My Gown and A Vessel

Hello!

Here is a better shot of my first full length dress.  Eggplant colored Merino silk and velvet...some recycling in there I am happy to say.

And I now have a series of 6 vessels completed...however one is already sold...this one is still available and represents the Grand Ole Oak.

Coming up this weekend is a fun little sale at St. Luke's in Coeur d' Alene. (Dec 1 from 9 am to 3 pm).  Then next weekend, Dec. 8 at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds, the Farmers Market group will be holding their annual Winter Market.  Lots of great stuff!!!  Come fill your stockings!

I will have a double booth at the Winter Market!  Many of you have never seen all my home furnishings so this double booth will feature both wearable art and home decor.  New finished designs in Felptures, handbags, jewelry and HATS!  See you there.

Happy Holidays,
Janet

A Pip of a Poppy

Yippy!  I have been able to get back to felting...finally.  On Sunday evening I worked on a few samples for my class with the Senior Ladies.  Then today I taught them to wet felt jewelry.  Two finished and they are shown below along with one of my new poppies!

Nuno Scarves

Felting again!  It has been awhile as I am working on a secret project, but today I have two lovely scarves laid out on my tables.  Soon as I am done I must clean everything up as company is coming!  And then on Sunday I am off on adventures with my younger sister, mom and aunt on Kauai.

When I return ...big surprise!  While I am gone I will be looking to nature for patterns and textures that one day might make it into my felting designs.

Take care...
Janet

New Pillows - But They're Already Spoken For

Done! Done! and Done!

I am so excited to finish these two pillows as they have turned out very nice.  They feel wonderfully soft when you feel them too.  The final touch was adding a small - as in micro - trim to the edge to cover seam stitching and a few tassel like tufts of fiber here and there!  I am sure their new owners will enjoy them for years to come.

They are washable too!  Just open them up and remove the inside and then pop the covers into the sink with some Soak wash...let them soak for 15 minutes.  Pull them out and roll in a dry bath towel to remove excess water.  Lay out flat on a dry towel until dry.  Or you can vacuum them for a quick clean up...very easy care!

http://www.soakwash.com/

Hope everyone enjoyed their Saturday as much as I did mine.  We had near blizzard conditions for awhile here.  Very cozy inside though.  And I have made more progress on my list of things to do before I leave for Hawaii next week.  Gotta keep at it though as there are many more things to do...

Take care,
Janet

Mohair Madness!

Hello,

Okay... I have gone back to the seam side out version of my little jacket and I have selected some divine mohair yarn from Mountain Colors out of Corvallis, Montana...my home state!

http://www.mountaincolors.com/  These two ladies have been doing their own dye work for 19 years.

And if you go to http://www.paradisefibers.net/Mountain-Colors-Yarn-Mohair-p/999014.htm you can browse all the wonderful colors available.  Maybe you have a project that needs a special touch.  The color I have selected is Bitterroot Rainbow.  I think this will work better than the Gold Rush I have on hand...it is going to be awesome...I can hardly wait!

The mohair yarn is all fuzzy...not smooth like the yarn in this sample...but it will be these colors.

Hey Fiber Fans!

Well I have my little jacket put together!  Now I am stuck on how to finish the edges.  My original plan was to put a bead and mohair crochet edge on it like you see on this cuff.

...but now I am thinking I might want to use the nice finished edges from my sheet of felt to make a 'ruffle' edge.  The next question is should I put it seam side out and attach it with the bead and mohair?  Or should I go with the more traditional look and put the seam in?  What do you think?  Let me know.  You don't have to leave your name you can sign on anonymously.

Oh my!

Just a few minutes ago my little dog sat up from his sound sleep and started barking like a crazy dog.  Then he ran to the back door so I let him out.  Mistake!  Skunk!!! I smelled it just as my dog got to the edge of the patio.  I ran out and grabbed him and we ducked back in as fast as we could, but the odor followed us in.  My husband has sprayed air scent now and hopefully it will dissipate before bedtime.  Haven't had a skunk around here before...just makes for a more interesting evening I guess.  I just hope it doesn't stink out there in the morning!  I remember my step-sister getting sprayed by a skunk once.  The solution to ridding her of the odor involved a whole lot of tomato juice...glad we didn't have to go there tonight.

I have made a great deal more progress on my custom order pillows.  I finished laying the silk on the wool I had laid out for both pillows.  Next I added a golden ribbon yarn and some beautiful mohair yarn to the surfaces.  A few sparkles here and there and today I was ready to roll!  The photos will give you an idea of how much shrinkage there is in this process.  In order to achieve that I first use cold soapy water so that the merino wool  and mohair yarn will travel through the silk before felting.  This is critical to the process and takes a while.  After I can feel and see that it has traveled through then I reduce the size of my inside roller and continue.  After a while of that I shed the bubble wrap, add warm soapy water and reduce my roller even further.  This is the stage you see my rolling in the photos.  Finally, I add warmer to hot water and throw my new piece of felt onto my table.  This shock locks the fibers even tighter together.  Was a bit of a workout for the day as I also did some small pieces for another project.

Now I am off to read, relax and knit for a bit before bed.  Hope you all have a wonderful, sunny Sunday!

Good Evening,

I have a pictorial update to the fabric I am making for the little jacket...

Crosspatch Creations is made by Joan W. Contraman in Corvallis, Montana.  You can reach her at 406-961-4473 or joan@spinningfiber.net.  To view her products go to http://www.spinningfiber.net/.

Lovely fiber feels great!
Janet

Back in the Zone!

Good Evening!

More Snow!  We got several more inches overnight.  I am so happy!  This is what I have been missing.  It is just soooo pristine and beautiful.  I took my little dog out for a walk around noon.  He had to rabbit hop since they had not yet plowed and the snow was pretty deep...and his legs are pretty short.  'Tis always fun to watch him doing this.  Anyway we got all bundled up (it was about 22 F degrees out) and once we stepped out the door I could hear it...that wonderful hushed sound that snow puts on everything.  That combined with the large, fluffy flakes falling and I was in heaven...well...sort of...

It put me in a very festive mood so upon returning I was ready to get to work on my newest piece.  I told you I had made a new sheet of bubble wrap last night.  Today I laid out some prefelts I found stashed in a corner that I had forgotten about...and then I started laying my first layers of loose wool.  I am using merino and merino/silk blends.  Then I found some funky yellow and hot pink silk hankies that I bought in Oregon several years ago...before I knew what to do with them...but I loved them and had to have them.  Today they found the perfect place amongst the prefelts and wool.  The layers I am putting down now should form the interior part of my jacket.

I shot a couple photos along the way...to show my progress.  What I noticed most when I looked at them though was the look of my felting space...YIKES!!!  Well I guess you can tell I use the space...  So more to come on this project as I go along...hope everyone is having a great week like I am!  It feels so good to be back working on my felting!!!

Janet

Death and Creation

Hello Again,

We have another funeral to attend...this time it's a Tuesday. Three people I knew have died in the last five weeks.  Something like this can leave a person wondering what it's all about.  Wondering how it is that a person's life is over just like that... "poof" and they are no more.  But are they really gone?  My mind has begun to spin...thinking...thinking...thinking.

I am finding that my art is what keeps me going...helps me to feel grounded again...to remember without pain...  The joy of taking my silk and fiber...carefully placing one on the other and working them together in one with my own hands...working until I have created something beautiful is somehow soothing and uplifting.  Knowing that someone is going to find pleasure in what I have created...knowing that I am capable of creating this!  Knowing I am alive.  It is all part of the cycle of life, right?

I hope you enjoy seeing my creations...I sure like making them.

Take care,
Janet

Triple Wrap Nuno Scarf

Time is up!  Gone...I have none left...well maybe I can squeeze a few more hours out of tomorrow before set-up...I have been fairly productive though these past few days which is making me excited to get set up and see what people think of my newest creations.  Saturday will tell as they say.

And so it is now very late on Thursday (actually it is almost two hours into Friday) and in the past two days I have finished four new scarves!  Yippee!!!  Long hours though so my blog is suffering for it.  Anyway these scarves are all in a fashion I call a Triple Wrap Around.  They were very big sellers this summer at the Market.  I start with an double dyed, iridescent silk scarf and add merino.  When it is finished I cut it up so that it is very long and wraps around and around...  Very fun, light and flirty.  Sorry to say that none of the double dyed, iridescence shows in my quick pics...a little of the sparkle I add in with the merino shows...for the rest it's left to your imagination.

Enjoy! 

Runners

Well it is after 1 AM which makes it Monday.  This is it...4 days left to finish things before set-up day on Friday and the Christmas Farmers' Market on Saturday.  I am NOT ready.  I have completed some things since I last posted about this upcoming show.  Not as much as I wanted, but more than I had before!

4 silk pillows
2 party wraps
3 table runners
3 sets of wrist cuffs

Next up I want to work on Felptures.  If I have time after that (not sure how that could possibly occur except if I were to work through the night and all day!) I sort of promised to get some wrap around scarves done for a couple of interested people.  Whew!  Glad I am not having to do any Christmas shopping this week!

For tonight I have the wet, but finished table runners for you to see.  I am including before and after pictures.  I found that the holes I had cut in my white prefelt to make my snowflakes closed up more that I liked...guess I should make gigantic holes...but then they tended to fall apart.  The holly leaves and berries turned out well except for a few that didn't want to attach for some reason.  Finally got them on there well enough that I could stop rolling.  The leaves and acorns turned out really, really well!  My favorite by far.  I did have trouble on this one too...the acorn tops didn't want to attach as well as other parts so it took some tender loving care with just them to get them on there.  They will look different after they dry...

Enjoy! I am off to bed for some much needed sleep :)
Janet

Wrist Cuffs - Fashion or Function?

Good Morning! 

Well almost...I neglected to get this post done last night...so sorry.  I have been very busy so I have lots of new things to post for you over the next couple days.  First off many of you may have been noticing women and young ladies wearing an item on their wrist that is unfamiliar to you.  It probably wasn't a glove, even a fingerless version...so what was it?  This newest craze is called wrist cuff or wrist warmer.  And they are just that!  A great way to keep your wrists warm, but for many it is all about making a fashion statement.  I have seen many a young lady sporting a fashionable wrist cuff - most often it was peeking out from under her sweatshirt or sweater.  I have made some myself.  Some are felted with silk as an accent.  Some are sewn with velvet, lace and other embellishments.  And one is a fingerless glove out of wool (many varieties), tussah silk, viscose and silk noil.  Some of these come as a pair though I am only posting one.  However, keep in mind that many use only one cuff - especially when it is done for fashion.

I think that many more women would benefit from a pair of cuffs.  Many of my friends complain about stiff hands and wrists, especially during the winter.  Those that knit and crochet are really bothered by it so I think that a pair of cuffs could help them out so they can continue to enjoy their hobby!  Patterns can be found on the Internet at http://www.ravelry.com/ and http://www.lionbrand.com/ and your can look at the types others are creating at http://www.etsy.com/

Enjoy!

Janet

Nuno Felting - Part 2

Good Evening...we're expecting our first serious winter storm here tonight.  Can't wait!!!  I love the snow...falling...the flakes swirling...ahhh.  Great weather to do some more felting too!  I'll show you what I've been up to the past couple of days.

And if you want to learn more about Nuno felting, which is how I made the pillow above, you can watch part two of this series.



Enjoy!

Janet

Clematis in Bloom

Mother Nature always surprises me and keeps me smiling.  The temperatures are getting colder and colder here now, yet when I walked out of the house the other day there was the Clematis vine blooming!  During the summer it had been absolutely covered in blossoms which had inspired me to paint this silk scarf.  It only had three blooms this time around, but I had to admired its tenaciousness to be blooming when temps are topping out at 50!  And the deep, intense purple and pink-purple was just as breathtaking as it was earlier during summer.

I draw free-hand on the silk with gutta after preparing the silk.  Then I use special dyes designed just for silk to paint it all.  After that it sits for 2 days and then gets wrapped up in paper and stuffed into my homemade steamer for three hours.  Then another day resting.  Next it gets a rinse in a special soap, hung until damp dry and then ironed.  Whew!  And most of that I actually enjoy! :)

Hope you enjoyed seeing this...and now I wait until next year to see the Clematis in bloom again,
Janet

To Weave a Spider's Web

Hi There!

Well if you remember I was telling you about walking my dog and seeing all the lawns covered in glistening, gossamer spider threads...SO ...I have figured out a couple scarf designs that represent that shinny thread-like look.

and

Spider's Web Wrap in Progress

And now since the bewitching hour has come I am off to bed so tomorrow I can start felting these beauties!

Janet

A Time to Play

Well it's Sunday...a day of rest and play.  And I did play today.  First I spent some time puttering in the garden harvesting herbs and late blooming flowers.  Then I came indoors and made a yummy pie to take and share at dinner with friends.  But all this was the play of an adult and I want to walk you back in time to when you were about eight years old...full of imagination and wonder at all the wonders of the world...remember?

To that end I want to tell you about another cute shop in Sandpoint, Idaho called A Child's Dream Come True  http://www.achildsdream.com/ .  It is located at 214 Cedar Street, right next to Blue Flag Hand Weaving Studio.  http://www.blueflagweaving.com/

I bet the owner of this store had a wonderful childhood like mine!  This delightful little shop is stuffed to the ceiling with things to create with.  When I was growing up my mother was always working on one project or another and my sisters and I loved watching and getting involved once we were old enough.  Still I don't think my Mom ever had access to some of the wonderful items that are carried in A Child's Dream.  Stepping into this shop made me wish that I could click my heels together and go back though, just so I could play again using Pocket Gnomes,  a Game of Ogres and Elves, Plant Dyed Play Silks, Rainbow Angels Kit, and a Choroi Pentatonic Flute.  Alas it is not to be for me...but maybe someone you know?







Pocket Knomes (They're felted!)



Instead, I will be playing with my felt again starting tomorrow. I have four felting projects laid out: two purses and two pillows.  I can't wait to get started!  But for tonight I am going to let my mind wander back some more to those days of discovery and play...while I knit.

Janet