I have always been passionate about color and design. These elements are alive in me every day -- it's what makes me happy. The creation of these scarves provides me with the means to use my passion to create something beautiful for others.
The scarves shown here are produced by hand through a process called nuno felting. Nuno is a relatively new felting process invented by Polly Stirling and Sachiko Kotaka in 1994. It produces an elegant fabric that is lightweight and drapes well. While there are many options in making a nuno felted item, here I use a very sheer silk, habotai or chiffon, less than 5 mm (momme, describes the density of the weave) or silk gauze, a very fine lustrous silk like butterfly wings. I also use super-fine merino wool fibers, 14 to 18.5 microns. When I wet the wool with cool soapy water, it opens up, much like a pinecone. The little wool fibers can migrate through the weave of the sheer fabric, wriggling through the silk during the felting process. Once the fibers are through the silk, I agitate the fabric which closes the “pinecone” and secures the wool to the silk.
Through this process, the silk and the wool shrink in different ways. The beauty of nuno lies in many elements. There are lovely textural effects that result when the wool grabs the silk so that it puckers. Different silk densities react differently, creating unique textures. When the wool migrates through the fabric, the unexpected play of color is always a surprise. The magic of nuno felting is the unlimited opportunity to create a beautiful and unique fabric with elements of composition, color, and texture and embellishments that make it into art. The result is a luxurious scarf that is luscious to feel, beautiful to look at and which enhances everything you wear.
