"The Starry Night" Purse- Part 1 of 2

Layering deep blue roving onto the resist.



Adding swirls and designs with dyed silk roving (back side)...  

...and front. 

 

Fully felted and drying (front)...

 

...and back.

 

Cutting out a fabric lining...

...with pockets!

 

Machine stitching a button-hole...



...and snipping it open. 

 

Do you remember the Marine Life Purse...

...that I made recently?

Well, this one is its 'resist twin'! :)

In addition to visiting my daughter and blog friend, Becky, while I was in Minneapolis...

...I also spent some time with an old college friend.

We hadn't seen each other since 1987...

...and yet, she dropped everything to pick me up from the airport and spend the day with me!

This bag was my thank-you gift to her...

...and since I had no idea about her 'personal style' after so many years...

...I decided to make something iconic.

I hoped to evoke the serene spirit of Van Gogh's painting...

...and some of you will have noticed that the lining echoes another of his famous works, as well! :)

Next time: the finished purse...

...and a photo of the 'resist twins' together!

Pre-Felt "Centipede Scarf" Tutorial- Part 2 of 2

The piece, mid-way through the felting process.



The finished scarf...

 

...and in close-up.

 

Take a good look at the knots...

...they felted a bit, too!

 

Here it is, making it's creepy-crawly way across the floor!



I love its pebbly texture... 

 

...and I really love my 'model' daughter, who was kind enough to pose for me!

 

Using pre-felt that's dyed in this way makes for a festive scarf, don't you think?!?

 

For those of you who just couldn't imagine...

...that the finished scarf would look much different than the pre-felt scarf...

...I invite you to look back and compare. :)

Working the pre-felt during felting and fulling not only shrinks the wool...

...but changes its texture.

The 'legs' become thinner...

...and gain fun, bulbous-looking ends, as well!

I hope that if any of you try making a scarf like this...

...you'll write and let me know how it comes out!!

Pre-Felt "Centipede Scarf" Tutorial- Part 1 of 2

Cutting a long strip of pre-felt...

 

...and folding it in half.

 

Making semi-regular cut outs in the felt.

 

The scarf after trimming.

 

Adding knots with wool yarn...

 

...and in close-up.

 

Preparing to felt the scarf...

 

...and wetted out...mid-felting.

 

This is a quick and easy project...

...using hand-dyed 'needled felt'...

...aka 'pre-felt'.

Cut a long strip of pre-felt...

...approximately 6-inches wide.

Next, fold it in half...

...and pin it into place.

With sharp sewing shears, make regular cuts along the length...

...(and here is where you can get creative!)

You can shape the 'legs' differently than mine...

...or make them shorter or longer, if you like...

...leaving more or less of a center section. :)

For interest, once it was trimmed...

...I added a few clumps of knots with coordinating colors of wool yarn...

...using a large-eyed needle.

Next, lay it out on a piece of bubble wrap...

...wet it out, and cover it with the other half of the wrap...

...and begin felting!

Since it is already partially felted...

...it won't take long to finish this process.

Just be sure to keep it flat, and the 'legs' away from each other...

...until you are sure they won't stick to each other and felt into a bumpy mess.

Next time: the finished scarf...

...and you'll see why I call it 'the centipede'!! :)

Another Stab At Ruffle-Making: Blue Purse- Part 3 of 3

One side of the finished bag...

 

...and the other.

 

Outdoors on the patchy grass(!)...

 

...playing in the ivy...

 

...and hanging around in the lilac tree!

 

Thanks to a random number generator...

...the winner of this giveaway is Terrie!

Terrie--I hope that you will enjoy using this bag...

...please send your mailing address to woollove-fiberart(at)hotmail(dot)com.

Next time: a sunny and whimsical pre-felt scarf!

Another Stab At Ruffle-Making: Blue Purse- Part 2 of 3

Cutting out the fabric lining...

 

...and stitching on a leftover bit of felt for a pocket.

 

Making 'positioning pockets' for the leather straps...

...from pieces of yellow scrap felt.



Stitching the handles firmly to the scrap felt and fabric lining. 

 

The finished purse...

 

...front side...



...and back... 

 

...and open to show the lining and pocket.

 

I found a beautiful piece of white and blue-green fabric in my stash...

...and fashioned it into a lining for this purse.

I stitched a roomy felt pocket to the lining...

...and re-purposed straps from an old, discarded, leather purse.

If you would like an opportunity to win the purse for your own...

...please comment on this post (if you haven't already on Part 1).

I will be announcing the giveaway winner on Wednesday, April 11th...

...so be sure to get your comments in before Midnight (EST) on Tuesday, April 10th!

Next time: more finished photos...

...and a winner!

Another Stab At Ruffle-Making: Blue Purse- Part 1 of 3

Laying out some of the necessary 'elements'...

...merino roving, plastic straws and a resist.

 

Rolling the straws in several layers of merino wool...

 

...and covering them with variegated roving.



Cutting the felt to remove the resist. 

 

The partially felted bag with 'intact' straws...

 

...and with the straws removed.

 

The fully felted bag...

...stuffed (to block) and drying.

 

The finished felt.

 

The concept of ruffle-making continues to elude me...

...yet I persevere. :)

I had a collection of soft, short, plastic straws in my studio...

...that originally sheathed the stems of cut flowers.

I thought that they might work well as resists...

...so I decided to test this theory out.

I wrapped each straw in layers of merino roving...

...and placed them on the surface of the resist.

After covering the whole shebang with variegated wool roving...

...I felted the bag until it was mostly felted...

...then cut out the straws.

It took a bit of work to fashion the cut edges into proper ruffles...

...and I do think that, next time, I would want to go a bit larger...

..."bye-bye, straws...it was nice while it lasted!" ;)

Those of you who know me well, will notice right away that this purse was not designed for me...

...but in a colourway that I hope will appeal to one of you.

Since I missed my usual 'birthday giveaway' in March...

...this bag will be a 'spring giveaway', instead!

Please leave a comment on this post or the next one...

...and I will add your name to the list for the drawing.

Next time: sewing a lining for the bag...

...with a re-purposed felt pocket!