Nuts for Needle Felting

I had a lovely time needle felting last weekend. I thought I needed some more samples to show how easy it is to achieve really fine detail with just a felting needle and some wool fibres in scrummy colours. Once I started I couldn't stop! I only did 2D ones because they have to fit in my class sample book. Here are the results of a day avoiding housework and other serious duties. 

Handmade Felt on a Summers Day

Now that it looks like the weather has finally got its act together I thought I would show you a picture of my Summer Meadow. 


If you look closely you can see that it has all kinds of gorgeous stuff in there. Different kinds of wool, silk fibres, hand dyed cotton muslin, and stitch.

The stitching, which is the final stage when you are making a panel like this, really adds so much detail and dimension to handmade felt that it doesn't feel quite finished to me till I have done some. But then I am a stitchy kind of a girl I suppose. 

On the Fabulous Felt Course we have a session on stitching and embellishing our felt with beading and ribbons and lovely stuff like that. Hand stitching is easy to learn and is such a nice way to pass the time!

Stitch and Cake!

Tonight I celebrated my Birthday with my truly gorgeous friends at our Stitch and Bitch group. 


I think I must talk a lot about all the things I love in my life and they must be very good listeners because I got the most wonderful presents. And the most beautiful and delicious cake! Don't you think that friends are the most wonderful precious people? 

Thank you girls for the best evening. Here is a photo of my cake! It tasted as good as it looked.

Yet more!

Oh, I forgot to show you the Handmade Felt ones! These were for a 'Felted and Embellished with Beads' internet swap. I got some gorgeous ones back!

More ATCs

I have been looking through my zillions of ATCs.I wanted  to find some to show a very small selection of the different kinds of materials that can be used to make these addictive  little things. Below, starting from the top, opening and closing ones, fabric arches with lace that have opening doors, metal that has been embossed and coloured, knitting and crochet, fabric and card with mini tools, embossed hand made paper, recycled jeans, a mini fabric quilt, and sewing with tiny buttons. 
So....anything goes. Let your imagination lead you and play with tiny pieces of art that measure just 2.5"x3.5".

I'm Felting too!

These photos show the original drawing that I did in my sketch book and the beginnings of the  felt picture which is inspired by my drawing.

Felting in the wee small hours

Because my learners have all been so wonderful and inspiring I have done another stay up all night and felt session to make some felt of my own.  I haven't had time to play for ages. This panel above is only just at the laying out stage so it hasn't started being felted yet. It is based on a doodle I was playing with on Bank Holiday Monday. I wasted a whole day doing the drawing and loved chillin' out when I really had better things I should have been doing! I will post another photo when it is finished.  I may make an ebook about how to do this panel so you can join me in making one too if you like.

Better Photos 

My lovely student Dawn sent me some better photos of her work  and some has been embroidered with stitches and beads. Time to drool!

Handmade Fabulous Felt Course

I have been teaching the Fabulous Handmade Felt course for quite some time now for the wonderful Community Learning Partnership and I am always blown away by the wonderful creations made by my learners. 

They start off as beginners and by the end of the course they are just as addicted as I am to the gorgeous silky soft merino wool fibres and the way that felting blends all the colours together to make a textile that is so strong and so beautiful.  

We always have such a great time making art together. Many of them tell me that they think they are not artistic at all, but I know that all of us have the ability to choose colours that we love and are inspired by things around us that are beautiful so I hope that by the end of the course they have changed their mind about their talents! Here are some photos of some recent work. LOVE it! Some of these are just at the beginning of the process and have just had the fibres laid out the others are the beautiful finished articles. Just  excuse my dreadful photography!

The course will be coming to Boxmoor in Hemel Hempstead soon. Come and make some Fabulous Felt with me!

It has been such a long time since I started my blog and I haven't posted any photos for you to view so I am going to turn over a whole new leaf and start blogging more regularly. Here are some photos of Artist Trading Cards including some of an alphabet set which is nearly completed. These are all hand drawn so they take ages but ATCs can be made from almost any technique and material as long as they are the right size. I will post some photos of some made of different materials very soon.