Felting Fun

I have been playing around with felting lately.  I have started to make some felted ornaments.  I use open cookie cutters to get the shape and fill them with roving and needle felt until it is just the right thickness. I mix in Angelina fibers and sometimes a bit of silk roving or silk waste fibers too.   I need to add some stitching and a ribbon hanger to these.     

We explored felting in my art quilting group this week and I got to play around with a felting machine.   This piece has a thin piece of dyed silk for the background, wool roving, silk sari ribbon made from the waste of a sari factory, dyed batting, and some silk roving.  It is very quick and easy to get a unique piece of felted art using a felting machine. 

 I am also working on a new piece of felted art.  This time I making an angel.  I have needle felted the piece.  Next I will wet felt to get the fibers to felt much better.  Then I will add some more needle felting and some stitching.  I'll share more pictures when she is further along. 

 I hope that you have a wonderful holiday season.  I'm looking forward to relaxing and spending a lot of time with family and friends the next couple of weeks. 

Janelle

Bonjour

"Bonjour" is an art quilt made from a mix of reclaimed and new textiles.  I used worn garments, old linens and curtains, color catcher sheets, vintage lace and doilies, along with new fabrics and silk sari ribbon that is created from reclaimed silk waste. I love taking textiles that would be thrown away and instead giving them a new life as an art quilt.  This piece is 8" x 12 1/2".  I is for sale for $103.00. Find it here. 

I cut all my fabrics and trims out and then stitch them down layer by layer on the foundation fabric and batting.  I add the backing and quilt it by adding free-motion stitched designs. I stitched flowers and hearts on this quilt.  I used new fabrics with a Paris theme to add interest to the quilt.  After the stitching was done I used a faced binding to finish the edges.  I added embellishments to the front and a thread chain for hanging to the back.  
I also created kits from my stash with similar fabrics, trims, and embellishments.  The kits also include the foundation fabric, backing, and batting along with all the step by step instructions. They are $25.00 and can be found here.

I hope that this gives you some ideas for using reclaimed fabrics and if you want to give this a try without finding all the supplies you can use the kit I created just for you.  Have a wonderful week,Janelle

Trivets Trivets Trivets

I have been making trivets the past couple of weeks.  The ones I make aren't the ordinary plain hot pads to use under your pots and pans.  I started making these during the end of the summer. I sun printed squares of cotton using different patterns while it was still the warm out.  Here is a tutorial on sun printing.  I heat set the paint and then started putting them together.  I cut a piece of cotton batting and a piece of Insul-Bright.  The Insul-Bright is an insulating material that is designed to reflect heat of cold back to itself.  It protects your surface or your hands from the heat of hot pots and pans. I also cut a piece of my hand dyed fabric for the backing.  I stitched all these layers together and then I added a bit of free-motion stitching to add a pretty pattern. These are perfect for the person who enjoys a product that is unique and will add beauty to their home.     

Sun Printed Fabric

Insul-Bright and batting for the inside layers.

The backings are hand dyed fabrics, here after the stitching is done. 

These are the completed trivets. 
Have a great Thanksgiving holiday for all the US people and a great weekend everyone.
Janelle

Embellishments

I have been making embellishments out of air dry clay this month.  Each one is unique. I roll out the clay and use texture plates or stamps to add the designs.  Then I cut out the shapes, smooth them and let them dry.  After they are dry I gesso each one.  Next comes two layers of paint.  I use metallic paint on the top layer to highlight the texture.  After all the paint is dry I add two layers of varnish for protection.  These take a lot of time since I have to let them dry in between each layer. Use these embellishments for all your fiber art, mixed media art, journal making or scrapbooks, among others.  They aren't intended for washing and drying, but they are perfect for adding something special to a piece of art.  They will be up for sale soon, but contact me if you want one before I get them listed.   What possibilities can you imagine for these little gems? Have a great weekend, Janelle

Mug Rugs

I sold my wares at a show last weekend so I have been making new items at a crazy busy pace.  I have two more shows coming up this holiday season., but I wanted to take the time to tell you about some of the new pieces that I have been working on.

I have been making mug rugs, which are a little larger than a standard coaster.  I have been using my hand dyed cottons for the fronts and cotton fabrics that I either purchased or that were given to me from other people's collections. 

I started out by cutting strips and rectangles of my hand dyed cottons.  I have a lot of small pieces of fabric to use in various projects, before I start dyeing more fabric.  

I love the variety that you get when you dye your own fabric.

I sewed the strips together, and layered them with the batting and backing fabric.  I stitched them right sides together, turned them the correct way out through an opening that I left.  I hand stitched the opening closed and pressed everything neatly. 

Next I researched free-motion stitching designs and used them for ideas.  I free -motion

stitched designs on each one.  They are all unique, with different sizes and patterns.

I have these for sale, but they aren't listed in my shop just yet. Please contact me to buy now.  They are $8.50 plus shipping and tax for Michigan people. 

I hope that you enjoyed seeing a bit of my new designs and have a lovely week.
Janelle 

Fabric Strips and a Giveaway

I am giving away this mug rug to one lucky follower.  If you would like to win please leave a comment on my website blog post ( not here) sometime this week.  I'll draw the name early next week and send it to the winner. http://www.handsandharts.com/blog/fabric-strips-and-a-giveaway

I put all the names in and had my son draw one out.  The winner is Lita.  Congratulations!  

To You With Love- Step 2

I completed the free motion stitching on my fiber book earlier this week.  I added designs with several colors in the same color scheme as the fabrics.  Some of the designs are really obvious, while others are more subtle.  I like having part of the stitching more hidden so you really have to look for it to see it.  I stitched hearts, flowers, and other floral design.  I may go back and add more stitching later, but for now I'm done with this part.   I also stitched all the pages into a book, so the order is set. Next I am going to add hand stitched details and maybe some beads or other embellishments.  

I hope that you are enjoying seeing the progress of this book. 

Have a great weekend,
Janelle