Small Things

  It's been busy, busy in the studio the last few weeks....and maybe more busy in my head as I clear house and make way to fulfill my destiny (doesn't that sound grand! It just popped into my head.....You could also read.... solidify my Fall/Winter/Spring creative calendar....Shuffle the deck to create an order that allows me room to achieve my dreams and ambitions....hmmmm...that's rather grand too.....maybe that's just the way of things.... It's a day of good air, clear thinking and aspiration!)....

 Now while the head is busy with it's big goals...little projects emerged from the hands....I was making very thick, firm felt for a table top, and made a smaller piece alongside.  The wool was about 4 inches high, about 8 layers deep....first two layers of Finn wool, then 4 layers of Friesian, then two more layers of Finn....I used the Friesian to create a more "bouncy" layer in the middle....It worked well for the intended purpose......I decided to cut the small piece up into simple shapes....

  Then dyed and overdyed....and hand embroidered.  And I loved having these tiny projects to work on in the evening....Handstitching is so serene...so slow and peaceful... it feels like the perfect ending to a feltmaking project...the closing of the creative circle that starts with a meditative, quiet laying out of the fibres...then gets physical...more and more so, with the feltmaking....then slows down again through the dyeing and comes to a meditative resting place once again, as the the last stitch is made and last french knot snipped!  My stitching is simple...but paying attention through the process adds a lot to the work for me....so very satisfying.....

  These have all been delivered to ArtCraft here on Salt Spring and I'm making more for Knotty by Nature in Victoria.....and I hope they sell well.....simply because it would be pure pleasure to make some more!

  In balance to these small makings, I'll be posting about my upcoming plans....
tomorrow...just a few more pictures to find, and a couple of details to be arranged....and 5 scarves on the felting table needing to be finished! On we go!
Hope your having a sunny, wool filled, creative weekend (maybe full of good air, clear thinking and grand aspirations too!)!

Warm wishes,
Fiona

Evergreen Felt Houses

 This week I finished up some pieces for donation to the Evergreen Independent School in Cobble Hill.

  It was so fun making the little home for a gnome! I first made these to sell last fall, and never got any pictures taken of them. Probably because I made them while camping, out in the rain, in late November! I've made them in a variety of sizes and shapes. I love them all.  These little homes will be available for sale again soon, and also as a tutorial and workshop offering. I really enjoy making felt work for storytelling and play. The warm tactile nature of the wool is ideal for inviting and involving children in the story or play. 

  I feel so fortunate to have so many creative outlets for my work. Sometimes I feel like I should be focusing on only one; that I would go further by only pursuing one vein of interest, but I love to do all these things, at different times, and I hope that exploring them changes and deepens and improves the other avenues of making. 
  I make small and large whimsical storytelling  creations for children, parents and teachers. I make felt accessories; scarves, purses, jewelry, clothing, light, soft, feminine and involved for craft shows, galleries and studio sales. And I make an interior design line, with crisp lines, using felt in unusual contexts, with a strong Scandinavian influence.  

  So today I jump from making little gnome houses, to designing a floor covering that is a wood/felt hybrid. I am so excited about the potential in this. It all came together during a conversation on the ferry, after dropping off my donations to the Evergreen School....I could barely stand still- in fact I wasn't. I was jumping up and down and waving my arms! My partner is amazing- he is a brilliant sounding board for creative ideas, and has plenty of his own to add to the mix. We are lucky to have each other!

 Off with my sketchpad and colouring pencils in hand to the property...I hope the Auction at the Evergreen School is going as well as my day is today!

Warm wishes,

Fiona

Wool Felt Hearts Tutorial

Living Crafts is featuring my tutorial on sewing wool felt hearts on their blog.

"These wool felt hearts have been a Valentines mainstay in our family for years. The hearts made their first appearance when my sons were quite young, starting a tradition of them coming downstairs in the morning to find a Valentines neck pocket each, hanging in the doorway and filled with little treasures. After discovering what was hidden inside, the boys would wear their hearts as necklaces all day and look more sweet than any Valentines candies have ever been.

