I could not publish this picture before Christmas because Ethan made this as a gift for his parents, but I can share this now. Ethan finished his first machine felted landscape last month. He was six years old. He had asked repeatedly, always very politely, to be taught how to use "that machine" (always accompanied by a nod in the direction of the Embellisher), and finally, in October I listened to him explain his plan for how he would learn. He had worked out a formula for learning! The lovely part of working with Ethan is that he never forgets anything. I think of his animal symbol as the elephant. He is shown something once, and that becomes The Way.
We began to talk about felt tops and how the fibers interlock, how a felting needle is different from a sewing needle, then decided on a six inch square for our layout. I cut out a piece of dyed scrim for him and as he began reaching for his favorite colors I was reminded of James Taylor singing, "Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose." After making his choices of color and placement, I sat beside him, heart in throat, as he began to apply pressure to the foot pedal and use those small fingers to move through the felting process. He had watched me do this for several years, and I suppose, with that incredible memory of his, he had been storing up information for this moment. In all the time we spent on this, he did not break a needle-- which is a much better track record than my own!
Next, to add little chopped bits of wool thread for grass, some shaping of the tree and ponds, and after that the stitches. Not any blue would do on the pond-- it had to be shiny silk, "to reflect the light," he explained very patiently. He chose sari silk metallic thread and bright green crewel wool for the tree foliage, with little bits of the green blowing across the soft wool base.
We worked on this in stages for several weeks. On the days he stayed with us after school, he would have his snack, do his homework and then we would come to the studio until Julie came to pick them up. He was very concerned that she not see it, and she so kindly complied with his wishes.
The most heart-melting moment was not to see the little piece finished, however, but to hear him say, "I can't believe I'm really making this piece, Grandma!" The sad part came when I suggested he take it to share with his class when he was finished, but he quickly said no. His mother told me, later, that he was afraid of the other boys making fun of him. How can it be that a first grader can be bullied by his "friends" for his talent and perseverance?
This piece reveals a creative, imaginative side to Ethan that is very unlike the methodical, mathematics-oriented thinking he usually exhibits. He helps Bethy with her third-grade multiplication tables and adds and subtracts faster than she, and he enjoys working out people's ages from the year they were born. So glad he and I had these hours together to make this discovery. Our next felting may be to incorporate wet felting into the process . . . Updates as this happens.
