Two Projects From Art Batts- Part 2 of 4

Covering the resist with fiber.

Adding deep red roving for the inner layer, plus a layer of cotton gauze for strength.

The back of the finished purse...

...and the front.

Vintage buttons change a rather dull purse into something special!

I barely had time to finish felting this bag...

...before my middle daughter whisked it off for herself.

Since it wasn't the most exciting bag I had ever made...

...she jazzed it up with a bunch of vintage buttons from my stash!

You can see that she didn't even wait for a sunny day to photograph it properly...

...but into her suitcase it went, and off to Minneapolis! :)

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Mystery resist...

...can you guess what this will become?

(Felter's Fling participants will certainly know!!) :)

Next time: the mystery is solved! Giggle.

Two Projects From Art Batts- Part 1 of 4

Blending different fibers for art batts.

Shimmery sari silk waste.

Some finished batts...

...with big chunks of color...

...and in all different colourways!

Laying out project # 1: a peanut-shaped resist bag.

I have a lot of oddball fibers in my stash...

...and in late summer, I thought it would be fun to utilize my drum carder...

...and make some sassy mixed-fiber batts!

I blended bits of wool and mohair, tussah silk, alpaca...

...variegated pencil roving, sari silk waste and cotton sliver...

...into these interestingly-textured batts.

The first project is a (ho-hum...the 'usual') peanut-shaped resist bag...

...but after I had felted this one, my middle daughter took it away for embellishing...

...and wait until you see how cute it is!! :)

Next time: the finished bag...

...plus a sneak peek at project # 2!!

"Peace Felt" Project- Part 3 of 3

The back of the purse.

 

The inner flap.

 

My finished Peace Felt project.

 

The front flap with hand-spun yarn Peace Sign.

 

Check out this perfect vintage button!

 

The opened purse (back side)...

 

...and front.

 

Happy Peace Felt Day to you all!!

Peace Felt is a project that's intended to "create a continuous circle of peace and sisterhood that has no beginning and no end".

I loved making this gift for my 'receiving partner'...

...and I'm sure that I will love the gift that my 'sending partner' sends me as well.

Peace baby, peace!! XXO-

"Peace Felt" Project- Part 2 of 3

Cutting out the handle.

 

Pullling back the flap that will become a pocket.

 

Turning the bag right-side out and hand-stitching the handle.

 

The back side of the purse.

 

The doves of peace fabric that I used for the pocket lining.

 

The inner pocket...

 

...and in close-up.

 

Because I am a fabric lover...

...I still have a bit of a stash in my rarely-used sewing room.

And after a bit of searching...

...I was delighted to find a piece that suited this project perfectly!

I made this bag in the usual manner...

...turning it right-side out and stitching up the handle before the final felting.

Next time: the finished bag...

...with a fabulous vintage button!

"Peace Felt" Project- Part 1 of 3

Laying out the front of the bag.

 

The bag back with hand-spun yarn.

 

Adding more variegated roving...

 

...in a circular pattern.

 

Making the inside of the bag flap.

 

Pax = Peace.

 

Close-up of the pencil roving.

 

I'm participating in the Peace Felt swap this year...

...and now that I've finally mailed my gift off, I can show it to all of you!!

I decided to make one of my 'peanut-shaped resist' bags...

...and pack in as many peaceful images as I could! :)

I worked (as I often do) from the inside-out...

...and used sherbet-colored variegated roving that reminded me of the '70's!

I made two Peace signs with my hand-spun yarn...

...and wrote the word 'Pax' on the inner bag flap.

Next time: more progress photos...

...and one last 'Peace' detail! :)

Blue Wool and Raw Fleece Purse- Part 2

The bag front with leather thong button closure.

 

The bag back.

 

With its 'guts' pulled out...so you can see the fabric-lined pocket. :)

 

The pod-shaped interior of the bag.

 

It's always interesting to see how a new kind of raw wool will felt...

...and I wasn't so certain about this batch when I started!

Because this wool is from sheep raised for their meat, not their fleece...

...and because it had rained for weeks prior to their shearing (and boy, was this wool filthy!!!)...

...I didn't start with high hopes.

The fleece I received is a mixed-up combination of Dorset, Suffolk and Romney...

...and I'm not even sure which bit of fleece is from which animal!

As with most of my raw fleece experiments...

...I embarked upon the making of this bag as if it were a science project! Giggle.

For fun, I tried a new kind of fastener on this bag...

...cutting a thin length of leather and sewing it onto the bag flap (for wrapping around a button to secure).

The button is a pewter one that I bought at the Maryland S & W Festival this year...

...with a cute embossed sheep on its face.

I especially like the way the blue roving migrated into the raw locks...

...and you'll see how this worked to even better effect in my next post...

...another project made from this 'mystery fleece'! :)

Blue Wool and Raw Fleece Purse- Part 1

Laying out raw fleece and variegated blue roving.

 

Trapping unwashed locks between the resist and a layer of roving.

 

Voila---completely covered!

 

Adding a layer of silk gauze for strength.

 

I acquired a large quantity of raw fleece recently...

...and I wanted to make a special gift for the sheep owner.

I used my peanut-shaped resist...

...and centered 'blobs' of raw fleece on both the flap and the backside of the bag.

I then encased the resist in several layers of variegated blue wool roving (plus a layer of silk gauze)...

...and felted it in the usual way.

Next time: the finished purse (and a fun, 'sheep-ish' button!)

Blue and Orange Pre-Felt Bag- Part 2

The weted-out project during felting.

 

After felting.

 

A fun, colorful button from our trip to Bath, England.

 

The finished purse.

 

I like using color complements from opposite sides of the color wheel...

...especially when they involve the color ORANGE!! Giggle.

Unlike some of my other bags...

...I didn't machine-stitch the handle together after the bag was completely felted and dried...

...but used a whip stitch to close the cut, partially-felted edges of the handle prior to further felting.

This way, the stitches virtually melt into the piece during felting...

...and the handle looks nearly as seamless as the bag.

As with my other peanut-shaped resist bags...

...the second flap was turned into an inner pocket, like this.

Luckily for me, the recipient of this purse (the adorable and very talented Andrea)...

...is a real orange-lover, too!! :)