Blanket stitch is a fantastic edge stitch for sewing around felt and fabric. It is widely used in hand stitching and very popular but also t...
The wool trend just won't quit, and no one knows her wool quite like Rebekah L. Smith, author of Wool Appliqué Folk Art. Today we're sharing her expert tips on how to find and process repurposed wool to use for appliqué and other wool projects. Plus, we're offering a giveaway of Wool Appliqué Folk Art! Scroll to the bottom to enter. Finding Wool In my wool work I use mostly repurposed wool. I obtain it by going to flea markets, thrift stores, auctions, and yard sales and searching for wool that is really no longer wanted in its current condition but can be processed into something useful. I look for wools that are medium weight, which can be dyed or felted to use in appliqué. These are usually in the form of blankets, skirts, jackets, or even old yardage. Keep an eye out for wools that are plain or only slightly patterned. They are the best to use in appliqué. The other thing to watch for is the color. The lighter the color, the better it is for dyeing or overdyeing. When buying wool, avoid wool that is too heavy or too light in weight and wool that is loosely woven, because it will fray. The other option is to buy wool that is already processed from a wool shop or an individual who sells hand-dyed wools. A growing number of sources are available for those of you who would like to start with wool that is ready to go. I recommend Crows on the Ledge and Heavens to Betsy Wool. Processing Wool When I use the term processing, I am referring to the necessary steps to go from woven wool to felted wool that is ready to use. This usually includes felting and dyeing. I would like to say that I start with a sheep and finish with beautiful woven wool, but that is not the case. Felting Felting is the process of getting the wool to be the right texture for an appliqué project. Some wools felt better than others. The wool fibers must bind together. This keeps the edges from fraying and makes the wool very soft and strong. To felt your wool, follow these three simple steps. 1. You need a large cooking pot that you will not use for cooking ever again. I recommend this because the commercial dyes are often acid-based. Put in the wool you want to felt and add water to the pot, covering the wool with at least an inch of water. 2. Bring the water to a boil and let the wool simmer for about 20 minutes. All wool is different, and you will have to see how the differing weaves react when boiled. Let the water cool before removing the wool. 3. Let the wool drip dry. I drape the wool over a clothesline outside in good weather or hang it over my large wash sink in the winter. This is how I do it, but there are no hard-and-fast rules about felting. You can also throw the wool in the washer and dryer. Both the agitation and heat will felt the woven wool. Dyeing I am not a dyeing expert, but I enjoy the process. When I dye wool, I often use natural dyes. If you want to try your hand using commercial dyes, please read and carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions. I recommend Primary Fusion Spots with Wool Samples: A Guide to Dyeing Spots & Backgrounds Using Only Three Primaries & Black Pro Chemical Dyes by Ingrid Hieronimus and Antique Colors for Primitive Rugs by Emma Lou Lais and Barbara Carroll (2001, W. Cushing and Company). Natural dyeing techniques can be a lot of fun as well. My family appreciates that I do this type of dyeing outdoors because of the smell. I have a three-gallon brass kettle that I use for natural dyes as well as felting, and it works wonderfully. I just play around with whatever I can find in my yard or my friends’ yards and see what I come up with. I’ve used black walnuts, goldenrod, and onionskins. It can be very satisfying to know that you have had more of a hand in your project. Dyeing is certainly not for everyone. I never dreamed that I would take it up, but, well, here we are.Oh, and you can enter the giveaway we mentioned HERE. Happy wool working!Follow my blog with Bloglovin
HOW TO NEEDLE FELT FOR BEGINNERS – DO’S AND DON’TS Make your creative dreams come to life with free needle felting tutorials, downloads, tips, ideas, and inspiration. Start your needle felting journey today!
This Listing Is For ONE Squirrels Don't Play D&D Iron On Patch! Our patches are perfect for any pop culture lover! Add them to your jacket, your bag, your cosplay, anywhere you can use an iron! The Important Stuff: Dimensions: Approx 10cm diameter Backing: Iron On Fabric: Felt Thread: 100% Polyester Digitized & Embroidered By: The Craft Rebellion in Brisbane, Australia. The Production Stuff: Due to the handmade nature of these items and that we make them to order, our production time can vary from 5 business days to up to 3-4 weeks. This is the time it takes for us to create your patches once you have placed your order. It does not include shipping time. Please check the production timeframe for your items PRIOR to purchase. The International Shipping Stuff: Our non tracked international shipping method is no longer available. All international orders are now shipped with DHL and come with tracking and a significantly shorter transit timeframe. **Please note that due to different screen and monitor configurations, colours may vary from those shown in images.
