Rebecca Ries-Montgomery, Eugene Weavers Guild, Eugene, OR
Winner: Best Garment made of Felted Fabric, sponsored by ANWG 2025
Name/Description: Botanically Printed Indigo Vest
Made For?: Woman
Size: M
Fabric Construction: Felted
Fabric Construction – Other:
Woven Structure:
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Special Treatments: Fabric is laminated or nuno felt created by felting white merino/silk top fiber onto silk gauze fabric. It was indigo dyed prior to the botanical printing. Colors other than indigo resulted from the transfer of color when dye blankets (cochineal and weld) and color modifying blankets (iron, titanium oxalate) were layered with the plants.
Textile Finishing:
Textile Challenges: The challenge with this garment was working accurately with the shrinkage rate of wool. I needed to calculate the dimensions of a fabric sufficiently large that when felted would be the final measurements for the vest and with a drape neither too stiff or too loose.
Garment Construction: This is vest is simply constructed. Two pieces of lightly laminated felt were basted together and felted to the finished dimensions and drape. The fabric was dyed and printed prior to cutting slits for the armholes. Placement of the slits was based on the collar depth I wanted and the distance between my shoulder blades. The cut edges were felted to seal the edges.
Lining:
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Pattern:
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