We have made variations over the years; quilted cottons; knitted yarns; wet felted wool; folded paper….but always come back to these felt lovelies!"

The tutorial includes the pattern plus instructions on sewing them up to create neck pockets, pin cushions, bean bags and wall hangings. 

Enjoy!

Fiona

Wool Felt Fairy

  When I was about 10, we went to Denmark just before the holidays, on our way to visit my family in Scotland. It was such an exciting trip.  Denmark was so different from anywhere else I had been- very modern and stylish,and old at the same time.
We had gone out to dinner with some friends of my parents, and on our way out of the restaurant (after a meal of pigeon- a regional specialty! Somethings you never forget!) , a gold angel on the Christmas tree captured my eye. For some reason, I absolutely loved it. The kind family friend talked to the restaurant manager, and then presented me with this gold angel ornament. I felt like such a princess. Now, this was just a gold metallic paper cone,about 3 inches tall, with the same materials for the wings, a gold glass bauble for the head, and a gold pipe cleaner for a halo- not so fancy. But she caught the lights around her, and reflected them all around, and somehow encapsulated the whole magical experience of being in Denmark just before Christmas. 
  And of the simple gestures we can make that can mean so much to others. A key message for Christmas Day.
   I still have my angel- she goes on my tree every year, and every year it is a heartwarming memory- just as I feel now writing about it!

   But she is in the box of ornaments back in Ottawa, so I thought I would make an angel in the same style, out of wool felt. Perfect!

Wool Felt Fairy
materials:
small square yellow/gold wool felt, we used our Rainbow Dyed Wool Felt
small square white wool felt
yellow embroidery floss
wool felt bead-white or skintone
small amount wool locks or yarn for hair
sewing needle
fine wire or twist tie
gold beads
gold embroidery floss (optional)

 Using the Wool Felt Fairy Pattern pieces, cut out one wing and one body.

Wool Felt Fairy Pattern

(To open the pattern, click on the small text "Wool Felt Fairy pattern"above. Still investigating the best ways to make scale patterns available! Thanks for your patience!)

 Sew up the back of the body using blanket stitch.

 Using running stitch, sew around the top of the body and pull tight to gather to make the neck. Knot off.

 Sew the head to the neck. Tuck in the gathered edge as you go to make a neat finish. Try to pick up a good amount of fibers on both the neck and the head to get a good attachment.

 To make the hair with wool yarn, make a mini wig by making loops of yarn around your fingers and then tying together in the middle. Clip of the looped ends.

 

 Sew on the wool yarn wig in the middle to make a stitched part. If you are using wool locks, use this method also.Spread the hair out to cover the whole back of head, and sew in place around the bottom of the head, at the hairline.

 To make the halo, use a 4" length of fine wire, or a twist tie, stripped of paper. Make a little loop at the end and twist to secure.  Fill the wire with gold beads, then twist a loop at the other end to hold the beads in place.

 Sew onto the fairy's head, stitching on either side through the loop in the wire. Adjust the halo so that it is nicely placed and rounded.
Sew the wings onto the back of the fairy.

 Add a little embroidery, so she can catch and reflect the light. Try spirals or star rays, both made with simple straight stitches. These fairies look beautiful tucked onto a branch on a tree. They can also stand in a seasonal display, or be used as finger puppets. I have to write a story for mine! As I was making her I was thinking about what her story might be! 

Enjoy,

Fiona

Rainbow Dyed Felts with Koolaid

 

 Dyeing with food dyes, including Kool Aid is a great project for working with children, and can also be a practical way for anyone to get some lovely variegated wool felt into their stash! We dyed ours with Kool Aid, as a way to get a nice mix of colors, with just white wool felt, and some easy to find ingredients. Food coloring or cake decorating colors also work using the same principles- they all work as acid dyes on the wool fibers. Not only can you achieve beautiful custom color blends on your wool felt, it is also more economical. You can purchase larger sheets of plain natural or white felt, and then dye them as you need them for specific projects, or just for the fun of the dyeing itself!

