What Is an Expert? 100 Felted Flowers (and some with tech) #WearableWednesday #wearabletech #art #DIY

When you think of a felt flower, a simple design that you made in grade school probably pops into your head. However, for Geri Forkner, textile artist, there is a lot of meaning in creating many versions of something simple. I’ve been following her work ever since we enjoyed a workshop with Leah Buechley to learn about soft circuits. Geri has perfected the flower, and it actually is the foundation for her latest show Making Multiples: The Journey to Becoming an Expert at Rangsit University, Thailand.

I set out to make 100 wet felted flowers while contemplating production work and how one becomes an expert. During the three and a half days it took to make the flowers, I concentrated on the process and the idea of variations on a theme. In the end, one hundred seemed just the starting place in a journey toward becoming an expert on the simple task of making felt flowers.

As part of her show, she also offered a workshop for students. At first glance a table looks as though a storm brought a flurry of petals, but this is the art of felting, with colors so rich and fuzzy that you might imagine the smell of lilies. With a simple LED and battery, the flowers are transformed into illuminated beauties that students have fun assembling.

Check it out!

Geri’s exploration with flowers is a great reminder that in teaching it is good to keep the number of new techniques to a minimum. I think that is why this project is so successful for STEAM. The felting and simple circuit are great starting points for youth to explore art and tech, and there’s also the joy in making. If you are a teacher and would like to explore using LED sequins for flowers, take a look at our tutorial for this bouquet. It’s always the right time to give flowers.


Flora breadboard is Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!


Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Join over 38,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org


New Products – Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! — New Products 11/15/2024 Featuring Adafruit bq25185 USB / DC / Solar Charger with 3.3V Buck Board! (Video)

Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: A New Arduino MicroPython Package Manager, How-Tos and Much More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi

EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey

Adafruit IoT Monthly — The 2024 Recap Issue!

Maker Business – Adafruit Daily — Apple to build another chip at TSMC Arizona

Electronics – Adafruit Daily — SMT Tip – Stop moving around!

Get the only spam-free daily newsletter about wearables, running a "maker business", electronic tips and more! Subscribe at AdafruitDaily.com !


No Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.