Winona Queen

Pressies

2011-12-29T11:04:00.007Z

This year for Kris Kindle, I received this beautiful neck wrap. The Feltmakers Ireland committee get together in December and do a quicky meeting, food carry-in and a present swap. This year we chose names and Suzanne drew mine. YEAH!!

It wraps around the neck and has a strap that goes around again, fastening over the lovely red felt flower. It has a hand loop that slips over and secures underneath. Yummy green is always a bonus for me.

So after receiving and wearing my neck wrap, I made another for a Christmas pressie for A Simple Yarn. It's made from super fine carded merino for Filzrausch, crinkle chiffon from a friend in China and the super cool flower made from Silk Carrier Rods.

I love the nuno effect that happens with silk and wool. I wet it the night before and it practically melted together over night. Took no time for the wool to incorporate with the silk. Roll and shape.

Oh, the fun to be had with these!! Now my new favorite thing to play with and dye!

Warm and Wooly, Cute Too!

2011-12-27T19:51:00.005Z

This was made for my lovely sisters birthday in October. It was a special year for her, but you'd never guess it by her outlook on life and the way she lives it. Newlywed to a wonderful man, marathon, triathlon, teacher of special needs children plus a whole host of other wonderful things. So, not being sure, I made 2 things and let her choose. This hat and a nuno scarf, which I will post soon. Then, sent pictures and asked her to act surprised when it arrived.

The hat is made from short carded merino wool from Filzrausch in Germany, silk fibre and a scarf procured from the local thrift store. Cut into squares. It was made with a resist and then pinched and tucked on a hat block and left to dry overnight.

This one was made shortly after the first. I'd posted a picture for a hat workshop that I was running, so being without the sample, I did another in a different colour and shape for the element on top/side. It was fun to try plaid with strips of scrim (cotton gauze), silk lap, and short merino as well. It grades from dark purple to a raspberry on the other side.

Brooches

2011-11-05T16:22:00.008Z

It's time for the annual Knitting and Stitching Show at the RDS Convention Centre. This year, Feltmakers Ireland is teaching Fabulous Felt Brooches at the Learning Curve "mini workshop"
The instructors have 1 hour to teach mostly new felt makers the skills and technique of making textile from wool fibre and fabric. These are a some of the samples that I did in preparation.

We're using a new type of wool this year. A very short merino fibre. Carded, not combed. It felts very quickly and super smooth. They will be able to do some stitching on theirs if they want to.

This one will be stitched along the "S" curve in the middle.

This one is nearly done. I prefer the cheesecloth or scrim fabric to most others. The texture is very cool.

This one has a little pocket in the top, made from an oval foam resist. Needs a bit of stitching as well. Fun stuff.
On with the show!! November 10-13.

Costumes

2011-11-01T19:34:00.005Z

So after the marathon sewing projects, here's a peek.
Son is "Soldier" from Team Fortress Challenge. I know, it pushes my buttons letting
him play the game so much and even say yes, to making the costume. Turned out cool though and he really likes it. It will probably the last Trick or Treat for him.

The jacket was made from red "store bought" felt. Rocket launcher is drain pipes, funnel, old thermos, a bit of wood and black spray paint. Grenades were green, but had to modified to look authentic. Military surplus hat, couple of luggage straps, dad's boots and there you go. Soldier!

Our little flower. Small home made hoop skirt. Have the giant neck slash to prove it. Thick wire can be very springy and painful. DH thought he might have to get the super glue for the quick fix. Several layers of sheer fabric over an orange lining. Leaves sewn onto the shirt, head piece, orange tights, wellies (of course) watering can for goodies and an umbrella just in case. She had more fun putting the makeup on time after time "just to practice". I can see it coming. At least she'll have some practice in moderation, not a trip to clown college for makeup tips.

We all had a great night. Sat and watched the local lads stealing pumpkins, smashing them in the street and then lighting illegal fireworks until very late. Ah, Halloween.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-30T18:27:00.002Z

Well the costumes are finally done after a marathon of sewing. Pics to follow.
Have a Spooktacular day and night. Corny, I know.

