St Mary Redcliffe Felted Table Runner

 

 

 

Today, I'm taking a break from my travel blog to write a bit about felting...

..."What is it that you're saying? This is supposed to be a felting blog???" Oooops! Giggle.

Sorry if it's been a bit more travelogue than wool, lately!

Between our vacation, my work schedule, my unfinished studio and a little thing called 'having no electricity for 24 hours due to a storm'...

...I haven't done many felting projects lately.

This table runner was inspired by the lovely ceiling of St. Mary Redcliffe Church in Bristol...

...a beautiful 14th Century Gothic church with a marvelous gilt-edged vaulted ceiling.

This weight of this ceiling is supported by over one thousand bosses...

...which act as functional keystones.

A boss is a small raised carving the size of a spread hand...

...which is used to conceal the join in a vaulted ceiling.

I became so enamored with this design...

...that I had to try to replicate it in felt.

I laid out my design on the surface of a piece of gauzy muslin fabric...

...using orange roving strips for the lines and red roving balls for the bosses.

I covered the surface of the fabric with white wool batts...

...and wetted it all with soapy water.

I used netting to cover everything and used my hands and a felting stone to begin the felting process...

...making sure that special attention was paid to the edges of the piece and the bumpy sections where the balls of wool were.

I felted it for a long time...

...in order to get the muslin to ruche and pucker.

The 'good side' is the muslin side...

...where the design shows through...dimly, as if through a curtain.

 

The photo is of some of my travel spoils...

...clockwise from top left: muslin (used in this project), Cath Kidston fabric,

David Shrigley postcards, Thornton's toffee, a Wallace and Gromit pin,

notecards from the Architecture Centre bookshop,

pearl-headed pins and acrylic buttons (in my colors) from Bath,

a scarf, fuchsia Clarks shoes,

and onion and mango/ginger root chutney.

Fun!!!

Bristol Museums and a Knitting Exhibit!!

Caution: Contents of this post may not be suitable for young children. Giggle.

I'm taking a little break from food...

...in order to share with you the best of the museums that we visited.

You will soon discover that I'm a fiend for them...

...especially modern art (much to my daughters' sorrow). Giggle.

We visited the wonderful Arnolfini...

...where we explored sound and language among other things.

(Ask me about the 'H' pin I now carry!)

The Royal West of England Academy had a curious exhibit called "The Fourth Wall"...

...which provoked questions about headlessness from my daughters!

The Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery was an absolute marvel...

...hosting this amazing collection of New American art...

 

...as well as a permanent collection that is as large and varied as any big city's natural history museum plus art museum rolled into one!!

The most fiber intensive collection, however, and the most whimsical...

...was that currently on display at The Bristol Gallery.

"West Meets West" features pop artist Jann Haworth...

...who reveals the whole of "Art History of the 20th c" in her doughnut work...

 

...and works by Kelly Jenkins done on a knitting machine ...

...which are far and away my favorite textile pieces in the city!

These are wonderful, satirical, and feminist statements on what is generally thought of as merely a 'domestic craft'.

Knit Uncensored replicates a lurid magazine cover...

...and (to paraphrase Kelly's words) uses sex to sell to men as well as women- transforming knitting from a domestic hobby into a naughty but thrilling must have, helping us to laugh with, not at knitting...and elevating its status from mere 'granny craft'.

 

Kelly's piece Knit Chatlines had me doubled over and absolutely crying with laughter.

With lines like, "Naughty Forties-Older Ladies Knit Live From Home"...

..."Steamy Live Needle Action"...

... and "Sexy Local Ladies Fancy Dirty Jumper Talk"...

...the concept of knitting was permanently transformed in my mind.

 

Bristol/Bath Meals Out

 

 

 

 

We were told that we shouldn't miss the Pump Room in Bath...

...for a traditional afternoon cream tea.

It's easy to imagine this very room as the place where young society ladies searched for husbands...

...while married men trolled for mistresses.

The food was very pretty and quite delicious (I loved the crustless watercress and egg salad sandwiches!)...

...but, even factoring in history and atmosphere...

...at 17 pounds per person, there was waaaay too much food, and no sign of the much raved about personal attention by the waitstaff.

In short, if you go to Bath for an afternoon tea...

...visit the Pump Room first for a free look-see, then find a local tearoom with a nice cream tea for approximately 4.5 pounds.

It will be just the right amount of food needed by a peckish traveler (scones, clotted cream, jam and tea)...

...and if it's atmosphere you're after, you can ask one of your party to hum some of the oddly Muzak-like string arrangements played at the Pump Room.

Other recommendations in Bath?

Avoid the Jane Austen Centre at all costs.

Instead of being exceedingly diverted ...

...it was more much ado about nothing.

Do visit the Fashion Museum, however...

...if for nothing else than to try on a corset in your size...

...and make a point to walk along the Royal Crescent (lovely!).

***************************************************************
In Bristol, the girls were anxious to eat BACON.

Now, you may not know that I am a lacto- ovo- vegetarian...

...with intermittent fish-eating lapses.

My children, however, are omnivores (when they eat away from home)...

...and this bothers me not a whit.

Bristol is the kind of place...

...where nearly every restaurant features a bacon sandwich special.

I think the girls ate their quota of the stuff last week...

...in morning bacon sandwiches, traditional English breakfasts and Eggs Benedict.

(Even they couldn't stomach the black pudding, however!)

The other meat-containing dish that they were anxious to try were pasties...

...chicken and veg for one, steak for the other.

Next: Meals eaten at home.

(Wait until you see the photos of our butterfat-filled 'fridge!!!)

Bristol Holiday!

