results of the dye experiments - closer view
Adventures in colour (Part 2)

Adventures in colour (Part 2)

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In my last post I talked about a 4 week dyeing course that I attended a while ago at Sharon Wells studio https://www.sharonwellsart.com/ . The first week was dedicated to acid dyeing and we have fantastic results from it. Week 2 was all about natural dyeing, our colours were more subtle and totally restful. If you missed part 1 you can catch it at adventures-in-colour-part-1

I talk about the third and fourth sessions in this blog. I hope you enjoy!

Week 3:

This week’s session was all about the production of pigment. Sharon started off by showing us some ‘tools of the trade’; the glass mulling tool and tempered glass which, along with an old coffee grinder, she uses to grind elements into powder. We learnt about the difference between dye (dissolves in water) and pigment (disperses in water and so needs a carrier). Then we discussed types of pigment; earth and animal both of which can be ground into powder and animal, which needs a totally different process. We mixed various powers and produced test sheets using the pigments as both oil and watercolour paints. We also tried artificial pigments. It was very exciting. Here is a quick look at some of the day.

  • All the processes for making earth pigments



































  • Linseed, used as the medium for oils
  • The water colour medium
  • A new student dropped in, but had other things on her mind
  • Ground down sea shells. There is still some grit in the mix so it was not fine enough
  • preparing the sea shells to accept the medium
  • Artificial pigments containing mica, they made delicious colours
  • The mulling tool is used for fine grinding and mixing the pigment with the medium.

The real excitement happened when we started making botanical pigments. Sharon boiled up some onion skins and in no time we had a beautiful golden brown coloured liquid which she shared out among the group. She then dissolved aluminium sulphite (alum) and soda crystals in two containers. We added the alum to our onion skin liquid and then watched in fascination as the soda crystals reacted to the liquid when we poured it in. The pigment separated from the liquid and we were, in the end, left with clear liquid. We then strained our pigment and dried it. Here are a few photos to give you an idea of the fun we had:

  • The onion skins were left to simmer for about an hour
    The onion skins were left to simmer for about an hour
  • The strained onion skin dye bath
  • measuring the aluminium sulphate before dissolving it
  • The aluminium Sulphate and soda crystals (in the peanut butter tub). The onion skin dye bath is in the background
  • The chemical reaction once the alum and soda crystals get going
  • Separation of the onion skin pigment.
  • The pigment attaches to the alum once the soda crystals are added to the mix.
  • The onion skin pigment drying at home
  • The final pigment was filtered through a coffee filter and left to dry
  • The bottle contains bluebell pigment which was prepared from the flowers in the tutor’s garden
  • Olive leaf pigment produced a lovely colour
  • Four botanical pigments: 1. Marigold 2. 'wild Eve' Rose 3. Olive leaf 4. bluebell
    Four botanical pigments: 1. Marigold 2. ‘wild Eve’ Rose 3. Olive leaf 4. bluebell
  • preparing the sea shells to accept the medium

The whole process had us all enthralled and ready to try it at home!

Week 4:

 

 

The final class in the dyeing series focussed on Procion Dyes . The class was led by Anne Jefferies, and Irish Textile artist and tutor. We used cold water dyes this time and worked with plant based fibre including different weights and textures of cotton, linen and silk. We also experimented dyeing a variety of different threads. Anne explained the full process and provided excellent notes so there was very little need to write which was good because our hands were very busy. Anne prepared the various solutions and we got to work using pure primary colours. We divided our samples into three lots and tied each piece of fabric into whatever shape we fancied then we got dyeing. We started with the lightest colour, yellow and dyed our first batch. Then we removed and rinsed these and retied a number of them, ones we wanted to overdye and popped these into the the dye bath to which some red dye had been added. We then added our second batch of undyed samples and watched the magic occur. We then removed all of these and set up a fresh dye bath for the blue. Here are some of the photos taken on the day:

 

 

  • Various small samples of white fabric which have been tied with string elastic bands paper clips and pegs
    Preparing the fabrics
  • Primary colour Procion dyes mixed with water and ready to be added to the fibres
    The prepared Procion dyes mixed and ready for use
  • First colour to be used yellow in basin along with various fabrics tied in various ways and prepared for dyeing
    Stirring the yellow dye into the fabric
  • table with two basins yellow dye added to fabric, participant stirring one of the basins
    Stirring in the yellow dye – starting with the lightest colour
  • Table covered in a towel, lots of dye spills fabric samples at various stages of dyeing
    Work in progress on a messy table. Good reason to keep everything covered!
  • Various white cotton silks linen and rayon threads tied to a card ready for experimental dyeing
    Dye testing a variety of threads
  • Primay colours have been added to the various cotton, silk linen and rayon threads
    The thread experiment with dye added
  • Syringe is used to measure out the amount of the dye. It is being added to the red dye bath
    Adding more red dye to the bath
  • fabric added to the second dye bath of red. Fabrics have been retied and added to the top bath. a second bath contains retied fabrics which are waiting to be added to the top bath
    Next experiment: red has been added to the mix and the fabrics have been retied
  • Bath of red dye being stirring by one person while a second person adds more fabric samples to the bath
    A two person job! stirring the bath and adding the fibre.
  • Various fabrics from the participants, dyed red, blue yellow and green
    Some nice surprises when we opened our little parcels
  • Lots of results of the dyes samples laid out on a table
    A colourful table!
  • results of the dye experiments - closer view
    More samples ready for dyeing

Here is a slideshow of my dried samples. I can’t decide which is my favourite! Having said that, I am showing them all as some were disasters but still deserve an airing.

