New felted goodies

YAY the weekend... where did the week go though?!

This week I felted a lovely deep red shawl from the CorgiHillFarm batts... This is merino and bluefaced leicester - wonderfully soft! I added some silk fibres and some of my 100% pure silk velvet fabric strips.
Created a hammered copper wire pin to go with this one too :)

I worked on some new jewellery designs... this next one is mine. For years Ive wanted some nice turquoise jewellery (Im a December baby & turquoise is my birthstone) just never found anything I liked enough... Im really really happy with this. Flat felted beads with embroidery, & coiled sterling silver wire in celtic inspired spirals, with turquoise beads, swarovski crystals & sterling silver findings...

I tried out about 3 different methods of closure for the felted boots I made last week (felted another pair too :) pics of these next time...

I emailed my submission for the FeltUnited exhibition (hope I got it right!) any of you planning to do the same DO IT NOW! The deadline is the 17th Oct... TOMOROW.

Ive had a very nice, productive week... despite a couple of very odd `spanners in the works` - like my son losing his retainer down the loo (being sick - KIDS) and having 2 emergency dental appointments squeezed in to sort him out. I have a few exciting new pots on the boil (Im being mysterious & saying no more for now :)

Hope you all have a fanstastic weekend

xx

Twilight shawl

Hiya, just a quicky.. I wanted to show you the shawl I felted this week. I brought some batts from CorgiHillFarm on etsy... They arrived on Thursday this week & OMG they are so gorgeous! Look at all of this loveliness...
Within 20 minutes of them arriving I was felting them :) I really love the shawl that Ive made with the top batts (the reds are for next week).

This morning I made a hammered a copper wire pin to go with it...

Have a great weekend xx

Exciting news

I have some really exciting news to share! Im the new featured artist on Wingham Wool Works website! I am SO excited!

This is the lovely introduction that Tom at Wingham sent to their subscribers - what a compliment :)
...
Featured Artist: Deborah Allen

We are happy to announce Deborah is our new Wingham Featured Artist. Demonstrating the flxibility of felt-work Deborah impressed us by creating fantastic flat pieces, together with 3D sculpture, bags and slippers. Fantastic work all-round!
...

Check it out... Wingham Wool

OK Im off, just had to share...
xxx

Midweek already...

These are a pair of experimental felt boots that I made on Monday.

My polystyrene lasts - which are great for low slippers - are simply not high enough for making boots! And I cant find anytaller ones to buy... only one thing for it, I needed to make my own lasts. In the past Ive used tape, old socks & polyfibre stuffing, but the lasts I wanted are too high for that (I did try - I taped up to the height I needed but I couldnt get it back off, ended up cutting it off & chucking away).

The next idea was my husbands. I used a pair of old wellies, which he cut the heel and thick sole off. I trimmed the height, stuffed and duct taped them up and they worked pretty well.

They`re just drying out now.

Yesterday & today Ive been at work, so no felt :(

TTFN
x

FeltUnited 2010

Well tomorrow is International Felt Day... "Happy Felt Day folks" :) hope you have something fun & fibrey planned

I finished the sea creature mobile & banner last night (at 11pm!) and installed them at Haden Hill House this morning YAY! So exciting! Its going to be there for about a month. I think its lovely for the children to have their work exhibited in a local museum; the teacher is planning to walk the class down to see it :)

The mobile is made up from all of the childrens sea creatures from last weeks workshop (29 of them), with driftwood, shells and glass beads. Its strung on fishing line from a 4 foot long piece of Dorset driftwood. The mobile has an approx. 7 foot drop - good job Haden is a Victorian house with fabulously high ceilings! The light was dreadful this morning, so Ive had to lighten the pics on picasa - if the colours are showing up badly on anybodies monitor please comment & let me know - Im planning to submit the pics for the FeltUnited exhibition. If they're no good I shall retake them.

We have used merino in blue, green & yellow - I brought a mixed bag from Wingham Wool & they`re brill - loads of shades, perfect for a kids workshop! Some of the children designed their own fantastic sea creatures (including one with 40 eyes!) others created fishes, jellyfish & octopuses - we all had lots of fun! Each child has handwritten their name tab, which is stitched to the back of their creature, further adding to the design.

The banner was made at home, using Icelandic batts for the 1st 2 layers with merino on top. Luckily for me the schools logo is blue & yellow so I was able to felt that into the banner. I also embroidered the FeltUnited motto onto it. Im hoping that the banner can hang in the school hall as a lasting reminder of the schools participation in this international event. At the end of the school year the mobile can be taken apart & the children can take their sea creatures home to keep as a momento.

Time to slow down & have a nice cup of tea before collecting the children from school now... think Im going to watch the rain, its hammering down at the moment and the wind is really strong...

...have a good weekend everyone, whatever you are doing

xxx

Hearty Soup Season

Mmm got to share this soup with you :) It is SOOOoooo delicious. Potato & herb soup recipe posted on UK Handmade a couple of days ago. I made this last night with a can of green lentils in it. oooo cant tell you how yummy & warming it was, and so easy to make - uses no fancy ingredients. I baked fresh bread rolls to go with it :)

Didnt get chance to take a photo to post, we all ate it up veeery quickly.

xx

New shoes

Last night I finished sewing the leather soles onto my new slippers (the ones I posted about a couple of weeks ago). Today has been my first day wearing them and OH the COMfort... they are wonderful! Going to felt myself a pair of boots for work at some point this week...all being well.