Stumpwork Last weekend I went with a friend of mine to a Needlework Class in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was sponsored by the Indianapolis Chapter of the Embroiderer’s Guild of America. We belo…
Making felted acorns is a great way to bring nature indoors and use natural elements in your fall decorating. Learn how to make felted acorns in this step by step guide.
Love felting? Learn to felt wool. Skip the fabric stores this round and head to your local thrift store for high quality material at a fraction of the cost.
It's about time I finished a tutorial. I've been working on this one for a while. In between my husband and I selling our life long family business last fall, leaving me (and him) retired from our day jobs, I realized what burn out really is. As well, I am still missing my dear friend Missy.... 2017 sadly closed with the loss of two of my friends. Gather your friends and family, hold them close, you never know when you'll say goodbye. Then months of burying myself into drafting, writing, and editing patterns for my friend, penny mat master and cohort, Cee Rafuse of Early Style Penny Rugs. Good therapy. Now here I am into 2018, happy and relaxed after a fabulous creative retreat in France. There I indulged and was spoiled with 15 creative women that I did not know. All at the beautiful Chateau Dumas in Toulouse, France. Heaven on earth and a new formed sisterhood. Something better than good. I think I can turn the corner now and be what I've been longing to be again....creative. You my friends get a "two-fer" Pictures of France and a tutorial all in one! VOILA! (I really am a goof) Now for that long overdue tutorial: A random layout of greens and reds (because I love red) I taped the rows and numbered them so I wouldn't forget my random layout. Which was a good thing considering how long this project waited for me. Center row basted down. Tip; I remove some of the "stick" of the tape on my jeans before I put it on the wool. Gathered all into one of my many cigar boxes, and there is sat and sat and sat. Stitching again! I am using an overdyed #10 crochet cotton with a #20 Chenille needle. Both are my favourites. Hold the penny in place with a french knot. Apropos, oui mais non? Bring your needle up from below Begin a slanted blanket stitch Here is where you "close" the blanket stitch, join the two bottoms of the stitch in the middle. It looks rather lacey doesn't it? Do you see how it is simply an angled and closed blanket stitch? Doing it again And again End the circle with the needle into the first stitch. So far so good, some pink and orange in there to keep it random. Make your mat any size, you can add or subtract rows. It doesn't have to end in points. Choose your own style. No worries, I will show you how I line the back of this rug and hide all those unsightly threads. Keep going, stitch down the rows that you neatly taped and set aside. Tip; notice here that I placed a stitch holding row number 12 tape as a marker. The marker is so that I would know which end is which, and which way is up. You can be really random and just pick a penny from your stash, just keep stitching them down. DONE! Apply masking tape to all sides to create an even cutting edge. Trim away the excess using the tape as a guide. Gently remove the tape. Lay right side down onto a fabric for the backing. Trim away excess backing fabric, matching the size of penny mat. Pin well, allow an opening to turn to right side. Sew all sides, not too close to the finished pennies. Pivot at corners and remember to leave an opening on one side of about 3 - 4 inches for turning. Here is my opening. Trim the seams down to 1/2 or 1/4" and clip corners. After you turn your mat inside out, be careful at the corners. Use something blunt to push them out, GENTLY, don't push through the fabric. Or you can pull them gently from the outside with a strong needle. This is mine turned through the opening and pressed with a warm iron. (Press on the backside, or cover the front with a pressing cloth) Sew the opening closed with a ladder or whip stitch. ENJOY! Find real wool pennies in my Etsy Shop Yours, Colleen
I added a few new products. I love wool felt embroidary, I just need to practice my blanket stitch. I saw some stunning designs at the show. I added a few patterns. You can frame them, use them as pincushions or put them on a stand. They are very cute. The pattern only costs $6.00. The red pincushion set with accessory also comes with wool felt as a kit. They are perfect for gifts, christmas gift or a quick project. You will use embroidery needles.You can use your favorite color combination. http://www.anitalittlestitches.com/woolfeltkits.html A new batch of scissors just arrived. There are 3 special Christmas holiday scissors and 5 other new ones. The Christmas scissors have gold flowers with red, greenish blue and black. The prices are under $10. http://www.anitalittlestitches.com/scissorsunder10.html I added quite a bit of new charms, Quilting charms and Vintage charms: http://www.anitalittlestitches.com/charmpacks.html The quilting charms are are top quality nickel plated to match your sterling and pewter jewelry, hand enameled, highly polished, with jump ring to attach to your jewelry or slide onto our charm holders! Our charm sizes range from 1/2" to 5/8". Here are a picture of all the added Vintage charms: I added Aleenes glue pens, they are great for crafts... http://www.anitalittlestitches.com/accessories.html
