Laurence Aguerre is a fibre artist known for her delicate sculptures. I first met her and her candy floss like flowers back in 2016. I came across her almost by chance whilst browsing the web. Her needle felt creations caught my eye straight away and I just had to ask her for an interview to find out more. So that was the first step then I decided to try my luck and ask her to do a tutorial to show our readers how she makes super light, fairytale like flowers blossom from her hands. To my delight she said yes! Thanks to her kindness, you too can have a go at making these really unique delicate sculptures.
Laurence loves the needle felting technique mostly because it allows you to: work on the detail of the object to be made with extreme precision and use the fibres like oil colours, just as if the needle was a paint brush.
Before scrolling down to the tutorial on how to make a needle felt flower, here’s Laurence’s thoughts on what a creation is, in her own words.
Thanks Laurence! I absolutely love this tutorial and I’m sure our friends will too.
"I believe that a successful creation is the result of an idea + a technic + a beautiful and appropriate material. If one of the 3 ingredients is not right, then the project will not be successful. I spend a lot of time searching and selecting my materials. This is an important part of my creating process. I love and enjoy working with DHG materials because of the high quality and diversity of their fibers. Then the range colour they offer is so amazing, so subtle, that it is impossible not to find the right shade you are looking for. Mix and play with the fibers and colours and above all, enjoy this creating time!"
MATERIALS
Extrafine merino wool: col. Natural White, Powder, Eyeshadow, Chlorophyll (10 g each)
Carded extra merino wool: col. Caipirinha (a tuft)
Carded Maori wool: col. Powder (a tuft)
Sari silk waste: col. Shell, Natural White, Caipirinha (a tuft)
Copper yarn 0,2 mm – 80 cm
15 Glass beads 2 mm
Coated wire 1 mm – 30 cm for each stem
Felting needle
Pads
Hot water
Soap
METHOD
Prepare 4 layers of natural white extra fine merino wool of about 15cm, crossing the direction of the fibers each time.
Place on a foam board. Felt the entire prepared surface with the needles. Then turn over the felted piece, and prick the over side. Turn over several times until you achieve a good thickness (between 1 and 2 mm).
Manipulate the felted piece in your hands. Beat it until all the holes of the needles disappear and until all the fibers are flattened.
Place the template of the petal on the felted piece and draw around it with a piece of chalk three times.
In each petal, add a splash of powder carded maori wool. Needle felt.
Then add a splash of Sari silk waste col. shell. Needle felt.
Finally add a splash of caipirinha carded extra merino wool at the bottom of the petal. Needle felt.
Working with splashes of carded wool enables you to make each petal lightly and subtly different, like it is in the real nature.
Cut the three petals accordingly to the pattern.
Shape the petals: grasp the centre of the petal with both your thumbs and index fingers. Press your thumbs against the felt while gently stretching outwards, so that the petal forms a concave shape.
Place the petals on top of each other overlapping them slightly. Needle felt the bottom of the three petals so that they are tied to each other.
Prepare the pistil by plaiting (braiding) a thin copper yarn and glass beads according to the pattern.
Cut a 30cm piece of coated wire to make the stem.
Place both the pistil and the stem on the bottom of the three petals tied together. Apply a dot of glue. Close the three petals, and needle felt at the bottom of them to finish off the flower. If necessary add a splash of caipirinha carded extra merino wool and needle felt it.
Finalise by shaping the petals between your fingers to your liking.
Buds
Take a 10cm piece of extra fine merino wool. Wrap it around itself and place it in the palm of your left hand. Soak it in a bowl of hot water keeping it squeezed in the palm of your hand. Then gently apply some soap with your right fingers. Roll the felt piece up gently, with your right fingers, until it forms a solid ball.
The aim is not to achieve a perfect ball. A ball with some cracks is just perfect for working a bud ;).
Let it dry.
Take some sari silk waste of similar and contrasting colours. Prick the sari silk waste with the felt needle into a crack of the bud. Prick several points into the crack to attach the fiber but at the same time leaving it to bud very freely.
Cut a 30cm piece of coated wire to make the stem.
Make a hole at the bottom of the bud with a big needle. Place the stem with a dot of glue.
Prepare several buds of similar colours.
Arrange the flower beautifully with the buds. Enjoy the beautiful flower arrangement you have created.
There you have it. Pure poetry.
Special thanks to Yfna for the porcelain vase.
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