Dabbling On Sunday: Paper and Wool

First of all, please excuse the crud name and address masking job that I did. I have much to learn about PSE and no time to sit down and make it work! I am doing an envelope exchange with some very experienced calligraphers. Only 5 to exchange and this is the first. I wanted to add a lace effect on the front and back of my handmade envelope. I carefully cut out the forms from a lovely piece of Nepalese paper to effect the lace and I made the envelope itself from Bazzill earth tones paper. This is, perhaps obviously, the front.

The back with my return address also crudely erased - or is blotted, quite literally!, out.

I also got around to finishing a small felted bag. It has a cotton lining & a cotton batting. This was just a scrap from another project but it wanted to be a small bag. I still have to a 'handle' although I expect it will be a simple looped holder and then I will add beaded zipper pull.

The inside. I find it easiest to apply the zippers primarily by hand after I tack them in with the machine. I like a bolder splash of color that I can add to a brightly colored zipper!

Another Finished Embroidered Felt Bag

The Front

The Back

Opened Up - Showing shaping and vintage kimono silk lining

The front again showing more of the handle

This will be my last post until I get back from my jaunt. I really will miss writing and I will miss my computer a lot! I just don't want to risk any rushed stress with the TSA over my computer. I love it too much to be cavalier with it...and the TSA just has too many rules that could cause delays or problems. I hope you will still want to read what I have to report from Festival iin Houston when I start writing again!!

This is another blue/purple themed bag that I just finished. I got two bags from one large piece of the wool felt fabric that I made. I'll be making some in my favored rusts and yellows soon - though I have started a fuchsia and a "wild" one that I'll finish first I guess. I have so many ideas now - and just not enough time . I have discovered that I really like using the vintage kimono silk for the linings - it makes them even more special texturally.

I hope that you have have a wonderful week filled with blessings and delights. "See" you soon.

Newest Embroidered Bag

The Front: I am also making the face beads I'm using now on my bags.
I like being able to say, in truth, that this is really a one-of-a-kind, totally hand made bag!

This is the latest of my bags. I have been doing quite a bit of embroidery lately and I think that it really complements the wool. I also recently took heart in hand & opened an Etsy shop (ZQuilts, what else?!). This is one of the first items I added, along with two large bags and two small knit yarn holders or gift bags. I am not expecting too much. I have heard mixed reviews on Etsy sales, plus with the economy being what it is I am thinking that sales of hand made items might not be too brisk right now - but you never know and I am hopeful. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that. One way or the other it is a good experience for me, and it may help me over come my fear of getting myself "out there in the 'selling world' ! Have a look !

The back

Opened : Showing a bit of the beautiful vintage kimono silk from Ah! Kimono

A bit of detail from the front

Weekend Wool Gathering

This weekend I played! I made some fabric for bags & I always have such a good time ! First I needle felt the wool & then I wet felt the fabric. I spend some time looking at the resulting fabric to see how I want to cut it - to make the most of the designs in the felt. These are all set for hand embroidering or free motion quilting - 9 bags will then be ready to sell ... I wonder how long it will take me to finish them?! I have two that are just about done -minutes away from done ! They will be the first bags to go in my Etsy store. I am intimidated at the thought - but I have to try it !

Happy Columbus Day to you all --- though I am still not convinced that it should not be Happy Viking's Day !

New Hand Embroidery Fetish Strikes!

My latest projects have all included hand embroidery - and I have been having a lot of fun with it too! Usually I free motion machine quilt my wool felt bags but I had been wondering how they would look if I just free style embroidered them instead. That has now become a favored technique for making the bags. My goal is to have some stock on hand in order to be able to sell through Etsy. I have also been wondering , however, if , rather than have lots of bags on hand,it would work to sell custom bags instead- post photos of some of my bags and suggest that I can make one especially for the person- colors they prefer etc. ,but maybe that would get too complicated. What do you think?

This little bag is from a new piece of felt I made last weekend. I have been using some of my stash of old kimono pieces (thanks to Ah! Kimono) for the linings. Hand stitching the linings in (as the first photo above shows). The kimono piece in the photo is actually a bit more dark violet (and less dark blue) than the photo shows. The photo below is the whole felt strip laid out. You can double click for a closer look too !

Below is an 8.5"X11" piece that I am working on for a Fast Fabric Friday Challenge (FFFC) project. The theme this year is "working in a series "- and my series theme is circles. This first of the series is meant to be done in a complimentary color scheme. Now if I can only get to the largish amount of embropidery it will take to finish !! What fun though - and I think I will really like it when it is done. I have not worked in a series before and think that this will be awonderful way to get the hang of it and decide if I like doing it. The group is tremendously talented and I am so pleased that they decided to accept some new people!

The next bag to be is here - another new piece of felt. I am actually going to use the reverse side to embroider - I just love it... though the right side is okay too - all turquoise and lime green -- and richer than the photo indicates at that. I just think that the reverse side is a bit more 'mysterious' or somthing. I have enough fabric that I am going to one reverse and one right side - so it will all equal out in the end - and it will be interesting to see how the embroidery works on both! So ther you have it - part of what I will be doing this weekend.

I really qould appreciate any comments you might have about the best way to market the bags on Etsy - if you think taking custom orders would work - rather than having a lot of stock on hand - things like that.

It's a glorious Fall day here - who knows what the weather God's have lanned for the weekedn - I should go watch the news I guess - though some of it during the election years just seems endless. ALmost time for my jaunt to Houston. I am SO ready for a vacation and SO ready to go to Quilt Festival and see friends ! Blessings and wishes for a happy weekend to you all.

