World of Wool - Featured Artist for June!

Have only just finished making these, so they need to be lined ready for my Etsy shop.  Decorating and decluttering has meant that I have been very sidetracked, but I definitely feel 'lighter' for the decluttering. Street party for Jubilee celebrations this weekend, lovely sunny day today but we are forecast rain for Sunday, I think.

Bag making turned into bowl making

As you can see it started out as a bag, complete with handles and ties.

Unfortunately, the opening I created was just too large and there were just no sides to it, so I felted and I felted to create a smaller opening.  Using a metal spoon and a wooden spoon, I created ridges.  These have been held in place with pegs, the base of the now vessel has been hard felted with the help of a glass.

In order to hold its shape, I have wrapped sari threads around the base and the top.  It's now waiting patiently on top of the boiler to dry so, some time in 2013, it might just be.  (Too mean to have the heating - it is May after all).

Seven Months Later...

I can't believe that it is so long since I last posted.  I have been making, but not blogging.  Recently I was asked to make a hare purse for Louise who has a lovely shop on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/glassdaft?ref=pr_shop_more.  I, therefore, had a lot of cream coloured felt left over, so rekindled my relationship with the sewing machine.  You can get quite out of practise - so there were a number of false starts.  This is the first one I have listed on Etsy.

Also trying to be a bit more experimental (on the side) - I have become a bit too absorbed in making felt flowers, lately - show images and staged photos later.  But I have found this brilliant book http://www.amazon.co.uk/500-Felt-Objects-Series/dp/160059705X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336510545&sr=8-1 and it's only £9 at the moment.

As a by the by, sad that Homeland is finished but really glad it's going to be continuing at some point - no doubt Sky will grab it (please don't).

Handmade Felt - Machine Embroidered Purses

After making some cream coloured felt using Merino wool and also Icelandic wool (coarser), I spent quite a few hours decorating each purse individually using machine embroidery.

Seamless Felted Bags

It's taken ages, but have, at last, completed making some seamless, felted bags.  Previously I have needle felted large pieces of felt and then chanced a cycle in the wash to complete the felting process.  This has not always paid off, as I have left wash cycles on for too long  and consequently ended up with pieces on a smaller scale than I had anticipated - particularly distressing, if it's taken a number of hours to create the basic design.

Here are some photos of the work before I list on Etsy:

A Seamless Bag

When viewing listed felted items on Etsy, it seems to be a badge of honour if you have made a seamless bag, coat, flower whatever.  For some time I have been making fabric and then using the sewing machine to piece the item together.  So decided that I would create a seamless bag.  It took 2 days, practically and a lot of slog and many wet floors, tables, and towels but I did finally make that seamless bag, with pocket.  It was pretty massive to start off with, it is still quite large now despite masses of rolling, throwing and alternative throws in hot and cold water.  Anyway, here it is.

See the image bag diary:

Addicted to Dyeing

Having bought some Easy Acid Dyes, which do not require any additives at all, made some pre-felt discs in Icelandic wool tops, ready to immerse in dyes.

I also made some felt balls to creative the centre of the flowers - I plan to halve these and then perhaps decorate with beads.

Used tie dyed method.

I love the vibrant colours, and am going to make some cobweb felt which I will also hand dye, and will attach the flowers to the ends of the scarves.