CARMEN DRAGHICI

Since I was a child making things by hand attracted me. I always had to use my hands: sewing, drawing... I finally settled on becoming an engineer! Having an analytical mind does not exclude imagination, nor does chasing after butterflies, yet it helps in building 3D images in your mind. Felting is my most recent passion. It was simply love at first sight. I would define myself as a self-taught person. Each and every technique I apply has been rigorously experimented until the achievement of the wanted effect. I love wool as it is such a forgiving material. Even a mistake can turn into a gorgeous and unexpected effect. Felting art is a domain in which you always have something new to learn, the limit being the sky.

Q&A

Artist Statement

My mission is to create felted wearable art so that each and every item created by my hand to help people find their true self .

What craft do you work with?

We met on internet. Love at first sight . 11-12 years by now.Wet felting / nuno felting.

What inspires you to work with this craft?

The wool is the most forgiving material. Even when you make a mistake it can be turned into something beautiful. It matters because allows the creation free of boundaries. Wool fibers, viscose, bamboo fibers, and anything else which can felted in wool or enclosed in wool felt (pebbles for instance).

How do you start your creative process?

1. Laying out the fibers, creating the pattern and the shape. Most enjoyable, here the ideas can fly freely.

2. Adding the soap and water and rubbing. Easy but boring.

3. Rolling (felting) , hours of rolling . Exhausting and boring but absolutely necessary. 🙂

4. Fulling , shrinking the piece to the desired dimension .

How would you best describe your workspace and what tools could you not do without?

It is a messy place , sometimes (occasionally ) tidy .I really need my big table (actually 3 of them ) . The rest of tools can be improvised in felting, but I appreciate my wash palm and my roller.

Are there new techniques you would like to try?

In felting? Almost everyday I learn something new. Always willing to learn something new!

What have you learnt or the best advice you have received that you would like to share with fellow crafters?

The best advise would be that wool can not be rushed to felt. Any type of craft is exciting for me. I tried a lot until now: painting, sewing, embroidery, stain glass, clay..My dream is to have a brand.