Pre-Felt and Raw Icelandic Fleece Purse- Part 1 of 3

Laying out wool and tussah silk layers...

 

...in various shades of green...

 

...to make the pre-felt.



Another new resist shape (as paper pattern)... 

 

...and, here, being transferred onto foam floor underlayment.

 

Cutting leaf shapes from the pre-felt...

 

...and adding needle-felted details...

 

...like seeds, stems and veins.

 

I wanted to try another new resist shape...

...and thought that it might be fun to combine raw Icelandic locks...

...and handmade pre-felt leaves.

After drawing my new bag shape onto craft paper...

...I transferred it to a piece of foam floor underlayment and cut it out.

To make the pre-felt, I combined various shades of green wool roving and dyed tussah silk...

   ...and felted it just until it held together.

From patterns that I traced from fallen Autumn leaves some time ago...

...I cut out pre-felt leaves, adding needle-felted details with bits of silk and wool roving.

Next time: assembling the raw fleece and pre-felt...

...and beginning the felting process.

MD Sheep and Wool Festival 2012- "The Spoils!"

As you can see...

 

...I went a little wild on Sunday! :)

 

I bought a large-form book of Ernst Haeckel plates (love him!)...



...and roving in lots of interesting colors. 

 

I bought merino plus silk or tencel blends...

 

...silk noil, Hog Island wool, and a large raw fleece, as well!

 

Contrary to popular opinion (and now you have proof!)...

...I do not buy only orange roving. Giggle.

Since I love the sheen and softness of wool blended with silk or tencel...

...I invested in a number of colors of these mixed fiber rovings.

The Hog Island wool came from my friend, Jay's woolen mill...

...and in another booth, Linda and I each just had to have a bright, multicolored batt!

I also bought the most luscious Superfine merino and silk and merino blend rovings...

...from my dear friend, Joan's farm.

If you're looking for the nicest raw fleeces...

...it's always best to be the first one in line on the first day of the festival...

...(waiting until Sunday to attend is always a risk.) :(

But even though I missed out on finding my coveted Bluefaced Leicester fleece...

...I did manage to find a lustrous, super clean Romney/Coopworth/Border Leicester/Corriedale mix fleece...

...and I can't wait to see how it felts!!

A couple of things that didn't make it into the photos: packages of yummy Friesian sheep's milk cheese...

...and a replacement ball brauser...

...(somehow, the spray ends of mine always come loose after time!).

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival Photos- 2012

Check out the fabu green hat on this lovely festival attendee!

 

Despite the overcast day, the rain held off.

 

An adorable young lady proudly models her handmade scarf...

 

...and these two knitters were kind enough to explain the intricacies of their stitches...

...and multiple needles(!) to a non-knitter like me.

 

We 'refueled' with an in-no-way-could-this-be-construed-as-nutritious lunch...

...a gyro sandwich for Linda and a malted vanilla milk shake with nachos for me...



...and we got a chance to catch up with Sharon Costello and her hubby. 

 

A view of some of the festival booths...

 

...and a beautiful spinner!



My friend, Linda and I spent Sunday at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival...

...and we had an absolutely wonderful time!

We left early, and despite a few raindrops on the drive there...

...we had comfortable and festival-friendly weather all day.

We caught up with a number of our beloved fiber friends...

...and spent more than a little of our 'disposable income' on wool and supplies! :)

An event of this size never fails to inspire...

...and I'm looking forward to breaking into my new stash very soon!!
 

Wet-Felted Compost Bin- Part 3 of 3

Laying out wool for the bin lid.



The finished compost bin with hair elastic closure loop. 

 

Adding beads for the fastener...

 

...and in close-up.

 

Lily of the valley.

 

The compost bin in situ.

 

Don't you just love this color?!?



My new compost bin, 'planted' at the site of my old one.

Luckily, my neighbor (whose garage you see)...

...is also a fan of composting!

 

I really wasn't sure how to make a hinged top...

