Finishing an Eco Piece
Last year Cathy (Luvswool) and I did some eco dyeing. https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2016/11/03/eco-printing/
They pieces have been hanging around and I was going through them again and decided I liked the heavy cotton one in particular. It was time to finish it. Of course, it wasn’t that easy to decide what to do. At first I thought I’d stitch the flowers and leaves, but I’m not that great at embroidery. So it sat for awhile again.
I really liked the straggly edges. Besides, if I turned the edges over I’d lose some of the nice design. Here is part of the design. You can see at the top the ragged edge. The two long sides were not that way, but I spent some time in front of the TV pulling out strands so they would all look the same.
I chose some embroidery threads that reflected the colors of the imprints, but subtle enough not to fight the design.
I did three rows of stitching around the whole piece.
I had decided it would be a wall hanging so I attached a small dowel with loops on the back.
The next question is where would I hang it so it would really look good. I have a lot of dark walls and some light gold. It’s hard to see the gold here, but there was some contrast.
My kitchen is teal and generally sunny.
The living room is a deep bronze color.
The family room is deep moss.
We’ve had a lot of dark days here, so I know the photos aren’t the best.
What do you think?
Just a quick addition. This past weekend I met with my siblings in Madison, WI for lunch. My sister Car brought me a fleece from one of the twin boys born last year – Little Will. Here’s a quick peek at the open bag which was quite heavy.
While we were having lunch Car’s Granddaughter Madison received pics of two new twins that were just born. A little boy at 8lbs 12 oz and a girl at 9lbs 6 oz born to ewe Mary.
What a great way to celebrate the get together!
16 thoughts on “Finishing an Eco Piece”
The wall hanging is a delight – it reminds me of wall hangings that can be found in old manor houses – and I like it on the ‘moss’ and the ‘bronze’.
Aww – the little ‘uns and their mum are so sweet! What a lovely presi of the fleece … but also a lot of work coming up eh?
Thanks Lyn! I do like the antique type feel of the eco piece and the muted colors against the bronze and moss, too. I don’t think they are wall colors you’d find in a manor house though, 🙂
No work coming up, we dropped the fleece off at the Illinois Wool Mill on our way home. I’m not doing any heavy lifting these days.
With regard to the fleece prep, I see you have your head screwed on the right way Marilyn!
🙂 I also don’t have the back for it Lyn.
Your eco print turned out lovely as a wall-hanging, and I’d go with the deep bronze wall. What fun you will have with the fleece! Can’t wait to see your rug.
Thanks Cathy! It is striking against the dark colors, now to find the perfect spot for it.
As far as the fleece, it won’t be ready to picked up until May which is fine. Then we’ll see if I’m up to making a rug right away. I think there will be plenty to play with.
I love the stitching you did to finish the piece. Really nice results on the eco-dyeing. I too like the bronze wall best, followed by the moss.
The fleece looks wonderful. I’ve never had that much raw fleece to work with at once. You mention a rug… what type? Felt or woven? I went to a local fiberfest last year and saw someone making a rug with roving, on a type of wooden loom–but not any traditional loom. I can’t remember what it’s called! I remember I loved the thick rugs they were making but thought at the time, how incredibly expensive it would be to make a big rug with wool roving!
Thanks Terri!
This is my first fleece and the first time my brother in law sheared a sheep. 🙂 I don’t plan to weave a rug more likely felting one. I’ll have to see if there a lot of locks or not. My only cost here is getting it cleaned. I could have had it turned into roving but decided not to. It will be interesting to see it after the wash.
Great piece Marilyn! I do agree the contrast of the dark walls looks the best. Exciting that you’ll get your prepped fleece back in May. Did you decide whether to have it made into batts or roving? Or are you just having it cleaned? The new lambs are really cute.
Thanks Ruth! The contrast does make the prints pop more.
I’m just having the fleece cleaned. I think I’ll felt a rug down the road. If not, I can always make my own batts to use in smaller amounts. I’ve tried making roving off the carder but haven’t had any luck. Having it processed into roving would have more than doubled the cost. I know my sister is planning to give me another white one that I would probably turn into roving.
The stitching you added is really nice, Marilyn 🙂 I’m going to be awkward and say I like it on the teal! It might just be the camera but it really brings out the colours to me. Don’t forget to show us your washed fleece.
Thanks Zed! I don’t think that’s awkward. It does look nice there as well and gets more light in that spot. I will definitely show you the fleece when I get it in May.
Another vote for bronze or moss!
And good luck with the fleece. I’ve washed a couple of fleeces – it’s not difficult, just takes a bit of time. And having a spin dryer helps – my first fleece was done in batches in my salad spinner! 😉
Thanks Kim! It looks as if bronze and moss are in the lead.
I dropped the fleece off at a mill to be processed. I have back problems and have limitations as to what I can do, lifting water laden fleece is one of them, but thanks for the tips.
Definitely the bronze or moss walls for me. Lambs always make people smile, they are just so cute.
Thanks Ann! I did hang it on the moss only because the space was the right size. The bronze walls are very big so unless I had several to hang, it would look lost. Yes, the lambs are so cute you can’t help but smile.