Flower Power Scarf- Part Two

 

 

 

 

I'm really happy with how bright and cheerful-looking this came out...

...since it's for a young woman in a very cold climate.

I didn't want the flower shapes to distort...

...so I made sure to felt the scarf evenly in both directions.

Since some of the background colors were lighter than others...

...I decided to accentuate the borders of each flower a bit.

(So they didn't melt into the piece!)

I found some bright orange embroidery floss...

...and hand embroidered around the edge of each felted flower.

(Double click on the second photo for a better view.)

I think it will help to keep my friend warm in Antarctica...

...especially knowing that warm thoughts and care went into its creation.

Flower Power Scarf-Part One

 

 

 

 

I have a blog friend in the Falkland Islands...

...who loves bright pink and red.

Unfortunately for her 'colour sensibility' (Grin)...

...her sub-zero work uniform is a bright orange color (for easy visibility).

When I wanted to make her a scarf as a gift...

...I decided to throw caution to the wind and combine all three of these colors!

I went with a design from the 1970's, too...

...when color combinations like this were not the exception, but de rigueur!! :)

I started by making batts on my drum carder, in three different bright pinks/reds...

...then carefully cut out flowers from orange pre-felt.

I used one set of batts lengthwise for the bottom layer...

...and topped them with overlapping sections of the three colors (in random order).

(I apologize for the darkish photographs...

...they 'come up' a little better if you double-click them.)

Next time? Part 2...

...when by-the-way...you'll see that I actually did some embroidery for a change!!! Giggle.

It's Fall....Or Is It???

 

Here on the East Coast, we're having a bit of a heat wave this week...

...making it feel more like high Summer than early Fall!

I'm afraid I'm more than a little off today...

...since I had a deviated septum (nasal) surgery on Wednesday.

It was my first general anesthesia experience...

...and one I'd like very much NOT to repeat!

In the doctor's office this morning for my follow-up appointment...

...I fainted...scaring my poor young intern a bit, I think! :)

Needless to say, between the pain and the medication-induced-wiftiness...

...I've not been felting much this week.

I didn't want to leave you 'post-less' today, though...

...so I'm enclosing a photo of my latest farm share haul.

Quantity-wise, our shares are winding down for sure...

...but we still get some quality produce each week.

Two of my daughters are coming home for the weekend (YAY!)...

...but it looks like they'll be taking care of me instead of the other way around!!

Have a good weekend, everyone!!!

Felt United Project-Banner

 

 

 

 

If you missed the inagural of Felt United last year, like I did...

...now is the time to make something for this year's celebration!

October 2nd is the 2nd International Day of Felt...

...and every felter in the world is encouraged to help celebrate by making a project!

The wedge of the colour wheel featured this year...

...is yellow through green to blue.

I started thinking seriously about my project in August...

...when Elis Vermeulen spoke to our felting class about the aspirations of the Felt United campaign.

It's a place for felters of all abilities and styles, from every part of the globe...

...to come together on one day to celebrate and unite through felt!!

The goal is to cover the earth with felt...

...and show the world the amazing properties and beauty of our chosen medium!!!
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For my banner, I sandwiched a layer of silk gauze between layers of yellow batts...

...then used bright green variegated roving for the 'message'.

I made flowers and greenery from fine merino top...

...and a fiddle-head fern from merino top and pencil roving.

I wanted to be able to hang it without a dowel...

...so I sewed a casing at the top, and stuffed it (very tightly) with bits of wonky wool roving.

I think my message is two-fold...

...that when there is peace, the world will feel it...

...and also that I feel truly at peace when I'm making felt

I put my banner up for the photographs this morning...

...but will put it up to stay on October 2nd.

Join me, will you?

For submission information (and more) visit www.feltunited.com.

Flower Pillow-Part 2

 

Silk gauze layer, purple batts, orange pre-felt, flower center and lace strips

 

The pillow cover after wetting out.

 

Finished cover with pillow form inside.

 

The backside.
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I began with a square of silk gauze...

...and topped it with variegated purple wool batts.

I laid out the pre-felt flower petals according to my diagram...

...keeping the design centered, in order to allow for a plain border.

I felted it in the usual manner for nuno felting...

...remembering to start with cool water, not hot...

...so that the wool fibers would migrate through the silk before they felted to each other.

I veiled the lace bits (thanks, Cameron!) with a bit of merino top...

...so that they would felt securely into the wool.

When the cover had been felted and dried...

...I sewed a fabric backing to it and stuffed it with a standard, square pillow form.

The addition of the silk gauze allowed me to use a thin layer of wool for the cover...

...and resulted in a nice, soft pillow.

Pillow For My 'Swap Angel'-Part One

 

I wanted to make something special for my 'swap angel'...

...who had generously 'gifted' me without any expectations.

I had in mind an off-center, truncated flower...

...with felted 'dreads' as stamens.

I drafted a flower design...

...and traced it onto interfacing for use as a pattern.

 

I had to remember to number the pattern pieces...

...so I could keep them straight, later on.

I also needed to allow for a 'seam allowance' on some of the pieces...

...(just the areas where the petals would overlap)...

...since I didn't want the background color to show through there at all.

 

I used orange pre-felt for the petal shapes...

...and cut out the pieces with a pair of sharp shears.

 

For the center of the flower, I finger-rolled three dark purple 'dreads'...

