"Who's Got the Button"? Purse- Part 4

The finished bag, drying.

                                       Holding the zipper in place with twist pins...

                                                       ...I carefully baste it...

                                          ...and then machine stitch it into place.

                                              Using small metal punch tools...

                             ...I make two notches in each end of my leather strap...

                                                  ...and then machine stitch it...

                                                       ...to the hanging loops.

                                    Using variegated roving in the same colourway...

                               ...I felt a ring-shaped zipper pull onto the metal one.

                                            Because my resist features a flange...

                                          ...the bottom of this bag is quite roomy.

                                       Despite the struggle I had with my buttons...

                               ...in the end, I do love each and every one of them! :)

                                                         The finished purse...

                                                 ...in all of its whimsical glory! ;)

"Who's Got the Button"? Purse- Part 3

After turning the project right-side out...

 ...the felting continues.

                                              Unfortunately, this experiment...

                         ...designed to cut out the fiddly work of sewing on buttons...

                                                          ...was a complete fail. :(

                                

                             Instead of holding tightly to the surface of the (pre-)felt...

                               ...the buttons dangle from their linen boucle yarn tethers. 

                                   
                                           The fix? Using strong beading thread...

                       ...I hand stitch each of the 84 buttons to the surface of my bag.

                    In other disappointing news, it's only at this stage in the process...

                                ...that I realize I've forgotten to add hanging loops...

                             ...so I quickly fashion a pair from the trimmed off bits...

                                ...and hand stitch them to the top of my pre-felt bag.

                                           With everything (finally) firmly affixed...

                                             ...I continue my felting in earnest...

                                      ...and watch happily as the bag takes shape.

                                               Side one of the fully felted purse...

                                                            ...and side two.

                                                Next time: the finished project...

                          ...with brown leather strap and festive turquoise zipper!

"Who's Got the Button"? Purse- Part 2

A thin piece of painter's plastic...

...prevents the bottom flange from felting into the body of the bag.

                      A layer of silk gauze is applied to the surface of the dark wool...

                                                       ...for structural support...

                               ...followed by a layer of pink wool (with cotton dots)...

                                     ...and a thin layer of white merino (not shown).

                                              The project is flipped to side two...

                                                ...and the layers of silk gauze...

                                       ...pink batt and white merino are repeated.

                                       The purse is wetted out with soapy water...

                          ...and a pocket resist is covered with layers of white wool.

                                                      Mid-way through felting...

                                              ...the bag is beginning to shrink...

                                           ...and the pre-felt stage is reached.

                                          Next time: hanging loops are added...

                                              ...and the felting continues.

"Who's Got the Button"? Purse- Part 1

Stringing rows of buttons...

                                            ...on lengths of linen boucle yarn...

                               ...and 'trying them out' on the surface of my resist...

                                            ...to check their length and position.

                   Laying narrow strips of merino roving width-wise across the resist...

                                  ...and placing the strings of buttons face down...

                                  ...(so the buttons rest between the strips of wool).

                            Adding additional merino strips over the lengths of yarn...

                                                      ...to help anchor them...

                             ...and covering the whole shebang with a layer of fiber.

                                                 Flipping the resist to side two...

                                             ...and repeating the entire process.

                                                       Wetting out the purse.

                                    Next time: additional layers of fiber are added...

                                                  ...plus a layer of silk gauze.

Spiral Pencil-Roving Hat- Part 2 of 2

As the felting continues...

                                                 ...the hat becomes smaller...

                                 
                                                            ...and thicker...

                                    
                                 ...and I'm careful to make periodic checks for size.

                                                         The finished hat...

                                                                 ...drying...

                                                ...with its many circular pleats...

                                                ...and spiral embellishments.

                   
                                 The extra felt at the mouth of the hat is trimmed off...

                                                      ...leaving a narrow hem...

                               ...and this remaining flap is hand-stitched into place.

                                     The merino wool felts into a smooth, soft felt...

                      ...and the multiple pleats allow for a comfortable fit during wear.

                                                    Two very different hats...

                                             ...made from the same base wool!