Been very busy with the upcoming Knitting and Stitching Show prep in Dublin. I have a felt
dress to make in the next few days for the Profiles in Felt book launch on the 12th. 42 Irish felt makers have come together in a book published by Feltmakers Ireland. Really wonderful women and beautiful felt involved in making this long process come to life. Can't wait to get my copies.

Lots more felt to come. Need time to breath.

And Then There Was None

2011-10-03T12:00:00.007+01:00

I'm not a great sock knitter. I've made 2 pair in my lifetime. They take a long time. Last December, I found a beautiful sock yarn from Araucania Yarns. Grays, lavenders, chartreuse and mossy greens. Maybe I will. So I started the hunt for a lace knee sock pattern. What was I thinking?? Not sure, but on Ravelry I found a lovely pair by Nancy Bush in the Folk Socks book. Highland Schottische Kilt Hose. They're amazing. So I got the book off Ebay or Amazon for next to nothing and started to knit.

Nearly a year later, I'm down to the ankle on both. Just getting ready for the heal. I've been trying them on all along to make sure they fit. They're snuggish. Maybe a little to snug after I wash them...

This is the unstretched lace leg.

I only did one repeat on the cuff, afraid that I wouldn't have enough yarn. I have plenty now that I'm down to the ankle.

And this is what I have now. I made the decision to unravel them both, knit them on a larger circular needle and include the second round for the fold down cuff. Maybe next winter. Although I haven't given up and put them away for another time, which is what I normally do.

Gosford Rare Breeds Show

2011-09-05T14:47:00.004+01:00

Another year for Feltmakers Ireland to visit Markethill, Northern Ireland for the anual Rare Breeds Show. Last year was such fun that we decided to have a vessel competition this year.
80% rare or native Irish breed / 20% other fibre. There were no specifications on size or colour. The visitors were asked to vote on their favorite piece by placing a bean into the vessel. The one with the most beans won a beautiful Wensleydale fleece. I knew I should have done something cute instead of what I did. The boat with the little penguin won.

This is mine. I used Galway (white) Lincoln Longwool (dyed green) and a loden green Finish wool on the top. I also incorporated a few strips of cheese cloth, because I really like the way is looks as it becomes incorporated into the felt.

This is a detail shot of the cheese cloth.

I bought a Lincoln Longwool fleece last year at the show. They are beautiful. In the eyes of the beholder. The colours range from white, brown, silver and charcoal all in the same fleece. It was difficult to get clean because of the long locks, but well worth it after all.

Dyed green. Chucked a bit into the dyepot after something else. The exhaust was a pale sage green.

This is hand carded and teased out. It doesn't work well on the drum carder due to the length of the locks and the curls tend to be pretty hard to get apart. They do curl back up once the felting begins.

This is the new love of my life. Leicester Longwool. One of these sheep has the most beautiful charcoal/silver gray fleece. Tight curls. Just think of what you could make. I know I am...

Saying Goodbye

2011-08-28T17:21:00.005+01:00

After 13 days of constant interaction, it was time to say goodbye to those who had become like family to us. The wonderful ladies from Budapest said their fair wells to Ireland today with hugs and tears.

Last evening was spent with a fantastic evening at Gabi's and the traditional Irish BBQ, in the rain. Songs and gifts were exchanged with invites to return to Budapest any time. There is a plan in the works for another adventure next summer. Should be amazing!

These are the girls. Marta, Ester, Betty & Sophie, Silvia, Gabi, Bea, Elizabeth, Kata and Boro. All happy with their gifts of Irish native wool. It will be interesting to see what becomes of it.

Unknown to us, while we were planning gifts for them, they we're doing the same. Wine, honey, marmalade, marzipan, cookies, paprika, of course, lovely traditional cookies that are beautifully iced and a photo album with pictures of us on our wonderful holiday taken by Ester. They are so thoughtful and generous as well as wonderful crafts people. A sisterhood was formed.
Szerelem az Ön számára

Budapest

2011-08-26T12:40:00.006+01:00

I just took a trip to Budapest for a week with Feltmakers Ireland. There we 6 of us that were able to take the trip. We did an exchange with a lovely group of Hungarian felt makers as well. We were invited to come and participate in the National Festival of Traditional Craft held at the Castle.
Their group (12) are currently visiting Ireland and exploring our short, but thriving felting techniques and communities. Saturday, they will take part in Ireland's National Heritage week, by doing demos of traditional Hungarian felt making. It should be fantastic.

