Blue 'Technique Sampler' Tote- Part 2 of 2

Mid-way through felting...

                                               ...cutting the soft felt to remove the resist.

                                                              As the felting continues...

                                                           ...texture begins to appear.

                                                            The finished tote (linen side).                                                         

                                                                  If you look closely...                                   

                                   ...you'll see indentations in the felt where the linen 'cut-outs' are.

                                                                     The yarn side...

                                                   ...which boasts a highly textured surface.

                                                See the yarn swirls, buried under the silk?

                                            It surprised me how this rather outrageous fabric...

                                        ...became so much more sedate-looking after it was felted!

                                            Unfortunately, only after the project was finished, did I realize...

                                ...that these surface design experiments would have been much more visible...

                                                 ...if I had used a solid-colored piece of silk! :(

Blue 'Technique Sampler' Tote- Part 1 of 2

Trimming a piece of open-weave linen fabric to size...

...then cutting large holes in it.

                                          Covering my resist with a piece of wildly patterned silk...

                                             ...then topping it with the prepared piece of linen.

                                                 Adding a layer of wool roving, then one of silk...

                                                        ...and another layer of roving.

                                                      Flipping the project to side two...

                                         
                                    ...but, this time, topping the silk with squiggles of thick yarn...

                                               ...followed up by additional layers of wool roving.

                                                 Wetting out the 'yarn' side of the tote.

                                                This project was made as a 'technique sampler'...

                                             ...during the week that my felting friends were here.

                              Using wonderfully insane, wildly patterned silk (a gift from my friend, Kiki)...

                             ...and employing two surface design techniques that I'd been wanting to try...

                                             (thanks for the 'pierced fabric' idea, Claudia)...

                                                    ...I set out into the unknown! ;)

                                                       Next time: the finished tote.

Bright Knitted Scarf and a 'Blast From the Past'!

                                      I had a small ball of this shocking pink, yellow and purple yarn...

                                                      ...and I really loved the colourway...

                                                          ...so I knitted a cowl from it...

                                           ...and have been wearing it happily ever since...

                                                        ...chasing the winter's chill away!

                                    Some of you may remember the rug that I made last summer at 'Fling'...

                                                           ...well, over the Christmas holiday...

                              ...it finally made its way to its intended spot on the wall over the couch.

Many thanks to my daughter, Lydia and her BF, Rob...

who engineered the 'suspension' of this rather heavy piece of felt!!

Felted Infinity Scarf Made From Fiber Leftovers

                   
                                           Hand-carded batts from various leftover bits of fiber.

                              Laying out a portion of the carded fiber to form a large rectangle...

                                                     ...in preparation for making a pre-felt.

                                         Because I used so many colors in the batt preparation...

                                              ...depending on how you wear this scarf...

                                                            ...it has a different 'look'!

                             (Note: the large basting stitches were removed after this photo was taken)

                                                                 The finished scarf.

                                                   While my felting friends were visiting...

                            ...we decided to play around with preparing and using handmade pre-felts.

                                           Remembering this project...

                                      ...we set out to make a couple of 'pierced' infinity scarves.

                                      Unfortunately, I felted this one a bit too long before making the cuts...

                                           ...and got slits, rather than oval holes this time. :(

                                        I do like the way that the colors change, though...

                                        ...because it makes for quite a versatile scarf!

                                   

Felted Wall Holder for Cell Phone and Cord

 Laying strips of silk selvage and pre-felt bits...

...onto the surface of a foam resist...

                                       ...then covering the whole shebang with a layer of wool roving.

                                        Flipping the project to side two and adding more wool.

                                      Configuring a piece of thick wool yarn into a hanging loop...

                                                ...and covering it with layers of wool roving.

                                    Mid-way through felting, carefully cutting open the soft felt...

                                    ...leaving the loop on the back and the design on the front.
                       

                                        Folding in the top of the design side (to make the pocket)...

                                 ...and trimming the excess felt from inside the hanging loop...

                                        ...then 'healing' the cut edges with lots of rubbing.

                                                      The finished cell phone and cord holder...

                                                             ...after shaping and drying.

                                       
                                                                 After the holidays...

                        ...my youngest daughter traded her roommate for the top bunk in their apartment...

                               ...and found that being able to charge her phone while still having access to it...

                                                             ...became a bit of a struggle.

                                     Since she had access to both an electrical outlet and a wall hook...

                                 ...she merely needed an open-top holder, sized for these small items...

                                                 ...so why not make one out of felt?!? :)

                                               Using scraps of silk and leftover pre-felt bits...

                                           ...plus a length of thick wool yarn and roving...

                                                          ...this holder was born.

                             My only regret is that I used dark plum yarn for the loop support...

                                                          ...and it shows. :(





                                               

My Enormous New Felt-Covered Compost Bin- Part 2 of 2

                                                   This bin is not one to hide in the shadows!

                                           Constructed of early felt projects, workshop sample pieces...

                                                     ...failed hats, scarves, purses, shawls...

...and one large piece of felt made expressly for this project...

                                                            ...it is truly epic in scale! :)

                                            I spent several hours hand-stitching the felt to the 'cage'...

                                              ...using strong nylon thread and lots of tiny stitches.

                               This time, the lid is reinforced with a wire form for structural support...

                                               ...and boasts an integral handle for easy opening.

                                                            My new compost bin in situ!

                                                 Compare the size of it with my last bin...

                         ...(on the bottom left in this photo...hiding behind the ornamental grasses)...

                                               ...and you'll see just how large it really is!!) :)