A Christmas Stocking for Hayes- Part 3

The fully felted stocking...

                                                       ...ready for blocking.

                                                 Its 'candy cane' hanging loop.

                                                 The finished stocking (back)...

                                                               ...and front...

                                             ...and in situ on Christmas morning!

                If you look closely, you'll notice that in addition to my 'seam' issue...

     ...I also got the name and the hanging loop on the wrong side of the stocking. :(

                        (That's what I get for waiting until the last possible moment!)

                                              Luckily, Hayes is still a baby...

                       ...and there's lots of time to make him another one if I wish. :)

A Christmas Stocking for Hayes- Part 2

Layers of darker green roving...

...are applied to the project surface...

                                               ...and the stocking is wetted out.

                                                 A 'candy cane' hanging loop...

                                ...is fashioned from white and red merino roving...

                                        ...and added to the mouth of the stocking.

                                                     Mid-way through felting...

                                                     ...the resist is removed...

                                         ...and the project is turned right-side out.

                         The stocking is rubbed and rolled in various orientations...

                                                     ...as the felting continues.

                                                Next time: the finished stocking!

A Christmas Stocking for Hayes- Part 1

With a few quick stabs of a felting needle...

                                   ...I anchor yarn 'garland' and roving 'ornaments'...

                            ...to the surface of my colourful pre-felt Christmas trees.

                                             They're turned to face the resist...

                ...as is a cursive 'Hayes' (also anchored to a piece of white pre-felt).

                                                     The body of the resist...

                       ...is covered with layers of wool from a sour apple green batt...

                       ...and white merino roving is added to the white pre-felt top.

                                              Three more trees are fashioned...

                                             ...for the back side of the stocking...

                                           ...and the project is flipped to side two.

                         I lost focus, somehow, after I placed the trees on side two...

            ...and instead of pulling the wool in and around the edges of the resist, first...

               ...I remembered only after I had already added wool to the second side.

         The end result is that the finished stocking doesn't look completely seamless...

                                          ...even though it is. (C'est dommage.)

                                                     Next time: felting begins!

Merry Christmas- 2015!

Christmas at our house...

                   ...came a week early (due to the schedules of my far-flung children).

                                            We spent a wonderful day together...

                           
                                                 ...filled with laughter and food...
   

                        ...and I'm finally at liberty to share the most exciting news of all:

                                        My first grandchild will arrive in the Spring!

                                                            (Woot woot!!!!!) :)

                                   After noticing that our string of Christmas cards...

                                   ...was just the right height for such shenanigans...

             ...my tall son-in-law posed charmingly with my 'Caps For Sale' moustache!

                               He was also so delighted with Lydia's new felt purse...

                                            ...that he **pulled a Dawn Edwards!!

                                         (**definition: turning any purse into a hat)

                          Using leather punches, shoe polish and woodburning tools...

                              ...my daughters completed their new leather purse kits...

                                                    ...in very individual ways...

                                ...and each child received a tin of 'Thinking Putty'...

                               (one 'glow in the dark', one clear, one magnetic, etc.)...

                           ...because everyone deserves a great toy for Christmas!! :)

                                 Wishing you all a festive and love-filled day today!

                                                       Merry Christmas!!!

Three New Christmas Stockings- Part 4 of 4

Even though I rarely needle felt anything...

...since I was felting this stocking from the inside-out...

                       ...it just seemed like the most expedient way to get a tidy result. :)

                                       The 'labeled' white pre-felt is flipped over...

                   ..and stripes of wide pencil roving are added to the resist surface

                                  Next, I cover them with layers of wool roving...

                                                  ...except at the (white) top.

                            The project is wetted out and covered with bubble wrap...

                                                  ...then flipped to side two.

                                            As I lay out additional pencil roving...

                   ...I do my very best to match the new stripes with those on the back.

                              Working carefully (so as not to disturb the stripes)...

                             ...I wrap the wool 'rays' from side one to side two...

                             ...and cover side two with layers of red roving, as well.

                                                     Mid-way through felting...

                            ...I remove the resist and turn the project right-side out.

                                                       Fulling the stocking.

                                              The finished project (back side)...

                                                                ...and front.

                                   Here, the stocking joins the others on the mantle.