They are a great, fun loving group that adapt well to our cooler climate. After leaving weather in the 40's C, they arrived to the mid teens. Burrr!!!

Here is a brief overview of the week.

Arrival was late Tuesday night, finally falling into bed around midnight. The next day was beautiful and warm. Off to the St. Gellart Thermal Spa and Swimming Pool. Yes, It was Great. Basecoat of the tan begins now.

Next we did a sight seeing tour lead by Judit. A lovely woman who has immense knowledge of Buda and Pest. Great with English as she is an English teacher.

This is the Buda castle that overlooks the Danube River. There were hundreds of traditional craft vendors that all over the grounds. The link is for the festival from last year. Have a look at the video portion. It's really good.

Wednesday evening we went to the castle ground to help erect the 3 yurts and 2 tents that were in the area that the demonstrations were to be held. Dinner was afterwords around the yurts. Starts around 9:30. Roll into bed around midnight. I was sensing a pattern here.

As felt makers, we decided to do a group project together. While we were not together until last week, we decided to to Celtic and Hungarian knots. Each square was to be a certain size with ropes, so that it could be tied together when we came together. These are mostly the Irish knots with more being added later in the week. I'll take a photo on the completed piece tomorrow.

Thursday morning was the first day of the festival and we got to work right away cutting prefelt (half felted wool) for the prayer rug. The rug was being done in one of the main squares as a demo for people to participate in if they wanted to.

Rolled up and ready to begin felting. Heavy, wet and full of unprocessed wool. (Poop) We made felt along with a translator up at the yurts for the rest of the day. Had a lovely dinner after the festival and got to bed around the same time.

Friday was spent at the castle and in the evening was a fashion show of traditional costumes, reworks on traditional and felt pieces. Absolutely beautiful and what a setting.

Saturday was the big 25th anniversary party. Millions of people flocked to the castle and river to watch the spectacular fireworks show. The bands at the castle before and after were amazing. Meat by the cartloads and beer a plenty! What a party was had by all.

Sunday was the final day and take down. We had an amazing breakfast at the yurts of shared traditional foods. Salmon, cheeses, fatback, breads, jams, paprika spreads and whiskey of course. Not sure which side that was, but there it was.

Sunday morning was museum time. The Museum of Applied Arts and the Museum of Ethnography were beautiful. Breathtaking architecture in each one. No minimalism here.

Traditional eggs. Can't wait to have my lessons from Gabi in the spring.

Bit of scenery along the river. This church is at the north end of the castle. Amazing tile roofs.

Sunday evening we went to visit Bea. She's a dentist by occupation and "just plays" with felt. Talk about feeling inadequate! Her stuff is fab. Piles and piles of every different type. Wow.

Monday, we were treated to a trip to lake Balaton. It's huge and picturesque. The six were accompanied by several of the ladies and their families. It was really a great day to talk and get to know them better.
Tuesday, we went to Boro and Oto's for breakie and off to the market for paprika and the last souvenirs. What a finish and what a trip. Thanks to everyone for all the hospitality and great planning.

Commission

2011-07-10T16:48:00.006+01:00

Sometimes I find commission pieces hard to do. This is one that was requested in a lovely lilac colour. I don't have anything against lilac, in fact I quite like it. But the question is always, where to start and what to put into it. It's endless. So after months of putting it off... Here it is.

I really love the silk twine that I picked up 2 years ago from a dye company called Oliver Twist. They are a very sculptural element to a soft hat. White twigs are what they remind me of. The silk dyed well and incorporated more than one colour to the surface of the hat as well at the bow and band. I'm very happy with the results and so was Dee.

Man vs. Beast

2011-07-03T21:29:00.007+01:00

Ok, after you say "Ahhh, isn't she cute!!" Yes, she is and we love her, but...

