Santa and the Seventeen Sisters

Santa & Me!

On "Black Friday" I ventured out with my daughters to Williamsburg to meet up with our  Yankee relatives that were down visiting for Thanksgiving. After a yummy lunch at an interesting restaurant called Food For Thought, we went to Colonial Williamsburg to wander around.

One of the first things I saw was SANTA ~ this was not just any jolly old holiday Santa... but the real deal with a beautiful cape and crown of holly on his head. We snapped a photo... it's a bit in the shadows... but I think you can see how splendid he was!

Seventeen Sisters~ Narcissus bulb

Wandering down the cobblestone streets on Williamsburg there was a stall with garden goodies.  I remember my grandmother putting narcissus bulbs to flower in a vase at Christmas time & I always like to do that too. ( plus they are my birthday month flower) There were some amazing bulbs there-like the ones in the picture above-with delicate yellow centers. I bought a few for me and got more to give as gifts to friends. As I went to pay for them the woman told me these were called the "seventeen sisters" (or Avalanche) because on each stem there are about 17 blooms!

 I am eager to seem them in bloom... I just put them in a vase today with rocks & water!

Red Haired Angel

Thanksgiving Angels~ Needle Felted with LOVE!



Thanksgiving was a little unusual this year. My husband had to work. My oldest daughter's hubby was out of town & she had to work. So we had our Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday...  cooked a picture perfect turkey- golden brown with all the trimmings and usual "sides." Eliza and I got up early and baked two pies with crusts made from scratch. Pumpkin & Pecan... both yummy.

On "real" Thanksgiving, Eliza went to work with Gabe and I was home alone. I spent the morning curled up on the couch with kitty at my feet and the dog curled up on the rug. I discovered Rebeca of Sunnybrook Farm with Shirley Temple on TV and was happily felting away creating these angels.

Sometimes when i end up making multiples of things at one time I get a bit more creative ( usually because I don't like doing the same thing over & over). I found some yellowish doll hair yarn and tried out a new  hair "do".... one things led to another and the red haired angel was born!

It's a bit hard to tell the actual color in this photo but it's close!

Let me know what you think!

900 page views

Today,

 I have 900 page views.....
that makes me oddly happy and curious at the same time.

 I like thinking people have had a little glimpse of my fibery creations.

My journey into fiber making is  intrinsically linked with my healing journey from some serious health challenges in the past few years.

So, I see some parallel, in a way..... as my felt art expands and grows and goes out into the world~ a part of me does do... a stronger, more whole & healthy art making self.

It has been a difficult journey but I feel I am on the right path

winged hearts with love... from me to you... who ever you may be

There are 36 days and 15 hours until Christmas

MY Facebook Page~ LIKE IT

needle felted acorn ornaments

So I have this facebook page for my felty art & I am trying to reach my goal of 100 likes.... so if you'd like to... go check it out and "like" it!

https://www.facebook.com/SimpleGiftsSimplyFelt

Tomte or Nisse~ needlefelted

Needle felted Tomte or Nisse

Here are two of my newly needlefelted Tomte or Nisse!

A tomte (Swedish) or nisse (Norway and Denmark)  is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore. Tomte or Nisse were believed to take care of a farmer's home and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night, when the housefolk were asleep. 

Scandanavian Seamless Resist Technique

Here's a brief intro to making a seamless purse or bag.

I begin by creating a batt of wool roving and add decorative elements last.

laying out fibers 

I often use a resist pattern when making my purses or bags.

This technique is called Scandinavian Seamless and it creates a finished product with NO seams!

making the "seams" by folding over the dry wool on the edges of the resist pattern

the pattern is enclosed by wool on all sides
but I have allowed extra wool on one end to make the flap

The end result is that the fibers that are overlapping the edges of the pattern felt together so there are no seams.

I will post a photo soon of the finished bag!