  • Sample with dark green, light green light blue and yellow vertical lines
    Definitely one of my favourites. Reminds me of strobe lighting!
  • Blue on blue sunbursts. Heavy cotton
    I tied these with some string (but you guessed that already)!
  • Blue on blue abstract patters way too subtle to be of interest. I might over dye it. Yet to be decided
    Not a great result. If I stare at it long enough I might see something!
  • Light cotton. Light green with lighter green sunbursts. Pattern is a bit more uniform that other experiments
    This is a bigger piece of light cotton. The pattern is a little more uniform. I might use it for nuno. Decision yet to be finalised
  • Blues; the top section has series of vertical lines, the bottom section is very blotchy
    The pattern caught nicely in places but not in others
  • Different colour blues with some vertical boxes
    Subtle? Interesting? not sure
  • Light green background with three yellow and blue sunburst circles
    Sunburst circles a little too subtle I think!
  • Blue dye on fabric no great pattern
    Not a great result but it is one of the experiments so it is being included
  • dark blue and light blue blobs
    These look like clouds, lined up in rows!
  • Lines and circles on blue and green linen
    The longer I stare, the more patterns I see with this
  • Light and darker blue abstract finish on heavy cotton
    Interesting subtle finish on this one.
  • Green blue and yellow sample with squares running diagonally and vertically
    The colours are not as faded in the sample. Love all the squares.
  • Multicoloured samples with lots of different designs on it. Heavy cotton
    This one has a lot going on. Spot the paperclip!
  • Red white and blue sample that did not take well
    Perhaps not one of the best samples but it’s good to see this too!
  • Red heavy cotton with white thick lines and squares
    I find this quite attractive. I wish I could remember how I achieved the lines and squares!
  • Tie dye on silk red and yellow
    Lots going on here. The colours are richer than the photo
  • Warm colours on silk. Tie dyed to form circles
    A real sunburst, pity the piece was cut from the bottom corner!
  • Silk, red dye with vertical thick lines, similar to texture of bamboo cane
    One of my favourites! reminds me of bamboo cane
  • Salmon pink dye on heavy cotton lace
    A heavy cotton lace again a tiny piece. I might add it to some nuno sometime!
  • Heavy cotton abstract blue in top left forming diagonal lines, red and purple background
    I like the diagonal lines in this sample
  • Small sample silk abstract design in red blue and white
    This is a small piece of silk. I wish I had two meters as it would make a fabulous top!

I loved these classes. They were a mix of great fun, camaraderie and fantastic learning. They have demystified some of the processes around dyeing and I now feel confident in trying them myself. Thank you Sharon https://www.sharonwellsart.com/ for facilitating this wonderful experience!

closeup of head and thorax of cat flea.
FLEA THE PANDEMIC

FLEA THE PANDEMIC

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Back in September 2020 I was asked if I would make a prop for a play which Taboo Theatre Company, a locally based actors’ collective, was to perform in November of that year, at The Exchange in Sturminster Newton, Dorset.  The play had been written especially for them by professional playwright Sue Ashby.  Sue has written, among other TV and theatre scripts,  episodes of Coronation Street (a very popular, long-running soap in the UK).  More details of Sue’s career can be found here  https://news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/dorset-history-centre-blog/2023/07/24/historical-plays-set-in-north-dorset/

You will no doubt guess from the dates that we were out of the first Covid19 lockdown, but still under strict mask wearing, social distancing and other rules and regulations. The play, “Flea the Pandemic Dorset 1348”, tells the story of the first Bubonic Plague to hit the UK; so, given that it was rat fleas that carried the Black Death, the prop obviously had to be a flea.

Bearing in mind that the stage at The Exchange is 23 feet (7m) deep and its proscenium arch is 40 feet (12m) wide, and that the hall it serves is 118 feet (36m) deep and normally capable of seating 301 audience members, making a flea that a full audience could see was going to be a problem.  This was to be a play not a pantomime, so having an actor play the flea was not going to happen. (I don’t think that it had been decided, at this stage in the proceedings, that most of the action would take place on a much smaller podium constructed on the floor of the hall.)

After some (socially distanced) discussion with Craig White (director) and Robert Cowley (actor/producer), it was decided that the flea should be about the size of a cat, and be fixed on the end of a long enough pole to allow the cast member, who had to control its movements between the (socially distanced) actors, to do so without getting closer than 6 feet to any of them.

If I remember rightly, it was at this stage that my husband Graham became involved, not only to provide the pole, but also to work out how to enable the flea’s head to move and for its eyes to light up bright red.

With the help of Mr Google, I found some reference images of fleas (cat fleas in the end because the oriental rat flea which carried the bubonic plague was not that different in appearance but seemed not so photogenic).  I enlarged a side view of a flea to fit on A3 paper, and having found a “full face” view of the head, I also enlarged that to a similar size.  Quite fascinating really in a revolting way.

coloured drawing of flea with body parts named
Reference Image, drawing of flea with body parts named

flea's full face head
Reference image – Cat flea head. Not “just a pretty face”.

I had initially thought to make the whole flea from felt, but, because there had to be batteries, wires and an electrical switch concealed somewhere about its person, I had to change my ideas somewhat.  I’m afraid that I do not have any progress photos, nor do I have any notes of how we proceeded.  This was before I joined the Studio and it didn’t occur to me that anyone else might be interested in how we did it.  Luckily The Flea  was not disposed of after the performances so I have been able to examine it to jog my memory of the steps we took to produce it.

