Monday, July 4, 2011

Owl Birthday Placemats- Part 2

During felting.

 


After felting and drying.

 


Trimming them with a rotary cutter.

 


The finished placemats.

 


In my last post...

...I neglected to mention the layer of cotton gauze that I used in the layout...

...along with the wool roving.

Unfortunately, it shows a bit at the top of one placemat...

...and I may decide to re-trim them, prior to my daughter's birthday.

Since I'm not much of a representational artist...

...I was so concerned about getting the design laid out correctly...

...that I didn't pay as much attention to the finished shape as I should have.

If you make a pair of these, spend a little extra time with your measurements and design placement...

...so that you'll end up with nice, rectangular mats...

...and no cotton layer showing!

(I'm hoping that their earnest facial expressions...

...will distract my daughter from any little flaws!!) :)

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20 comments:

vilterietje said...

well, i love them and we say that a blind man would be happy to see them:)

Heather Woollove said...

Hahaha, Riet! I like that expression! XXO-

Suzanne said...

I love how they turned out Heather! Great job!!

Zzz said...

Veeeeery nice :)

Kelly said...

Love these. I really like how the owl was made with simple lines. I'm sure your daughter will love them!! And if not, you can always adopt me and send them my way ;) Have a great 4th! Hugs.

Terriea Kwong said...

Just a simple outline you can show the owl's face expression. Wonderful work. You daughter must love it.

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, ladies, for your encouragement! I really like them, but the more I thought about them, the more uncertain I got. (This often happens to me when I make a project well ahead of its 'gifting date'. Yeesh!) XXO-

Anonymous said...

I have no doubt that your daughter will love them, knowing they were made lovingly, with your own two hands, and just for her. How could she not love them?

They are adorable, and I really like how the owls are done. They stand out so well. If you had not mentioned the cotton gauze, I would never have noticed. They are really lovely. :)

WonderWhyGal said...

hoot, hoot!

You know...you could always add a thin felt or fabric border around the edges to hide the cotton. I know, I am actually suggesting someone sew ;-) I think they are adorable and the cotton gives it a rustic look.

Unknown said...

Heather, these are wonderful! I love the way you used simple lines to create such a distinctive shape, and it worked so well! I like the unusual shape of them as well....it good not to have things all be the same!They would be beautiful hung on a wall also.If you really felt you had to make them more traditonally placemat sized, you could felt a small piece in a complimentary colour and hand stitch it to one side...nicely asymetrical an a little extra visually...but I love them just the way they are...so expressive!

Ginny Huber said...

I certainly understand about the gifting anxiety..however, Heather, these are lovely..and as I am not the queen of precision/perfection, nor am I a grea t fan of it, I'd kind of like to have the cotton gauze showing in the mix.. Thanks for part 2..Love the owls and i do keep us posted on what happens next...

Marushka C. said...

I love the owl shapes and also the beautiful color. Another great gift!

Heather Woollove said...

Sandie--Thanks so much!
Andrea--Sewing?!?! The horror! Giggle. (Good idea)
Fiona--Thanks for the encouragement! I do like the idea of an asymmetrical extra piece, too. Thanks for the tip!
Ginny--You're sweet, and I like the way you think! :)
Mary--Thanks! It's hard to tell what color they are, really, since each photo looks different...but they're closer to the darker shots in real life.

Anonymous said...

They look so serious and sober minded! I'm sure your daughter will love them.

Heather Woollove said...

Rachel--They DO look stern, don't they? :)

FeltersJourney said...

Heather I wouldnt worry about the gauze (texture is nice) or their shape - I love the fact that they are square rather than rectangular - it adds to their quirkiness. Love the colours and the owls are adorable - they look very peaceful and friendly to me.

You daughter is going to treasure them!
xx

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, Deborah! I'm anxious to give them to my daughter, now, but her birthday isn't until mid-month.
I appreciate your sweet notes! XXO-

Elizabeth said...

Hi Heather,
I have a set of square linen placemats that are meant to sit on top of rectangular placemats. You could felt to solid rectangular ones and set the owl squares on top. No sewing!

Voie de Vie said...

I have to admit I'm with feltersjourney on this - I love that they're not rectangular, and they feel artisanal. I'm most impressed with the simplicity of the owl design. They really came out super!

Heather Woollove said...

Elizabeth--Another wonderful idea...thanks!!
Denise--Thanks! I'm feeling happier with their shape after all of the wonderfully supportive comments, but I sure do have a lot of alternative ideas in case my daughter's not perfectly happy with them as they are! XXO-