Embellished 'Silk Scraps' Journal Cover- Part 3 of 3

Adding more beads to the journal cover.

 

Additional iridescent beads and new clear ones in close-up.

 

A line of gold glass beads marches along the silk edge.

 

The finished cover with a standard 'Composition Book' inside.



 Now, a line of small metal rings 'joins the fray'! :)

 

The fully embellished cover.

 

To complete the project, I stitched on a braided yarn bookmark...

 

...with a pink leather tab.

 

Those of you who know me well...

...are probably out there scratching your heads...

...over the abundance of embellishment on this journal.

No...it's not my favorite thing...

...but somehow, this time, I got carried away! :)

I took three doubled strands of festive yarn...

...and braided them into a soft bookmark.

A small rectangle of dyed pink leather finishes it off.

'Peace Felt' Project 2012- Part 2 of 2

Drying the cover over a hardback book lined with plastic bags.

 

The finished journal cover (closed)...



...and open...

 

...and with a glimpse of matching bookmark.



A close-up of the journal interior.

The Peace Felt journal with its 'sister' for comparison. 

Journal interiors with leather bookmarks and wooden 'made by' tags.

 

The back side of the journals.

 

Since my Peace Felt gift is already safely en route to its recipient...

...I can finally share these finished photos with you.

A couple of months ago and continuing my rather 'journal-centric' summer...

...I hit upon the idea of making a 'peace journal' as my gift this year.

Whether its new owner uses it to compose poetry or jot down grocery lists...

...I hope that it will bring to mind thoughts of peace, love and gratitude...

...each and every time that she uses it. XO-

Finished WIP- Pinky-Orange 'Dreads' Purse

Cutting (and stitching together) strips of pink leather for the strap. 

  Cutting out bright fabric for the purse lining...

...and adding velcro fasteners.

                                                        Stitching the lining and strap to the finished felt.

                                 Pulling the sewn-together pieces through an opening in the bag lining.

                                                       The attached lining, prior to tucking it into the purse.

                                                                    The finished bag (wiggly side)...

                                                                                  ...and spiral side.
                                                       

                                                        The finished bag with a green felt inner pocket.

                                                                   I was very happy to finish this project...

                                                                    ...and finally put this fun bag to use!

                                                          Finding the perfect lining for each fabric-lined bag...

                                                                                ...is a special joy for me. :)

                                               Because I didn't 'think ahead' about a pocket for this one...

                                      ...I ended up hand-stitching a green felt pocket to the fabric lining...

                                                                             ...for extra functionality!
 
                                                                               

"Ribbon Yarn" Journal Cover- Part 2 of 2

The finished cover...

 

...and now with hand-dyed leather closure.

 

You'll notice that I reinforced the buttonhole area with a second layer of leather.

 

Adding a thick leather button finishes it off.



This is the kind of easily-acquired Composition Book that I like to put 'inside'. 

 

Now, private papers can't fall out and get lost.

 

The finished cover in all of its glory (front side)...

 

...and back.

 

Some months ago, when I first dyed this deer hide for a particular project...

...I wasn't sure that I'd ever find another use for pink leather!

Funny, isn't it, how it keeps finding utility in different projects?...

...like when you buy shoes in an odd color and then realize that they go with absolutely everything! :)

Because I wanted to reinforce the area that would see the most use (the buttonhole)...

...I stitched two layers of leather together to form that part of the closure.

While looking through my button bin for the perfect, colorful button...

...I found a thick, green, handmade, leather one from a felting friend in Chile.

Voila...a match made in heaven!!

Leather-Soled Wet Felted Slippers

Laying out a pencil roving design...

...and covering it with layers of variegated wool roving.

Mid-felting...separating the slippers and removing the resist.

Cutting pieces of leather for the soles...

...checking the fit...

...and punching holes in the pink leather.

The finished slippers...

...with their well-protected bottoms!

My daughter asked me to make her another pair of slippers recently...

...since the ones that she's been wearing had worn through in spots.

I decided to make this pair a combination of looks and strength...

...like a ballerina in steel-toed boots! :)

I used the usual resist and layout...

...and added a bit of color with variegated pencil roving.

When they were fully felted and dry, I drew templates for split soles...

...and cut them from a piece of hand-dyed leather.

To make them easier to stitch, I punched holes into the leather...

...and used a strong beading thread (Silamide) to attach them.

Hopefully, these will wear a bit better than the last pair! :)