The body of the flea was made from three pieces of dyed and stiffened calico – two sides and a belly gusset – with its segments and spiracles painted on.  This was stretched over carved lumps of polystyrene.  The switch and wiring for the eyes and the battery pack were attached to a 6 foot long metal pipe, where it passed through the inside of the body from the neck to the “tail” end.

image of inside of flea's body with battery box, batteries and on/off switch
Flea “innards” showing the battery box, batteries and on/off switch.

The head, which was separate from the body so that it could be moved, was needle felted from brown wool (I can’t remember the breed) with mouthparts made from painted foam, plastic wire insulation coating and more painted and stiffened calico.

image of flea's face again with beside it a drawing of the face and mouth parts
That “pretty” face again and the drawing of face with mouth parts.

image of felted flea head, with mouth parts and glowing red eye
The Flea’s head – I’m really glad that fleas aren’t the size of this one.

Graham had to come up with a method of allowing the head to move and the eyes to keep glowing red, all without breaking the connection between the eyes and the wires running from the battery pack or those wires being tied in knots.

The method he came up with sounded extremely complicated to me, but then I’ve never had to put lights in a miniature building or lamp post.  A circular piece of PCB (Printed Circuit Board) with a hole cut into the centre was attached to the flea’s “neck” at the top of the body, where the pipe was also firmly fixed.  The PCB had the ends of the battery pack wires, through which the current would pass, soldered to it.

The wires from the red LED eyes in the head were soldered to another circular piece of PCB  and the head was sewn to this (Graham having pierced suitable holes in it for the purpose).

The head was attached to a piece of wooden dowelling long enough to pass right through the neck piece of PCB and on through the pipe inside the body and protrude from the pipe’s “handle” end.  This ensured that, so long as the two pieces of PCB were in contact, once the eyes were “switched on” they stayed on until switched off again, even when the flea was “looking around for it’s next meal” as the actor twisted the end of the dowel.

image showing PCB pieces, with soldered wires on neck end of head and neck end of body with dowel protruding from it.
Graham’s solution to the problem of the glowing eyes.

image of dowel protruding from handle end of pipe
This is the handle end of the pipe with the dowel protruding from it with the “bits” stopping it pushing through and decapitating The Flea.

The belly gusset on the underside of the body, which allowed the switch to be reached and the batteries changed as necessary, was closed with extra large snap fasteners for convenience (in case the manipulating actor was male!)

image of snap fasteners used to close the belly gusset
The “man-sized” snap fasteners used to close the belly gusset.

The Flea’s leg segments were needle felted in the same wool as the head and wired, with the claw ends just being fabric covered and painted for colour and stiffness.  These were affixed to the flea’s thorax with wire and thread.

image of underside of the flea with closed belly placket and legs.
Closed belly placket and The Flea’s legs.

image showing front view of the completed Flea
The completed Flea – in mid jump?

side view of completed flea
Side view of The Flea – definitely in mid jump.

After we had handed The Flea over to Taboo, but before the play could be performed in November 2020, Covid raised it’s ugly head again and we went into the second lockdown.  As a result the performances were re-scheduled to the end of January 2021.  Unfortunately because of the post-lockdown rules and regulations, which effectively prevented The Exchange from re-opening in time, the play had to be postponed – again.

It was eventually performed on the 19th & 20th June 2021.

If you would like to see a critique of the play, try this link: https://www.theftr.co.uk/flea-the-pandemic-taboo-theatre-the-exchange-sturminster-newton/ It will tell you more about the plot, as well as the action.  Unfortunately the images which were originally posted with the review have had to be removed, but the reviewer, Gay Pirrie-Weir very kindly provided the four images of “The Flea Acting” which you see below.  I must say that it appears that the lighting techie has turned the actors and The Flea, as well as the set, purple.  I’m forever having this problem with costumes and props changing colour on stage – grrrr!

image of two actors one with The Flea landing on his shoulder
The Flea Acting – just coming into land.

image of two actors, one manipulating the flea and the other shaking hands with an unseen actor
The Flea still acting – hanging on to it’s victim’s shoulder – just!

Image of 3 actors, 1 manipulating the flea, 1 "driving a cart" and the narrator reading from a book
The Flea being “carted” inland, while the narrator continues the story.

Image of 2 actors - the narrator and the carter with the flea at one side
The Flea “resting” while the story continues.

Oh, and we mustn’t forget The Mayor – you will need to read the Gay’s review mentioned above to learn about him.

an actor wearing a brimmed hat and standing at a lectern
The Mayor (Boris?)

close up of sign for Peterborough fiber arts Festival and Sale 2024
Peterborough Fiber festival 2024

Peterborough Fiber festival 2024

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It is springtime in Ottawa, and the trees are migrating in my driveway. So now is the time to watch for fibre festival announcements!

leaf debree traing away from the garden up the drive way to where the large potted trees now sit beside the brick wall of the house.1) Signs the migration has started by the trail of leaf debris and the new summer location of the portable forest (in front of the kitchen window). I just wanted to show you that spring has finally sprung!

