"Big Sister" Crown and Unorthodox Baby Blanket- Part 2 of 2

Shimmery Blue Faced Leicester/Tussah Silk roving...

                                                 ...and a cloud of silk caps.

                                             Laying out a thin layer of roving...

                                                   ...and an additional layer... 

                                                 ...perpendicular to the first.

                                          Adding a layer of stretched silk caps...

                                               ...and wetting the blanket out.
    

                                               The finished project, drying...

                                                    ...and, again, once dry.

                                                   The back of the blanket.

                                         Silk caps add a cobwebby, silver sheen...

                                   ...and the finished project is very soft and warm.

       I've long been enamored of this luscious, heathered grey, knitted baby blanket...

              ...so for a 'welcome baby' gift for a good friend's newest daughter, Eliza...

         ...I decided to use some lustrous, dark brown and silver grey BFL/Silk roving...

                                          ...(a gift from my friend, Angela)...

                                    ...to make a rather non-traditional baby blanket!

                                   Made with only two thin layers of roving...

                                   ...plus a cobwebby layer of silk caps...

                             ...the blanket is especially thin and flexible...

                                                  ...and baby soft. :)

Experimental "Hippie" Purse- Part 2 of 2

The bag front (closed)...

 

...and back (opened).

 

Trying out a piece of leather for color.

 

Do I prefer the suede or the firm leather side 'front-and-center' this time?



Lining the inner 'cell phone pocket' with print fabric from my stash.

 

Notice how some of the pieces of yarn on the bag body...

...can be pulled through holes in the flap when the purse is closed?

 

Adding a machine-stitched seam at the bag 'hinge'.

 

I think this bag is colorful and wild and a little unkempt...

...like the hippie fashions of the 60's! :)

 

Because the pieces of yarn were initially quite long...

...I felt the need to wrap them in plastic wrap, plus duct tape...

...or fold them carefully and put a thin layer of plastic between 'them' and the roving...

...to keep them from 'felting in' as I worked.

If I were to do it again, I would avoid the tape...

...since some of the yarn became a bit ragged-looking...

...from all of my pulling and tugging.

Since it was an experiment, and I wasn't sure 'where' I was headed with the bits of yarn...

...I found that I needed to shorten them on the finished bag...

...so I merely knotted them on themselves in a crude way.

The circles of 'felt applique' and blanket stitching...

...give a homespun look to the purse...

...and add to its vintage 'feel'.

To help secure the flap, I stitched a seam at the top...

...(so it folds over the bag easily and evenly)...

and attached a large metal snap as a closure.

Experimental "Hippie" Purse- Part 1 of 2

Beautiful handspun yarn from my friend, Kelly.

 

Laying out Bluefaced Leicester roving.

 

Adding duct-tape-covered, plastic-wrapped sections of yarn to the bag body...

 

...and adding some with only thin plastic layers between them...

...to the flap of the bag.



Covering the entire piece in roving...

...but leaving an open resist at the flap end.

 

The bag back, mid-felting.

 

Sewing on cut-out circles of felt...

...using lengths of wool yarn in wild colors.

 

Blanket-stitching around the cut-out holes and around the edge of the flap.

 

It all started with a box of glorious handspun yarn...

...and a bit of extra time on my hands during a workshop. :)

I decided to try another open-resist purse (similar to this one.)

...using pieces of yarn as the embellishment, instead of 'dreads'.

When I had partially felted the bag...

...I trimmed the flap and did a 'purse-ectomy'...

...cutting out holes and then re-attaching them (in new places!) with wool yarn.

Next time: the finished bag (after final felting)...

...with a short, suede-side-out leather strap.

Variegated Blue and Purple Drawstring Bag- Part 2 of 2

The finished bag...while drying.

 

Variegated pink, blue and purple thread and grosgrain ribbons.



Machine stitching buttonholes in the felt...

...and cutting them open with a seam ripper.

 

The finished bag (side one)...

 

...and side two.

 

A peek at the inner drawstring 'channel'.

 

The closed storage bag (side one)...

 

...and side two.

 

After stuffing the bag to maintain its shape while drying...

...I machine stitched a small buttonhole on each side (near the top)...

...using variegated thread in shades of blue, purple and pink.

I pulled mismatched grosgrain ribbons through the felt casings...

...one from the left side and one from the right...

...so that when pulled, they work together to close the bag.

The bit of silk in the roving lends softness to the finished felt...

...and gives it a subtle sheen.

Variegated Blue and Purple Drawstring Bag- Part 1 of 2

Bluefaced Leicester and Tussah silk roving, along with my resist.

 

Laying out a layer of variegated roving...

 

...and here, again, in close-up.

 

Wetting out the project.

 

Adding a layer of silk chiffon to each side for strength.



Making a 'felt channel' for the drawstring with a piece of plastic underlayment. 

 

Turning the bag 'right side out' during felting.



Switching out the hard plastic resist in each channel for a length of (softer) fabric interfacing. 

 

I wanted to make something fun and feminine for a friend of mine...

...as a thank-you gift.

But because she is not a 'purse carrying' kind of woman...

...I chose to make more of a storage bag, like this one.

I decided to use one of my recent Sheep and Wool Festival purchases...

...a blended roving in variegated blues and purples.

Working inside-out, I laid out layers of roving...

...then covered them with a layer of silk chiffon for strength.

I tried something new with the 'drawstring channel' this time, too...

...making an integrated felt one, instead of sewing on a satin ribbon casing later.

The plastic resists that I used for the channels seemed to be 'pulling' a bit too much after awhile...

...so I replaced them with strips of fabric interfacing (much softer!) and continued to felt the piece until it was done.

Next time: the finished bag...

...with grosgrain ribbon ties.

2010 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

 

 

 

 

Ok, ok, it's true...

...I fell in love over the weekend!

"With whom?", you ask...

..."Why, with these adorable hooknosed Bluefaced Leicester sheep"!! Grin.

I ushered in the month of May at the Maryland S&W...

...a wild and wonderful festival which, unfortunately, seems to get more crowded with each passing year. Sighhhh.

It was blisteringly hot that day...

...and my friend, K (visiting from Tenn), and I were hangin' pretty tough.

We drank homemade lemonade, wished that we had remembered hats and sunscreen...

...and, oh, yes...bought lots and lots of fiber and fiber-related supplies.

I found some wonderful variegated roving...

...in a bright green and a red/black combo...

...and sherbet-colors of orange, creamsicle and caramel.

I bought bold yellow roving...

...and a really pretty bright red batt.

I went silk wild with Tussah silk, silk caps and Mawata hankies...

...and even bought some dyed coccoons to play with!

I found two amazing handmade pottery buttons...

...and just had to have a pile of dyed silk hankies.

I also found a large piece of chamois...

...to cut up for the bottoms of future slipper projects...

...and a new bulb sprayer (the shower head part on my other one had fallen off recently).

I had lots of nice comments on my dragonfly bag (which I carried that day)...

...and felt a little like a rock star for a minute. Har.

Except for the loooooong line of cars at the entrance to the festival (which was rather heinous)...

...our day was an unmitigated blast!!