Christie Peters is a self-taught fibre artist who has been using water felting for the past 16 years. Margaret Jane Design is her brand and the names that compose it are those of her mother and grandmother who represent the first authentic artisans in her life. She is infinitely fascinated by the multitude of ways in which wool can be transformed and she is always dreaming up new projects.
She takes inspiration from all the colours, shapes, and shadows of Nature and is always fascinated by observing the curve of a leaf or the sparkle of sunlight. She spent part of her twenties studying as a contemporary dancer and adores the physical demands of large water felt creations.
Her dream is to one day create a large-scale interactive installation that can transform both the space it is in and the viewer. Christie lives with her family in the heart of Canada, in a city called Winnipeg and where it is almost always wool season. In fact, she and her family always find tufts of wool wandering around the house or stuck to their socks!
Christie has created her iconic Biggie cosy scarf, perfect even for cooler summer evenings, and a colourful wall hanging. Both with our extra fine merino wool. Let's hear from her what it was like to work with this product.
I made this scarf by felting two alternating blocks of wool onto a light cotton fabric. It was designed to be super cosy and protect from even the coldest winds. The fabric base gives a nice drape and pleasing texture. The wool was very soft and light when laid out and, after being felted, it gained a strength and texture that truly amazed me!
First, I felted some of the coloured details, what I call wool shavings, onto a soft layer of wool then I joined the pieces together, so they were in complete harmony. I adore making these wall hangings, it's like working on a puzzle. For this piece, I was inspired by the swirl of colours and emotions I sometimes see and feel at night.
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