Today I want to invite you to join us on a trip to Peterborough Fibre Arts Festival & Sale 2024. So set your alarm clock for 5 am and I will meet you in the driveway at 6 am!

grey kea soul with front door open in drizzeling rain at twilight.it is sitting in the driveway under the large maple 2) 6 am, a light drizzle, but the new grass seed should be likening this weather. The sun is just starting to arrive.  (Kea hatchback, with new tiers and a few other repairs)

I have an audiobook ready to go, and a heavily caffeinated Mountain Dew drink, Glenn brought his book (and a spare). We will pick up bagels with cream cheese on the way! We are driving west across the Canadian Shield, old rocks abused by glaciers, lots of trees and the occasional lake and streams. This time of year has those amazing colours, of ambers, rusts, browns and hints of green to come. Unfortunately, the rain is dulling them somewhat. However, I am sure you will enjoy the scenery anyway.

Vew out the front window of the car showing road streaching away and rock cutting to the right side close up of rock cutting3.1 3.2) Rocks and trees of the Canadian Shield

There are sections of the trip where you can see beaver ponds, lodges and dams, but let’s skip ahead so you don’t have to enjoy the full 3.5 hour drive of scenery.

We arrived at the sports centre where the sale was taking place around 9:30 am. They were just finishing up the setup and would be opening shortly (10 am)

Daphodill clump about to bloom yellow flowers4)  Spring Daffodils

Peterborough is always ahead of us in weather and is enjoying spring flowers, here is a lovely clump of Daffodils about to open, and there was a smaller clump in full bloom.

sign saying admisions $5.00 5) admission desk sign for Fiber festival

While I waited to go in, (Glenn read) I spotted this vendor in an asymmetrical nuno felted vest and was sure to get a shot.

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6)Nuno felt asymmetrical vest

At 10 o’clock they let the hordes in!

As we waited we could see vendors photographing something just inside, to the right of the doors

rug hooking display and demo7) The Kawartha Hooking Guild had a display and demo just as you entered.

Ah, that explains that mystery!

The space is in a large gym within the sports centre. The booths are arranged around the edges of the gym as well as a centre double row of booths with a wide aisle between them.  I am looking for the Black Lamb and Olive Sparrow in a quest for two types of felt backgrounds. But let’s stop a moment at the booth next to the rug hookers.

As the Wheel Turns:

second hand wheels and wheel excessorys more wheels for sale  8) This booth has refurbished secondhand wheels and spinning accessories

You may see a couple of the smaller items that followed me home. She had a Lendrum wheel, which we both thought would be gone by the time I made it around the show, it took a little longer but it sold.  She also had a woolly winder for a Lendrum but it sold separately.

Let me pull you away from the wheels, the next booth was 3 Dogsknits and they had yarn and braids of fibre.

armfull of braids of fiber9) shopping at 3 Dog Knits booth, love the skirt

Wondering on,  Lang Pioneer Village had a booth. They also have a Jacquard loom, there was a sample on their table as well as the fabric for the purse was woven on their loom.

Display of the Museum banner and bag/purse the reast of teh table display wtith woven table drape witht he name of the museum10.1-10.2) Lang Pioneer Village Museum display and banner.

11) The next booth is Irish Hill Shop and they had felt.

puplr sweter displayed in front of shelves of yarn partly obsured by shoppers12) I think this is Etho Makes?  Very pretty yarn but I was looking for fiber.

swing picker and baskets of raw sheeps wool fiber13) Yarnsomiacs had a double booth, with fiber, a picker for sale, batts and yarn.

Next was the Black Lamb, which I was looking for some of her felt ground that I have used for name tags. I got very distracted and was sure I had taken more photos of the booth but seem to have bought needles, a book on felt and the felt I actually was looking for.

colourfull balls of super wash fiber in blue bucket14) Black Lamb had a double booth, lots of colourful dyed fibre, most was merino, in both Superwash (dose not wet felt) and regular merino. I also saw cashmere, tussah silk and a lot of felting needles. If you look back at one of my trips to Twist you will see more of the selection!

The next was also a double booth,  Kim at Designs. It was full of sewing/hand stitching supplies. It was full of people most of the time I was there.  If you can make it through the throng, you can pick up some cool sewing items!

embrodery yarn sckaines and little balls of fine yarn 15) Slow stitching, embroidery, quilting, fine needles, scissors and other hand sewing tools in Kim at Designs booth.

If I can pull you away, the next booth was Wool for Ewe.

balls of roving in lots of colours (not Mereno) and pices of felt backgrounds16) Felting backgrounds, yarn, batts of fibre, felting tools, Kumohimo and Felting kits at Wool 4 Ewe

I think the next booth was called the Living Canvas. It had hand dyed scarves and scarf hardware. It took a while before I could get a shot of it!

booth showing scares and sarf hardware colse up of scarf 17.1-17.2) The Living Canvas Scarves

There should have been a rug hooking booth next, but I thot it was further down, and I can’t find a shot of that one either, I was obviously distracted.

18) Santosha Fibreworks and Farm  was a double booth filled with Ashford spinning and felting projects, their own milled felt, various breeds of fibre in natural or dyed,

wooden itums for spinning & weaving 19) Next was a booth using rescued wood, Turned not Burned. There were lots of spinning, weaving and sewing tools

asorted examples of itums made for or by the Artisans Center  20) The Artisans Center is a group space with weaving, woodworking, quilting and felting on display.

Now that we are almost all the way around the outside I think you should take a look at this next booth and maybe treat yourself.

food for sale by the peterberow guild 21) Cakes, Cookies, and other tasty treats at the Guild Bake Table.

If you have selected a treat, let’s take a quick look at the Guild Demo area.

