Filc Alki / Felt by Alice

Alicja Piotrowska, Artist/Designer

PCC: Tell us a little about yourself please.

Black & Red Top Hat

FA: My name is Alicja Piotrowska and I live with my family and four cats in beautiful old town Toruń in Poland. For many years my job was make photography for the local daily newspaper and I liked it very much. But I lost my job like many people in Poland.
Then by coincidence I discovered a new passion - felting! By mistake I felted my lovely wool sweater and it was like a revelation. Felted wool is a wonderful material from which you can do everything - flowers, hats, scarves, clothes, boots, toys, carpets and even houses (see Mongolian yurts)! 

PCC: What is your process?

Nuno Leaf Scarf

FA: Felting is the oldest method to obtain strong, warm material.
I learned felting art myself by using the Internet and looking over the work of the masters. Through years of experiments with wool I worked out my own technique and unique style. Especially I love to create original fancy sculptural hats and colorful scarves inspired by nature. The basic material is the Australian merino wool and silk, but I like to experiment with unusual additions like Polish linen, bamboo fiber, and even the hair of other animals like dogs and cats. Often I reach for recycled materials with beautiful structures and colors. All my designs are one of a kind, I do not like to repeat patterns. In felting process I use only hot water and Polish natural gray soap.
It gives me great joy when my customers are enthusiastic about my products! I want my designs to bring people the same joy I have when I create it.

FCC: What inspires you? 
FA: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. It was my first book reading myself. And I'm Alice and Mad Hatter at once :)
Another passion are my four cats. I'm crazy cat lady too. I have three black cats and one black and white. They love wool too. Sometimes I make cats toys for them.
I enjoy spending free time with my family. I have two children, 32 years old son Mikołaj who works on the renovation of monuments in our beautiful medieval town, and 17 years daughter Ida who is student of artistic school. I also love spending time with good literature, and I like to listen to very different music - I like both folk rhythms, blues, classical music or hard rock and metal sound. I love to work with music.

Sometimes I do with my friends photographic walks with camera around our beautiful and unique city. We have many interesting exhibitions with our photography.
I love a trip to the village and to the forest too, close encounters with nature.
Everything could be inspiration for my work!



PCC: How do we find you? 
Links:etsy : www.etsy.com/shop/filcAlki
blog: www.filcalki.wordpress.com
facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/FilcAlki/148687825236064
pinterest : www.pinterest.com/filcalki/filcalki/

More designs from Filc Alki that we love:

Carnival Hat

Pastel Top Hat

Pastel Top Hat

Pastel Top Hat (Back and Top)

Purple Flower Hat

Black and Red Fancy Hat

Clever Jay Puppet

Orange Vest

Orange Muff and Hat

Pink and Blue Mittens

Elvish Hat

Orange and Yellow Mittens

Cloche Hat

And more photography from Alicja Piotrowska that we just have to share!!!

All images and designs are the sole property of Alicja Piotrowska and may not be copied.