Marilyn aka Pandagirl

Ginkgo Anyone?

January 28, 2016 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 30 comments

A while back I dyed some silk and wool experimenting with making browns with acid dyes.

I wasn’t sure what I’d use it for, but I fell in love with the coppery silk habatoi. I made batts with the wool.

I had purchased some alpaca yarn this summer and wasn’t sure what I would do with it. For some reason it called to me even though it’s not my typical color way. But putting it next to the cooper silk, I had to come up with something to do with it.

I made felt base and placed the silk over it to nuno felt. I still wasn’t sure how I would attach the yarn. But then Ruth posted a blog about couching. Bingo!

I decided to make gingko leaves using the couching method of attaching the yarn.

It was a long process. I first had to outline the shape with stitching ( I tried white pencil and other pens, but this worked best.)

Then I pinned the yarn to the shape and began the couching process. Because the yarn was variegated it created some interesting color contrasts along with the variegated nuno background.

Then used straight stitching for the veins.

The yarn was two ply and I thought that the veins for the secondary leaves should be less obvious so I separated them to make the veins ( long process). Here is the progress –

Why gingko? I like the shape and also have a metal vase in my bedroom water closet that has the gingko leaves embossed on it. I thought this would tie the picture together with the vase.

The wall color is a purple haze which I thought would be a nice contrast. while the leaves aren’t perfect, I’m pleased with the result.

What new fun projects are you working on?

To Sample or Not to Sample

January 20, 2016 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 35 comments

This isn’t as exotic as sampling Swedish wools, but it was a lesson in the benefits of sampling.

A while ago I had showed you a pile of scarves, blouses and remnants I had purchased to try nuno felting.

While they all passed the “blow” test or looked or felt like they would felt well, there were a couple of big surprises.

When I make samples, I usually use prefelt and small samples of each of the fabrics on the same piece. This way they are all felted the same way in the same amount of time in the same way.

Here is a picture of a couple of them before felting. The upper left was an open cotton weave, the upper right was a scarf of unknown origin. The lower left was a remnant that was sparkly with some embroidery and the lower right was part of a silk blouse.

This isn’t a very clear picture below, but the second from the left was the one scarf I purchased I thought was perfect for nuno and was looking forward to using it on something special. To the left of that on top was a scarf that felt like it had some lycra in it below was a piece of lace and sequin on some type of mesh. The third from the left was an organza with sparkle.

Boy was I mistaken. After all the others were felted I continued to work on the flower and sparkly pieces, but they wouldn’t felt. I was really glad I didn’t invest in a big project to use the flower scarf. I even tried it on another piece of felt. You probably recognize the purple on the left that I used for my jewelry roll. The scarf on the right also felted nicely. I even used some wisps of wool on top of the flowers, but they clumped together and there were only a couple of threads on the flower piece that caught.

Here’s a closeup of the right one.

The other samples turned out nicely. The blue green and red were silk and the gold a polyester organza.

The one on the right below was a burnout fabric which surprised me it felted so well. On the left a silver gray polyester organza.

The blue on the left was a piece of lycra which didn’t do well either, but I wasn’t surprised at that. Above that was a piece of acrylic yarn that felted nicely.

The blouse felted very nicely and I’m sure I’ll use that for a special project in the future.

I was also surprised at the sequin and mesh. I thought that also had a lycra base. I loved how the mystery blue scarf turned out. It has a shine and felt like a polyester with something else. It has a very nice texture.

My favorite was the brightly colored scarf. Now, I wish I had yards of it instead only part of a scarf.

I don’t always do samples, but if I want to use something for an important project I’ve learned its best to take the time to do it.

Now I know what to expect when I use these fabrics and which ones not to use for felting. Although a couple of them might work with coarser wools. But that’s for another time.

Little Steps

January 12, 2016 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 24 comments

Between recuperating and traveling, I haven’t done much heavy felting lately.

I have been doing some small projects to try to stay in touch with fibers.

The one felt project I did do was to make some felted rocks for my son Matt in Florida. Last time he visited us, he was intrigued by the felted rocks I keep in the guest bathroom in a crystal dish that was my mother in laws. Since I had made his wife, Lia, a clutch purse, I thought I would do something for him.

I used different wools, silk throwsters waste, silk roving and yarns to embellish them.

I didn’t find the right dish before I brought them down there, but will look on our next trip.

While I was doing a little felting, I decided to try felting some soaps. I had never done it before and had bought several bars of Yardley soaps. (Purple and Blue on top.)