Inside: Find out 3 easy ways how to trace pattern on felt or fabric that will make your life and craft projects easier. These pattern transfer techniques will work great for quiet book patterns, DIY and craft, sewing or quilting projects. Have you ever thought that there must be an easier way to trace pattern
I LOVE working with felt! The edges don't fray, it's delightfully warm, it takes embroidery beautifully, and it comes in the most luscious colors. But it's different than regular fabric. These tips will make it super easy to work with. Why wool felt? It's way more durable that the cheap acrylic stuff you can buy
Needle felting artist Teresa Perleberg shares some of her needle felting secrets that she has learned over the years felting everyday.
Easy guide to needle felting needles. What size to use and how does a felting needle work
Learn how to do the blanket stitch with this blanket stitch tutorial. Its used as an edging to attach applique designs, finish felt toys and ornaments.
Award-winning textile artist, Daisy Collingridge talks to us about creating her grotesquely devine 'squishies' series - fleshy fabric sculptures.
heart felt ornaments custom order
Confused about what you even need to do to start making felt crafts? Well of course you are confused! This is all new to you so how would you even know? Crafts have to be taught the same as scuba diving needs to be taught. Crafting with felt is a skill just like many other types of skills. I thought I'd start a couple part series on felt crafting, because felt is my life and I love to teach what I know. Felt doesn't have to be your life too but I can give you some tips, tricks and ideas to help you jump in or wade slowly, whichever you prefer and enjoy felt crafting! Every week I'll post a new part to this felt series. The whole series will cover: Types of felt How to properly iron felt - sort of already did this post Tools needed Tips and tricks Gluing vs sewing The most commonly used stitches in felt crafts Skills to learn to get the most out of your craft experience How to find good patterns To make this series even better there will be some FREE PDF's to download to help you along the way. I'm currently making a couple of downloadable checklists, supply lists and links to stitching videos to do all I can to help you along your crafty way! The first download I'm making available to you is this informative 8 page e-book I wrote it to help you know what to look for and how to find good quality patterns. I enjoyed writing it and I hope you'll enjoy reading it. Click the link above or right here and you'll get this FREE guide right in you inbox. Did you know about my Felt Craft Lovers Group on Facebook? It's a Facebook felt lovers group for people of all levels sharing tips and cheering each other on. It's a great place to be to talk felt crafts with others. Everyone is welcome! Click here to sign up to join!
“Flowers Of The Cosmos” by Fumiko Nakayama Let me just say right up front that this quilt show exceeded expectations in every way. Something I really love about Japan is …
Explore rosiepink's 32 photos on Flickr!
This listing is for ONE Anxiety Lies Iron On Patch Our patches are perfect for any pop culture lover! Add them to your jacket, your bag, your cosplay, anywhere you can use an iron! The Important Stuff: Dimensions: Approximately 9.5cm x 8cm Backing: Iron On Fabric: Felt Thread: 100% Polyester Designed, Digitized & Embroidered By: The Craft Rebellion in Brisbane, Australia. The Production Stuff: Due to the handmade nature of these items and that we make them to order, our production time can vary from 5 business days to up to 3-4 weeks. This is the time it takes for us to create your patches once you have placed your order. It does not include shipping time. Please check the production timeframe for your items PRIOR to purchase. The International Shipping Stuff: Our non tracked international shipping method is no longer available. All international orders are now shipped with DHL and come with tracking and a significantly shorter transit timeframe. **Please note that due to different screen and monitor configurations, colours may vary from those shown in images.
