The Prefelt is working out well, have a look here for more information. I have used some in this month swaps.

Bookmark.

Bracelets

Postcard

Think my next order I will try some heaver weight or the Norwegian. It really helps save time and some of the work of the felting process.

Treated myself to Felting Books. Creative Felts by Lizzy Houghton, it’s a beautifully illustrated book with lots of projects inspired by nature, one being seaweed so I just had to have a play.

My other book is The Art of Felt, by Françoise Tellier-Loumagne a beautifully illustrated book of inspirational designs, textures and surfaces.

Still having difficulties with felting, its so painful! I bought some white pre felt thinking it might be slightly easier to work with but although it saves laying the fibers and felting them to the pre felt stage the pre felt still needs a good rolling - ouch my poor shoulders!! – okay on small pieces but isn’t helping with larger felts. I have been felting using a silk chiffon and muslin background and then dyeing the pieces which have come out nice. Using the pre felts gives a very smooth fine felt ideal in wearable garments where a good drape is required, something which took a long time to perfect using wool tops. Below are some pictures of the dyed pre felt and Wensleydale locks I have played with.

Walking the dog I found a series of leaves in different stages of being eaten by a bug or similar and took these photos for inspiration – whoops my inspiration just isent working at the moment but they will keep!.

Do you remember this woodland wall hanging I started a while back? It’s been pinned on the wall far too long, every time I looked at it I thought it needed to be a bit more 3D

I have added another tree and several groups of grasses and leaves, these are all needle woven in 2 or 3 strands of stranded cotton. I also extended off the sides of the hanging onto the felted mount.

Its back on the wall at the moment but I 'think' it is finished or should that read “nearly finished” I never know quite when to say “That’s it – finished” and find myself added bits on and stepping back hopeing for a better view.

SWAPS.

I received this tag from Loraine on the UK Embellishers Group

Don’t forget to keep checking on Calendar Girls Postcards Swap.

I received the following post cards from

May Postcard from Sharon.

June Postcard from Susan D

Oh dear it is ages since I blogged! Felting is still at a stand still but never say no!! meanwhile I had a play with embellishing silk fibers and silk chiffon into a piece of dupion silk, soaked in coffee and when dry sprayed with Moon Shadow Mist, Tawny Turquoise and Violaceous Violet to make a Post Card for May Calender Girls Swap – go and have a peep here at the wonderful work being produced. Then using the same background I made an ATC and Tag for Swaps with the UK Embellishment Group.

A bit of knitting, this time a shawl, guess I must have been watching too many Catherine Cookson’s DVD’s and fancied one, LOL Sods law as soon as I had finished the weather changed so its been put away for the autumn.

The postman brought me some lovely swaps, African Art Pages from Sue, Elieen, Amanda and Becky and an ATC from Maureen of the Yahoo Group - UKEmbellisherSwap.

New Life for tired Vessels.

Looking at a couple of vessels that I felted a couple of years back I noticed they were sun bleached and looked a bit sad. Out came the dye pot and dyes, Teal Green, Hot Pink, Turquoise and Purple, I dyed them in sections, tying the vessels to the saucepan handle with thread so they didn’t become one colour. I love playing like this as you never quite know the outcome and the beauty is you can always over dye if you don’t like what comes out.

These are the vessels when first made.

Over time they had gone pale, sun bleached and sad so the dye pot has given them a new life.

I am a member of the UK Embellished Swap group and have signed up to an "African Art Page" looking on the Internet I found lots of images for inspiration and when at the quilt show I bought this lovely piece of cotton and beads to make a book cover for the pages I receive, might even make a couple of pages for myself if I find the time.

I layered up some organza, muslin, silk etc and stitched lines and split with an "unpickmequick"gadget, roughed it up then painted with walnut ink. The second piece didn't take the walnut ink as the top couple of layers are organza. These are backgrounds for embellished masks.

After cutting the material for the cover I had a piece left over so I cut the figures and elephants out, made some embellished backgrounds using bright orange and red dyed silk chiffon, black grey and blue organza, then ironed the figures and elephants on using mistyfuse.

More felting:-

This is a length of black silk chiffon felted around the edges with lattice work in middle, Our region of the IFA are running a sales and demonstration stall at the Woolfest again and this year the theme is scarves so hopefully I will be able to submit a couple

This is the scarf I told you about the other day, I felted the middle section after my shibori dyeing went a bit wrong. I think it has come out quite well, what do you think?

On the knitting front, I have used up most of the fancy yarns that Linda sent me on a fiber exchange we did a few months back. Was going to weave the yarn but knitting seems so much easier to me so here the biginnings of a shoulder bag, I have embellished it over the fancy/bubbly yarns that are not the ‘eyelash’ type and think it looks good, the photos really do not do it justice as they don’t show the embellished stripes in between the eyelash yarns, have taken about 20 photos, these are the best ones, I love my little camera but perhaps I need a better one for close ups.

SHIBORI

I used a background of Shibori silk on a post card for Calendar Girls and Lynda asked me if I could to a brief tute, it is such a long time ago I did this shibori in a workshop, the instructions I can’t find, my memory is terrible and can’t even remember which silk paints we used……… so over the weekend I had a play,

First attempt....Oh dear perhaps I shouldent show you but here goes.....I dyed a silk scarf grey in the microwave using a very diluted black dye, washed, dried and tied it around a piece of drain pipe pushing the creases up close, (had forgotten just how hard this is on the hands!!) I sprayed it with water to wet it thinking I might explode my microwave and then blobbed it with black dye (full strength) and microwave for 4 mins on high. Washed it(still on the d/pipe) and left to dry. Being I am bit impatient I undone the string whilst still damp. Oh dear it only had feint creases and was a bit of a mess – whoops!!

Okay i'm getting my brain in gear now so my next attempt worked well. I tied a scarf around the drain pipe as tight as I could and dribbled black dye leaving some white areas, this was microwave 4 mins, rested 2 mins and microwave 3 mins (don't ask why - I made it up as I played) then run under the tap until the water was clear, dapped with paper towels and placed in the airing cupboard over night, aaahhh that’s better…..results below,

All is not lost on the first attempt, I felted the middle section this morning and will take a photo later to show you.

Calendar Girls2008.

Playing catch up here, I'm like a donkeys tail - all behind!!

February Post Card from Lynda.

March Post Card from Pat.

My March Post Card to Debbi

Shibori Dyed Silk background, organza in center with 3d lilac flowers - embroidered french knots over a shaped felt.