"Snowperson" Bag Swap Gift- Part 2 of 2

The finished bag.

 

Drawstring cord made with grosgrain ribbon and leather.

 

A 'regal' profile. ;)

 

A view from the front.

 

The carded Border Leicester locks...

...give the bag a delightfully shimmery and bumpy texture...

 

...just like a 'real' snowball!

 

The drawstring can be tightened...

 

...or loosened for easy access to the bag's contents.

 

The idea behind using batts made from carded locks...

...was to create a textural felt that would mimic the rough surface of a snowman.

Working with such unexpectedly filthy locks, however...

...made me worry that the finished bag would have the 'dirty slush' look of a real snowman, as well...

...and that's a bit too much verisimilitude for my taste!!

Happily, as I continued to felt the project (using extra soap)...

...the bag became as white as...erm...the driven snow. :)

For the bag closure, I fashioned a 'bolo tie' sort of cincture...

...from grosgrain ribbon and small pieces of leather.

"Snowperson" Bag Swap Gift- Part 1 of 2

Laying out wool roving eyes and a carrot nose...

 

...then adding more bits of coal black for a smile.

 

From washed Border Leicester locks...

 

...I made several fluffy batts on my drum carder...

...and laid them over the 'face' side of the resist.



Looking through the resist from side two...

...allows me to check my design placement.

 

Covering all but the top portion of the resist with batts...

...(allowing for a more free-form top edge)...

...and adding a cloth strip for a 'drawstring channel reinforcement'.

 

The partially felted bag...

 

...now with its carrot nose in proper alignment. :)

 

I signed up to participate in a holiday swap this year...

...and, not knowing for certain 'which major holiday' the recipient observed...

...I decided to make a felt 'snowperson' bag as my gift.

Using raw Border Leicester locks...

...(which were not quite as 'washed' as advertised)...

...I carded up some shiny, fluffy batts.

Making a 'face' with black and orange wool roving...

...I proceeded to make an open-topped bag...

...with a drawstring channel for its closure.

Next time: the finished bag...

...with leather-trimmed ribbon cincture.

'Doctor Who' Felt Journal Cover- Part 2 of 2

Creating a pre-felt Dalek...

...who is not nearly as cuddly as this photograph might suggest!!



Looking through the plastic resist...

...to what will become the front side of my journal cover. 

Mid-way through felting...

 

...and the finished cover(!)

 

A hand-embroidered "Police Box" tops the TARDIS...



...and a Dalek guards the back of my journal.

"Exterminate!!" 

 

Adding a grosgrain ribbon bookmark...

 

...with a "D.W." medallion fashioned from snippets of white and black leather.

 

Even though the extraterrestrial race of mutants known as the Daleks...

...are utterly without compassion, and know only hate...

...I can't help having a bit of a soft spot in my heart for them, anyway. :)

I chose to create a 'New Paradigm' variant for my journal...

...because the casing of the 'Scientist Dalek' is ORANGE!! Grin.

To make a themed bookmark for holding my place...

...I stitched two squares of soft leather (one with sewn-on initials)...

...to a brightly-colored length of grosgrain ribbon.

Now no one could possibly go home with this journal by mistake!! :)

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.

"Fern and Flower" Drawstring Bag- Part 2 of 2

The finished bag (fern side)...

 

...and flower side.

 

I used narrow, grosgrain ribbon for the drawstring...

 

...but made the straps a bit shorter than with my previous bag.

 

Filled with things, it looks like this...

 

...and I hope that my friend will find it a useful size for storage...

 

...since she may already own a few too many of my purses!  Grin.

 

After sewing on the satin ribbon casing...

...I threaded lengths of narrow grosgrain ribbon through it...

...one from each side of the bag.

This enabled the drawstring to work easily...

...while allowing the bag to open to its full width, as well.

By working inside-out , the pencil roving just melted into the felt...

...and the design didn't shift or deform...like it might if you added it last.