents the vertical center of the pattern piece. To create the pattern piece that will be produced twice (once for the front, once for the back), it is more accurate to transfer measurements that represent a quarter of the body to the folded sheet. This way the pattern is symmetrical once unfolded. As a result, the enlarged measurements obtained earlier are divided in four and marked perpendicular to the fold. Starting at the top of the folded sheet mark half inch increments to correspond to the way the body was first measured. The marks are then connected to create the side seam. Below the hips, an outward curve is drawn to create a fuller skirt portion. In this manner, a quarter of the body will be traced on the folded sheet: once cut, a half body will emerge when the pattern is unfolded. Two such patterns will represent a complete body.

Carded wool fibers need to be dyed before the felting can occur. I like to use raw Falkland wool because the fibers are very fine and long (over four inches). The wool is usually sold in sixteen or twenty-seven pound cones (also called balls). Strands of wool fibers are loosely twisted together to create a continuous wrist-size roll called roving that is wound on a base to create a cone. Lengths of roving are dipped in different dye baths and hung to dry. Because wool is made up of keratin fibers covered with minute scales, any liquid tends to slide easily on the surface and this allows the rovings to dry quickly.

After this initial stage, the wool fibers must undergo some additional form of agitation to create a more compact felted fabric. To do so, I often use electric palm sanders. These sanders are positioned above the screen and activated. The vibrations provide the necessary agitation to felt the wool almost completely. Of the six inches of fibers applied beyond the boundaries of the pattern, about three inches are left unfelted and extend beyond the pattern after the palm sanders have been used. That three inch section can be felted to other pattern pieces in the future. Once the cloth becomes more compact, the screens are removed and the sanders are placed directly on the wool to continue the felting process. When wool fibers cannot be pulled away by pinching, I know the cloth is very close to being completely felted. If pieces must be grafted to the base, such as the colored "flames" in AFLAME, this must happen before the cloth reaches this stage. One end of the flame must still have unfelted wool fibers that must be put in contact with the base cloth in the agitation process. Because the other end of the flame has been completely felted, that portion will not get fused to the base cloth even if water, soap and agitation occur. The order in which the gown is felted is important. In AFLAME, the grafted parts must be added to the hem first and the base cloth felted from the lower to the upper portions.

This process produces a cloth that is approximately eighty percent felted. To complete the felting process, other pattern pieces must be finished and all parts must be assembled. In the case of AFLAME, the back of the gown must be created using the same pattern. The pattern becomes accessible when the felted front part is flipped over. The nearly felted front becomes the base on which the plastic pattern lies. At this point the three inches of wool fibers that were left unfelted along the edges are folded over the pattern. The wool fibers are again placed on the pattern in three layers, but no additional fibers extend beyond the pattern's borders. The screen is placed above the layers, the water and soap applied and the agitation begins. Grafted pieces are added to the back before the felting gets to eighty percent complete. Finally, the plastic template is removed from the inside of the gown and the soap is rinsed out completely. Once the water is drained, cotton sheets are placed inside, and outside the gown and pinned at intervals to the cloth. This prohibits any two wool surfaces from being in contact with one another when the gown is put in a dryer. The heat and agitation that dry the piece will completely finish the felting process. After this point, the cloth can no longer adhere to other wool fibers.

Upon removal from the dryer the safety pins and sheets are removed and the gown is inspected for any unwanted felted spots, such as creases or folds. If any such creases occurred, the felt is pulled apart until the crease no longer exists. The gown is placed on a model and the closing system is engineered. In AFLAME, two equal vertical folds were pinched up the center back of the bodice to create pleats. In earlier projects, grommets were inserted into the folds and felted ropes were laced though the grommets to allow a snug fit. In other projects pre-felted ties are grafted to the folds during the agitation process to omit grommets.

Due to the many layers of wool used in this technique, the gowns were often heavy and warm. The thickness of the cloth also inhibited walking and made the garment difficult to adjust to the size of the wearer. As a result, most of the gowns designed in this way were more interesting as sculptural objects.

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APPENDIX B
Bubble Wrap Technique
Examples: China Water, Symbiosis, Cocoons, Bones.

APPENDIX C
Mixed Media
Examples: Net, Bones.

I have experimented with various means of integrating different elements on the surface and within the layers of felted cloth. In most cases, the first layer I use as a base is pre-felted at about 20% of its capacity before spheres, bones or other elements are placed on top. The final layer is usually a series of hand carded fibers placed directly on top of these elements. All the layers are felted using the bubble wrap technique.

In one of my first gowns, I attempted to integrate a net on to the structure of a gown which was later called NET. I first created a gown of undyed Falkland wool which I sprayed randomly with blue dye. This stained the gown only lightly as the proper chemical and dye bath processes were not used. The gown was than put in the drier for a very short period of time to get all the moisture out of it. Afterwards, I constructed a net made of jute twine that echoed the shape of the gown. The net was positioned on the partially-felted garment and the two layers were felted together with palm sanders. The fibers of the net meshed with the wool and, as a result, the netting stayed in place with no need for sewing. After this successful experiment, I tested other types of materials, such as small plastic shapes, copper tubing, and bones.

I attempted to structurally integrate different materials and objects into a wool surface in a way that allowed the objects to remain visible. Because many of these elements were not fibrous, I knew this would be difficult. The organic plastic shapes, made of colored Styrofoam cut and baked to deform and shrink, were first used in a series of samples. Trying to felt the objects into the wool was problematic as Styrofoam resisted this integration. As a result, I resorted to connecting the shapes to the dress with wires. Copper tubing was also too smooth to be felted to the wool. Due to the knowledge gained in previous experiments, a gown was successfully created in two parts. In this piece called COPPER, long tubes of copper were bent into a particular linear configuration and held against the gown with a felted belt.

One of the most successful experiments was BONES, a wrapped gown made of undyed Falkland wool with 1800 chicken bones integrated into the fabric. It was created using the bubble wrap technique, and is one very large panel measuring fifteen feet in length. Two layers of carded wool were laid on the bubble wrap and the bones were carefully placed on top of these layers. Adequate space had to be left between the bones to allow for the shrinkage of the cloth so that when the panel was felted, the wool would shrink around the bones. To ensure that the bones stayed in place, a third extremely thin layer of wool fibers was laid vertically on top of the bones. BONES was a success mainly because of the shape and texture of the bones and their alignment.

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APPENDIX D
Combination Pieces & Irregular Techniques
Examples: Moss, Germanica, Monarch, Anemones, Autumn, and Tempest

Many gowns were created using a combination of techniques. Garments such as AUTUMN had a bodice portion created with the template technique while the train was made in segments that were grafted to each other rather than to a base. Each panel of AUTUMN's train was constructed of randomly shaped individual petals that were felted together to create a single entity. The petals were constructed with the bubble wrap technique. This pre-felting technique ensures that the wool felts enough to hold the desired shape, but can easily be separated if processed too much. Careful calculations ensured that the pieces were laid to form the desired skirt structure, while maintaining a suitable fit.

TEMPEST used the template technique in a different way. While other garments required thin wisps of wool pulled from rovings to be laid in layers, this gown made use of entire rovings that were swirled together across the pattern field and felted afterwards.

I like to experiment with different techniques that I modify and improve with time. New hybrid techniques always seem to emerge and the resulting work often surprises me. I like to experiment with my medium and with techniques which allow me to become more efficient and to expand my creative horizons.

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