Textured 'Neutrals' Journal Cover- Part 2 of 2

The finished cover.

 

A bit of core spun yarn and lace in close-up.

 

Shimmery, synthetic yarn adds a bit of bling to the project...

 

...and the smallest touches of orange and purple enliven a mostly beige, tan and white cover.

 

Textural excitement comes from the addition of bits of thrifted crochet, lace and neps.

 

(Badly) overdyeing a deer hide produced leather that looks a bit like burl wood.

 

Rounding out the journal cover with scissors for easier book insertion...

...and a neater look.

 

The finished cover.

 

With a busy piece like this...

...no matter where you look, there's always something new to see!

A bit of color here and there...

...rescues the cover from blandness. :)

Having rather ruined a deer hide by double-dyeing it some time ago...

...it found new utility, cut into strips and used as a bookmark!

Textured 'Neutrals' Journal Cover- Part 1 of 2

Laying out a few tangles of neutral yarn remnants...

 

...and adding bits of silk, lace, and cotton gauze.

 

Tufts of camel fiber, tussah silk, flax, neps, coppery strands of Angelina...

...bamboo viscose thrums, silk noil and milk fiber all come next.



The marbled layout, as seen through the foam underlayment resist...

 

...and through the first layer of wool.

 

This dot of blue keeps the 'front' and 'back' sides straight.

 

The fully felted piece...

 

...blocked and drying.

 

Making a journal cover in 'neutrals' was a recent challenge...

...but I didn't want it to be too plain.

Looking through my bins of fabric scraps and fiber...

...I pulled out everything that I could find in neutral tones...

...and added it to the mix.

Next time: the finished piece...

...with faux burl wood bookmark.

'Doctor Who' Felt Journal Cover- Part 2 of 2

Creating a pre-felt Dalek...

...who is not nearly as cuddly as this photograph might suggest!!



Looking through the plastic resist...

...to what will become the front side of my journal cover. 

Mid-way through felting...

 

...and the finished cover(!)

 

A hand-embroidered "Police Box" tops the TARDIS...



...and a Dalek guards the back of my journal.

"Exterminate!!" 

 

Adding a grosgrain ribbon bookmark...

 

...with a "D.W." medallion fashioned from snippets of white and black leather.

 

Even though the extraterrestrial race of mutants known as the Daleks...

...are utterly without compassion, and know only hate...

...I can't help having a bit of a soft spot in my heart for them, anyway. :)

I chose to create a 'New Paradigm' variant for my journal...

...because the casing of the 'Scientist Dalek' is ORANGE!! Grin.

To make a themed bookmark for holding my place...

...I stitched two squares of soft leather (one with sewn-on initials)...

...to a brightly-colored length of grosgrain ribbon.

Now no one could possibly go home with this journal by mistake!! :)

'Doctor Who' Felt Journal Cover- Part 1 of 2

Making pre-felt sections by layering and patting wool roving into place...

 

...then wetting them out and quickly rolling them up in an absorbent towel.

 

My sketches work out many of the details...

...before I ever put scissors to pre-felt! :)

 

Cutting blue pre-felt into a TARDIS shape...



...then adding needle-felted window and door-panel details... 

...and markings to suggest window panes and door signage. 

Since I was working inside-out, I flipped the TARDIS over onto the surface of my resist...

...and added a couple of bolts of lightening! 

 

Two-tone cotton sliver is used to create the wormhole.

 

Apologies to those among my readers who are not Whovians...

...or for whom this fictional universe is of no interest...

...since my 'inner geek' will certainly be on display in this post and the next! :)

After making so many journal covers for others, lately...

...(and I haven't even shown you all of them, yet)...

...I just wanted to finally make one for myself!

Using some hastily constructed pre-felt...

...I cut out a TARDIS-shaped box and added needle-felted details.

I cut commercial pre-felt into lightening bolts...

...and coiled cotton sliver into the suggestion of a wormhole.

Next time: the finished piece...

...complete with a special ribbon-and-leather bookmark!

Sleeveless Nuno 'Dryer Felt' Jacket- Part 5 of 5

The neckline and 'rose detail' in close-up...




...and on my daughter, L.

 

Because the felt was designed to be reversible...

...the collar was easily made with a single fold.

 

A view from the side...

 

...and, full-length, from the front.



Here's the 'kick pleat' in back...

 

...and a better view of the collar and 'rose'. :)

 

I think the colors rather suit her...don't you?!? :)



While shaping the collar of the jacket...

...I fashioned one dangling piece into a 'rose-like' accent.

The burgundy-colored felt provides additional coverage...

...and its bold color lends visual interest.

A small triangle, inserted into the back as a kick pleat...

...brings the darker color to the back side of the jacket, as well.

I'm not exactly sure how utilitarian a garment like this will be...

...but I think it might be nice to wear over a long-sleeved knit top and jeans...

...once the cool winds start blowing again!

Sleeveless Nuno 'Dryer Felt' Jacket- Part 4 of 5

Covering the silk with a layer of red wool roving...



...in the irregular shape of the silk. 

 

Adding a thin layer of white roving...

...perpendicular to the first.



The finished ancillary felt piece. 

 

Drafting a rudimentary jacket pattern on my 'daughter mannequin'...

...using an old, flannel sheet.



Making a 'kick pleat' from the ancillary piece of felt.

 

The finished jacket (front)...

 

...and back.

 

I had the rather ambitious notion...

...of turning my dryer felt shawl into a jacket for my daughter.

Now, as most of you know...

...I'm not much of a garment-maker! :(

Using her as a living dress form, though...

...I think we did a fair job on a very simple silhouette.

Next time: my beautiful daughter models her sleeveless jacket...

...and I think you'll agree that it looks much better on her, than it does on the floor!! :)