Demo aria, Weaving spinning and felting22) Peterborough Guild Demo area.

I am sure by this point, you are a bit overwhelmed and would probably like to eat your treats?  With good planning, there is a seating area up by the windows! You can join Glenn (who was being good and avoided the cake) as he holds my purchases and starts his second book.

husband sitting on chair holding a paper bag with felt background sticking out of it.23) The Husband Resting Spot by the window and the beginnings of my purchases

Just next to the rest-full-chairs was the demo area we just looked at.

Spinner has 2 bags of fiber she has collected today. 24) The very nice spinner who was doing a fabulous cross body style of long draw showed off her loot to us, she intends to blend the fibre into batts on a drum carder.

It must be old age, or getting up at 5 am yesterday, I think I should leave you resting here until next week, there are still the inner booths and the guild display to wander through. (There will be felt!) so if you don’t mind, I will be back shortly to show you a bit more then we can drive back to Ottawa and see if it has stopped raining!

 

March Stitch Page and a Quiz

March Stitch Page and a Quiz

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My March stitch page was done in time. I did the last thing on March 31. After doing February as a Valentine’s theme I thought I would do March as a St Patrick’s Day theme. so having an odd sense of humour I decided on green threads on an orange background. I am not sure which side of that( orange or green) would care the most. but after looking at symbols for St Pat’s I decided to give up on that idea and look for other March symbols.  March has a lot going on. This is where the quiz comes in. I am not going to tell you what each thing represents as we go. You have to guess at the end. I will make a bit of a break in the post and then put the answers and you can see how many you got right.

I don’t have as many progress pictures as I might as I do most of it out and about. I did start with a shamrock. They are quite easy as they are 3 harts and a stem.

Before I remembered to take a picture I also added this dagger. I knew I bought silvery thread for a reason other than it was pretty.

Then 2 more important days were added.

Then there is this one that is so important to remember for all our struggles past and future. With a nod to my LBGTQ friends

This last symbol is for some great kids I drive to school. It didn’t turn out quite as I wanted but it was a new stitch for me.

The last thing is not a symbol. It was just a flower that popped up in my FB news feed and I decided to try it. It was easy and effective.

Here is the whole thing, followed by a numbered picture for your guesses.

 

Scroll down to see the answers

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Shamrock for St Patrick’s Day
  2. A Dagger for the Ides of March( Beware!)
  3. Pi, for Pie Day: March 14 ( 3.14)
  4. The symbol for women for International Women’s Day
  5. Easter egg for Easter and spring fertility
  6. The symbol for Down Syndrome for Down Syndrome Awareness Day

How many did you get right?

Blue green nuno felted background with hand stitched tree and leaves.
Embroidered Tree Completed

Embroidered Tree Completed

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Although a number of people didn’t think I needed any leaves on my embroidered tree, I decided to go ahead with the leaves.

Blue green nuno felted background with stitched tree and half of the leaves stitched.

I used a lighter value yellow green to contrast a bit with the blue green background. The thread is a #8 hand dyed perle cotton. I’m not sure that you can see the variations in the thread color as it is subtle but it’s not a solid color. I used a solid fishbone stitch to create the leaves. I decided not to mark the leaf shape on the background fabric, thus there are some that are a bit wonky, but that doesn’t bother me.

Blue green nuno felted background with close up of stitched tree and leaves.

Here’s a closer look at the stitching.

Blue green nuno felted background with hand stitched tree and leaves.

And here’s the piece after the stitching is finished. If you can see, the width of the fabric shrunk a bit with the stitching. The piece of fabric was barely wide enough to make a cover for my tablet to begin with and now I decided it wasn’t going to work to make a cover. So my first quarter challenge effort was a bit of a fail.

Blue green nuno felted background with stitched tree in black frame.

But never fear, the piece fit into a frame that I already had so it was a good use of stuff lying around the studio. I realize that I could have made a cover for the tablet and added the tree to the front but I wasn’t sure I would use the cover and the framed piece can always go to one of the galleries.

A New Lampshade.

A New Lampshade.

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I have been searching for a replacement shade for a pendant light for some time, but I was not having any success with finding something that I liked. So I thought, how difficult can it be to recover a lampshade?

Some years ago I tried to make a wet felted bowl, but somehow it all went wrong, and I could not get the bowl to ‘sit’ right. I had a table lamp that needed a shade, and as I was looking at it, and my felt bowl, I had one of those ‘lightbulb’ moments – sorry! I re-wet my ‘bowl’, then cut a hole in the middle and after some tugging and a little more trimming, I managed to stretch it over the lampshade frame. I liked the look of it very much, it fitted very well too, so I hand stitched along the top and the bottom to neaten, and to prevent both edges from becoming undone.

So, now I have another lamp shade frame that I want to make a cover for. I found a ‘how to make a lamp shade’  book in my library, and I borrowed it. I wanted to make some nuno felt to use as the fabric outer. I made 2 pieces of nuno felt using 2 different shades of green mixes of merino. The base fabric is a very fine open weave cotton, that in a previous life was a lightweight curtain.

Making the shade.

This involved a few steps; I read the appropriate sections in my borrowed book several times, and then made sure that I had everything I needed. I planned to make and hand stitch each panel to the frame; the other method is to sew all the panels together using the sewing machine and then stretch it over the frame, and hand stitch the top and bottom to the frame. This method is quicker, but the fabric needs to be cut on the bias to allow the shade to stretch over the frame.