Note: Materials and resources found at the end of this post.

 

Fill a bowl, or sink with enough lukewarm water to cover the wool felt sheets. Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar per sheet to the water. Mix well and add the wool felt sheets, making sure they are completely submerged. Leave to soak for 15+ minutes. Lift the felt sheets one by one, and allow some of the soaking liquid to drain off. The more wet they are, the more the colors will mix and blend.

Lay out plastic to protect your work surface. If working with children, it is nice to put each KoolAid color in a separate bowl with a small spoon for "painting", or they can use their fingers. You can also just sprinkle the colors on directly from the packages. It is fun to watch the colors develop and mix as they are sprinkled on. Encourage your children to sprinkle the colors lightly, like fairy dust, and to cover as much of the felt as possible.

To set the colors, Place the wool in a steamer, or in a metal sieve suspended in a pot over boiling water. Steam for 15 minutes.

You can also put the wool in a double boiler, and heat for about 30 minutes. 

You can also dye wool felt in tonal colors. Soak wool felt in warm water, for 5-10 minutes before dyeing.  Fill a small pot about 1/2 full of water-  enough to almost cover the wool, and heat to a high simmer. Add vinegar:  2 tablespoons of white vinegar per sheet, to the water, then add the wool felt sheets. If you crinkle them up a bit, the dye will take in a more random pattern. If you want to have a more even dyeing, be sure the pot is large enough for the wool felt to be completely submerged and lying fairly flat.  Sprinkle the KoolAid over the surface of the wool, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the water is clear. 

Rinse well in warm water and lay flat to dry. Iron a low steam setting, if desired, to really smooth out the felt for future crafts.

Materials:                                                                   
squares of white or ecru wool felt

various colors, unsweetened KoolAid 

(you definitely don't want the type that has the sugar already added!)

white vinegar
small bowls and spoons
plastic sheet for protecting work surface

Time for the project:
soaking- 15 minutes
dyeing- 5 minutes
fixing the dyes: 15-20 minutes

Age suggestion:
3+ with assistance
7+ on own, with help using the stove

Sources:

We used National Non Wovens 100%wool felt for this project.

You can use any 100% wool felt available at some of these wonderful suppliers:

 Weir Dolls and Crafts 

A Child's Dream Come True 

Bear Dance Crafts

Note: you can also dye using food coloring, or cake decorating coloring. they all work on the same principles : all as acid dyes. It is nice that they are food grade- so you can just use your everyday pots from the kitchen. I wrote an article on dyeing wool yarn with food coloring  for Living Crafts Magazine, in the Fall 2009  Issue. 

Enjoy!

Fiona

Tree Project

  So we've just moved 5000km (3000miles) and we did bring only our absolute essentials. The things that make life pleasurable, and a place feel like home...like  a few toys and books, a chainsaw, our grain mill, two big boxes of wool, and espresso pot, all our cast iron pans...you know...the things you really can't live without!

  One of the boxes left behind ( for now) is our treasured box of Christmas ornaments.  Luckily I packed the Wool Felt Star pieces I designed for this seasons Living Crafts Magazine:

 

I knew we would want a few holiday decorations to warm up whatever place we found ourselves in for December. I never really thought much about Christmas trees and dressing them up.

In keeping with tradition we got our tree for St. Nicholas Day, and thanks to these Living Crafts pieces our tree is not entirely bare and forlorn, but definitely looks like it needs to be celebrated a bit more with some hand crafted ornaments.

We made a pledge to ourselves that everything we purchase or make here for our home must be the thing we have always dreamed of having. It has to be the *right* piece, not just something that will do in the meantime.  We're not in a rush- we are going to love each and every item we bring into our home.

On each day of the coming week, we will be making an ornament each to hang on our tree, most with tutorials to share. Please join us as we gather to make our tree resplendent, day by day....

Warm wishes,

Fiona