Friday, February 25, 2011

A "Tote Tale"- Bag Number Two

Laying out the raw locks.

 


Fulling the bag after felting.

 


The finished tote.

 


A peek inside.

 


After making a quite feminine and demure tote bag for my friend, Dawn...

...it was time to let my 'freak flag fly', and make one for me!! Giggle.

I don't know about you...

...but, lately, nothing seems wilder, or more fun than using raw locks!

(Love them!!!!)

And, of course, the bag had to be orange...

...good guess, Kelly!! Har.

Working with raw wool locks can be a bit challenging...

...but I've found that a quick dip in concentrated soap solution helps them to attach a bit more firmly to the roving.

I love the way the Black Romney fleece knotted up during felting...

...and you might notice that the bag came out a bit smaller than tote #1

(I think I must have used fewer layers of wool this time).

Next time, I'll show you a tote that I made the other day that was a huge failure...

...and how I re-purposed it for functional use!! :)

P.S. Even though it looks like I didn't cover the entire circular resist this time, I assure you that I did...

...there is white roving alongside the 'orange handle' section...

...it's just difficult to see in the photograph! :)





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30 comments:

Terriea Kwong said...

Amazing tote bag. I love the shape and color, the locks are great addition.
Thanks for sharing and I learnt a lot. Will give it a go.

Cash en Els said...

What a nice bag, I like the form very much!!

Kelly said...

those locks are wild! The shape of this bag is sooooo functional. Once again you have given me some ideas for a project. I have been lacking serious inspiration....so I thank you! Also, the orange is perfect!

WonderWhyGal said...

I LOVE IT! I am going to send you some raw Alpaca to play with. You've got a technique down so why not see how the Suri and Huacaya felt in.

I LOVE the orange!

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

vilterietje said...

it looks só great! and orange it's the dutch national colour ( because our queen beatrix is from the house of orange)
you know, nice orange is not ugly and i love it:)

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks so much, ladies!!
I guess orange is the 'Heather national color', too, Riet!!
Often, when I begin a project for myself, I find that without even thinking about it, it ends up this color!! :)

FeltFinland said...

Another question!? At what point did you remove the resist? Did you leave a gap so you could pull it out or did you cut a hole and then remove it? Many thanks. I really want to have a go at one of these!

Hooked On Felt said...

Love the locks in the bag Heather. Cute, interesting and fun! Does it get better than that?

Melissa Plank said...

Oh, I love your tote, the colors and textures are wonderful and it looks like a very handy shape/size too!

Heather Woollove said...

Amanda--I felt it until it passes the 'pinch test', and until the resist starts curling up inside the piece. I then cut a hole to remove the resist.
Continue felting, turning it inside out from time to time, until it is done. Stuff it so that it dries in the right shape, and then cut out the handle when it's dry.

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, Suzanne and Melissa!

Mollyandollie said...

I have to say, I love the inside shot!! gorgeous shape!

Chrissy said...

I LOVE this tote. The orange is great and the tufts make me smile. I do love wet felting. If only I were strong enough I'd be at it all the time.

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, Molly and Chrissy!!

GalaFilc said...

Nice handbag!

krex said...

I love the texture of the raw locks....still working up the nerve to work with these but love the result .

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, Galina!
Krex--Just make sure your tetanus booster is up to date and then go for it! :)

Sara lechner said...

I love this bag. I also like to use locks where I can!

Spinster Beth said...

Lovely totes! Wouldn't have to worry about knitting needles slipping out of the bottom of those!

Marushka C. said...

What a fun tote! Very creative and excellent colors, too.

Heather Woollove said...

Sara-I have a dyed blue locks bag coming up in the next few weeks, too.
Beth-Since I'm not a knitter (I know...gasp of horror!!) Giggle...
I wouldn't have thought of that, but I will keep it in mind for gift giving occasions for my knitter friends!
Thanks, Marushka! I just love orange! :)

FeltersJourney said...

Oh WOW! GORGEOUS!
I like that statement too 'letting the feak flag fly' lol :)
xx

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, Deborah!! :)

Donene said...

YOur bag is awesome! I love felting and what it does! Thanks for your nice comments.

Heather Woollove said...

Donene--So glad you stopped by!!

Queen of the Tea Cosies said...

Neat.
Real neat.

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, Loani! (Cat post is next!)

Anu said...

Like it!!!

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, Franka!! XXO-

Anonymous said...

I agree with you. The raw locks do look neat, the way they knot up and twist and such. And I really like the orange too. It's bright and cheerful, and I'd say a lot like you. :) Love it!