Floral Challenge

Floral Challenge

Lyn

My ‘floral challenge’ is an homage to this piece of Annie’s free motion embroidery – black thread on white handmade felt.

I started with four layers of white merino wool fibres, wetted and soaped, to make the background.

Then I sifted through my scraps box to find some colourful pre-felt leftovers.

I cut out some flower shapes from the pre-felt, then placed them onto the wet, white wool fibres.  I misted the pre-felt down with soapy water then I outlined the flower …

… and added a stem with thin, black yarn.

I made the rest of the flowers in the same way.

I tried to mimic the pointy grass in Annie’s version, but the yarn wasn’t having any of it!  It stubbornly refused to do ‘pointy’. You have to choose your battles wisely so I surrendered and just used cut pieces of yarn.

I didn’t roll this picture.  I gently agitated the front with scrunched up bubble wrap to set the pre-felt and yarn in place, then I rubbed it, mostly from the back.

White merino fibres always look so dull when wet but they do dry to a warm, delicate off-white.

The picture turned out as a smooth piece of felt, but to make it even smoother, I ironed it when it was dry.

The finished picture (below) is approximately 53 x 25cm (21”x10”)

I couldn’t stop there with the floral challenge so I found a ‘youtube’ crochet tutorial ‘Ditsy Daisy Bunting’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jevq6zGLEo

My bunting flags aren’t as neat and triangular as Catherine’s but I had fun making them!

This would be a great make for yarn bombers wouldn’t it?

If you make something for the floral challenge, there is now an easy way to post your photos onto the Felting and Fiber Forum: https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/community-photo-submissions/

22 thoughts on “Floral Challenge

  1. That’s a good idea Lyn. I love the colours in your prefelt. Did you make the prefelt on the off chance that you might need it, or was it left over from a project? The picture has really come out well – as has Annie’s original.
    Now thinking caps on. If I can find it, I will perhaps show you the very first picture of flowers that I made in the workshop where I was taught how to make felt. No doubt I’ll come across some others while I’m at it.

    1. Thank you Ann. The pre-felt was leftover from a previous project – I have a box of such stuff!

      We’d love to see your very first picture of flowers please.

  2. Love the floral pictures – they are so jolly I can’t look at them without smiling. You did a great job on the outlines too. Lovely!

    1. Thank you – I love working with pre-felt leftovers because it makes the felting easier timewise and you may use colours that you wouldn’t have otherwise!

  3. I love your flowers as well as the inspiration made by Annie. They are very cheerful. And I am glad you made some more of the crocheted bunting flags. I think they look perfect, who cares if they are triangular or not? So are you going yarn bombing? 😉

    1. Thank you Ruth – the flowers do make me smile too. My bunting flags didn’t improve no matter what I tried but then, hey, they’re different 🙂 I haven’t been yarn bombing but there are small towns outside of the city where it’s commonplace and very lovely to look at.

  4. This is a really lovely picture Lyn. You have a lovely mix of prefelts (I want to raid your bin lol). I hope the picture finds its way unto your wall so that more people can admire it.

    Love the bunting. gorgeous colours and mix. Love the shape too. It would definitely invoke happy thoughts on any wall.

    1. Thank you Helene – what would we do without our scrap boxes? I must look for a suitable wall to hang the flowers (my OH believes the little cloakroom is the best place every time I ask ‘where shall I put this?’) 🙂

  5. Lyn, that prefelt is absolutely beautiful! Those flowers came out so lovely.

    I rather like the bunting, it looks perkier that the “regular” looking ones 🙂

    1. Thank you Leonor. That pre-felt turned out beautifully and I wasn’t even trying or taking notice of what I was doing – I bet that if I tried to recreate it I couldn’t … and I’ve hardly any left 🙁

      Now that I’ve accepted my bunting triangles are not like those in the tutorial, I am happy to agree that in this case different is pretty.

  6. Your colors, and sweet flowers make me want to sing a happy tune! Love, love, love, those Annie prefelts. Gonna have to try making some light airy ones myself! Beautiful stitching too!

    Yummy 😋

  7. Lyn what a great homage to Annie’s piece & yet totally your own. Love those happy colours – so typical of you both.

    Your bunting is unique & so much more smile inducing than ubiquitous triangles!

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