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!

Happy Halloween!

Not that this post has much to do with Halloween other than I am writing it on October 31st!

wet felted bags swinging in the breeze

sheep inlay design made with prefelt from New England Felting Supply

Merino wool with some coopworth curly locks

I hope to create a tutorial to upload in the next week or so. Meanwhile I am excited to share that I have been accepted for membership in a local artists gallery!

 I have been making a lots of seamless felted bags!  Using a Scandanavian seamless technique and inspiration from a book Chad Alice Hagen wrote called something like Weekend Crafter I came up with a pattern for these resist technique bags.

acorns & pumpkins

colorful needle felted acorns bask in the autumn sunshine

Inspired by the beautiful colors of the fall trees, 

I  created some fall color of my own.
This rainbow array of acorns were made collecting acorn tops while taking walks with my dog in the woods. I then baked the tops to ensure they were nicely dry & that there was nothing living in or on them.I began by needle felting little balls of Corriedale roving and then hot glued the acorn top back! Easy peasy.

needle felted pumpkin pincushions & needle felted acorn necklaces

With some of the acorn tops my oh-so-helpful husband drilled tiny holes with a dremel tool. I threaded colorful ribbons in and tied a knot on the inside of the cap and then hot glued the cap onto the acorn. It takes some testing to find the right top for the right acorn!

Fall Fiber Festival

Little girl with flower headband

This weekend was the Fall Fiber Festival in Montpelier Station, Virginia. 

My friend Allegra always has a booth there and I was able to help her a bit and also take a few things of my own to sell. The little girl in the picture above was a bit reluctant to have her picture taken and, somewhat reluctantly, allowed me to photograph her. 

Thank goodness for my new smart phone!

 I LOVE how it looks on her!

Needle felted Santa's waiting to go to the  Montpelier Fall Fiber Festival

It's that time of year!!! Getting ready for Christmas and making Santas... there is a Mrs Claus in this photos... can you find her?

Needle Felted Acorns

I have been collecting acorns for awhile intending to needle felt some & put the "tops" back on. Motivated be the fall and my husbands willingness to use his Dremel tool to drill tiny holes in the tops for the ribbon to go through, I have finally made some.Here are some I have made as Christmas ornament's. I also made some as necklaces &  some just to use as decoration.