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Author: Marilyn aka Pandagirl

Finishing and Hanging

Finishing and Hanging

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There had been some discussion about how to frame my Hummingbird picture I blogged about here:

https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2017/07/15/the-hummingbird-and-the-tiger-lily/

Shadow boxes seemed to be the popular vote, so I bought a deep shadow box.  I didn’t have many choices because of the size 10 x13″ (25 x 33 cm)

http://www.hobbylobby.com/Home-Decor-Frames/Frames-Photo-Albums/Shadow-Boxes-Display-Cases/10%22-x-13%22-Barnwood-Shadow-Box-Display-Case/p/37949

But when I got it home and took it apart I didn’t realized the glass couldn’t be removed without breaking it.  Plus I didn’t like the color of the frame next to the picture.  So, I decided to return it.

I found another regular frame in gold that I liked.  It’s hard to see in these photos.  But I liked the way it showed off the dimension no matter what angle you see it from.  I first hung it on a dark green wall.

But it’s home is now in the kitchen between two windows on a teal wall.  I’m sorry the camera doesn’t pick up the actual teal and gold colors.  It is really striking, plus it’s next to where I sit at the table.

Then I found a spot in the kitchen for my crocheted Starburst Potholder. Unfortunately, I also caught the shadows.

Lastly, I hung my “Red Dawn” that I had done in Ruth’s Free Motion Stitching Class.

It is on a dark green column in my dining room.  You probably noticed the rose color next to it which is the inside of the column next to it. So, I felt it pulls those two together.

Both Red Dawn and the potholder are hung with the Command Strips we’ve been discussing on the forum.

I have a huge pile of felt pictures I have done, but don’t know if they will ever get framed or hung.  I don’t think I have enough wall space in my home.  Although I do change things out occasionally.

What do you do with your creations?

The Tale of the Stubborn Crocheted Bowl

The Tale of the Stubborn Crocheted Bowl

Comments 20 comments

Remember the floppy crocheted bowl I made?  I posted about it here:

https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2017/05/28/more-crochet-adventures/

Lyn suggested I full it to make it sturdier.  So I tried and no change other than being fuzzier. I checked the label on the yarn ball, but I was pretty sure I didn’t buy superwash.  No, 100% wool.

 

So, I thought I would try boiling it. No change.

Lyn also suggested I decorate it.  I tried  using a thin wool, but didn’t like it.  So, I used beads in little clusters around the bowl.  But it was even more floppy.

The next step was to bring out the GAC 400 stiffener.  I had bought it, but never used it. Why not give it a try?  I used an empty mayonnaise jar for the shape, then painted on the GAC and let it dry.

When it dried it was perfectly solid and clear.

Now I had to decide what to use it for.  There are a million things I could put in there, but it  wasn’t too hard to decide.

My favorite treat close at hand.

What projects have you saved lately?

 

 

 

Working Small

Working Small

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I’ve been trying some new things to work on that I could do easily and fairly quick. Right, haha.

I had seen some crochet and bead earrings online I wanted to try.  I used the same Aunt Lydia’s variegated cotton thread that I used on one of the scrubbies  I posted about recently.

 

It turned out out to be a little fiddly, but I got the hang of it and was pleased with the results. I especially like the variegated thread since it makes it easy to wear with several colors. My favorite ocean like colorway.  Here they are lying flat.

 

But then I thought they would nice hanging. So I scoured my house for something to hang them on.

Can you see the beading?

I keep pulling out my felt scraps and wonder what I can do with them.  I had some prefelt leftover from making business cards covered with throwsters waste to add a little bling and just enough to make two earrings.  I cut out two squares and played around with how to use them.  I like dangling earrings but not too big.  Since it was prefelt I didn’t want to add beads on it and weigh it down.

So, I used a head pin put a few beads on it then attached the prefelt around it just sewing it closed in the back. And finally attached the hooks.  They aren’t perfect but they are handmade.

I started another round pair with beads, but got frustrated and put it aside for another time.

I still have piles of scraps.  I’ll have to play with them some more and figure out what else I can use them for. Unfortunately, many pieces are too small to match and are odd shaped.  What have you done with your scraps lately?

 

Funky Vase Cover

Funky Vase Cover

Comments 22 comments

I had purchased a ball of yarn at a clearance sale. It’s a combination of wool, acrylic and nylon and has a bit of sparkle to it. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it until I found an orange vase I had laying around.

I made a resist then covered it with with two layers of odds and end batts with similar colors.

Then came the fun – wrapping the yarn around the resist in lines.

It was a bit fiddly flipping from side to side and then at the top and bottom to keep the yarn from falling off.

When I was satisfied I was ready to felt it, I went slow and easy checking frequently to make sure it was all staying together.  I purposely didn’t leave spaces between the lines thinking the yarn would felt to the backing and itself.

As you can see it’s a bit lumpy in spots and didn’t shink as much in height, so it’s a little taller than the vase.

