Raw Locks Bedroom Rug- Part 2

Wetted out and partially felted rug.



'Boingy' Jacob Hoggett locks.



The finished piece...hanging to dry.



My new bedroom rug 'in situ'.



Working with raw fleece takes a bit of stamina...

...and it's also a pretty dirty undertaking.

I make a point of washing my hands carefully and often while I work...

...and I keep the dirty waste water well away from food preparation areas.

When I'm finished with each project, I clean my sink and equipment with bleach...

...and I've made sure that my tetanus booster shot is up to date, just in case!

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But, all that being said...

...I just love the beautiful, earthy smell of raw wool while I work!

And nothing beats the sensual pleasure of stepping out of bed each morning...

...and sinking my toes into this wonderfully-textured, soft, thick, cloud of wool!!

Raw Locks Bedroom Rug- Part 1

Laying out raw wool in concentric circles...
...with the tips that were outermost on the sheep facing down.



Covering the locks with orange wool/silk roving.



Filling the center with white wool roving.



Topping the layout with a layer of cheesecloth.



As I think you may already know...

...I've been having a bit of a love affair with raw locks, lately!!

I wanted to make a piece using wool from my dwindling stash...

...of Black Romney, Jacob Hoggett and Icelandic fleeces.

I thought a new bedroom rug would be a nice project...

...fun to make (not too large) and super cozy on my toesies! :)

I laid out raw locks in circles...

...making each ring from a different breed of fleece.

Black Romney wool looks the most grey and tan...

...Jacob Hoggett locks show up as 'poufs' of black, brown and white...

...and the black and white Icelandic wool is 'doing the wild thing' and sticking out everywhere!!

I covered the surface of the locks with a layer of blended silk and wool roving in my favorite color (plus white for the middle)...

...and wrapped the whole shebang with a layer of cheesecloth.

Next time...

...how the project looked during felting...

...and the finished rug!

Spiral Table Runner

Laying out spirals using soapy, wet sections of roving.

 

The runner hanging to dry.

 

The finished runner with centered larger spiral.

 

A close-up view of all of its wiggly glory. Giggle.

 

I had made a pillow for a friend's birthday in November...

...so I needed a different kind of gift for her this Christmas.

I recently purchased a few pre-made, undyed batts of home-grown wool...

...from a small, mom-and-pop knitting store/farm in Ephrata, Pennsylvania.

I decided that now was the time to try them out...

...with the holiday clock ticking down!

First, I laid out the design onto my netting...

...then covered over it with layers of batts.

Since this was my first time using batts that I hadn't made myself (and they were pretty fluffy)...

...there was a bit of a learning curve, in peeling off the layers.

I sandwiched-in a layer of cheesecloth for structural support...

...and finished off the edges as evenly as I could.

Using this 'drawing with wet wool' method lately...

...I find that I really love the wiggly quality of each 'wool brush stroke' after felting.

I also like that when you create with wool...

...white is not such an off-limits color, for stain reasons.

I'm hoping that the multi-colored nature of this runner...

...will offer my friend many placement options in her home.

'Lots O' Dots' Pillow Cover

Laying out the dots.

 

The finished pillow cover, after trimming.

 

The pillow back.

 

The pillow front.

 

When Nicola visited me this Fall...

...she was kind enough to bring along some short fiber merino for me to try.

It's the 'darling' of many felters lately...

...and I was excited to try this 'magical, quick-felting' wool myself!

Since this is a gift for a friend with a new, not-yet-fully-decorated house...

...I figured that this 'pillow of many colors' would certainly fit in somewhere!

I started (as usual) with a cheesecloth square...

...then covered it with white wool roving.

Next, I laid out the dots, leaving room between them...

...later filling in the empty areas.

The short fiber merino was a really good fit for this project...

...since little bits can easily be broken off and laid out.

'Fleece-In-The-Grease' Throw Rug

Black Romney fleece being covered with a layer of white roving (and later, cheesecloth).

 

The front side of the rug mid-felting.

 

Close up.

 

Finished rug in its new 'home'.

 

My Black Romney fleece was whispering to me recently...

..."Use me, use meeeee!"...

...so I decided it was time for another fleece-in-the-grease project. Grin.

I had an old throw rug in the dining room which had seen better days...

...and a handmade replacement seemed in order.

I laid out wool locks and covered them with merino roving...

...then topped them with a layer of cheesecloth for structural support.

Because of its location and intended use...

...I didn't want to leave tufts like I did with my full fleece pillow.

I think a little of the charm of using raw fleece was lost, however...

...because of its flatness. :(

When it was finished, I found it to be a bit slippery on the bottom...

...but sewing pieces of rubber no-slip matting to the rug back solved the problem.
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Today in the US, we will celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday...

...and I would like to wish all of you a most joyful and memorable holiday.

And since giving thanks is especially appropriate today...

I would like to take the opportunity to say "Thank You" to each and every one of you, my lovely readers!

Your comments, tips and encouragement mean the world to me!!!

"Fleece-In-The-Grease" Pillow

Raw Jacob Hoggett fleece--corralled and covered by a layer of merino roving.

 

Cheesecloth atop the whole shebang.

 

The back side...partially felted.

 

The front side...partially felted.

 

As you may know...

...I bought three raw fleeces at the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival.

And it was with equal parts excitement and trepidation...

...that I began this project.

When I first considered buying raw fleece...

...I spent quite a few hours reading about how to clean it.

Quite frankly? It put me off...

...seeming too messy, temperature-dependent and...well...fiddly for me.

But then, everyone in blogland started making full-fleece rugs, pillows and garments...

...and I was completely seduced.

This pillow is a Christmas gift for my boyfriend, J...

...and he has promised to avoid reading my blog for a couple of days so that it remains a surprise. :)

It's not exactly an easy project...

...but it's really, really fun (and magical)!!

Nicola recommended that I start with the fleece tips down...

...meaning that the cut edges of the fleece would be pointing up.

Not satisfied that my edges would flop over, with nothing to hold them in a vertical position during the layout...

...I designed a foam floor underlayment, duct tape and tuna-fish-can corral to hold everything in place!

I have an old, round springform pan that I'm going to use for this purpose when I make another one...

...then never again for baking!!

I covered the fleece layer with two layers of merino roving...

...and topped it with a layer of cheesecloth.

At this point, the corral was removed...

...since the cheesecloth was now providing 'edge support'. :)

It took lots of rubbing and rolling and quite a while to felt...

...and don't get me wrong...it's still a pretty filthy experience!!

When it was felted to the point that you see above...

...I popped it into a mesh bag and into the washing machine for part of a cycle.

I watched it like a hawk in there...

...stopping the cycle, rinsing, and removing it when it seemed adequately felted.

Next time...

...the finished pillow.

(Wait 'till you see what I used for the back!!)

"Stained Glass" Pillow Cover

Bits of pre-felt laid out on a thin layer of soap glue and covered with a grid of pencil roving.



The partially felted piece.


The fully felted pillow cover.


The finished pillow...filled with a standard pillow form.


For this pillow cover...

...I worked from the front, back.

This means that I started with a bit of soap glue...

...and laid out my design with the things I wanted in the front, first.

After the pencil roving layer...

...I added layers of brown wool roving and a layer of cheesecloth.

Although I've trimmed most of the pillow covers I've been making, lately...

...this one seemed to require a little more abandon.

It reminds me of something that you might see at a Renaissance Faire...

...or a stained glass window, with all of its bright colors!