Looking Ahead...

I've been making a few of these felted wool brooches every week and am enjoying choosing the color combinations of dyed wool fleece and embroidery floss.

There is just something about the traditional heart shape that I love! First, I felted the hearts by using a cookie cutter as a guide for the shape. Then using pearled DMC embroidery floss, I embellished the hearts and sewed the two together. Lastly, I sewed a metal clasp pin to the back.

A nice Valentine's Day gift, but really nice for all year round as well!

Evergreen Garland

I love evergreen garlands and went out into the woods yesterday while the evergreen trees were clear of snow and brought in some boughs to decorate above the windows in the living room. Instead of bringing in a tree, I decided to hang our ornaments on the garland along with some lights.

Wishing you all a Joyful Christmas!

Acorn Garland

Acorns with crocheted caps became a garland for a stairway window. The caps were filled with felted wool of many colors and became a decoration for the others in the group.Note snow outdoors which arrived Dec 7 th and it looks like it is going to stay.

Craft Group Day

When the wind caused the power to go out, the school closed. We enjoyed having Jess join our craft group today. Here are the results of our needle felting efforts: a tropical hummingbird (Jess), Santas (Shirley and Kyla) and a final garland (Carolyn).

Felted Snowflakes

Still having fun needle felting, and this time I decided to add some embroidery floss embellishments. With wool and floss colors, there are many color combinations to choose from!

Christmas Fairs

I've been working all week on sea glass and beach stone jewelry for the local Holiday Arts Market at the Artists Guild.  My back and fingers are sore, but everything is ready to go to the Guild tomorrow!

Garlands for the Season

This garland one is made of apples, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and rose hips. The stars were felted separately. It's all on wreath wire. The idea came from PBS, a program with P. Allen Smith.Try nuts, pasta, fruits and veggies that will dry out. Have fun!

Knitted Christmas Balls

I found some great patterns for knitted Christmas Tree ornaments.  They knit up quickly and look great.  A very good way to use up small bits of extra homespun yarn.

felted acorns

As seen in Carolyn's last post, we have begun some needle felting projects and felted acorns are a quick and easy project that are so cute! They can be displayed in a bowl, or a twine tie can be added for hanging them as an ornament, or they can be used as a decoration on a grass or grapevine wreath. Oh, the possibilities!

Craft Group

kyla and grass wreath

reba making grass wreath

kyla, reba shirley felting

carolyn's felted sunflower

Here we all are recently, making wreaths from native grasses grown at Carolyn' house. We used jute to tie the grasses together and then bent them into a circle and trimmed with ribbons and pressed leaves. Then we started to do some felting because Shirley mentioned her cookie cutter collection ( sizable). Reba showed us how to use the felting needles and cookie cutter we had to make objects for different purposes. We ended up with felted pumpkins, sunflowers and apples. We all agreed to come back next week and do more felting.

Repurpose a Blouse or Two

Not sure where this is going, but I got out the sewing machine out recently. I do know how to sew. With my repurposing hat on, I found some cotton fabric(former blouses) that seemed like something to get back into sewing with. Cut them up and found 3  and 4 napkins. The machine works well after oiling (been unused for several years) and do remember how to do the simple things. What will happen next? More aprons, clothing? Who knows. 

Cashmere and Wool

A cashmere sweater from a friend was turned into a scarf alongside two yarns of wool and nylon, just in time for winter. Mixed fibers can be interesting especially on size 50 knitting needles. This is nice and long and can be wrapped around and around and still hang long over the shoulder.

Barnboard Bird Houses

These are some birdhouses I made for a craft show I did in Cabot at the Apple Festival.

Green Aprons

Old jeans kicking around? These cutoffs (can't you still see them?) gained a new life as my apron today. This shorty apron combines the shorts and a dress belt. The dress was repurposed into a blouse and something as yet undetermined. Little sewing to reshape the bottom hem and viola. Idea came from the web, love it. Watch out old unworn pants in the closet, you're next!!

Cuppa?

Cocoa with marshmallows and a chocolate chip cookie

Mocha latte

Yum! 
These are done using the tapestry crochet technique.