One was English lavender and the other aloe. Both were very fragrant to the point I had to put them in another room to dry. Too perfumy for my taste.

I have a small pillow I use to sit on at my vanity. I had some matching old sheets and decided to make two covers for them. Yes, I could have felted a cover, but I wasn’t ready. Besides I feel guilty about my Pfaff sewing machine sitting idle. So, I cut out two cases, stitched them and added a design just for fun.

What projects have you been working on since the New Year started?

Framing the Panda

January 4, 2016 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 33 comments

Happy New Year everyone!

For the 4th Quarter Challenge I did a dimensional panda picture in monochrome.

I hung it on the wall in my bedroom which is also a shade of gray.

Lyn suggested on the forum that I frame it. I really liked the picture she posted. It really popped. The mat was very narrow. I had a frame that fit it perfectly, but needed the right sized mat which unfortunately wasn’t a standard size. I’d have to have a custom mat made.

Instead of paying for a custom frame and mat, I decided to try a standard size 16 x 20″ frame and a mat that was larger than the picture Lyn had posted. Fortunately, the picture was just a little larger than the opening in the mat.

Here is the result.

There may be too much white. What do you think? Should I invest in the smaller mat and frame? Or does the standard size work ok?

Pandagirl’s Year in Review 2015

December 27, 2015 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 26 comments

I really challenged myself the beginning of 2015. I was determined to try free motion embroidery and used Rosiepinks (Lyn’s) instructions for making a round bowl. It turned out nice, but it was a little tense going round and round.

My fan has to be the hardest felt project I’ve done so far. Getting and keeping all those fan blades in place was maddening.

Then I began work on making batts and bootie favors for my daughter in law Mari’s baby shower. 60 of them!

I attempted a felted box.

A clutch/makeup bag for a new Grandma.

I gave my drum carder a workout blending colors and making a color wheel for the 1st Quarter Color Challenge.

Still in baby mode, I felted over a wire baby buggy.

Cathy and I received our first order from WOW, so the sample making began using wools I hadn’t used before.

A wine bottle cozy.

Going back to my roots, I made denim paper, then felted it, and later made a glass case.

Stepping out of my comfort zone, I started using neutral colors and some wildly bold combos.

Some wooly fun with my Grandson Luke.

For a short period, Cathy and had a fish off.

For the 3rd Quarter Challenge I used a color generator, dyed, carded some batts using those colors, then made in Ipad cover.

My sister invited me to her quilt group for a Trunk Show.

To keep my earrings organized while I travel I made a jewelry roll.

I tried getting my work space organized.

Cathy and I attended the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival.

Dyeing for special projects. Some yet to be seen.

A nuno wall hanging for my daughter in law Lia.

A challenge in combining techniques to make an elephant pic for my Sister.

The 4th Quarter Challenge – monochrome panda with dimension.

Odds and ends.

Making ornaments with my Grandsons.

I had a lot of help this year and want to thank Cathy Wycliff for posting about making arm warmers, learning to make batts, her artist residency in Breckenridge CO, dyeing with natural plants, and Bengala dyes; Zara Tuulikki Rooke for showing us her process for making batts from raw fleece, shearing sheep, lambing in Sweden, making a rug from raw fleece and sampling different Swedish wool breeds; Leonor Calaca for giving us a virtual tour of the Knitting and Stitching Show in London; Carol Gascoigne (Craftywoman) for submitting her 3rd Quarter Challenge; Lyn (Rosiepink) for her 3rd Quarter Challenge submission; Mary Stori for her advice on beading; and Jill Chadek for sharing her journey to becoming a felt artist.

Happy New Year! On to new felting journeys for 2016!

Making Ornaments with the Boys

December 19, 2015 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 28 comments

Thanksgiving was supposed to be in Florida with the Grandsons, but the whole family was sick so we postponed our trip for a week. I had promised Luke I would bring more wool next time I visited, so I did along with some foam balls to make some ornaments.

I prepared by making some batts in different colors and brought embellishments and different colored roving for the boys to choose from. I thought the batts would be easier for them to work with on a round surface and I was right.

Josh had never played with wool, but seemed to be more fascinated with the soapy water.

I let them choose their colors and embellishments. After putting all the wool on the balls, we dipped them in the soapy water and I rubbed to get it started. Then I had the boys roll the balls in bubble wrap. ( mostly to keep them engaged in the process.) Of course, the Florida boy had to get into the swing of working with water. I put the balls in nylons to make it easier to work with for them.

When the wool started to shrink I put the balls thru the washer and dryer.