The frame is wrapped in cotton tape and secured with a stitch. Each metal section/strut is wrapped in tape. Not all hand made shades will require each strut to be wrapped, but the top and the bottom will need to be wrapped.

Lining.

I used a white 2 way stretch jersey to make the lining for the shade. I cut 2 pieces and stitched to the inside of frame, folding and gathering as I progressed. Lining is desirable if you do not wish to see all the stitching when viewing the shade from underneath, and it gives a nicely finished look to the shade.

Pattern for a segment.

My shade has 8 segments. I traced around one segment on some paper, cut it out and tested how well it covered a section between the struts.

       

       

Cutting the fabric.

I cut 8 pieces, 4 from each colour, on the straight grain. Sometimes the fabric will need to be cut on the bias, but I did not need to do this. The fabric needs to be held tight between each strut, not quite drum tight, but not loose or floppy either.

       

Stitching each panel.

There is a special stitch used to attach each panel piece to the frame. This is called a ‘streetly stitch’, it is a locking stitch and it firmly secures each fabric panel to each section of the frame. In this instance you can see this stitch on the white lining fabric more clearly than you can on the nuno fabric. This stitching can make for very tender/painful fingertips trying to push the needle and thread through the fabric and the tape, while escaping the pins at the same time.

     

I neatened all the edges with a small sharp scissors, as each panel is completed,  but without cutting any of the stitching. I did not want to restitch any part of the shade.

Attaching trim to cover all the seams.

Trim is attached to each seam and top and bottom of the frame. There is a huge selection and variety (and price) of trim available, and the search can encourage many trips down various rabbit holes. Trim is attached with glue, either hot glue, or fabric glue from a tube. Care and attention to detail while attaching the trim will ensure that the newly covered frame will look really nice.  I soon forgot about my sore finger tips.

I did enjoy making my lampshade, and I hope that I have explained the process I used well enough for you all to understand. This is a view of it in place in the bedroom used by the grandchildren when they stay over.

The book I borrowed from the library is called:

Sewing Lampshades by Joanna Heptinstall; Search Press 2018.

A sample of my own knitted diamond-shaped puffs on a wooden surface.
Diamonds and Dolls

Diamonds and Dolls

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The title of this post is misleading: although there are several diamonds in this story (in shape, not in value!) there is only one doll. Apologies for this, but “Many Diamonds and Just One Doll” just didn’t sound as good a title to me.

Let’s begin with the first, shall we?

The diamonds

If you use yarn in any way in a crafting project, chances are you end up with leftovers once you’re done. What to do with the lovely remnants of woolly, colourful string? If you’re anything like me you won’t bear discarding them willy-nilly, but keeping them in a bag without a plan also seems like a waste… Enter the Diamond Miner’s Quilt by Lucky Fox Knits.

A set of diamond-shaped knits, stuffed and sewn together to create a puffy quilt
Photo by Valya Boutenko

This project is not one to be made in a jiffy, rather it is meant to be an ongoing thing, to be added to as the years pass and one is presented with more little bits of yarn that are too precious to not make the most of. It’s a no-fuss, small outdoors knitting project, or simply a quick in-front-of-the-telly-knit when the brain is too tired but the hands are restless.

I currently have two full ziplock bags of diamonds, not nearly enough for a proper quilt, but slowly their numbers have increased and soon I shall have to start sewing some together to show myself I’m not simply hoarding teeny tiny pillows…

A sample of my own knitted diamond-shaped puffs on a wooden surface.

What I most enjoy about these is, I can look at them and remember which project they came from. It’s a way to reminisce about a past knit that I find comforting.
The best part? My knitter friends who know about this now have taken to gifting me their own remnants, so now I get to remember them in my future quilt as well. To me, that’s the definition of cosy.

The doll

Now to my latest fun project, Billie the Sheep. I forget how I came across this cute pattern, but it was before Christmas 2023 and I decided to buy it as a present to myself. Of course, this cute sheep would need some clothes and luckily the creator Gabrielle Vézina would provide the dress and cardigan to go with it.

Billie the Sheep doll, dressed with a knitter dress and a cardigan, next to a printed page of the pattern to make the clothing

Want to know the best part? This dress comes in a children’s size as well, so if you have a little girl in your life who needs a sheep doll and wants to match with it, you can make it happen! It’s simply too adorable.

All of this project is also made from remnants, the calico fabric I used previously as mock-ups for my own clothing, the threads on her face were gifted by a friend who no longer embroiders, the yarn was leftovers I hadn’t made into diamonds yet. The woolly part of her head is a bouclé yarn I used to knit a friend a cosy jumper and stabilised with some pre-felt (see, there’s felting in this post!). If this isn’t the cutest way to enjoy “leftover” project materials, I don’t know what is.

Billie the Sheep flat lay on a wooden surface.

Have you made anything with remnant materials that you care to share? It doesn’t have to be fabric or fibre, anything goes! I love a good upcycle story, so feel free to share it with me below.

 

Fabulous finger protectors Group 4

Fabulous finger protectors Group 4

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Group 1 – https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2024/03/02/fabulous-finger-protectors-i-have-found-group-1/

Group 2 – https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2024/03/12/fabulous-finger-protectors-i-have-found-group-2/

Group 3 – https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2024/03/22/fabulous-finger-protectors-group-3/

This is, what i think, is my final installment, (well unless i stumble over something else that is miss labeled and is obviously a felting safety tool!)

Group 4

Kitchen Knife accessory!

