New (felt) Beginnings

Needed a felt fix - and I have so much wool in the prettiest colors; so I'm going to make a very thick and functional bag.

Cotswold wool batts in lime/yellow, coopworth curls, silks, silk hankies, silk ribbon, and yarns - we'll see what transpires -- the texture is always a wonderful surprise once felted which keeps me coming back for more.

Gone (felt) Fishing

Blue Fish gone wild! Here he is still wet with no side fins.

Here he is dry but unstuffed.

Now he is fully stuffed and happy

in the garden.

I took a great class taught by Sharon Costello "Go Felt a Fish" the week prior to the MD Sheep & Wool - alas that first blue fish was "caught" by my little grandson, Win, and has since found another home . . . . . so

we now have a little goldfish too - made while we were at the lake (well it was impossible for me to be away without felting for a whole week!) and this past weekend my granddaughter, Allie and daughter-in-law Michele, came over to make more - we were so busy that they left before I could get a picture of their finished fish but we had a great time and now they are budding felters too!

MD Sheep & Wool Prizes!

"Song of the Earth" -- recognize the background? It was done some time ago but it needed "something" on the right side to balance and complete this piece. I didn't know that a cheeky little bluebird would emerge when I began! I started by sketching on to a piece of water soluble paper the shape and a little larger to allow for shrinkage. I used my embellisher to needle felt the wool before wet felting it. As I begain the felting process, I saw this sweet little guy begin to peek out and before long there he was, complete with worm and a few eggs secretly stashed in his cozy nest. He won a First prize ribbon!

"Circles" won a Second place at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. A gorgeous piece of silk from Emma Onesock inspired the rest - a hand dyed silk "circles" scarf was dyed the same shade of "leafy" green and some deep plum accents added to match the subtle flowers in the silk print as well as some embroidered and embellished circles - what fun to make and to wear!

The Maryland Sheep & Wool took place on the same weekend as we were leaving for vacation this year although I did get to take a class a few days before it officially opened. I did enter three items and won 2 "First" place ribbons and a "Second." This indigo vest -- all the various bits and pieces dyed in the vat, felted together, embellished in areas with my Babylock Embellisher then stitched; I had a great time designing this and it fits like a charm.