Painted Silk Messenger Bag- Part 2 of 2

Trimming the inner 'pocket' flap...for better fit inside the bag.

The finished bag (back side)...

...and front (with un-trimmed front flap).

A closer look at the back...

...and front.

Preparing to sew the inner pockets.

The finished multi-pocket flap.

The finished front flap after trimming and top-stitching.

As per my friend's preference...

...I made a 'pocket flap' with discrete, segmented pockets this time...

...in order to create more organization within!

I used 'doves of peace' fabric to line the pockets...

...both for it's complementary color, and it's energy. :)

I considered leaving the front flap untrimmed for some time...

...but finally decided that I preferred more of the silk showing...

...and that by trimming and top-stitching it, I could showcase it better.

I made the bag handle very long on this one...

...so that Melissa can wear it 'cross body' as she likes.

Next time: Something wonderfully orange (for me!!)...

...and P.S. : Melissa was well pleased with this gift!  (Whew!!)

Painted Silk Messenger Bag- Part 1 of 2

Painted silk gauze and coordinating merino roving.

Laying out roving along the resist perimeter.

Adding the painted silk gauze.

Covering the gauze with roving...

...white over the design so that it would 'pop'!

Adding more roving to the back side of the purse.

The finished layout...front side with encased silk...

...and back side.

Cutting out the handle and removing the resist.

This is a messenger bag that I made for a swap with my friend, Melissa...

...and it was a first for me, since it was a collaboration!!

She provided the hand-painted silk gauze (oh, so lovely!!)...

...and I found complementary colors of roving and then felted them into a bag!

It was a bit nerve-wracking for me at first...

...wanting to 'do right' by her work and show off this amazing design!

Next time: I'll show you the finished bag...

...and tell you what she thought of it!! :)

Two Projects From Art Batts- Part 4 of 4

Laying out a thin layer of blue roving and rolling it in bubble wrap to make holes in the pre-felt.

Adding a layer of white and green roving to one side of the perforated pre-felt.

The finished felt...showing white and green in the 'open' areas.

The same piece held up to the light.

(You can see that the white/green layer is very thin and translucent.)

After stitching and trimming around the open top of the cube.

The finished cube with a circular embellishment...

...and more on this side!!

When I was at Felter's Fling, one of my classmates made beautiful, cobwebby pre-felt...

...by laying out a thin layer of roving on bubble wrap...

...and rolling it very fast and hard for a brief time.

This pre-felt could then be laid out on a second layer of roving or pre-felt...

...for a lovely decorative effect!

Since this cube project cried out for a bit of embellishment...

...I decided that it was high time to try this technique!

After felting the 'perforated' blue piece...

...I cut it into circular bits and machine stitched them to the cube.

I also stitched around the top of the cube (to hold down the flaps)...

...and trimmed off the extra felt.

Because I used a very thin layer of light colors for the back layer of the blue felt...

...the holes look rather like translucent windows!

Next time: A painted silk messenger bag that is a collaboration with a friend!!

Two Projects From Art Batts- Part 3 of 4

Laying out fiber.

After felting...the bottom (one pointy end) of the project...

...and the top (with a hole cut) after the resist has been removed.

Cutting in toward each corner with scissors...

...and voila, it's an open-topped cube!! :)

From another angle...

...and from the top.

Surprised?

It sure is a strange-looking resist that produces a cube (or box) like this!!

The trick is to lay out roving on each section of the two-part resist...

...placing bubble wrap between the layers as you work, so the sections don't felt together.

When the felt is starting to shrink and constrict the resist...

...you make a cut at one pointy end and remove it.

(If you want a box and not an open-topped cube...

...make a smaller cut somewhere along another edge for resist removal!)

Continue to felt the piece until it is finished...

...then dry it and make cuts into the four corners for the top flaps.

Next time: Storage cube embellishments!

Two Projects From Art Batts- Part 2 of 4

Covering the resist with fiber.

Adding deep red roving for the inner layer, plus a layer of cotton gauze for strength.

The back of the finished purse...

...and the front.

Vintage buttons change a rather dull purse into something special!

I barely had time to finish felting this bag...

...before my middle daughter whisked it off for herself.

Since it wasn't the most exciting bag I had ever made...

...she jazzed it up with a bunch of vintage buttons from my stash!

You can see that she didn't even wait for a sunny day to photograph it properly...

...but into her suitcase it went, and off to Minneapolis! :)

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Mystery resist...

...can you guess what this will become?

(Felter's Fling participants will certainly know!!) :)

Next time: the mystery is solved! Giggle.

Two Projects From Art Batts- Part 1 of 4

Blending different fibers for art batts.

Shimmery sari silk waste.

Some finished batts...

...with big chunks of color...

...and in all different colourways!

Laying out project # 1: a peanut-shaped resist bag.

I have a lot of oddball fibers in my stash...

...and in late summer, I thought it would be fun to utilize my drum carder...

...and make some sassy mixed-fiber batts!

I blended bits of wool and mohair, tussah silk, alpaca...

...variegated pencil roving, sari silk waste and cotton sliver...

...into these interestingly-textured batts.

The first project is a (ho-hum...the 'usual') peanut-shaped resist bag...

...but after I had felted this one, my middle daughter took it away for embellishing...

...and wait until you see how cute it is!! :)

Next time: the finished bag...

...plus a sneak peek at project # 2!!

Green Felt Bag With Seams- Part 2 of 2

The felted bag with matching leather straps (a gift from my friend, Nicola).

A good view of the exterior pockets. Don't they look like smiles? :)

After sewing machine seaming (back side)...

...and the front of the bag.

The back side again...in close-up.

The bag turned inside-out during the 'amputation of the protruberences'. :)

(notice how the exterior pockets look from the inside of the bag!)

The bag's new post-surgical appearance (back side)...

...and the finished bag front.

After working so hard to finish this ginormous felt bag...

...at the end of the day, I was left feeling rather unhappy and at sea. :(

Luckily, Elis had access to a scary old sewing machine at the Creative Felt Gathering...

...and she worked her magic on it by sewing shaping seams into the finished felt!

Reducing the size and adding some curves didn't solve all of my problems, however...

...since there was still the matter of the weird boingy bits at the bag's bottom!

As these things are wont to do, my small dreads had grown to gargantuan proportions during felting...

...and I had no idea what to do with them!!

After tying them 'up' or 'together', or coiling them didn't solve my problem...

....but merely made what is already a rather ungainly purse even more so...

...I made the harsh decision to amputate!!

At just over 20 inches across at the bottom, now...

...it's a bag which can finally actually be carried (woohoo!!). :)