For some reason – don’t ask me why – I’ve recently developed
a mad urge to design masks, especially extreme types like fantasy animals and
extravagant Venetian Carnival masks. But there isn’t a lot of point in
designing something if you can’t make it, so I’ve been looking into various
ways of making embroidered masks. First, I sketched a quick and simple design, digitised it and stitched it out
A simple mask design stitched on felt
Felt seemed a good material to
use, as it’s thick and robust, and should be a little bit stretchable.
However it’s too floppy to use as it comes, so I needed some way of hardening
it. I had intended to use a dilute solution of PVA glue, but I came across a
bottle of fabric stiffener in my stores so used that instead
I also bought a cheap polystyrene head from e-bay for a
couple of pounds. I think it‘s supposed to be used as a hat or wig stand, but
it was just what I needed to mould the mask on. After soaking the cut-out
embroidered felt mask in fabric stiffener and protecting the polystyrene face
with plastic film, I placed the mask on the head and moulded it to shape. The
felt stretched and compressed very well, and I held it in place with pins while
the fabric dried
The fabric mask, soaked in fabric stiffener and pinned in place on the polystyrene head
And here’s the finished mask, dried and ready to be further decorated
with paint, feathers, sequins or whatever you like
Isobel tried it on even before it was decorated and it fitted perfectly
I am very pleased with the
method and will start extending the technique a bit. I want to try painting the
fabric before it’s embroidered, and also use some applique in the design. To my
surprise the raw edges of the felt looked pretty good just as they were, but
I’d also like to try stitching masks on a soluble stabiliser so I can define
the edges with a finishing stitch
Finally I need to solve the problem of noses. The felt is
very flexible and easy to shape, especially when it’s wet, but I don’t think I
could stretch it far enough to make into a long nose. I’ll have to stitch or
glue in a separate piece, and will need to work out how to disguise the join