Luke also started to pull wool off to make a snake. Later, he abandoned the idea, evidently Grandma wasn’t working fast enough.

The finished ornaments. Three for Luke.

Two for Josh.

I made another for pink one Baby Lisa in California. Josh asked me about the pink one. When I told him, he picked up his green one and said he wanted Uncle Brad to have that one. Awww. Such a sweet boy.

I was really happy to share my love of felting with the boys and they both seemed to enjoy it. And now they have a souvenir for years to come. Best Christmas present.

Happy Holidays!

And the Winner is… Plus a Few Small Projects

December 10, 2015 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 17 comments

Drum roll please…… the winner of the December Green dyes and Silk Scarves is Maureen number 28!

Congratulations Maureen!

Please PM on the forum or send me an email to feltandfiberstudio@gmail.com with your full name and mailing address. I will have your prize in the mail asap.

When you have an opportunity to use the dyes and scarves, please share your results with us on the forum or write a blog about it. Just let us know you’d like to do that. We hope you enjoy using them!

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Before I had surgery I felted a couple of small things. The first was using the roving I had dyed for the 3rd Quarter Challenge to make a pod with cuts showing other colors underneath. I had used a lot of coarse fibers and decided I liked the rugged look so I didn’t shave it.

The next was a gift for a friend for her 70th birthday. Another pod, but slightly larger. I made some batts first. I used sparkly yarn as well as silk and milk protein for embellishments.

If you look closely you can see the sparkly yarn inside.

Then to get into the holiday spirit I made a poinsettia flower with the intention of embellishing it later.

I used very thin prefelt, cut out the leaf shapes and used layers of saran wrap to separate them.

While I’ve been recuperating from surgery, I’ve been working on some small projects. I finished the poinsettia by adding beads and adding stitching to the leaves and petals.

It’s now hanging on a wall to add a little holiday cheer to the house.

What have you been doing for the holidays?

December Giveaway

December 3, 2015 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 54 comments

Since we’ve been talking a lot about color this year, I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway of two silk scarves and three Jacquard Green Label dyes.

I’ve used these dyes on both silk and wool. They are premixed liquids so there is no messy preparation. They are great for playing with different effects like watercolor, salt and alcohol effects, tie dyeing, silk painting and more. Included in the giveaway is the permanent dyeset fixative so it’s not necessary to to steam either. Although steaming usually gives richer colors. There are three primary colors (yellow, scarlet and cyan) in 2 oz. (60 ml) bottles (they last much longer than you’d expect) and you can mix to your heart’s content. The fixative is 8 oz. (250 ml). You can learn more about these products at http://www.jacquardproducts.com/silk-colors.html

Just remember that any utensils or containers you use can not be used for food afterwards. I usually use saran wrap with this method. You can learn more about these techniques here: http://www.dharmatrading.com/jacquard-silk-colors-green-label.html

One scarf is Habotai 8 mm hand rolled 11″ x 60″; the other is chiffon 8 mm the same length. The habotai is shiny and the chiffon is matte.

Here are a couple of scarves I have used the dyes on. This is the habotai I used a watercolor and salt effects on. The salt effect is not very obvious, this was my first attempt.

The other is what I call my 4th of July scarf. I used the watercolor effect, then nuno felted it after it was rinsed and dry. This was plain chiffon and not hemmed. If you look closely, you can see where the red and blue mixed to make purple. It was a lot less subtle than I expected.

In order to enter the drawing, please leave a comment below. The winner will be announced next week on December 11 after a random computer generated pick.

Good luck!

A Peek at the Knitting and Stitching Show in London 2015

November 17, 2015 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 22 comments

Our guest artist/author/photographer today is Leonor Calaca from Felt Buddies.

If you’re in Europe and a fibre aficionado, you’ve probably heard of the Knitting & Stitching Show. It happens in a few different locations and dates in the UK, and is probably the largest fabric/fibre event in Europe when hosted in Alexandra Palace here in London.

As it happens, the Alexandra Palace (or Ally Pally as it’s also known) is only 45 minutes away, on foot, from my place; as it happens as well, I’ve been volunteering for the past two years as a member of the London Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers, to work a few hours a day at a booth that serves as a hub for all such UK guilds. Not because I’m such a wonderful and helpful person, mind you, but because this means I get a free pass to come and go anytime during those 5 days (and, at £16 for entry only, I think it’s well worth my time).

Last year I got all mesmerised by the fibres and materials I saw, and almost went bankrupt. This year I decided to be ~~good,~~ more sensible and buy only the things I absolutely needed, which worked to an extent. I also decided to focus more on my energy on the really good exhibitions, and that’s what I’m going to write about.

