Barnacle Pillow Tutorial- Part 3 (of 4)

Laying out white roving for the inside of the large pillow.

 

The back side of the pillow...wetted out.

 

Adding raw locks to the pillow front.

 

The pillow just prior to felting.

 

I made this pillow a little differently than the earlier two...

...since I wanted a bit more control over the placement of my raw locks.

Instead of working from the outside-in, I made it right side out...

...and quite a bit larger, too.

For the back side of the pillow, I laid out orange and yellow roving...

...in a bullseye pattern.

For the front, I added individual locks of raw wool...

...from Jacobs, Black Romney and Icelandic sheep.

Before attaching the locks to the roving...

I dipped each one into a diluted soap solution, to help with the attachment.

Next time: the end of the wild pillows!

Barnacle Pillow Tutorial- Part 2 (of 4)

After felting...with the raw locks hidden inside!

 

Cut open and turned right side out..."Hello Fishy-lips"!! :)

 

Stuffing the pillow with wonky white roving, prior to stitching it up.

 

The finished pillows in all of their weirdness!!

 

As you can see from the first photo...

...after felting, you're left with a hollow ball of felt with the plastic resist inside.

It is then cut open, wide enough to turn the pillow right side out...

...and stuffed with wool roving.

Since I wanted the pillows to be pretty firm (for lumbar support)...

...I stuffed them with a lot of wool.

If you'd like them to be softer than this...

...just stop filling them when they 'feel right' to you! :)

To finish it up, I hand-stitched it closed with strong thread...

...and repositioned some of the loooong Icelandic fleece locks...

...which had gotten a little stuck during felting.

Next time...I'll introduce you to their big brother!!! Giggle.

Barnacle Pillow Tutorial- Part 1 (of 4)

Laying out raw fleece on a round resist.

 

Adding orange wool/silk fiber and a layer of cotton gauze.

 

Side two.

 

Covering side two with roving.

 

I think there might be something really wrong with me...

...since the projects that thrill me the least...

...are the ones that many of you like the best! Grin.

My bright and cheery pieces often leave me cold...

...yet I thrill to the sight of raw fleece, weird boingy bits...

...projects which resemble tumors or fungi...

...and creatures from outer space or deep under the sea.

So...in the spirit of all that is weird (and lovely to me)...

...I bring you the first of a many-splendored post set!!

These pillows were made for my daughter, L's birthday recently...

...for use in her Minneapolis grad school apartment this fall (brrrrr).

I used a round resist, and layered it with raw fleece, roving and cotton gauze...

...and then a second layer of roving (not shown).

I repeated this sequence on side two...

...completely encasing the resist with the raw wool inside.

Next time...felting and finishing the small pillows (I made two).

Amazing Pumpkin Pie Colored Swap Shawl

The shawl back.

 

Wrapped and modeled by my daughter, L.

 

In all of its winged glory.

 

Close up detail.

 

My friend, Mary, and I arranged a 'mystery swap' recently...

...where we sent each other color and item preferences...

...and then just tried to wow each other!

I have to say that she sure did her part, as I am IN LOVE with my new shawl...

...and with the breezy week we just had, I've worn it many a morn (har) as I catch up with friends on the Internet.

She made it in the most exquisite shade of cooked pumpkin...

...in a blend of 70% wool and 30% silk...

...so it's really soft and warm!!

For you knitters who might want more details (where to find the free pattern, yarn brand and colourway, etc.)...

...check out Mary's post about it here.

Thanks again, Mary!! I love it!!!!

Springtime Table Runner- Part 2

The finished runner.

 

Close up.

 

Ruched cotton gauze backing.

 

Glittery Angelina fibers and dyed locks.

 

With the addition of a little color and shimmer...

...the slightly off-white hue of the 'mystery fiber' was no longer an issue.

The dyed locks provided a bit of texture, but not too much...

...since a table runner should be as safe for underpinning a vase of flowers...

...as it is for cradling a warm casserole dish!

I like the way that the pencil roving doodle...

...morphed into a vine bearing colorful flowers.

And the batt-like quality of the short fiber merino...

...helped it to felt into individual blossoms quite easily.

Springtime Table Runner- Part 1

Laying out cotton gauze over fluffy mixed roving.

 

A second layer of wool and a doodle of pencil roving.

 

Adding blobs of color, texture and glimmer.

 

Wetted out during felting.

 

This was a project that I made just before Easter...

...as a thank-you gift for my handyman.

I had bought some 'mystery carded fiber'...

...which is a blend of what came off the carder last at the fiber mill.

It still had some natural lanolin in it...

...and this batch wasn't perfectly white or free of vegetable matter (v.m.).

I wanted to try it to see how it would felt, though...

...and thought it would make a nice spongy base for this runner.

After making a swirly design in pencil roving...

I added bright, short fiber merino, dyed locks and Angelina fibers to the surface.

Next time: the finished runner.

Felt Messenger Bag Tutorial- Part 3 (of 3)

The machine-stitched seam at the mouth of the bag helps to hold the inner flap/pocket in place.

 

A close up of the glorious ruched silk.

 

The finished bag front.

 

The bag back.

 

As you can see, the resist that I used for this bag was a huge improvement over the rectangular one that I used for my other messenger bag...

...oh well, 'live and learn'...

...or should I say, 'keep felting and pay attention'?!?!

I really love the way the striped silk felted in (like buttah!)...

...and now I wish I'd bought the whole bolt!!

I hope that time and experience will make me more certain when it comes to knowing which fabrics will felt well and which won't...

...'cause it sure would make things easier as I'm hemming and hawing in the aisle of the fabric store!! :)

Even though there's not one micron of orange wool in this bag, I'm pretty happy with how it came out...

...and I'm delighted to report that my friend, Mary is quite satisfied with her gift. :)