Silk Scarf Embellished Slippers- Part 3 of 3

Using lasts that I made a number of years ago...

                                                 ...and a pair of old stockings...

                        ...I tumbled the nearly completed slippers in the dryer for a while...

                                                     ...to finish them off.

                                           While choosing leather for the soles...

                                               ...I thought it would be fun...

                                          ...to use grey leather for one slipper...

                                               ...and burgundy for the other!

                                          Because I wasn't completely satisfied...

                                 ...with the way I 'healed' the slits during felting...

                                              ...I did a little hand embroidery...

                                                      ...around the cut edges.

                                      I also stitched a bit on the slipper exteriors...

                                           ...to slightly camouflage the spots...

                                  ...where the silk didn't completely cover the wool.

                     Next time: photos from a couture fashion exhibit in Philadelphia.

Silk Scarf Embellished Slippers- Part 2 of 3

Using wool from art batts...

                                          ...carded from fibery odds and ends...

                                                   

                                          ...I add a number of thin layers of batt...

                                               ...to each side of my two resists.

                                          As you will see in the finished project...

         
                                        ...I should have been a bit more careful...

                                 ...while choosing fiber colors for my many layers...

                                      ...since some of the less attractive sections...

                                         ...are visible in the finished slippers. :(

                                     Once all of the fiber layers have been added...

                                                 ...I rub and roll them for a bit...

                                      ...then make a slit from resist point to point...

                                                  ...and remove the resists.

                                    The cut edges are 'healed' with soapy fingers...

                                       ...and the slippers are turned right-side out.

                                           This resist creates a nice, boxy heel...

                                               ...for sturdy, 'clog-like' slippers.

                                            Next time: the felting is completed...

                                              ...and leather soles are added.

Silk Scarf Embellished Slippers- Part 1 of 3

Following this wonderful tutorial...

...I draft a slipper pattern from craft paper.

                                                   With a permanent marker...

                    ...I transfer the patterns to a piece of foam floor underlayment.

                                         Using a vintage silk scarf from my stash...

                                         ...I choose areas that I wish to highlight...

                                       ...and orient my pattern pieces accordingly.

                                             
                                            One slipper will feature a glum cat...

                                             ...and the other, a grinning dog. :)

                              The silk is placed on the foam resists 'right side' down...

                                      ...and smoothed out with a sprinkle of water.

  
                                      A layer of white wool roving is applied next...

                                               ...and the project is wetted out.

                                           Additional layers of wool are added...

                                                    ...from a blended art batt...

                                ...and the slippers are flipped over to the second side.

                          Next time: the resists are encased in additional layers of fiber.

Woven Gauze Table Runner

A couple of years ago...

...I purchased a length of oddly woven cotton gauze...

                        ...thinking that it might be fun to try it in a nuno project one day.

                                                   Well, today's the day! :)

                                 After laying out two layers of fiber from an art batt...

                                          ...I cover the wool with cotton gauze...

                                                       ...and begin felting.

                                         Mid-way through felting (the back side)...

                                                          ...and the front.

                                    Note how the colors from the multi-hued batt...

                                        ...are starting to 'peep' through the gauze.

                                               The finished table runner (front)...

                                                              ...and back.

                               If you look quite closely, you can discern the pattern...

                         ...but it's not as dramatic an effect as I originally expected.

                            (If I make another one, I think I'll use wool in just one color.)