Adding raw locks...note the color of these locks and compare it to the finished bag...this fleece was absolutely filthy!
A peek at the olive and aqua merino lining.
(Please ignore the white stitches holding the straps on...
...I hand-sewed them while at the Creative Felt Gathering...
...and haven't yet covered them with a bit of olive felt.)
The finished bag in all of its hairy glory! :)
The perfect vintage button for this bag...
...given to me by my sweet friend, Melissa!
The back side of the bag.
Black nylon webbing makes a fitting strap.
See the olive roving peeking through the raw locks?
This is one of three raw fleece bags...
...that I made at the Creative Felt Gathering last month.
Elis Vermeulen was the instructor for this class...
...and she was (as always) truly inspiring!!!
She has a conceptual and highly physical way of teaching...
...and she delights in experimentation and artistic challenges!
I adore her...
...both as a teacher, and as a friend.
I purchased these locks at the Endless Mountains Fiber Festival recently...
...and I really wasn't certain how well they would felt.
I used olive green and aqua merino roving for my first layers...
...then added the locks with their cut ends down.
(This is a departure from my usual manner of placing cut ends up and covering them with roving and gauze!)
As a 'wild girl' at heart...
...I just love these hairy raw wool bags...
...and when I realized that I had recently been given the perfect button for the bag closure...
...I was in heaven!!
If you use nylon webbing for a strap, just remember...
...fuse the cut ends with a lit match prior to stitching...
...so they don't unravel!
25 comments:
beautiful and lovely hairy bag ! :)
It's absolutely stunning!
it looks very much like a scottish sporran! i think i'll make one like this for my huband to wear on his kilt:)
Sigita--Thank you very much! I don't suppose this fleece would make a good wedding suit, would it? Giggle.
Thanks, Andrea! You know how I love the locks! :)
Riet--A sporran...who knew? Now I've learned something new!! Thanks!
I absolutely love this bag. You truly inspire me! I love the raw locks and their natural colour! A gorgeous bag! Well done!
I like everything about this bag! The colors and the hairy outside. I can imagine that your in heaven about the button. It's gorgious|!! hugzz...peebee
Oh WOW Heather I LOVE this wild wooly bag - it is FANTASTIC :)
xx
That was a dirty fleece! The bag is wonderful.
Good morning dear friend,
Surely you jest about noticing the white stitching! I'd need to find a pair of reading glasses to notice such a thing, and in order to find my reading glasses, I'd have to find my "real" glasses, which is just too much work so early in the morning, so you'll excuse my "not noticing";-) Coffee, I need coffee!
Love all of the bags that you've created...You were faster than greased lightening, or should I say wool in the grease, at making these bags. Why, it would seem that every time I turned around, you had another bag completed. You and Elis are both dynamos!
Love,
Dawn
Heather, this bag is to die for. I must try to make something similar with some of my raw wool. The raw wool always look so "raw" on your finished felted items. How do you do it? Mine always look much more felted....if you get what I mean.
Thanks, ladies!! I'm so happy that you feel the same way I do about this wild and wooly purse!! :)
Jeanette--One of Elis' teachings was that once it's felted...just stop working it...that the raw fleece bags didn't need to be worked as hard as roving ones...'cause you just end up losing the 'wigglies'!
Thanks Heather! I will give it a try this wekend.
Jeanette--I look forward to seeing your wild and wonderful results!
Melissa has the best buttons! It looks great on your bag, another wonderful creation.
Vivian--Yes, she sure does! Thanks for your kind comment!!
what a beautiful bag! I so want to follow a workshop with Ellis!
thank you for sharing this beauty...Elis is wonderful and sweet
love
Mariana--Yes, yes, yes!!! Elis is an awesome teacher...I know you would love taking a class with her!
Yvette--Thank you! We are lucky to know Elis, don't you think?!?!
Goodness, those locks cleaned up well!
Rachel--Yes...they were pretty disgusting starting out! :) XXO-
Don't know where the original comment I left you vanished to Heather but I just wanted to say that this is my ALL TIME FAVOURITE pieces that you have felted (with the exception of my bag of course)!!! XXX
Oh Heather, this is wonderful! I've go to try making one of these!
Oh, Nicola---How very sweet of you!!! I really love working with raw fleece, but I'm never sure if others like these projects as much as I do, so this means a lot!! XXO-
Lindy--Thanks...yes...make one!!
Hi Heather,
I think I met you at the '13 MD sheep and wool fest? I was wearing a rams head felted hat. Aaannnnyhow, I happen to be in the middle of my own raw locks big thingie - and my locks are also filthy. Did yours just happen to come that clean through the felt process? Or did you do anything special.
Thx in advance
Lisa(Norah) Walsh
Lisa-How delightful to hear from you! The felting process cleans the fleece, but it is a very 'diarrhea water'-ish process. ,)
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