Love That Pillow Cover- Part One

Purple batt with needle-felted 'love'.

 

Can't get enough love!

 

Test layout...facing up.

 

'Real' layout...with design face-down on resist and pencil-roving grids.

 

As those of you who are regular readers well know...

...I'm not much of a blues/purples kind of gal. :)

And when I work in these colors...

...I'm always trying to put myself in the mind of someone who is!

This time, I decided to make a love pillow...

...and make it kind of feminine.

I wrote the word 'love' in pencil roving on a couple of wool batts...

...cutting them into equal rectangles, afterward.

I made a pre-felt heart...

...and detailed it with a little pencil roving, too.

Since I like to work 'upside-down'...

...I laid my pieces face down, followed by the pencil roving...

...and ultimately, the pale blue batts that you'll get to see next time.

Happy Halloween, everyone!!!

"Stained Glass" Pillow Cover

Bits of pre-felt laid out on a thin layer of soap glue and covered with a grid of pencil roving.



The partially felted piece.


The fully felted pillow cover.


The finished pillow...filled with a standard pillow form.


For this pillow cover...

...I worked from the front, back.

This means that I started with a bit of soap glue...

...and laid out my design with the things I wanted in the front, first.

After the pencil roving layer...

...I added layers of brown wool roving and a layer of cheesecloth.

Although I've trimmed most of the pillow covers I've been making, lately...

...this one seemed to require a little more abandon.

It reminds me of something that you might see at a Renaissance Faire...

...or a stained glass window, with all of its bright colors!

A 'Less Fraught With Difficulty' Scarf

My pre-felt pieces hanging up for a final drying.

 

Four colors of pre-felt, separated by layers of plastic wrap.

 

The finished scarf.

 

Both of my new scarves...wild and wiggly!

 

As promised, here are photos of the second scarf that I made...

...using the method that Clasheen showed me during her visit.

This time, I used garden-variety plastic wrap from my kitchen...

...and sandwiched it between the layers (not on the top or bottom of the stack).

I cut the plastic wide enough to really separate the layers...

...and I was able to sew through it (and later rip it out) quite easily.

As you might have noticed...

...these two scarves are quite wild-looking, compared to my orange one.

But as my friends might tell you...

...wildness suits me just fine!!! Giggle.

If you prefer the more bulb-like 'fringe ends' of the orange scarf, however...

...just trim each of your pre-felts to a neat, 4-inch width before stacking and sewing.

You may also want to stick to using four layers of one color of pre-felt...

...if you want the scarf to disguise it's layered origins!

I'm sure I'll try another one of these scarves in the not-too-far-distant future...

...so make sure to write and tell me if you try one and have any good tips to share!!

Nicola Scarf- What To Do/What NOT To Do

The scarf I made with Nicola Brown (Clasheen).


Three layers of roving in four colors separated by plastic sheeting.
(DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!!)


Cutting into the mostly felted layers.


The finished scarf...a bit wilder than the one I made with Nicola! :)


I made a wonderful scarf with Clasheen the morning she was here...

...from machine needled-felt (some would call it pre-felt).

I stacked four layers of pre-felt...4-inches wide by 39-inches long...

...and machine sewed a line of stitching up the center, length-wise.

Each layer of pre-felt was then felted separately...

...so that they didn't felt together.

When they were mostly felted...

...I made 1/2-inch cuts all along each side, nearly to the stitching.

I then individually felted each 'petal'...

...so that the newly cut edges didn't felt into each other.
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Of course, I can never do things the same (right) way twice...

...and because I didn't have any more pre-felt on hand, I decided to try it with layers of roving, instead.

What seemed like a good idea...

...(starting with layers of roving and using plastic between the layers as a resist)...

...ended up a bit of a nightmare.

Even though I had tried sewing on the plastic and ripping it apart prior to beginning the project...

...when it was actually between the felted petals, it was nearly impossible to remove.

This caused some stitching to be lost between the layers...

...and a hand-sewing rescue had to be performed! :)

The scarf did, ultimately, come out very well...

...but I tried it again the next day with some modifications, and it was much easier.

My recommendations?

Make it with machine-needled felt or pre-felt!

Next time, I'll show you the scarf that I made from handmade pre-felt...

...and a thinner kind of plastic.

The Doctors Doolittle Rhinebeck 2010

 

 

 

 

Nicola and I did a little "talking to the animals" at Rhinebeck...

...and I had a few other photos to share with you today...

...but Blogger hasn't been cooperating and I've rather given up.

For now, I'll leave you with these snapshots of the cutie-pies we encountered...

...and will try again on Monday!

In the meantime, check out the great orange scarf I'm wearing!

Nicola taught me how to make it from needle-punched felt (pre-felt)...

...and it's a super project!

Have a great weekend!

Images of Rhinebeck S&W 2010

My beautiful Black Romney fleece.

 

One of the kilt clad men at the festival. (There was even a man in a Utilikilt!)

 

A lovely IBM retiree who has taken up woodcarving.

 

Saturated color everywhere you looked!

 

Our Rhinebeck weekend was just marvelous, weather-wise...

...and except for some high winds (especially on Saturday), we had perfect Fall days.

