Felt United 2014...With Fiona!

For Felt United 2014...

                  ...feltmakers who were already attending Fiona Duthie's Fall Felt Retreat...

                                        ...plus area felters who chose to join us...

                   ...all gathered together to make a "Peace-themed" Felt United project!

                                     We worked side-by-side, laying out the roving...

        ...then added special and significant embellishments that we brought from home.

                        (As a nod to one of the two brilliant originators of Felt United...

...I included embroidered flowers and hearts that were a gift to me from Elis Vermeulen!)

Fiona added pieces of silk...

...that were dyed with madder from her own garden...

                    ...and a length of yarn literally linked us all together (thanks, Nathalie!)

                                        Once all of the additions had been made...

                                                   ...a piece of silk gauze... 

                                        ...was stretched over the entire surface...

                                                    ...and felting was begun!

                  We had time to admire and consider the meaning of each addition...

                                   ...as we moved around the table as we worked...

            ...and Fiona shared her thoughts with us about this year's theme..."Peace".

         As a nod to the wooded and perfectly peaceful setting in which the event took place...

                        ...one participant even thought to include a leaf in our work!

                                          We each took a turn rolling the piece...

                                         ...then throwing it (to the pre-felt stage)...

                           ...and we considered how very wonderful it would be...

                            ...if we each had so many 'helping hands' at home! :)

                              Once completed, our work was sectioned up into pieces...

                                              ...for each of us to take home...

                                        ...and fashion into a project of our own!

'Felt United' Seaweed Tote- Part 3 of 3

The partially felted project...

...after making cuts for the handles.

(A few stitches temporarily reinforce the denser bit of blue knitting.)

 

The finished tote bag...

 

...blocked and drying.



Its lace-like knitted embellishments... 

...reminiscent of seaweed!

 

The yarn felted easily and completely into the fiber during felting...

 

...and any knitting errors are long forgotten! :)

 

The thin, interior flaps provide peace of mind...

 

...yet open out easily...

...for quick access to the bag's contents!



Happy Felt United Day to all of you!!!!

Next time: my 'Peculiar Projects' series resumes.

'Felt United' Seaweed Tote- Part 2 of 3

Applying a thin strip of plastic for a resist...

 

...and laying out a narrow ridge of felt.

 

Folding it in along the bottom (unattached) side for a nice, neat edge.

 

Rolling three strands of pencil roving together to make thin cords.



Attaching one cord to the center of each flap. 

 

Turning the partially felted piece right-side out.

 

A close-up of the lacy knitted texture.

 

A view of side two...

 

...and of the tote bottom.



Oftentimes, when I'm carrying an open-top tote bag...

...I feel like its contents are a little 'exposed'.

With no zippers or barriers to the outside world...

...things can fall out or 'go missing'.

The addition of flaps below the handle...

...but high enough in the tote bag to allow for storage...

...seemed the perfect answer!

Next time: the finished bag...

...with photos of the interior flaps.

Felt United Project-Banner

 

 

 

 

If you missed the inagural of Felt United last year, like I did...

...now is the time to make something for this year's celebration!

October 2nd is the 2nd International Day of Felt...

...and every felter in the world is encouraged to help celebrate by making a project!

The wedge of the colour wheel featured this year...

...is yellow through green to blue.

I started thinking seriously about my project in August...

...when Elis Vermeulen spoke to our felting class about the aspirations of the Felt United campaign.

It's a place for felters of all abilities and styles, from every part of the globe...

...to come together on one day to celebrate and unite through felt!!

The goal is to cover the earth with felt...

...and show the world the amazing properties and beauty of our chosen medium!!!
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For my banner, I sandwiched a layer of silk gauze between layers of yellow batts...

...then used bright green variegated roving for the 'message'.

I made flowers and greenery from fine merino top...

...and a fiddle-head fern from merino top and pencil roving.

I wanted to be able to hang it without a dowel...

...so I sewed a casing at the top, and stuffed it (very tightly) with bits of wonky wool roving.

I think my message is two-fold...

...that when there is peace, the world will feel it...

...and also that I feel truly at peace when I'm making felt

I put my banner up for the photographs this morning...

...but will put it up to stay on October 2nd.

Join me, will you?

For submission information (and more) visit www.feltunited.com.