Let’s start with an embroidery. How lovely and detailed is that?

Art wasn’t just in 2D, the sculptures were very interesting as well.

A glass and wool sculpture by Helen Pailing. She aims to use remnants from the glass and wool industry and incorporate them in a way that makes them not only art, but something you can keep instead of take to a landfill.

The Wishing Tree by Eileen McNulty. Just look at those little details.

I don’t know the author of this one, but here is ‘Palace,’ made with cocoon stripping paper and silk organza. The theme of this booth was vessels.

Elena Thomson embroidered a sieve. Would you have thought of that? I think this would be wonderful to confuse old ladies.

‘Stumpwork’ by Alana Chenevix-Trench.

And a lovely sheep by Margarita O’Byrne.

Then I went to Studio Art Quilt’s Associates (SAQA) booth that just blew my mind. I had no idea these detailed works of art could be made in that technique. The theme was Food For Thought and this is ‘Mushroom Frittata’ by Jean Sredi.

‘Pepitas’ by Vicky Bahnhoff.

‘Yum! Pineapple Upside Down Cake’ by Diane Powers-Harris. Yes, this is still a quilt.

‘Il Mercato’ by Jeannie Moore

‘Elegant Edibles’ by Jennifer Day.

Who doesn’t love dolls?

This one was my favourite: what a grumpy face.

These two sculptures surprised me, as they’re made from a traditional paper folding technique native to the Philippines.

And I saved the best for last: a fishmongers called Kate’s Plaice! Everything you see here is either knitted or sewn, and the details just make it extraordinary.

The artist herself.

Did you go to the K&S? What caught your eye? And am I going mad for taking more time to look at art instead of yummy yarn?

Thank you Leonor for taking us on this great fibre adventure!

Bengala Dyes by Guest Artist Cathy Wycliff

November 9, 2015 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 15 comments

Our guest artist today is Cathy Wycliff aka Luvswool.
Over the past couple of years, I have been experimenting with different kinds of dyes. I started with Wilton icing gels, playing it safe for my first experience. I moved on to acid dyes, with the encouragement of Forum members, and I was delighted with the bright, beautiful colors.

Then I tried dyeing with natural plants, like madder, logwood, and osage orange. I ended up with some beautiful dyed wool. Marilyn and I brewed an indigo vat last summer, dyeing everything from lace curtains to wool and T-shirts. This summer I experimented with eco-printing and had some success, but a few failures as well.

When I studied Saori weaving in Minneapolis recently, my instructor, Chiaki O’Brien, also introduced me to Bengala dyes.

They are natural dyes made from the soil in Japan. I was excited to try yet another type of dyeing. I had the trial set of three colors–pink, orange and gray. I liked the idea of natural dyes, already prepared in liquid form, and non-toxic with no boiling water and no mordants. Following is my pictorial on two sessions of Bengala dyes.

I dyed some cotton, linen, silk ribbon and a silk scarf to see if there were any difference on how each dyed.

Session 1

Session 2

If anyone is interested in using these dyes, they are available for purchase from Saori instructors throughout the world.

In the USA, you will find them here: saoristudiofun.com/bengala-dyes/

Otherwise, you can google “Bengala dyes” and find offerings from other parts of the world, including Japan, where they are made. I know for sure that Australia, Canada and the UK have the dyes available from Saori instructors. The dyes are particularly
useful when dyeing with young children.

Thanks Cathy for sharing your experience with us about these Bengala dyes!

Felting and Fiber Studio

An International Collective of Felt and Fiber Artists

Browsed by
Author: Marilyn aka Pandagirl

Ginkgo Anyone?

January 28, 2016 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 30 comments

Like this:

To Sample or Not to Sample

January 20, 2016 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 35 comments

Like this:

Little Steps

January 12, 2016 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 24 comments

Like this:

Framing the Panda

January 4, 2016 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 33 comments

Like this:

Pandagirl’s Year in Review 2015

December 27, 2015 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 26 comments

Like this:

Making Ornaments with the Boys

December 19, 2015 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 28 comments

Like this:

And the Winner is… Plus a Few Small Projects

December 10, 2015 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 17 comments

Like this:

December Giveaway

December 3, 2015 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 54 comments

Like this:

A Peek at the Knitting and Stitching Show in London 2015

November 17, 2015 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 22 comments

Like this:

Bengala Dyes by Guest Artist Cathy Wycliff

November 9, 2015 Marilyn aka Pandagirl Comments 15 comments

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: