Spring Flowers

Spring Flowers

Monday, March 30, 2015

On My Sewing Table. . .

 
 


 

 

 
I finished up a lot of sewing projects last week.
A custom order of flower pins, plush cats and pillows from a customer's own beloved sweaters.
And a set of my heart felt embroidered ornaments.
 Now I'm working on stocking up on purses, zip pouches and other accessories for the summer craft fair season. And even though I don't want to plan that far ahead, I need to photograph some new FeltSewGood items because it's time to apply for some fall craft shows.
What have you been making on lately?

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Easy Felted Easter Eggs


Here's a quick and easy way of making some pretty felted Easter eggs. I wrapped a layer of wool roving around a styrofoam egg. The egg will give you a nice uniform shape and you’ll use less roving than if you felted the whole thing out of wool.

 
Materials needed:
wool roving in spring colors
styrofoam eggs
soap (I used dish soap)
old clean towel
bowl
access to hot and cold water ( I actually worked at my kitchen sink)
 
 
Start by fluffing out the roving and pulling out wisps of roving. Lay the wisp of roving on your work surface to make a mat of wool.
 
 
Lay the roving both horizontal and vertical to make an even mat, wider than the egg and about three times longer than the width of the egg.

 
Carefully roll the wool around the egg and fold in the side pieces, keeping the wool taut.
 
 
The wool fibers will be loose.
Next fill your bowl or sink basin with hot water and add a couple of drops of soap.
 
 
Gently dribble the hot water over the egg until all of the wool is wet. Move the wet egg back and forth from hand to hand, like playing catch. Handle the egg gently until the fibers start to pull together. Resist actually squeezing the wool around the egg at this point so that you don't get any wrinkles in the wool.
 
 
Add a drop of soap to your hands and continue to handle the egg until the wool starts to hold together more firmly. Now you can add a little more pressure to get the fibers to bind firmly around the egg. Once the egg is firmly felted, rinse under very cold water to set the fibers.
 
 
Lay the wet eggs on an old clean towel to dry. (Use an old towel in case some dye rubs off of the roving.)
 
 
You can make a whole batch of colorful eggs without using very much roving.
(note: if you can't find egg shaped Styrofoam at your craft store, I found these on Amazon.com.)
Happy felting!
 

Monday, March 16, 2015

Spring Migration

It's my favorite sign of spring. The throaty trill heard high
in the sky. High above, barely visible due to their altitude, it's a flock
of sandhill cranes returning from the South, where they've been
living during the winter months. We saw hundreds of these massive beauties flying over today. . . what a treat! (Fall is also a great time
to see them, as they head south for the winter.)

 
The sandhill crane is akin to the heron, only larger. With a
7-foot wingspan, these beautiful birds reach a height of 31 to 47 inches.
Seeing the sandhill cranes flying in small groups, calling loudly,
growing closer and closer, circling the sky into larger groups for their flight north to breeding grounds in Canada is a surreal experience. I feel fortunate to live in a part of Indiana where we get to witness this migration each Spring and Fall from our own backyard. Most of the birds we see here are heading north for a stop over in the Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area in Medaryville, Indiana.
 
Check out this video produced by the Chicago Tribune.
 Be sure to turn on your sound.
 
 
And here is just a few pieces of my favorite sandhill crane art from Etsy.
 
https://www.etsy.com/listing/153032270/sandhill-crane-letterpress-print?ref=favs_view_14
Sandhill crane letterpress print by Just A Jar Press 
 
https://www.etsy.com/listing/187204966/sandhill-crane-print-bird-art-by-alaskan?ref=favs_view_11
 Sandhill crane print by Madara Mason
 
https://www.etsy.com/listing/118402983/limited-edition-giclee-mini-print-reed?ref=favs_view_10
Limited Edition GICLEE MINI Print / "Reed Preening" /
Watercolor Painting of a Sandhill Crane by Reyes Paintings