I did a little needle felting to straighten things out and attach a few stray yarns.  But I was happy with the wavy texture.  I did also have to shave it a bit.  Then I had to decide what to do with it.  Here is one use:

I’m sure I could also use it for flowers, paint brushes or a number of other things. What would you use it for?

Beach Bowl and Scrubbies

Beach Bowl and Scrubbies

Comments 20 comments

Since I started crocheting, I’m constantly seeing projects I’d like to try.  Although, I’ve had to take a break to give my hands a vacation especially after this project.

Crocheting over wire looked interesting in the form of a bowl. I bought a Caron Sweet Roll because I liked the ocean colors, but I had a little bit of trouble finding plastic covered wire cording.  I ended up with plastic clothesline in white.

It was a bit fiddly to begin with.  I think if I had gotten the wire I would have had a bit more control.  But I managed to get the bowl shape with a little heavy hand and forming it over a bowl.

The pattern I had seen had a flat brim on the bowl, but when I followed their instructions it was a mass of curls.  So, I tore it out and made my own brim which is a little wavy but not curly.  I didn’t take a picture of the curly brim since I decided on impulse to rip it out.

From the top:

 

Side:Bottom: Now that I was done, I wasn’t sure what to do with it.  It reminded me of the beach, so I decided to give it some shells.  I’ll have to find more shells to fill it some more.

Perhaps I should have left the curls to look like waves. Too late.

I also found some fun new yarn called Scrubbie cotton yarn by Red Heart Lion.  So, I made some cloths and and brillo like pads with several colors.  The pad is made using a combination of cotton thread and the scrubbie yarn.

Here are closeups of the pad then the washcloth:

I made a couple in turquoise.

Then another set in more neutral colors.

They were quick and easy to make and work well for the face or dishes.

What new projects have you done lately?

 

The Hummingbird and the Tiger Lily

The Hummingbird and the Tiger Lily

Comments 18 comments

I know a lot of people are experiencing different seasons around the world.  Here in the U.S. summer has finally arrived.  One of the things I always look forward to is seeing the hummingbirds fluttering around my flowers.

While the hummingbirds haven’t been seen yet, I decided to make my own.  I started with making a base with Domestic 56 batts, then I added a thin layer of batts and silk hankies as a background felting it slightly and letting it dry.

I decided to make the bird and flower in three dimension.  I shaped the bird first by doing some needle felting and putting it in place then covering it with handmade prefelt and silk hankies. I did a little needle felting on the wings to get the detail of the wings.  The beak was made like a spike and attached before the final wet felting.

The Tiger Lily petals and stamens and stem were made from prefelt and again the stamens were added right before the final wet felting. I used little resists under the petals and needle felted the stamens to stay in place.

A little plastic wrap around the stamens  and beak to keep them from felting to the petals or background.

The felting was slow and I tried not to get it too hard. I wanted a soft look.

I added more needle felting for detail.

Here are several different angles to see the dimension.

Looking at it from above it doesn’t show the dimension.  I may have it framed in a shadow box.  What do you think?

3rd Quarter Challenge 2017

3rd Quarter Challenge 2017

Comments 28 comments

My first instinct was to go towards some type of abstract art, but we’ve done a couple of challenges in past years. So, I took a left turn and decided on something entirely different. Japanese Art from the Edo/Tokugawa period in the early 1600s to the mid 1800s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_period

Here is a bit more cultural history.  https://www.britannica.com/event/Edo-culture

Woodblock printing became very popular during this period and much of the art was created this way. One of my favorites is  The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

A lot of the art featured Samurai, Kabuki players, Geisha, but then there were more sumi-e ink type paintings that were not as detailed and spoke more of nature.

While a lot of the art was very detailed, there were also paintings done in a sumi-e ink style paintings. Today, there are a couple of textile artists doing sumi-e ink on felt.  But I also like the idea of painting with wool.

http://www.sumiesociety.org/whatissumie.php

Here are some simpler paintings.

You’ll see a lot of cranes in Japanese art since they have a significant cultural meaning of honor and loyalty.  Origami was developed during this period as well.

There were also specific crafts during this period.  The making of handballs for children, doll making, laquerware and weaving among them.

https://www.boundless.com/art-history/textbooks/boundless-art-history-textbook/japan-after-1333-ce-30/the-edo-period-188/crafts-in-the-edo-period-689-8047/

There was also sculpture and folding panel paintings were very popular.

And of course Kimonos continue to be an art form today. This one is from the Edo period.

I think there is plenty to choose from in terms of what you’d like to create.   Here is another resource or just Google Edo Art Period for images.

https://www.artsy.net/artwork/suzuki-kiitsu-cranes-japan-edo-period-1615-1868#!

I look forward to seeing what everyone creates!  Have fun!

 

 

 

Lace and Stars

Lace and Stars

Comments 20 comments

After trying a few lace crochet samples, I finally graduated from making crochet samples to actually making things.  But first the lace.  This lilac one is Marielle lace which would be ideal for an airy scarf.

The Duchess lace is a little denser and looks slightly different on each side.

