Juicy berry tones of hand dyed felted wool.  

Life is just a bowl of Felted Acorns…..

When you're feeling nutty,

Like your losing your head,

Or just coming apart,

Exploding at the seams,

Or that life's not all its' cracked up to be

Stick a felt ball under your cap

And you'll feel all warm and fuzzy again.

Hearts galore

This time of year, I always think of hearts.  Hearts in felted wool are particularly lovely.  I'm trying some new techniques.  Machine quilting on the felt give is texture and pattern.  My default machine quilting style is small and scrolling.  What could be better for hearts?  I think I"ll continue to work on integrating machine quilting into felted projects.  

I'm still loving the embellment possibilities with #5 pearl cotton.  The Drizzle stich around the red heart above is a work in process.  In this red and turquoise piece I also tried cut away applique.  I stitched the outline of the red heart on the wrong side, then turned it over and cut away the turquoise felt to let the red peep through.  Adding another layer of turquoise felt to the back and machine stitching around it, left the impression of trapunto work.   Not sure how this piece will end up - maybe a pillow top or framed.  

My palette this year is full of clear pure colors - turquoise, red and cream.  

I also tried edging some felt with zipper pieces.  These were repurposed from an old pair of jeans .  (The jeans that were transformed into a gardening apron with pockets strong enough to stand up to prunners and other garden implements.) I like the look the zippers add.  There are some beautiful pieces already sold on Etsy, so for now, this is just for fun....but I did buy more zipper by the yard, so a few more projects are ahead.  I assembled it based on my best guess and whipstitched the zipper to the edges of the felt.  It would be interesting to see if there are other approaches.

Holiday Joy

I've had a fun week working on this holiday Joy Garland.  Its an enhancement from a my first felt, beads and buttons garland a few years ago.  A gift for someone who prefers neutrals - this may not scream color, but it sure whispers winter.  I was able to use so many different embellishments and several different textures of wool felt.  Look  closely and you will see crocheted edging on the star, white work embroidery and wool applique on the heart, cut work and trapunto on the wool snowflake, and buttons with embroidery on the reindeer.  Most of the vintage buttons come from the collection of a dear family friend who has passed on.

Long and dangling, its not exactly photogenic when hanging, I took some close ups of my favorite pieces at my desk.

Mighty Tieton Antique and Craft Bazaar details

Wooly Snowman going to Mighty Tieton Holiday Bazaar

What is it about a carrot nose?  Far cuter than a button nose, I think.  Ten Wooly Snowmen will be making the trip to Mighty Tieton Holiday Bazaar on November 30 and December 1.  Although we love them, we hope to find them all new homes at the show.  Hand constructed, from the felt balls to the fringed scarf, these snowmen are each unique.  They were created by Finch, the other creative part of  the Finch & Leigh team.  Deceptively simply, they are a labor-intensive project that turned out just perfectly.   

Wooly birds

Wooly birds are coming with us to the Mighty Tieton Holiday bazaar November 30 and December 1.  Arrayed in a plethora of plaids and hand dyed wools, and adorned with fanciful hand embroidery, they have character and a certain charm.  I love them on a rustic branch.  But they are looking good perched on a Christmas tree we are taking as well.