Renegade Bag Takes On A Life Of It's Own

This little bag took on a life of it's own - and told me where it wanted to go. My original idea had been a quick, simple utilitarian piece to hold a pen or two, but as I began stitching it just keep calling for more & more embroidery. I went as I "was told to" and ,before long, the piece was no longer just a utilitarian piece but one of my favorite little bags -done completely by hand. The lining is from a piece of beautiful, obviously hand dyed, kimono silk. It had just the right green with circles in pale purple/lavender. I used both regular sashiko thread & standard embroidery thread with a light sprinkle of beads & an edge of deep purple Perendale wool. The only two things I have yet to decide is the closure and the handle: do I want either one of those things at all and, if I do, how can I fashion them to complement the bag as a whole? The handle is easier than the closure. I guess I'll just have to wait for this little renegade bag to "speak up" again!

A Customized Name Badge Holder

I had been thinking of revamping my name badge holder (for Houston & other events) for some time. Yesterday I took the one I had had for years apart - none too graciously at that since the fabric was that black sort of rubberized material that frays like crazy until you cauterize the edges. Anyway, I am still not sure why in the heck I just did not make another one completely from scratch other than that the back had a convenient little pocket (for collecting business cards), the grommets for the neck cord were well done ( probably better that I could do), I did not have extra plastic on hand for the 'name card holder' part, and ,I guess , I preferred to not set another small zipper - with limited amount of time I had to play. This in-exactness caused the somewhat not straight edges - but all in all I am happy with the outcome. It will be great to use something a bit different this year. I quilted a fun piece of felt I had left over from another project - choosing one of the thinner pieces - & then added a face bead that I made the other day on the zipper pull. I'll be in style for Houston this year ! Now - what shall I do about some clothes?!

A Pen House

One of the more relaxing things I am working on at the moment is this little 'pen house'. I recently mentioned my revived fascination with fountain pens & I decided that they must have a suitably fashionable (and protective) little 'house'. Doing embroidery on felt is a lovely thing to do - relaxing & rather rhythmic. For this piece I am using both regular sashiko thread (the variegated) as well as standard embroidery thread - used 3 ply rather than 6 (the solids) in a simple back stitch. I am designing as I go - following the suggestions of the felt. Ultimately this will have a lime green cloth covered elastic that will fit nicely around the Moleskine journal that I use -- which is why there will not be too much embroidery along the back area where the elastic will be attached.

Happily, this bit of hand embroidery has also gotten me back on track with hand applique & I have given myself a deadline of 2010 to finish my Batik Baltimore Beauty. At this point in time I am really liking slow cloth. Slow cloth is good for my soul !

Three Fleece Bag

Some of the bags of raw wool that were for sale at the fair. Yummy stuff !

Some long time reader's may remember that I bought some raw fleece at last year's County Fair - three different colors to be exact. I sent it all to Thirteen Mile Lamb & Wool Company in Belgrade, Montana to be cleaned & made into roving. My goal was to make something from the cleaned fleece to enter into this year's fair - and here it is - my "3 Fleece Bag". Completed just in time! The dimensions are 14" X 9" x 4" (35.56 cm X 22.86 cm X 10.16 cm)

The bag has two rather distinct sides. At first I was really not overly pleased with this piece. I still think I could have/should have made it better - but there IS plenty of roving left to make several more of these in varying shapes and sizes - and I have gradually come to like it quite well. My initial plan was to use just the three colors of wool - but I found that I was so used to using more color in my work that I had to allow myself a bit of leeway in to be happy in the making. So, I used several more, relatively discreet colors - while still trying to have the 3 fleece colors be the main focal points.

I had the most fun beading this bag - I think, more so than in other bags, the beading was really a necessary element. As with most beading projects - I could have kept beading forever! I added beaded tassels to the top and bottom edges - I like the way the sound when the bag is moved.

Side One with a close up

Side Two with a close up

The lining - a piece of my hand dyed fabric that seemed to work quite well.

Close up of one of the ends

Another end

Close up of some of some beading and the braided cording for the handle

The Start of A New "Qui-Felt" Piece

"Qui-Felt" is my newly coined name for the process I love to do - quilting on felts. This is the beginning of a new project. Last summer at the County Fair I happily acquired three fleece. One of the fleece was cream colored - shorn before my eyes in the 'sheep to shawl' demonstration. The other two were a dreamy mocha color & a nearly black brown - both thanks to "Our Lady Of The Rock" monastery. The fleece were truly 'off the sheep' & needed cleaning. Since I did not feel qualified to do the job, I sent them off to 13 Mile Lamb & Wool Complany in Montana. Some weeks later a box arrived containing clean, beautiful, soft, rovings - all ready to spin or felt. 13 Mile Lamb & Wool does such a good job , plus they're wonderful to work with. They conduct their business the way it used to be (and should be) done. They sent back my fleece with a bill - trusting that it would be paid. I just sent off another fleece that was given to me last week!

I challenged myself to make something to enter in the Fair this year that was made from the fleece that I acquired last year. I decided that a large knitting bag would be appropriate. Since these very neutral colors are not what I am used to working with , I decided to give myself a bit of leeway to add a bit of color here & there - but any additional colors also had to be 'natural' looking rather than bright & clear. These photos are the beginning of my new knitting bag. Once it is fully needle felted I will wash it, add a lining ,and then free motion quilt it...... I love the entire process - no one part is more enjoyable than another - a perfect project! The photo below shows some of the roving in place to begin needle felting