Showing posts with label felting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label felting. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

little acorns for little folks


i'm working on this set of felted acorns for my mom's Montessori classroom to be used as a matching/organizing activity for her 3 and 4 year olds...three pairs done and three pairs to go! the rest will be in other natural tones of green and brown and they are actually really easy to make, ok minus the little pinpricks i've managed to give myself in the process...but it will be worth it to know something i've made is a cherished item for the kids to learn and play with.

i've visited her classroom so many times over the years to read to the kids or help out with different projects from babysitting all the class pets, helping with field trips, making real green eggs and ham on dr. suess' birthday, to helping my mom set up faux dinosaur digs and garden plots for them! having been a montessori kid myself, it's fun to see and hear about the things they are learning and experiencing at school with my own mother as their teacher. i might be biased, but she's pretty much the best montessori teacher in michigan at least! her kids grow up and always remember her devotion and creativity so it's an honor to have some of my work being used in her classroom!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Hey I Can Do That (OR Celebrating National Craft Month)

(p.s. these lace crochet napkins are available in my shop here!)

I've seen these felted acorns all over the internet lately and realized I already had all the materials to make them. The ones in the photo above are the ones I made with just a few tools and about a half hour! They'll make a nice little springtime decoration I think (I do love folklore and woodsy-inspired whimsical little things) OR try making them in warm fall hues for a very cool addition to your family's thanksgiving table!

And since March is National Craft Month, I thought what better way to celebrate than to get out these supplies and attempt something new...because if you're anything like me, than you've tried your hand at about a baker's dozen worth of different arts and crafts and probably have some supplies sitting away that never quite got enough attention ;)

Here is what I used to make these:
acorn tops (found on a recent walk in the woods)
roving in various colors for felting (if it's color you want try the rainbow room on etsy)
felting needles (there are ones with handles like in the photo or you can use a single one without the handle, just be careful!)
felting needle mat (you can use a regular clean sponge for this)
all-purpose super glue (you can buy specialty felt glues if you prefer)

I'm not an expert, I just like to play, but feel free to ask questions if anything isn't clear enough and i will certainly try to help!

1. Wash acorn tops gently in the palm of your hand or shallow dish with a little soap and water. Let dry on counter.

2. Rip off a little blob of roving in proportion to your acorn cap. You can achieve a basic round ball shape by bunching it up and constantly turning it 'round on your mat or sponge as you poke it repeatedly with the felting needle. BE VERY CAREFUL though! Felting needles have little barbs on them which is what allows them to take particles of the roving and smoosh them together to make sheets of felted fabric or shapes like this. Rhe barbs can hurt like the dickens though and special care and focus is needed to avoid this...yeah, I say this from experience.

3. To help shape your circle, you can roll it in your palms and then go back and forth to the mat to continue shaping with the needle. As the circle forms, add on small pieces of roving at the top so that it begins to look like a small thimble—the larger end will fit into the acorn cap and the rounded top will be the part that sticks out.

4. Once I had achieved this thimble-like shape that fit nicely into my acorn cap, I plopped a bit of glue into the cap and smooshed my felt acorn in. You can push your felt in with your thumb on the base of it so that it sits in there quite snugly and then you can always refine the shape a bit more at this point to achieve just the right look.

And there you have it, an eco-friendly and very cute addition to your decor!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

fabulous felt finds

i've recently been attempting to teach myself how to do some needle felting. it was slow going at first, but now that i am acquiring some better tools, it's actually quite fun. I also love how many different types of things people are creating with this medium!

so to go along with that, i thought i'd post a of few beautiful felt items i found in etsy land in the past few days...just wish i had pockets deep enough to grab one of each for myself!


Rosette Fascinator - The Swan, By giantdwarf
Isn't this gorgeous? Sigh, if only people dressed like this all the time...


Felt Owl Brooch, By lovahandmade
actually, i have already bought one of these cute little brooches for myself to adorn my spring jacket!


Felt Laptop Sleeve, By Lusitania
I can't imagine how much work went into this piece, what cunning design sensibility!


Eunice, By Mummysam
"Eunice has just bought a new pair of glasses, and decided to head out to town to celebrate...."
hahaha, i just love this!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

keeping up the pace



ooooo i am falling behind on my blogging...but i sure have caught up on busy work for the shop! i am doing a lot of experimenting with the new sewing machine—and i've already broken and replaced a needle on it which obviously shows i am doing some serious work here ;)

i've been drawing and carving new linoblocks, making a custom clutch for a friend, learning to felt (if you are a felter i now have a deep and lasting respect for your patience level), hand sewing more matroishka sachets, working on some new designs for pillows (i've been wanting to have them in the shop for some time now), and making masses of labels to use in upcoming projects so i don't have to stop each time i need one. phew!

i'll be keeping the pace up through the end of the week at least (with a short break to watch the last BSG episode on Friday, tear) so it might be a bit quiet round the blog for a couple days more...stay tuned though because i'll be opening up GVK's first ever give-away right here on the blog on March 21st!


p.s. speaking of BSG, i think what Edward James Olmos said at the UN had to be the coolest frakin' thing EVER.