...that would stand up to the rigors of daily use.

In the end, I fashioned a lid that had a straight edge in the back...

...and using a curved needle, hand-stitched the top to the edge of the bin...

...making sure that I sewed through the chicken wire layer, as well.

For the closure, I stitched a 'hair elastic' into the front edge of the lid...

and sewed a line of large beads together for a 'clasp'...

...stitching them to the front of the bin through the felt.

To make a rigid lid, I first tried felting around a circle of chicken wire...

...but it was awkward and 'spiky', and I gave up.

In the end, I felted around a circular resist...

...and then filled this felt 'envelope' with a layer of heavy cardboard...

...sandwiched between two layers of foam underlayment.

Many of you are curious about the bin's potential longevity...

...and, to be honest, I am, too!

Will the felt (especially the lid and hinge) withstand use...

...or will I be doing periodic repairs?

Will things compost more slowly than they did in my open-air bin (lack of oxygen?)...

...or will the added heat (from being in an enclosure) actually speed things up?

Let the experiment begin!! Giggle.

Wet-Felted Compost Bin- Part 2 of 3

The promised Nick Cave impersonation! :)



Sizing the chicken wire prior to trimming it with wire cutters... 

 

....by letting the roll expand to fit the felt cylinder.



Cutting a bottom for the bin and wiring it on... 

...and here, from another angle.

 

An 'outdoor shot' after hand stitching the felt to the top and bottom of the bin...

 

...but prior to attaching the lid.

Because I want the finished compost, as it settles, to 'return to the earth'...

...the wire bottom was not covered in felt, but left bare.

 

To give you a sense of scale for this project...

...my boyfriend was kind (silly?) enough to do his best 'Nick Cave Soundsuit dance' for you. ;)

He did all of the wire cutting and assemblage on this project, as well...

...and I am quite grateful to him for that!

We expanded the roll of chicken wire inside the felt cylinder...

...adding several inches for an overlap, prior to cutting.

After wiring it together, he cut a chicken wire circle...

...and affixed it to the bottom of the project as a base.

To make this as neat and elegant a compost bin(!) as possible...

...I hand-stitched the felt to the wire at the top and bottom with strong thread.

Next time: the lid...

...and the solution to my hinge and fastener conundrum! :)

Wet-Felted Compost Bin- Part 1 of 3

Piles of blue, green and beige batts with various colors of synthetic and silk yarn.

 

Laying out roving and adding stripes of silk yarn.

 

Adding bunchy circles of synthetic yarn for texture...like a tic-tac-toe!



Covering the piece with a layer of spongy Hog Island wool roving. 

 

During felting...



...and here, as well. (I made a second piece of felt just like this one.)

 

The finished felt 'tube' (not really as blue as the photograph shows)...



...made from two large pieces of felt, machine-stitched into a cylinder.

 

As Spring approached this year, I was bitten by the 'organizing bug'...

...and I looked around with dismay at my studio full of cast-off fibers. :)

Assembling a large pile of blue, green, and beige wool...

...I vowed to make a small dent, at least...

...and carded up a bunch of fluffy, blended batts on my drum carder.

At the same time, I was having to take down my 4-year old, open-air, chicken wire compost bin...

...because of a (insert expletive of choice here) bureaucratic edict. :(

Told that I could continue to compost in an enclosed bin...

...it didn't take me long to consider the enviable properties of felt dwellings (yurt, anyone?)...

...and resolve to make an enclosed compost bin out of felt!

To make the felt 'skin', I layered sections of batts with lengths of silk yarn...

...and added thick, messy circles of variegated yarn for textural interest.

I covered the entire layout with a thick layer of Hog Island wool roving...

...which has a lovely spongy texture and is wonderful for more 'heavy-duty' projects.

After felting and drying each of the two large felt squares...

...I machine-stitched them together to form a cylinder.

Next time: the creation of the chicken wire 'skeleton'...

...and my boyfriend pretends that he's Nick Cave! :)