...then needle-felted them to a circle of yellow wool until they were secure.

(Check out my excellent new needle-felting mats!!)

Next time...

...the finished pillow.

P.S. She likes it...she really, really likes it!! Giggle.

Chilean Swap Love!

 

 

 

 

In August, I received some wonderful gifts from a 'swap angel'...

...when my original Spring swap partner appeared to be MIA.

But lo and behold, shortly after I received my 'alternate' swap gifts...

...my 'original' ones arrived as well...all the way from Chile!!

I feel absolutely showered with kindness and beauty...

...just look at all of the amazing things she sent!!

Handmade wool batts, a stained-glass sun catcher...

...and a book by Isabel Allende (I love her!).

She also sent sheets of commercially made wool/viscose felt...

...and gobs of chunky, handspun yarn.

I can't wait to find a project for the hand-cut green leather buttons...

...something for ME for a change, methinks!! Giggle.

And because I couldn't wait for cooler weather in order to wear my handspun and crocheted (knotted?) brooch...

...I've pinned it to the felt shade of my bedroom lamp for the time being, as a decorative touch!

Of course, the true star of the swap package...

...is the utterly amazing felted and crocheted shawl!!

When I wrap myself in its soft and bright warmth and close my eyes...

...I feel like I'm transported to South America!

I see flashes of sunlight, brightly colored flowers and birds...

...snow capped mountains and glistening, deep aqua water.

Who needs a magic carpet??
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Of course, I now had a bit of work to do for the package due my 'swap angel'...

...and I'll show you the centerpiece of that box in my next post!!

Galactic Headgear

 

 

 

 

This is the second of two projects that I made with Elis Vermeulen...

...at the Creative Felt Gathering several weeks ago.

Making this hat was an all day affair...

...and I really learned a lot!

With Elis, you always start out with sketches...

...and it's amazing to me what quickly drawing out design ideas does for your 'process'!!

I did a lot of needle-felting on this hat...

...putting planets into orbit all over the surface of my pre-felt.

I liked the way the purple and orange colors interacted...

...so I added a couple of orange dreads, too.

Since I made it on the final day of our week...

...I didn't have time to finish it in Michigan.

Recently, though, I removed the pins and took some scissors to it...

...pulling the front flaps and some of the dreads through the hat to hold it closed.

I added three orange beads to help keep the dread-closures fastened...

...and found a display head to wear it...on the rare occasions that it's a bit too much for me!! Grin.

Chad Alice's 'Airy Fairy' Scarf

 

The initial layout. This scarf can be made with 2 or 2.5 ounces of roving!

 

Apres la deluge!! :)

 

My very blog-shy and very beloved friend, Dorothy.

 

The finished scarf with hydrangea.

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At my felting workshop a few weeks ago...

...I had the pleasure of having Chad Alice Hagen for a teacher.

She is an amazingly talented felter and dyer...

...and one of the most engaging, capable and funny instructors ever!!

(Where, oh where was she when I was taking Organic Chemistry???)

We made a scarf she calls the 'Airy Fairy'...

...and boy, is it fun to make!!

The basics are as follows...

...very little wool and tons of water!!

If you have the book "Fabulous Felted Scarves"...

...she makes a version of it there with full instructions.

Just remember to wear an apron...

...and get out your bucket and mop!!

Art Deco Book Cover For A Swap

 

 

 

 

I'm participating in another seasonal swap...

...and this one was right up my alley!!

It involved making a book cover for my swap partner...

...plus one additional small gift.

Since I was making it as a cover for a journal, instead of a hardback book...

...I fiddled with the size of the resist a bit.

It turns out that I could have left the one I had been using quite alone...

...and I think the fit might have been a little closer.

(This is not a perfect science for me, as yet!!)

I began with dark grey pencil roving...

...and fashioned my design by embedding it in soap glue that I had rubbed onto the resist.

I added yellow roving and some flax and tussah silk bits...

...and covered the whole with orange wool batts.

As with my previous several bookcovers, I felted it inside-out as a closed resist...

...then cut an opening for the book after the cover was dry.

It's important to think hard about design placement with this method...

...I actually had to draw it out on paper and 'try it', first!!

Otherwise, you can end up with the design on the backside of the journal...

...or even upside-down!

And don't forget to make an obvious dot of a foreign color on the inside cover in your final layer of wool...

...or else, you could easily get confused during the felting process and end up cutting into the design side by mistake!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

 

 

 

 

I recently won my first ever blog giveaway...

...a necklace with the most perfect saying ever..."Live Happy"!!

I received this enchanting bauble from Dana, aka
Tutu Monkey....

...who is a beautiful woman, both inside and out!!

The creator of this and other quite feminine jewelry is
Beth Quinn...

...and I am grateful to both women for having made this 'transitional time' in my life a bit brighter!!

I knew you would want to see some of my more recent acquisitions, too...

...a length of needle-felt, merino roving, a hat block, 'Creative Felt Gathering' tote bag and a cunning little wooden tool for use in felting narrow areas!!

Last, but definitely not least, is my finished felting table (the photos show it with the oil-based paint still drying)...

...a combination of four Ikea cabinet bases, four unfinished wooden counter-top pieces and a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears!!

I now have a surface that measures over 4 X 6 feet (134cm X 192cm)...

...and I am itching to 'test drive' it with a big project!! Grin.