Who would look at these and say they are not obviously felting safety tools!?? I found these at Aliexpress and amazon but check your dollarama/dollar store if they look interesting to you too. This is a bit like the Rake idea but with a different handle orientation and tooth spacing. Looking at the images on line, I had suspicions as to which would be most comfortable to hold and which would be most likely to be useful. Let’s see how that hypothesis went.

Kitchen onion holder handle with long metal teeth with pointed tips.4.1.1  Ali express called this a “Stainless Steel Onion Needle” (did not come with a pointy-bit-cover to protect your fingers. This could be quite a surprise for your fingers if it was hiding in a kitchen drawer!)

I thought this one would be the quite comfortable with a large round handle. I was surprised that when holding it at an angle, rather than upright, changed how your hand wants to hold this shaped handle. It is not that it doesn’t work well, it’s just not quite as comfortable as I had expected.

The spacing of the teeth, made it easy to see what I was working on. The teeth are smooth, and did not grab the fiber it was holding.

mettle spikes with silver handle did not snag wool4.1.2 Easy to see what you’re working on and teeth did not snag wool.

mettle spikes with silver handle holding oinion ready to cut.4.1.3 This is what it was originally designed to do, in case you were curious. (There is also a picture of it impaling a Lemon, so it doesn’t just work on torturing onions.)

The next is very similar to the previous with only minor differences. : Soft rubber covers handle for a comfortable grip, and there is a small protective end cover. (It also comes in black, peach and avocado green if you were trying to colour co-ordinate your felting tools?)

similer to the black handle, a bit thiner handle and a softer 4.2.1 the softer handled version

The soft handled version also allows you to see your work and hold the wool without grabbing it. It seems a little lighter in the hand when using it than the black one.  I will see if I can find my scale and see if this is an illusion or is the black one actually a tiny bit heavier.

The last one in this category was the one I was least excited about from looking at it on line. (That’s why it went last in this list) it looked light and flimsy, ok, assumptions are not always correct. Yes, it is lighter, smaller and has more teeth than the previous two options, but its smaller size fits well in my hand. If I was working vertically trying to hold onions (from the on line images) the smaller handle may be a problem. Working on an angle, holding wool for the needle, the smaller handle is actually an advantage. If the manufacturer ever sees this blog maybe they could repackage it as a much more expensive felting tool? It also comes with the best fitting and longer teeth cover!

Original use of smallest wool holder4.3.1 Original use of smallest wool holder

this vertion has a tine cover that covers the tines and the tips.4.3.2 Cover covers tines not just the tips.

As you will notice, there are more teeth on this version but you can still see your under-drawings while you’re working. It also comes in white, orange, blue and green. I went with white as a more neutral colour.

  smaller handle was comfortable to hold while securing the wisp of wool.4.3.3 Holding the smallest option was comfortable and you could still see your under drawing.

Three of the tines on this one arrived blunted. Blunted tines may be a better option for you and could be accomplished with a metal nail file or fine metal rasp.  With the closer teeth spacing, the background image is only a bit less visible than the previous versions of this tool.

close up of tine tips, 3 are blunted.4.3.4 three of these tines arrived blunted, this may not be the best for threatening violence on vegetables but worked just fine on holding wool still while you stab it.

All three are very similar. The difference is more in how it feels in the hand, the teeth spacing on one and the options to cover or not cover the teeth when not in use. You may have to try them out yourself, to see which might suites you best. This is likely a good option to consider since it holds fiber well away from your fingers, yet still allows you a good view of what you are doing.

 

Knife shields

shows the back vew of knife gards.4.4.1 the back of two knife shields

This is another way to keep knives away from your innocent fingers. I have two different versions of this. Both have a strait and curved edge and on the back, there are two ways to fit your fingers as you hold it.

Here are examples from one of the sellers of its original purpose;

curved edge used to cut carrots4.4.2 Curved edge used while cutting carrots (from sellers add)

strate edge used, cutting cucumber 4.4.3 Strait edge used while cutting cucumbers (from sellers add)

Measurements from seller4.4.4 Measurements from seller

Now lets look at what happens when you apply this tool to needle felted pictures.

Curved edge down when felting4.4.5 Curved edge down when felting

Flat edge down when felting4.4.6 Flat edge down when felting

Finger protection is excellent with this, but it does obscure all of the image behind the shield while protecting your fingers. There was no fiber clinging to the stainless steel. The finger ring or rings at the back of the shield are adjustable but may not be as well located for you depending on which edge you are using. Over all I think this option has potential. If you spot this on sale or at a second hand store, try it on and see if it feels comfortable.

Another option would be to do a bit of modification, possibly with a bench vice, you may be able to adjust the curvature to reduce the area obscured while still protecting the fingers. I may have to consult with the local blacksmith this summer and see what he can come up with.

Synopsis

a few of the options we have considered.  (clover rake, cutting finger protector, color turner, sewing machine finger protector, stylus, kitchen cutting guilds larger and smaller with moose pin in progress in the background.4.6.1 a few of the options we have considered.  (clover rake, cutting finger protector, caller turner, sewing machine finger protector, stylus, kitchen cutting guilds larger and smaller with moose pin in progress in the background.

Another consideration, when looking at all the options, is your felting style. 

None of these options will be any help to you if they don’t work with your style of felting. I have been needle felting a long time now and was very enthusiastic when I started out. I have evolved my style towards slower and shallower stabbing over the years. Like painting, I try to make each brush stroke or stab count (think first then stab like a silver point drawing). This is not the fastest way to felt.  Especially when I want to work with thin layers or wisps of fiber that change subtly the aria I am working on, it’s not fast but fun and i like the finished results.