I also put the finishing touches to 3 new pairs of slippers that I felted about a week ago, Im only posting pics of 2 pairs cos 2 of them are very similar and in the same design as my own pair but thicker.

Pretty in pink

Interestingly the shearer at the event on Saturday was wearing felted moccasins, he said many shearers wear them & how good they are.

I finished off a 2nd Woodland Earthmother Cave...

These were all from my very productive week (week before last) I just didnt get round to finishing off till yesterday.

Today I finished stitching name tabs onto the childrens felt-critters (and eyes on some of them :) tomorow I shall start assembling it, and felting a banner.

xx

Photos

Just a quick post today... Im playing catchups after a busy few days. But I wanted to share a couple of photos & let you know how I got on.

Yesterday was the charity fundraiser at the farm - the sun shone beautifully all day. Clare & I spent a glorious late September afternoon spinning & felting in the farm yard, we met lots of lovely people. Many of the children (and not a few mums) went home with wetfelted Icelandic beads that they had made, threaded onto a ribbon & worn as a bracelet. Unfortunately I didnt take many photos, once I started felting that was it... I didnt get chance. But I DID manage to get one of these lovely Jacobs sheep.

Arent they adorable?!

They got a late haircut, and I came home with a little black lamb fleece (Im obviously too soft cos I feel really guilty about the poor little lambie being cold now, cos Ive got his coat). I think I might spin a bit of it raw this afternoon, not something I tend to do but it is so clean... The mom is a black shetland & the dad is a jacob, so it should be a lovely fleece to work with. I`d of been very tempted to start spinning & felting the wool straight as it came off the sheep, but my dear friend Clare is expecting her 1st baby at the moment, so we kept her well away from them & the fleeces.

There were a nice lot of people there, it was busy - but not too busy; just right. I raised £50 for Help for Heros with my rug raffle, and the lady who won it sounded like she was over the moon when I phoned to let her know :)

The primary school workshop on Thursday went really well. The creatures are dry now & waiting for me to sew the childrens names to them & assemble the mobile. I`ll post more pics when its done, but for now...

There were children who had felted beads with Rachael at the end of last term (she took fibre in for toy day!) and it was lovely to hear them say "oh, this is what Rachael taught us", Rachael didnt stop at making beads she made a coaster actually in school as a present for her little boyfriend :) bless.

Anyway, the suns shining & Ive got masses to do. Think Id best get out of my PJ`s & get on with it... think I`ll start with another cuppa tea :)
xx

Peace Felt gifts

For anybody not involved with PeaceFelt heres a lil` bit about what its all about...

To celebrate the International Day of Peace, 21st September, and nurture new friendships across the globe the folks at Living Felt started the PeaceFelt circle of giving. Everybody who signed up was paired with 2 others; a giving partner from who you receive a gift & a receiving partner for whom you make a gift.

Earlier this week I received a lovely gift from Mary one of my PeaceFelt partners. Over the course of our emails back & forth it turns out that Marys ancestors lived about 7 miles from here in Kidderminster, UK. They emigrated in the late 1800s... hows that for coincidence?! We share a love of history & the connection we feel, through our fibre crafts, with the generations who have gone before us (as well as both loving dogs & being on & by water) :)

Mary made a beautiful necklace for me...

In colours reminiscent of the Atlantic Ocean which lies between our 2 countries. Each bead is beautifully crafted, between each felt bead is a sea glass bead (luuuurve!). Its hand knotted, and there is a sweet little peace charm dangle by the clasp.

Its lovely to of made new felting friends.

And I posted my gift to SAM. Sam is 17 and lives in the USA. I had thought long & hard about the design... and knew early on what I wanted to do. But what was it going to be... a wall hanging? A bag? I finally decided to make a journal cover, as I think this is likely to be most usefel. I felted it over a resist and used inlays to create the picture. Ive not felted a book cover before, so this was a new experience for me & I almost shrunk it too much... I forgot to allow `give` so the book could close! Rather silly of me, Im glad I noticed before it was too late.

On the Tree of Life is a pewter Goddess... The moon and stars which look down on us all, in this the constelation is a triskel - the Celtic symbol for balance & unity (also symbolises trinities; the triple Goddess, cycles of life, land sea and sky), its quite a complicated little symbol - but fits well with how I feel about peace, love, life & this earth. Sam also loves nature so Im hoping that she will like the design & also find a journal useful. I did hold off publishing this post, cos I didnt want to spoil the suprise as Sam opens her gift... It should be nearly there now though :)

Ive really enjoyed being part of the PeaceFelt movement. And looking at the work that so many felters have created to give freely & unconditionally to people they have only just `met` is quite wonderful. Lots of beautiful gifts have been posted on the Facebook Fan page. One thing that has struck me is that so many of us connect the same images to peace... moon, stars, trees, seas - how alike we are.

The primary school workshop yesterday went very well... I was shattered at the end of the day, but it was good fun! And the kids have produced some lovely felt, which is now drying over the hotplate on my stove.

Tomorow Im felting at the farm charity fundraiser. Its supposed to go very cold for tomorow (hope its dry) so we might have cold fingers.

Whatever you have planned, hope you all have a wonderful weekend x

Peace Day 2010

Best wishes to all of my readers on this international Day of Peace.

love to you all

xx