Project X BAG (Quelle Surprise!)

 

 

 

 

Once I had decided to make (yet another) purse with this felt...

...and had drafted a working pattern (don't ask!)...

...I was still on the fence about which side to use as the bag's exterior.

I am not much of a blue person...

...and I really, really love the way the silk laps felted into the wool...

...they're so richly textured, they look almost tumor-like to me.

So, having decided on the 'right' and 'wrong' sides of the felt, I began cutting...

...making one 5-inch strip for the bag's sides...

...and two pod-shaped pieces for the front and back.

I also cut two long, thin pieces for the straps...

...and merely seamed them together, 'right' sides out.

I made a lining from two coordinating fabric patterns from my stash...

...and cunningly (I thought) sewed little fabric 'packets' for two super strong earth magnets...

...that I sewed into the lining for use as a closure. (Much cheaper than the fabric store ones!)

I sewed the bag together 'seam-allowance-out'...

...for a little more textural interest.

Now that I have a working template...

...I may make more of these...

...next time, with pockets! (I forgot them this time!)

Project X-Part Two

 

 

 

 

I've called this Project X because I'm still on the fence about this piece of felt...

...I'm still not sure "what it wants to be". Giggle.

I'm thinking about designing a pattern...

...cutting it up, and sewing some sort of pod-shaped bag with it.

I really loved the way this silk gauze felted into the wool...

...the silk was so sheer...

...it wasn't an ordeal to get the wool fibers to migrate through it.

(I must keep this in mind for future nuno projects~!)

I think the 'blobs' of merino look almost like leaf marks...

...and look at the great, bubbly texture of the silk laps in the last photo!

It's very soft, but is too small for a shawl...

...I'll figure something out, though! Grin.

Project X-Flat Felt

 

 

 

 

Some time ago...

...I bought some silk laps.

They are a lot like the silk hankies I've used before...

...but (for me, at least), a lot harder to handle.

I think it's their size which 'gives me fits'...

...since I found it impossible to pull off single layers of silk...

...like I could with the hankies.

So I did the best I could, ripping sheets along the way...

...laying them out as a base layer for my wool fibers.

(Wait until you see how these thicker silk layers...

...bubble after felting!)

I applied 'blobs' of wool next...

...I was playing, really...

...trying to use up some leftover merino top in different colors.

Next: I covered it all with a thin layer of wool...

...in several other colors.

It's funny, 'cause when you see the finished felt, I think you will be surprised...

...it really resembles an India Flint eco dyeing piece, somehow.

Lastly, I took some hand-dyed silk gauze pieces from my March dyeing madness...

...and covered the entire surface with them, making a sort of sandwich.

More next time...