Are you a needle felter who takes out there frustrations by stabbing deeply and often?  Try the pink rigid insulation foam as a work surface (it screams when you stab it) and an option that keeps your fingers farthest away from the pointy end of your needle. A chopstick or well-sanded wooden skewer or one of the onion holders may work best for you.

Are you a needle felter in a rush, listening to techno and trying to match the beets per minute to your stabbing?  Try a snoozy massage music or a slow building non-stressful audio book to listen to and see if any of the safety options appeal to you, maybe the small handled multi toothed tool with the hart cover will help.

All of these options have been tried with 2D, or picture felting. For 3D, or sculptural needle felting, there is a added challenge of curved surface which will not work as well with some of the options. you may find the stylus, and purple sewing finger protector (why are these so hard to describe?) and leather finger cots, leather glove, or Sara’s Grab it stab it may work better for you.

last thought, part of the reason i let my fingernails grow is that i often use them to hold down wisps of fiber or felt around the end of them, to make a curve. the other reason was spending over 25 years that i had to have short nails for work, so i am enjoying there return since i am not working.

i hope you have had fun reading about ways to keep your innocent fingers and the evil pointy end of your needles farther apart. i am sure there are lots of options i have missed, or haven’t seen yet, that may be mentioned in the chat below (its always good to check the chat for more information or suggestions. There are many Fabulous Felters out there each with there favored solutions to not using too many band-aides!!)

How to Make a 3D Felt Star

How to Make a 3D Felt Star

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I was surfing the web the other day and saw a video about making origami stars. Like this one.

 

I thought, I bet that shape would work with felt too. I can make a pentagon. I did this during our March break. The schools are closed for a week. iws going to do this at home but then thought what the heck it’s a small project and Monday is our socials at the guild. I knew Jan would be there early and so would some others. I packed some wet felting gear, resist and wool into a bag and headed in.

I cut 2 pentagons of different sizes to use for the stars. I am using this blue underlay that I don’t really like. It’s thinner and flimsy and it holds water. I thought it would be good for this project because I wasn’t planning on removing the resist, it would just stay inside bunched up.

I cut out the resist and covered it in wool. I moved the first sides off and did it again. I then flipped it over so I could wet the wool and wrap it around. I don’t know who else does this but I like to lay all the base wool out dry first and then put it back together. If you press and wiggle the dry wool even for something much larger like a hat then you can pick it up to move it and it will all stay stuck together.

I am using Mallard green wool for the base.

Because I was somewhere where I needed to be neat and not splash water all around I used a sponge to get up the extra water from wetting out. I usually don’t bother as my studio floor can get wet without causing a problem so enjoy this rare picture of me being neat.

Then I added some sari silk in the Wildflower colourway. It is mostly yellow with black and red bits. I grabbed a primarily yellow section for the star.

 

 

Then it was the usual rubbing and rolling and fulling until it was shrunk and feeling sturdy. I wasn’t expecting a lot of shrinkage because the wool staple was as long as the resist or longer with the small one. I think if you had some short fibre or cut this fibre in half you would get more shrinkage.

After rinsing and squeezing them as dry as possible I reshaped the pentagons and made the star shapes by pinching the corners and adding clothespins for them to dry.

 

These are the finished stars.

 

 

After they were dry, I decided to cut the bigger one and take the resist out. It held its shape of course. That got me thinking about how a larger one would make a good pillow. The other thing a larger version or one with short fibre would do is let you pull the points to make them longer. It wasn’t possible with these as I would be pulling on both ends of the same fibre.

so far I have had several suggestions on what they could be used for. the first I got was to make them thin, then put LED lights in them to make a hanging sting of lit stars. Another was to put cat nip in them ( I will credit Jan but there were several that suggested this). A teacher suggested that they would make great fidget toys when I leave the resist in, they squish but bounce back.  I am thinking they are also silent. I am sure that would be a big plus.

 

 

2024 Second Quarter Challenge

2024 Second Quarter Challenge

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This challenge is for all members: weavers, beaders, sewists, felters, crocheters, knitters and textile mixed media artists.

Make a ‘topper’ for a greetings card that doubles as a small gift e.g. a brooch, a coaster, a hanging decoration, a bookmark, or of course a card can just be a small artwork too. The gift could be themed e.g. a birthday brooch, a coaster for a new home, a decoration for a nursery … there are so many possibilities!

We were so enthusiastic about the idea that we got straight to it and made an Easter card with a detachable hanging decoration for someone who puts a white twig-tree in her window every Easter with her growing collection of Easter Egg decorations.

Easter card with detachable Easter bunny hanging decoration

Everything came from stash.  A piece of scrap felt gave us two easter egg shapes that were hand stitched with a bunny outline.

Thank you to Kaitlen for the free printable bunny outline:

https://simplemomproject.com/bunny-templates/

The bunny tails are hand-rolled merino beads stitched into place.

Easter bunny hanging decoration in progress

The two sides were machine stitched together before bows were added to each top.

We used a piece of white A4 size card, folded in half, to make the card then we printed a creamy coloured egg-shape and ‘Happy Easter’ that we stuck to the card before attaching the hanging decoration with a simple stitch at the top of the ribbon.

We bet you’ve already thought of several possibilities for ‘gift-cards’ and we look forward to seeing them!