The trees were turning colors...

...and there were stands with local produce (esp. pumpkins!) all along our route...

...plus Macoun apples--my absolute favorite!!

After reading about everyone's 'fleece in the grease' projects all Summer...

...I took the plunge and bought not one, but three fleeces!!

I bought a multi-colored Jacob Hoggett fleece, a luscious black Romney fleece...

...and an Icelandic fleece raised on the Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery farm!

For a suburban girl like me, it's fun to think about the people who raised them...

...and the farms where the animals live.

(How romantic, I think, to own a Monastery fleece!!)

I did a smallish project with the Jacobs yesterday...

...but I'm going to make you wait a bit to see it. Giggle.

On Friday, I'll have the last of the atmospheric photos from the festival...

...then back to my felted projects next week!

Give Away Winner + Rhinebeck S & W

 

Our randomly chosen winner.

 

The talented and beautiful Clasheen in Rhinebeck!

 

A lovely angora rabbit 'Mommy'.

 

Some very active-looking hounds! Giggle.
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One year and 223 blog posts later...

...today is my one-year blog anniversary!

And the winner of my table runner...

...is a wonderful felter and lovely person altogether:

Deborah of Felters
Journey!!
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The other bit of excitement around here...

...is that I spent the weekend at the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival!

It's one I had never attended before...

...and it was absolutely heavenly!!

What made it even more special, of course...

...was the fact that Nicola Brown accompanied me on this trip!!

The other thrilling thing about the weekend...

...was just how many of my felt gathering friends I was able to reunite with...

...and how many of my blog friends I finally got to meet in the flesh!!

I'll have lots of photos and stories for you in the next few days...

...but for now, I just want to put my feet up a bit after a long weekend of fun.

See you soon!!

Mod Table Runner: Anniversary Give Away

 

The finished table runner.

 

The back side.

 

One end of the runner showing machine-stitched border.

 

The other end of the runner.
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I've been doing a lot of silk or cotton gauze nuno felting lately...

...because it provides a firm, yet pliable base for my felting.

It also allows for a thinner wool lay-out...

...and I just love the way the cotton scrim (open-weave gauze) ruches up after felting!

This runner measures 13 inches by 29 inches...

...and with any luck, it will be just the right size for an occasional table or the center of your dining table.

If you'd like a chance to win it for your home...

...please leave a comment on this post before Monday, October 18th at noon (EST).
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P.S.

My friend Cameron...

...is having a give away this week, too!

She makes beautiful felted garments...

...and is giving away some wonderful lace and one (as yet unnamed) felted creation.

Check it out!

One Year Blog-GIVE-Versary Table Runner

 

Beautiful variegated roving from my friend, Ellen.

 

White wool roving laid out on top of cotton scrim with pencil roving outline.

 

Wool roving filling in the outline.

 

The addition of a second line of pencil roving.

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I can hardly believe it...

...but October 18th will be my 1 year blog anniversary!!

I'm celebrating the occasion by having a give-away...

...and one of you sweet readers will win a modernist table runner in teal, pale green, aqua and brown.

I've had such an amazing year...

...and it has everything to do with you, dear readers!

I want to thank you all for your friendship, your kind comments...

...your loving encouragement, gifts and helpful tips!

I'll have photos of the finished table runner on Friday's blog post...

...at which time you can leave a comment if you'd like a chance to win it.

On Monday afternoon, I'll randomly choose one comment...

...and post the winner's name.

Good luck!

'Wool Ribbon' Pillow Cover - Part Deux

 

After trimming the pillow cover square with my rotary cutter.

 

Sewing the inner line of stitching to make a flange.

 

Check out the amazing Heather Ross riding accoutrements fabric!

 

Looks a lot better, doesn't it? :)

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I know that some of you had your doubts...

...after seeing the felted pillow cover from my last post!

My bf, J, wasn't so sure how well this one would come out, either...

...but look what a difference a little judicious trimming makes!!

I really love the fabric that I used for the back of the pillow...

...like Barbie clothing for a tiny horse enthusiast!

I hope you're not getting too tired of pillow covers, though...

...since they are my 'Christmas gifts de l'annee'...

...and you'll be seeing a few more of these as time goes on! :)

'Wool Ribbon' Pillow Cover- Part One

 

Variegated batts (some made from wool sent to me by a friend in Chile!)

 

Wool ribbons laid out in a geometric pattern.

 

White and natural flax fibers laid out over the wool.

 

The finished piece...prior to trimming.

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Last Fall, I bought some beautiful wool roving at a Sheep and Wool Festival...

...unfortunately, when I got it home, I realized that it was very ribbon-like and nearly impossible to lay out or card. :(

I really love the warm red and pumpkin orange colors, though...

...so I resolved to find a way to use it somehow.

Since teasing fibers apart from the hank wasn't possible...

...I decided to cut and lay out the fiber chunks, as is.

It seemed to me that a geometric pattern would work best for this...

...so I designed a lay-out which resembles a quilt block.

You'll be shocked to see the difference in this project after trimming...

...so stay tuned for Part Two (next time) for the big reveal!! Giggle.