A good friend said just the other day, “You’re either a cat or dog person, never both.” What do you think dear readers? I place myself firmly in the cat person category. This ador…
Stiffening felt is a simple and satisfying DIY project with dramatic results! In this article, I demonstrate how to stiffen felt using supplies you probably already have in your kitchen! You can stiffen felt just a little (to add just a little more body) or a lot (to make it stiff enough to take on
Cute!
Simple tips for framing felt art work professionally at home.
You can definitely take these 10 felt craft ideas and expand them to many more crafting projects for your next event. Enjoy and let’s start crafting!
2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch art quilt
30 Felt Masterpieces: A New Portion of Inspiration by Paulette Racanelli: – Журнал Ярмарки Мастеров о рукоделии, творчестве, дизайне. ✓Читай! ✓Узнавай! ✓Делись!
Raw edge appliqué, needle felting. Free motion machine quilting. Journal quilt sized 12x9 inches. This was homework for my art quilt group.
Explore Julie Shackson's 472 photos on Flickr!
Here kitty kitty.... This is a PDF pattern of: CUTE CATS WOOL PINS Pattern #119 This is a PATTERN to make the pins, Not the Finished item. These are fun, quick, and use all your lil tiny scraps of wool or wool felt. They make great gifts, great for craft shows, and also can be made into magnets. Finished pins measures: Kitty gardening: 3" x 3" 3 baby Kitties : 3" x 3" Kitty & Heart Flowers: 3 1/8" x 4" Kitty with Posies: 2 1/2" x 3" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **It is sent INSTANTLY...FROM AN EMAIL FROM ETSY(download link inside email)....NO WAITING. It is a pdf file which can be opened using adobe reader(free on internet!) Items in background of picture not included. I have been designing for 20 years with over 400 patterns in my line, this one is sooooo easy!!! **If you would like a printed version of this pattern, please convo me and I can let you know the extra cost. Blog: Hudsonsholidays.blogspot.com
Over the past few years I've been hand sewing much more. Machine sewing is fast and professional-looking, but these days I often prefer sewing by hand for its slow, meditative quality. It's relaxing and also portable, meaning I can work on it wherever I go. Today I'm focusing on one of my favorite hand stitches
I had to do this ... after several trials with felt and cardboard I discovered the craft foam ... I had bought some about 10 years ago and it was lying in my paper stash drawer since then waiting for this moment. What could be better? felt, craft foam and thread, oh an a hand operation on my right hand. I have probably delayed recovery by stubbornly making these, but I had already promised I would design some new ones this year and felt duty bound. My operation was for a trigger release on my middle finger which I have needed for months. It has made doing what I do very very hard for all that time, getting increasingly painful and stiff. All I have now is a small healing wound and hopefully less pain and more agility in my hand, before the next operation on my pointy finger on the same hand ... sorry index finger. So the execution is not perfect but I did my best ... Enough moaning! This tutorial is now available on the website and is for all four decorations with full instructions, stitch library, templates, and stitch guides. It has been a busy month too ... Christmas orders are rolling in (thank you to all who have toiled for me while I have been less able!) And I now think I can reveal that i am supplying THE NATIONAL TRUST! Yes it is true! Or have I already said ... anyway do let me know if any of you spot one of the kits or Interactive Stationery in a NT property near you! I don't get out much you see ... ALSO! I am shutting up shop on DECEMBER 10th, so no orders after that date.
Using some of that “stuff “in the sewing room Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise. Julia Cameron While doing the New year tidy up in my sewing, creating, p…
A whimsical, yet realistic grey brown mouse created of wool and alpaca. This little mouse has a wire frame which allows him to be posed and his hands can hold small things. He is holding a real berry in the photo, which is not included. However, you can choose a tiny berry made of wool. He is about 4 inches tall. He is perfect for adding to your home decor display and a string can easily be added to use as an ornament. This is a custom made to order item. Please allow time for creation.
If you have a love for needle felting but have to be conscious of your body in the process, start incorporating these needle felting tips today!
Jewelry Of The Week - Can Tab Earrings
I really liked the trellis stitch flowers sample, so I made it up into this simple wallet.
Inside: Find out 3 easy ways how to trace pattern on felt or fabric that will make your life and craft projects easier. These pattern transfer techniques will work great for quiet book patterns, DIY and craft, sewing or quilting projects. Have you ever thought that there must be an easier way to trace pattern