 

 

 

 

 

The Picot Trellis lace is a more traditional pattern made with cotton thread instead of yarn.  This was challenging from the standpoint of using a much smaller hook which my joints weren’t really happy about.

The Star stitch was the basis of making a crochet hook case. You can clearly see on one side the holes in the stars.

The second side is where the hooks are inserted.

Unfortunately, my new ergonomic hooks didn’t fit.  But it does make a nice roll or it can be folded over to lay flat.

Finished with a chain tie.

I was a little bummed that my hooks didn’t fit, but I found another use for it.  I’m thinking of mounting it and hanging it.  I just haven’t figured out how to do it yet.

My next project was really challenging.  I saw this online and wanted to try it but had difficulty understanding the written instructions.  Of course, I turned to You Tube and found a couple of videos that got me through it.  It’s called a Starburst Hot Pad created by Loretta Schepp.

It started out making four  squares like these.

Then adding more of a design.

Now came the tricky part crocheting them all together.

Then folding part of the design inward to create the starburst.

 

A closeup.Here it is after being flattened out a bit. 

I used a variegated Caron Sweet Roll for this and was pleased how well the yarn worked with the design.

Needless to say I’m not using for a hot pad.  I will find a spot to hang it.

 

2017 Second Quarter Challenge

2017 Second Quarter Challenge

Comments 18 comments

At the beginning of this quarter, Ann had posted about this quarters challenge theme being early Celtic.

https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2017/03/31/second-quarter-challenge-3/

I thought a lot about it and had several ideas, but wasn’t sure I could pull them off.  One of them was a pod with spirals.  Lyn got to it before me, but of course as she said, everyone does things differently.  So, I did.

I had some Llama yarn I hand dyed years ago in several colors.  I decided to use that for the spirals.  I made a little bit larger pod than usual in order to accommodate the design.  I laid one layer of Merino on each side, then two layers of Corriedale and a final layer of Merino.  I felt this would give the pod some substance.  Here is the start of the topside design.

Full design wetted down.

Bottom (I ran out of turquoise so I used yellow.)   I had actually had a yellow spiral on the bottom, but forgot to flip it over before starting the topside design so it ended up being cut out.

I did a lot of rubbing to get the design to stay, but the Llama was not cooperating.   It was felting to itself and not the Merino.  Frustrated, I let it dry out then needle felted the design in place.  That did the trick, but the Llama shed everywhere and blurred the design.

I tried shaving and shipping tape it but wasn’t helping.  So, I grabbed my tweezers and embroidery scissors and sat for an hour pulling long hairs out of the design.  There is still more I could have pulled out but goal was to get the black to look black and set off the design.

Much better.

I kept looking at the pod thinking it was out of shape, but it finally occurred to me it was an optical illusion because of the design.

As for the Llama, I thought I had used it before and if I did I didn’t remember it being problematic.  I don’t think I’ll be using it again.

Have you done the challenge yet?  You can post your work on the forum any time, but we’ll be announcing the next challenge soon.

Textile Journey in Norway

Textile Journey in Norway

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Today we have a Guest post from Cathy Wycliff (Luvswool) on her textile journey in Norway.

Norway has been recently named the country with the “Happiest People” in the World.
My May vacation to Norway was a nature lover’s dream, which is part of their secret.
We traveled with a group of weavers and knitters through the beautiful countryside, which
was dotted with waterfalls, fjords, mountains and lush greenery.

 

First stop was Oslo, where we witnessed Norwegian pride as the country celebrated their
independence day with parades and flag waving.  We visited the Viking Ship Museum,
where carefully restored Viking long ships are on display, circa 700-800.  There were textile tools on display, but only a few textile fragments have survived through the centuries.

The next two weeks were spent traveling through the rural areas, one of which was Rauland in Central Southern Norway.  We stayed at the Rauland Folk Arts Academy, where we studied and learned about tablet weaving and Norwegian traditional loom weaving.  I thoroughly enjoyed the floor loom weaving but did not take well to the tablet weaving.  No matter, you could weave what you  wanted to weave, as long as a loom was open.  We used primarily Glimakra and Oxaback Swedish made looms, which seem to be the standard for Scandinavian floor loom weaving.

This was a new experience in weaving for me, as I am a newish weaver and have never before woven using patterns.  My Saori loom is a floor loom used primarily for artistic “free weaving,” although it could be used for other types of weaving as well.  I enjoyed  trying to follow a pattern at the Academy.  After four days of weaving we were ready to move on.

We also learned Hardanger embroidery in the quaint town of Utne, which is tucked into a mountain range and located on a beautiful fjord.  If my eyes were only 30 years younger, I might have become addicted to this fascinating, but time-consuming type of traditional “white on white” Norwegian embroidery.

We visited several historical textile mills and museums on the west coast of Norway.  At Osteroy museum, we were fascinated by the ancient floor looms and large collection of traditional textiles.

After two weeks of beautiful scenery, wonderful food and amazing textile experiences, it was time to say goodbye to the happiest people in the world.

Cathy, thanks for sharing this beautiful and educational journey with us.