Highbush Cranberries

Carolyn enlightened me about this wonderful wild berry that grows along the edge of fields and forests in our area and invited me to pick some that grew along her hedgerow. And here is the fruit of my labors. Carolyn gave me a sample of her sauce and I was smitten! What could be better than preserving a food that practically offers itself to you? I also thought it fit in with our craft blog. Afterall, I think preserving the harvest is also an art!

Porch Weaving Taking Shape

Ralph, King of the Frogs

Ralph, is a crocheted frog with a ball, tie, crown and beads for warts. The pattern came from InterWeave Crochet and was quite easy to make. He was a big hit at the pond the day we went to catch frogs. Next year there will most likely be a Queen of the Frogs, too, then the little princes, etc.

Tapestry Crochet Done Correctly

Kyla showed me that to do tapestry crochet properly, you have to crochet backwards on a flat piece. For a circular piece, you don't need to. Neither of us can crochet backwards, so my first round piece became a purse.

Tapestry Crochet - a beginning

Kyla and I have discovered a new type of crochet, tapestry crochet. This is an original design, (obvious) but there are many patterns for this type of work. We discovered  that  this Tapestry Crochet website offers information, videos and links that have launched us down a new road. Kyla will post soon.

More on Needlefelting...

I find needle felting an enjoyable craft and these brooches are a fun way to make a completed project in only an hour. Needle felting requires very few tools and materials. For tools, all you need are a few special needles in various sizes, and for materials, carded wool in an array of colors and a foam pad will get you started. The needles are barbed and poking them into the wool over and over again causes the wool to felt. As you poke the needle up and down the wool becomes more and more felted. Different needle sizes are used during the process as you will need thinner needles as the wool becomes thicker and more dense. The rest is limited only by your imagination!

Plaid Rug

Hi, this is my first weaving project on my rigid heddle loom. I made it to be a rug but I don't want to walk on it so for now I have it on my chair.It's almost big enough to be a blanket, so it may end up to be so. Kyla

Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving has begun

This is my first rigid heddle loom which I bought from Joan, another member of the weaving class. There are 6 yards of cotton warp on it which will provide lots of opportunities to practice the various techniques of weaving. And I have lots of leftovers, mill ends, and scraps of yarn for practicing tapestry techniques. Plans are for place mats, and a large wall hanging that will actually go on the exposed chimney someday. Weaving is restful and stress reducing so far. Waiting for some new books with ideas for techniques and projects. Betsy will be so pleased when she returns home from Spain.

Needle Felted wall hanging

I've been enjoying experimenting with needle felting and this is my latest creation. I made it for a friend who prunes apple trees. I love the texture and feel of wool and needle felting offers so many possibilities, from two dimensional wall decorations to three dimensional sculptures to wool beads for jewelry. I will share more how-to photos in a future post.

Coasters

Carolyn and myself are taking a weaving class with Betsy Day from Glover, and this is a practice piece I did with an 8in. by 8in. peice of cardboard. I was able to make two, one on one side and one on the other side. I think they came out really good.

Practice Weaving

 This little purse will go to my step grand daughter, Grace. She and I did a weaving together and she had wanted something else. For a 6 yr old, these little purses are just the thing to carry who knows what. With the weekly weaving lessons, I have gotten more interested in weaving and so found a way to use up left over yarns from crocheting projects. The many colors and stitches are just the thing for practicing weaving. Notice the snow in the background? Yes, that is our field here in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont on March 20, the first day of spring. But the sun is ever so warm now and the snow won't last long.

Winter and Summer Weaving

Winter and Summer refers to the front and back of a woven placemat. During weaving lessons, Kyla and I learned how this pattern was made. We are learning on several different looms and with many different patterns in mind. Starting with putting on the warp, we are preparing 3 different looms for our projects. Watch how our ideas develop of the next few months.

Leafy crocheted mobile

 

Imagine a  new born baby named Leafy? Well, it is really Lydia, but her sister (3yrs old) named her Leafy. So this mobile of crocheted leaves and cones came to together today. The twig lettering is just to make the name official, long after the 3 yr old forgets she ever came up with it. The yarn is from short bits that remained after other projects, the beads came from a Johnson, VT bead shop, and the twigs are from the yard. I couldn't resist the chance to crochet some leaves, after following the directions of Nancy Lewis, fiber artist in St. Johnsbury and the small leaf pattern, thanks to Kyla.