Keeping Summer Alive
This past spring, I had a real surprise when I noticed a little garden of violas growing in the cracks of our patio.
They flourished throughout the summer, but when the colder weather started to hit I knew I’d be sad to see them gone. I had purchased a picture frame at a garage sale over the summer with nothing special in mind, but then decided to keep the memory of my patio pretties alive thru a three dimensional felt representation.
I needle felted the flower, leaves and stems separately. Then I placed a plastic resist around some of the petals so that they could be manipulated into a shape while drying.
I used a white prefelt with just a hint of color in the background and placed the flowers, leaves and stems into position, gently needle felting them into place. Then I placed another resist under part of the leaf I want to raise before felting and fulling.
Here are several angles of the felted flower and leaf.
Taking a picture straight on after framing it doesn’t do it justice because it’s hard to see the dimension.
Now I can enjoy my viola all winter long.
How do you keep your summer memories alive during the colder months?
23 thoughts on “Keeping Summer Alive”
It’s a beauty (I liked seeing how you made it) and it looks good in the frame – lovely colour choice. It will certainly brighten the winter days.
I’m having similar thoughts about summer memories. I have my ‘last sandcastle of summer’ picture on the wall close to my computer, and I kept looking at it while trying to concentrate on making a ‘snowy’ picture. Somehow my heart’s not in the snowy picture so I may abandon it in favour of a summery one instead!
Thanks Lyn! I like all the different colors, but the purple is my favorite.
I can only imagine how hard to would be to get into a snowy picture with your “last sandcastle of summer” staring at you. Maybe you just need to hang on to summer a little longer. 🙂
This is wonderful. I love this. Please change my email address to (edited out for safety) I had to make a change.
Thanks Judy! I’ll try to change your address. If I can’t perhaps one of the other moderators can.
It was listed as that, Judy 🙂 I removed it from your comment so you don’t get spammed.
love it, very springy
Thanks Margaret!
Hello Marilyn your wool felted viola are so very pretty. And even more special that they are a reminder of our lovely Summer past… You can look at your pretty reminder while the snow flies outside.
Thanks Judy! I hope I don’t have to see too much snow this year.
It’s been so cold here it is nice to see a reminder of summer. Thanks for showing the process, it turned out to be a beautiful flower.
My California poppies grow in our patio cracks 🙂
Thanks Ruth! It’s getting cold here, too. I’ve had violas the past few years and this was the first time they grew in the cracks. It was a pleasant surprise. It’s nice having a patio garden.
Lovely 3D Violas Marilyn. I love them, they just pop up and smile at you! We call them Heartsease, but they have so many common names: – Viola tricolor, heartsease, heart’s ease, heart’s delight, tickle-my-fancy, Jack-jump-up-and-kiss-me, come-and-cuddle-me, three faces in a hood, or love-in-idleness, 🙂
Thanks Judith! They certainly do! I never knew they had so many names. Whatever they’re called, they are delightful. 😉
The viola picture is just lovely, Marilyn! It looks so real, and your frame just sets off the coloring so nicely. Wish I had thought of doing that before all of my deck flowers died…they couldn’t survive the recent cold snap!
Thanks Cathy! Sometimes a project just presents itself. All my flowers are gone, too. Last year I pressed some, but this year I only managed to get the last few violas pressed. Now what I’ll do with them is another question. 🙂
We call them Johnny Jump Ups. The picture turnout great. The 3D makes it.
Thanks Ann! I’ve heard that name but never knew it referred to violas. I’ve learned a lot about violas today. 🙂
Great Idea, Marilyn and it turned out excellent 🙂
We used to press violas and pansies at school, then use them for bookmarks on card with that sticky see through plastic.
Thanks Zed! The bookmarks must be a universal school project. 🙂
Thanks for changing Judy’s email!
Lovely violas, and you did a great job. Your summer memories look great in that framework.
Thanks Nada! It’s snowing here, so I will definitely enjoy my viola today.
Interesting – we plant violas and pansy in North Georgia in the fall and they bloom all winter – the ground temps to not get cold enough to kill them – they are really pretty with a dusting of snow. They die out in the summer when it gets hot.
That is interesting. They seem to thrive here in the hot weather as long as they are watered.