 

 

 

 

My youngest daughters and I just returned from a 10 day trip to Bristol, England...

...what a wonderful city this is, and what a delightful vacation we all had!

Bristol is an 800 year old city with a population roughly that of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (not too big!)...

...full of friendly people, rich in history and culture...

...and possessing a spirit of modern reinvention-exhibited in many new museums, galleries and performance art spaces.

We had the most beautiful weather imaginable...

...not even once requiring our new raincoats or umbrellas!

These photos are just a small glimpse of the variety found in this lovely city...

...from St. Mary Redcliffe church, to famous graffiti art by Banksy...

...to the Clifton Suspension bridge, and a sculpture for Bristol physicist Paul Dirac.

I have much more to show you...

...one fiber-related exhibit, especially (which was incredible!)...

...but there is laundry to be done and bills to be paid.

More later!!

Felting Studio-More Progress

 

 

 

 

In the top photo, you can see my new magnetic wall strip...

...now I'll always know where to find my scissors!

In the second photo...

...you'll notice that I still have my wool in multiple plastic bins.

By photos three and four, I've installed my new wall unit...

...thanks, Suzanne, for the great tip!

The table in the above photos is now 'living' in the basement...

...and my new, larger and higher felting table is in the works!

Banana Snack Bars

 

 

 

 

If you're like me, you sometimes get a little overenthusiastic at the grocery store...

...and wind up with several bananas that are too far gone to eat 'out of hand' by the end of the week.

This recipe uses three whole ripe bananas...

...and makes a large jellyroll pan full of treats!

You may wonder why I have no photograph of said treats...

...but I only just realized, as my college daughter headed back to school with the remaining few, that I never remembered to take any! (Sorry)

Instead, I'm showing you some photographs from a few weeks back...

...of my Spring garden.

Banana Snack Bars

1/2 c butter
2 1/4 c flour
1 c sugar
2 eggs
3 mashed bananas
1/2 c chopped nuts (any kind you like)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix sugar and butter, then add everything else and mix until well blended.

Spread in a greased jelly-roll pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes, until golden brown (you may want to check them at 20 minutes...ovens vary).

Enjoy!!

Flat Felt Mini Purse

 

 

 

 

A dear, long-time friend visited recently...

...a warrior friend (we've been through a lot together over the years!)

It was wonderful to get to spend some time with her...

...and we even got to do some felting!

Since she had never felted before...

...I was gentle with her! Har.

We each made a piece of flat felt...

...with bits and bobs of different felted-in embellishments.

We dragged out my box of pencil-roving and dyed curly locks...

...sari silk, wool yarn, and carded flax.

I had some yellow batts at the ready...

...(extra ones from the yellow clutch project).

We folded them over with the seam meeting in the middle...

...so that the piece maintained its thickness throughout.

After felting, mine didn't look like much...

...but you know how it is with the magic of felt!

A little trimming with a rotary cutter, a seam up each side and some velcro...

...and 'presto chango', it's a purse!

I put velcro both inside the bag itself and on the flap...

...for extra security.

As is often the case with these spur of the moment projects of mine...

...I made it harder than it had to be.

Next time, I will remember to sew the velcro pieces on before I sew up the side seams...

...so I'm not struggling, awkwardly, with a tiny pocket and my sewing machine! :)

Felting Studio-Progress Photos

 

 

 

 

Well, my studio renovation is progressing...

...and I've finally found a home for my 'lovely' curtain-wall of plastic mats and pseudo-chamois towels!

(They used to grace the opening between my dining room and living room...

...but I'm pretty sure they won't be missed!) Har.

I found a terrific 'wall-mounted coat rack'...

...that I'm certain will never hold even one coat!

There is room on it for all of my mats and drying felt...

...and I can even dry hats or vessels on the top shelf!

I found stripey vinyl flooring in my favorite colors...

...and it's installed and looks great...very durable.

My handy bf, J, hung the coat rack, my new 'electric sander hook' (again, no coats!)...

...and even a magnetic strip for my scissors and the like (photo in next update).

Next: a storage unit for all of my wool!

Clutch Giveaway Winner!

 

 

 

 

I've collected vintage, hand-embroidered linens for some time, now...

...and I have quite a few small pieces that have been waiting patiently for new lives.

I just love to imagine all of our fore-mothers and fore-grandmothers carefully stitching away on these beauties in their rare free moments!

This little flower piece was part of a larger, partially-stained runner...

...so I rescued it and sewed it up into a little pocket.

I put velcro in it to keep things safe...

...and hand-stitched it to the inside of the bag.

I received four entries for this giveaway...

...Deb, Kelly, Mariana and Cameron.

Random.org chose #4-Cameron!

Thanks to all of you who entered!!

"Clutch Love" Giveaway

 

 

 

 

After some felting, and when the piece passed the 'pinch test'...

I cut a slit in the felt and removed the resist.

I rolled and squeezed and threw it...

...until it was fully felted.

Because I used two thin layers of merino, not batts of wool this time...

...the bag is not as thick and immobile as the yellow one.

This made for a felt clutch with a pleasing thickness and weight...

...but it also resulted in a rather unexpected bag shape!!

Instead of cutting a slit in the flap this time...

...I cut a star pattern so that the tube closure would remain round, even when the bag is closed.

In thinking about the utility of this bag...

...I realized that an inner lipstick or key pocket would make this more functional (and you know how much I love that!!). :)

I'll post photos of the pocket and finished bag on Friday...

...but in the meantime, if you would like an opportunity to own this bag, please leave a comment on this post.

It's important that you include an e-mail address or a way for me to contact you...

...and I will be closing the comments and drawing a winner on Friday morning.