L's Raw Fleece Rug- Part 3 of 3

The finished rug, prior to trimming.

 

The gauze side with migrated black roving.

 

A close-up of the rug's glorious texture.

 

The finished rug.

 

This rug was a labor of love...

...and I'm as happy with the end result..

...as I was while making it with my daughter, L. :)

As many of you have written to remark...

...getting to spend a real chunk of time like this with one's child...

...especially a grown one...

...is a real gift and a joy!!

This project required a long, hard, filthy day of work...

...but I think it was worth it.

I'm especially happy with the way the black roving migrated into the 'fissures' of the less golden-colored raw locks...

...giving the rug an organic, lichen-covered rock formation look.

When the rug was completely felted, rinsed and dried...

...(and boy, did it take a long time to dry)...

...I trimmed off the excess cotton gauze with small, sharp scissors.

The 'Heinz 57' variety of locks that we used...

...resulted in the lovely, multi-colored appearance of this rug.

And I think the fact that the wool started off ever-so-filthy...

...was one of the reasons that the individual locks remained as separate and springy as they did!

I know my daughter will enjoy having something warm and filled with 'Mama love' in her new apartment...

...and I think we will both remember this day as a very special one!

L's Raw Fleece Rug- Part 2 of 3

The final layer of black roving.

 

Covering the fleece and roving with a layer of cotton gauze.

 

Wetting out the project, and beginning to felt the rug.

 

Using a sander prior to rolling.

 

Part of the fun of having someone to felt with...

...is being able to take 'action shots' for a change! :)

After laying out our final layer of black roving...

...we covered the whole shebang with a layer of cotton gauze.

Wetting out a project as large as this one takes a while...

...and I was happy to have the extra 'woman power'! :)

In order to make certain that the raw fleece was becoming attached to the roving and gauze...

...we rubbed it with bubble wrap for quite some time.

We then used an electric sander on it for a bit...

...and watched as the fibers migrated through the gauze.

Before we started rolling...

...I tucked the excess roving 'fringe' between the fleece and the gauze for a tidier border edge.

Since this was an especially filthy fleece...

...the run-off water turned a truly disgusting shade of brown.

(My daughter says it looked like diarrhea water! Bleurgh.)

Luckily, I recently purchased an electric spin dryer...

...and we could easily, without wringing...

...remove the dirty water from our synthetic chamois cloths as we worked.

Next time (you've all been so patient!)...

...the finished rug in all of its glory!! Grin.

L's Raw Fleece Rug-Part 1 of 3

Bringing in a 'bucket o' raw fleece' from the garage.

 

Laying out the fleece 'tips down'...and covering it with a layer of black wool roving.

 

More roving.

 

Notice the organic shape of the future rug.

 

In late August, my daughter, L will be moving to Minnesota for graduate school...

...and I've been trying to prepare her for the cold winters there!

We've purchased clothing that she can layer and a good jacket...

...and have made scarves and raw wool pillows for her sofa.

When I acquired the garage-full of raw fleece recently...

...we decided that we would attempt a large rug for her apartment, together.

It was wonderful having someone to felt with for a whole day...

...rug making is a physical job...

...and I also love spending time with my seldom home daughter...

...who is currently in Norway for a month!

We laid out raw fleece in an irregular rectangle with the tips down...

...and covered it with two perpendicular layers of black wool roving.

Next time: cotton gauze, a sander, and very filthy soapy water!

Blue Wool and Raw Fleece Purse- Part 2

The bag front with leather thong button closure.

 

The bag back.

 

With its 'guts' pulled out...so you can see the fabric-lined pocket. :)

 

The pod-shaped interior of the bag.

 

It's always interesting to see how a new kind of raw wool will felt...

...and I wasn't so certain about this batch when I started!

Because this wool is from sheep raised for their meat, not their fleece...

...and because it had rained for weeks prior to their shearing (and boy, was this wool filthy!!!)...

...I didn't start with high hopes.

The fleece I received is a mixed-up combination of Dorset, Suffolk and Romney...

...and I'm not even sure which bit of fleece is from which animal!

As with most of my raw fleece experiments...

...I embarked upon the making of this bag as if it were a science project! Giggle.

For fun, I tried a new kind of fastener on this bag...

...cutting a thin length of leather and sewing it onto the bag flap (for wrapping around a button to secure).

The button is a pewter one that I bought at the Maryland S & W Festival this year...

...with a cute embossed sheep on its face.

I especially like the way the blue roving migrated into the raw locks...

...and you'll see how this worked to even better effect in my next post...

...another project made from this 'mystery fleece'! :)

Blue Wool and Raw Fleece Purse- Part 1

Laying out raw fleece and variegated blue roving.

 

Trapping unwashed locks between the resist and a layer of roving.

 

Voila---completely covered!

 

Adding a layer of silk gauze for strength.

 

I acquired a large quantity of raw fleece recently...

...and I wanted to make a special gift for the sheep owner.

I used my peanut-shaped resist...

...and centered 'blobs' of raw fleece on both the flap and the backside of the bag.

I then encased the resist in several layers of variegated blue wool roving (plus a layer of silk gauze)...

...and felted it in the usual way.

Next time: the finished purse (and a fun, 'sheep-ish' button!)

Owl Birthday Placemats- Part 2

During felting.

 

After felting and drying.

 

Trimming them with a rotary cutter.

 

The finished placemats.

 

In my last post...

...I neglected to mention the layer of cotton gauze that I used in the layout...

...along with the wool roving.

Unfortunately, it shows a bit at the top of one placemat...

...and I may decide to re-trim them, prior to my daughter's birthday.

Since I'm not much of a representational artist...

...I was so concerned about getting the design laid out correctly...

...that I didn't pay as much attention to the finished shape as I should have.

If you make a pair of these, spend a little extra time with your measurements and design placement...

...so that you'll end up with nice, rectangular mats...

...and no cotton layer showing!

(I'm hoping that their earnest facial expressions...

...will distract my daughter from any little flaws!!) :)

Owl Birthday Placemats- Part 1

Laying out variegated green roving.

 

Adding 'owl parts'.

 

The birds come into focus with their carrot-like beaks.

 

Check out this guy's Peter Falk eyebrows! (May you rest in peace, Peter.)

 

My eldest daughter has a birthday this month...

...and she really loves owls!

I'd been wanting to try making placemats as a single, larger piece and then splitting them into two...

...so this seemed like the perfect time to try it.

I laid out several layers of variegated green roving...

...then added owl designs with colored wool roving.

The felting was easy peasy...

...just wetting and rolling a piece of flat felt, with no care for the edges.

Next time: the felting...and the finished mats.