Tuesday, November 22, 2011

"Sampler" Needle-Case

Felted needle-case with beads...


...sari silk waste and sari silk ribbon.


With the ribbon closure tied...front side...


...and back side.


Green felt pages (left-overs from my 'couture jacket')...


...sewn in with bead accents.


While I was in Michigan for the Creative Felt Gathering...

...I took a little time on our 'free afternoon' just to play around with wool.

One of my fellow students had a lovely felted needle-case with her...

...and I thought that it would be a quick and fun project to try!

There were also several felting techniques that I'd been dying to attempt...

...so I decided to incorporate them all into one case, like an old-fashioned 'sampler'!! :)

My friend, Kim often felts ribbon or lace into her felt...

...and then uses it as a tie closure.

My friend, Nicola uses beads, threaded onto a narrow piece of roving...

...to felt beads into a project without sewing.

And my friend, Pam, who was, luckily, also present at the CFG...

...stitches beads to the 'fold lines' of her finished needle cases...

...to prettily hold the pages in place.

I cut a small foam resist and covered it with layers of wool roving...

...then added strips of sari silk, holding them in place with wisps of wool.

(If you wet the strips of silk first, it helps to flatten them out for proper placement.)

I found a needle that would fit, easily, through the holes in my beads...

...then threaded it with a thin strand of wool roving, and pulled beads onto the fiber.

I laid these out onto the project surface, along with some sari silk waste...

...and began felting.

I treated this project like a  mini-bookcover...

...but cut a slit, instead of an oval, in order to remove the resist.

I cut pages of finished felt to fit the case...

...and attached them with bead accents placed on the inside and outside of the case.

As it was a 'sampler', I wasn't too concerned with design or element placement this time...

...but it did give me a good idea about how to use these techniques in the future!

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14 comments:

Valerie said...

Hi Heather! I love all the fabulous felting you've been up to. My, you are one busy girl! This mini bookcover is especially lovely and so colorful. I just love your creation process, the beads, the sari silk closure, it's something extra special. Keep up the great work :o)
x, Val

Patty Biermans said...

Isn't it great to try out new techniques? I like the way you did make this needle case. Is for knittingneedles or sewing needles? I don't know these "things". hugzz...peebee

vilterietje said...

só sweet:)

Clasheen said...

Interesting piece Heather, I like seeing how you have tied several new techniques together! X

Heather Woollove said...

Val--Thanks so much!! :)
Peebee--It's for sewing needles and pins. You just attach them to the pages by 'pinning them on'. You can have a page for different-
sized needles, etc.
Riet--Thanks!
Nicola--Thanks for the great tip about the beads...even though it took me a whole year to get around to trying it!! XXO-

Kathleen said...

What a neat way to incorporate beads into your felt. And it's a perfect size to practice new techniques. Three cheers!!

Anonymous said...

It's so satisfying to be able to pull a whole range of techniques together into a single piece, because then you can see which ones work well together as well.

Kelly said...

Awesome techniques! I think I will try the bead one and adding the closure to the felt while felting! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving...hugs and love, Kelly

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, Kathy! I think this would be a perfect project for you...knowing how much you love embellishment!!
Rachel--So true...good point!!
Kelly--Yes...do see what you come up with!! I hope you have a wonderful holiday, too!! XXO-

Kathryn Ray said...

I do really like this idea.

I have my Grandmother's old pin cushion. I love it because it was hers, but I always poke myself from the underside of the cushion.

Heather Woollove said...

Kathryn--Thanks! It was a very quick project, but I think you could customize it to make wonderful gifts for friends who sew.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to try this again. Hi Heather, are relatives allowed to post? Anyway, cool idea. I wondered what my wife was doing all that time. I hold my side a lot around her as well and laugh so hard I breathe in wool fibers. I will be on the East Coast in Baltimore for the Biofeedback Conference where I am presenting a four hour workshop in March. Hope to make it to Philly. Happy Holidays, Morry

Anonymous said...

great to make something very usefull isn´t it? Looks beautyfull HEather!!

Heather Woollove said...

Kim--Yes...I love useful gifts, too! XXO-