Heart Wings

My winged hearts!
needle felted with rainbow spirals

 These are not the greatest photos, but I wanted to at least put something here to accompany my blog entry. I took a bunch of them up to Hair Graphics in Mineral along with my headbands~ to offer them for sale since my dear friend Melonie is the shop owner. They are about  2 - 2 1/2 inches including the wingspan. They are mounted on card-stock paper and this is what is printed on the card:

The winged heart represents the freedom to love, to feel, 

to courageously rise above the mundane and reach full potential. 

It is a sign of joyful optimism and a representation of the free spirit. 

I believe i plagarized that from the internet some where & i would give them credit but I don't know where I found it. I made a bunch of red hearts with red glass beads for Valentines Day and was looking for something clever & meaningful to say about hearts with wings.

I needle felted the hearts and then the wings and then needle felted hearts & wings together.

 Afterwards I needled a little rainbow spiral on them....

they have pin backs on them so you can wear them as booches!

April Showers Bring May Flowers!

New Headbands !
Yesterday was bright & clear and I got outside to snap a few pics... so many mosquitos!

I have been busy making new headbands inspired by my friend's sweet granddaughter!

She was given one as a gift by a month or so ago, after my first batch of flower headbands "bloomed", and apparently she LOVES it and wears it a LOT!!  I wish I had a photo of her to post here. I think headbands are better viewed on a head, of course. :)

The only willing model I have here is my cat and he is not always willing at the same time I have my camera ready. :)

I am posting quite a few here in hopes she can look at them and "shop" for herself.

This one is pretty deep purple headband with a bright candy pink flower, the center has tiny bluey-purple glass beads handsewn and one bright yellow bead in the center! 

The ONLY one I used a button in the center...the button was sparkly & matched to soft turquoise merino wool I use for the headband part. The flower looks kinda blue in this photo but it is really a dark purple.

Bigger flower...deep magenta headband.. colors inspired by my orchids in bloom

 a BOUQUET!

100% wool felted headband with needle felted flowers & handsewn glass beads

the "first" batch

Inlay designs.... with wet felting

Felt Bag or Purse

These are two of my felt bags. They are approximately 6x8 inches with long handles. Made from NZ Corridale wool. I used a black wool roving type yarn that I got a Michael's for  the inlay design. I loved playing with the yarn making the swirly inlay design.

   

 Heres another bag which I have not added handles or decided how I want to finish. This I played with some prefelts and yarns laying thin wisps of the main color sliver to "lock" them in place. Daffodils were in bloom!

There is a "before picture" of this inlay on my May 14th post

close up felt inlay pre-felt & wool yarn

Another bag playing around with felt inlays made from prefelt and also little snippets of wool yarn.

 My thanks to Chad Alice Hagen for the  directions... 

this is "The Perfect Little Bag" from her book

Feltmaking: Fabulous Wearables, Jewelry & Home Accents

Musings on teaching

Yesterday I taught a class ( albeit, a small one_ only 2 people) on needle-felting Japanese style. We began with the sushi rolls and "graduated" to the kokeshi dolls. I had allowed two hours for the class but we easily needed three hours. These ladies were flexible with their time and the facility allowed us to stay an extra hours despite the fact that the craft room is also the kitchen and folks were planning a 80th birthday celebration for an anticipated 160 folks and we were in their "space". The were very nice about us staying although I suspect they really wished we were not there.

 I love to teach and I always learn so much. Finding the "right" way to give instruction so that it makes sense for everyone. I witness people that are challenged to do a task I take for granted is easy. I can easily forget how, for the complete "beginner", that these steps are not so easy.  Inevitably there are questions I would not anticipate and for which I have to come up with sensible answers on the spot.

Now I know I will need to make some changes in my instruction when teaching this class to teens at the library in June. I want people to feel successful and have a sense of achievement with their "creation".

I took the camera but didn't get pictures... they didn't actually finish the dolls in the time alloted even with the extra hour.  In retrospect, this class is probably best suited for folks who have had some experience in needling . Needle-felting is slow... and I rarely do it while paying attention to time. I think I'll bring music next time, too....

Needle felted Japanese Dolls on Holiday!

Needle-felted kokeshi dolls

After selecting their parasols, the ladies head to the Aquarium for a visit

there is much to talk about.

 Look at the lovely flowers that adorn their hair!

they pose for a photo!

I am so excited!!  

I have a "order" for forty of my darling needle felted Japanese Kokeshi dolls! 

They will be given as gifts to the host families this summer that are hosting the LABO delegates that will arrive in Virginia for a one-month homestay in July.

I have been busily poking wool and creating these dolls. It is funny how they seem to come to life as I work with them, how they seem t have a personality of their own. I love that they will be gifts and that after the Japanese kids return home these will stay as reminders their hosting experience.

Feltmaking Fun in Louisa County

felt inlay

I am excited to be offering a number of felting classes in Louisa County this summer!!!

I will be teaching both wet and needlefelted classes.

 Above is a photo of a "work in progress".
I was making a felt purse and experimenting with some pre-felt inlay technique


Here's a link to the classes

Felting Classes @ Parks & Rec in Louisa

http://www.lcpr.info/FeltVessels2.asp

Fish Bowls & Super Moons

 Last Tuesday, I felted what I am calling my "Fish Bowl" to submit to the "Something Fishy" exhibit at the Louisa Arts Center. Don't have photos of it yet.... but I was very pleased with the way it turned out. I made orange felt inlay koi fish, positioned three of them to look as if they were swimming around this top of the felt "bowl". I used mostly Corridale and also some Coopworth curly locks that i got from the Wild Wooly lady from west Virginia~ Hope.

Just finished printing off the entry form and see that I can submit three items, so I plan to make a couple more when I get back from the Outer banks.

 So, last night was the SUPERMOON... it rained all late afternoon so we were not able to see it rise which I think was likely the most spectacular part of the experience.

 But it did clear up and I got a look at it while I was out loading some things in the car in preparation for out trip to the beach. I am looking forward to looking at the full moon reflected on the ocean...heavenly

Now, the dish washer is broken and I am unloading all the dirty dishes and washing them by hand before we hop in the car and drive away from the sunset and towards the Atlantic Ocean. I am taking a bunch of stuff to needle felt in my attempt to limit the amount of fluff

I am psyched about the prospect of teaching a week long feltmaking class at Augutsa and trying hard to figure out how to link from here to the site about registration...
 dashing off to yoga & trying later


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