Felt til you drop

Here is a close up of one of the silk flowers. The photo is a bit dark, but you get the idea. I have gone around the edge of the flower with a bit more silk, using the embellisher to attach the silk. I just love the colours. Some of you may recognise the silk, it is the same as what I used below to make the sik fusion. I still have a bit more left from the original silk cap. It goes quite a long way. But I must say it can be annoying to work with as filaments of it end up everywhere.

Felt til you drop.

Well, I have spent all week making felted things. Which sounds very productive, but isn't really as it takes a bit of time and a lot of physical effort to make felt. I have been mainly wet felting. I made a gorgeous fuschia coloured scarf with rainbow coloured silk flowers, from a silk cap I had. I have put up some photos that show how I laid it out and added the flowers. I love it, but will anyone else? Felt is such a tactile material. People always have to touch when I am at markets, not me, the felt.

Too busy, to think

Having achieved a small goal, I seem to have fallen behind in other efforts, such as blogging. I have recently managed to get a permanent stall at a new market in Coffs Harbour, ( Australia). This market is only for local produce and local handcraft, no commercial imports. I am very excited about this, it is as close to a craft shop as I will ever get! This market is being held every week, which as you can imagine is a big commitment. Lots of creating every week and I have a real job and family. So I have been madly felting and trying to come up with quick and easy felty things to make.
I have also made up some needlefelt kits for beginners to make a pincushion heart, if anyone is interested they are $15.00 plus postage. They contain a dense, foam block, 2 felting needles, corriedale wool and free instructions.
Only 2 colours are included, the others are just to show other colours available. Oh, and the completed heart isn't included either.

Inspirational Circles

After an email from another blogger and crafty person, Gail. I thought I should put down some thoughts while they were still fresh. Gail, ( check her blog in my links, expression studio) mentioned that she has a thing about vertical lines, and I realised that I have a thing about circles and roundness. I always remember something I read I don't know who wrote it, "there are no straight lines in nature." When I felt, a lot of the designs I put in contain circles, curving swirls and other rounded elements. For a while I thought I should try more straight lines, but they always wanted circles in them. I have done some research on circles on Google, (oxymoron, I know, but) so this theme may continue for a while. Oh, and I don't think I will bother trying to put in straight lines, because I think I should. "Stick to the roundness," I say.
The photo above instantly recognisable to most of us, I am sure. Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plains. Sacred circles, most religions have them, mandalas, Chinese I Ching, medicine wheels, the circle of life, bagua, pagan circles, and lots more.

Why does the snowflake melt?
To enliven spring flowers.
Why does summer sun blaze?
To ripen the garden.
Why does the leaf fall?
To bring forth beautiful snow…
Why do the seasons dance so?
To embrace us in the sacred circle.
- Sacred Circle, "Mystical Poetry," Deborah Morrison

How to meet a challenge

Belonging to the new online fibre & stitch group has been a huge motivation and inspiration. Or it will be if I can ever get away from the computer and looking at all the fantastic blogs. Blogging has become very cool, everyone is doing it. But I have done the lutrador and lace challenge. This is gold RainbowSpun, I bonded vliesofix to it and then fussy cut the lace and ironed it to the surface of the RainbowSpun, I rubbed a little bit of gold shiva stik on to lace. And that was it, done. I have made another one using solvy, lace and RainbowSpun. Not quite finished yet.
If anyone has any ideas on how to use this sample please feel free to let me know. I have added RainbowSpun to my Etsy shop, if anyone is having trouble locating any and would like to have some. See my links, for the Etsy address

Silk Fusion per Sue from Fibre & Stitch

Had a great day yesterday, my idea of heaven is not to leave the house, and spend the day crafting. Doing well with that goal, had a few of those days. Love it.
Spent yesterday following the free project instructions from Fibre & Stitch on how to make silk fusion. I changed the process slightly, as I am a felter, and I used a silk cap, which I have had for ages and have wondered what to do with it. Fantastic colours, difficult to separate the fibre and lay out finely. Check out the photo, let me know what you think.

Feltique shop

I have created an online shop, called Feltique. Above is a photo of by budding shop assistant, dear daughter, and the woman who taught me everything I know, dear Mum. We had a trading table at the Coffs Harbour Doll and Bear show. It was fantastic fun.
See the list of items for sale on the left. For retail prices check my Etsy shop. At the moment it is still a work in progress, we all know about those don't we.
I would also like to add my congratulations to the girls at Fibre & Stitch, what a fabulous e-zine. Who would have thought that technology would go so far. Now we can talk worldwide about our crazy crafty world and thoroughly enjoy the mag and the challenges.