She's a weed whacker that has good taste. Our lovely little bunny has a fancy hutch, with a fancier run, built for her by Bob the Builder aka Roy. It's spectacular. Plenty of space, grass, ramp for the in and out activities. Guilt overruns us as we see her staring into the windows as we stare back out at her. She must want to run, we say. Let's let her out.

She loves to run. So much, that she's excivated at track of sorts behind every bush and plant in the garden/yard. We love watching her take off at super rabbit speed and race around in circles until she's so tired, she drops to the ground in exhaustion.

Part of the track making involves chewing down and through anything that might touch her during her sprints. Anything. As much as I try to plant towards the grass, she seems to enlarge her running lane.

Our lovely leeks that were just planted.
We had 3 casualties today.

Our lovely peas that are bearing fruit or is it veg, have lost loved ones.

Not visible at the first glance, but look beyond and you will discover...

So, gardening with a free range rabbit has it's issues, but we just plant extra. Life with "The Rabbit" is fun and keeps us on the run as well. We love our little beast!

I'm Expecting!!

2011-06-30T10:17:00.001+01:00

It's a girl!! Really a woman. She'll be coming my way soon. I can't wait to use a custom size form to get my shape, instead of the usual patterns that need to be refitted around a real body!

Now I just have to clean the nursery/work space before she gets here. Hummm..... Duckies or fluffy sheep??? You guess!

Inspired

2011-06-29T12:01:00.002+01:00

It's not hard to believe that blogs have a cycle of life. Busy sometimes, slow at others. Mine has been slow for the past 6 months depite the rush of activities each day. Blogging for me, started as several friends began theirs. I was the last of 5 to come on board. Over the years, friends have moved, married, had a child or two, so life is also occupied for them. I've let mine laps, what can I say.
But recently, I've been inspired to do something with all the pictures I still continue to take. Cheryl, of A Simple Yarn, has begun writing again and so, I was inspired to take it up as well. She has a lovely and direct way with words that are always enjoyable and thought provoking. A work smith I am not so, I will not attempt that. But hopefully I will be more regular at documenting where I've been and what I'm making. We'll see.
Thank you A Simple Yarn for being inspiring in so many ways!! Not a eulogy by the way!

Let It Snow

2010-12-21T16:06:00.004Z

Well, we're on our second major snow storm in December! It doesn't really snow much in Ireland, but when it does... At least this year. Last year was close, but not the accumulation. We've had 4-5 inches last night, several more this morning and it is still snowing. The amount doesn't sound extreme to those who are well seasoned, but without plows, salt, tires and cars equipped for such weather, it's a mess. No snow shovels either. We've resorted to dishwasher salt on the walkway to melt the ice. Works great!!

Roy and I walked the kids to school this morning. Found 10 euro on the ground and went for a coffee on the snowy way home! It's beautiful. Light, fluffy, not overly cold and perfect for this time of year.
We stopped off at our local organic butcher and picked up 3 kinds of boar sausage, and a large ham for Christmas dinner. We're expecting family from Indiana and Spain. I'm really hoping they open the airport back up by then.

Our little feeder for the starving birds. They're not use to fending for themselves.

Craft Market

2010-12-13T20:54:00.005Z

Here are a few of the scarves I did for a Craft Show this past weekend. Suzanne, one of the wonders from Feltmakers Ireland was taking a stand and wanted to know if anyone had anything. I sold 2 hats and I'm not sure what else yet. Haven't been through the box since.
I'd seen some similar scarves and wanted to try them out in the washing machine. Worked pretty well. I used 3 different types of wool to see which I liked better. All the surfaces are covered in silk throwsters waste and then dyed.

This one is made from a mixed wool batt form Germany. A bit hairy, but I really like the colours.
The silk really picks up the dye and makes it shine.

This one is from Cormo wool that I picked up in the US 5 years ago. I really packs down well. Still fuzzy, but good. I like the aqua, gray, pink/purple highlights of it.

Merino/silk blend. Soft, felted down really well. A bit harder that the others, but softer. This one was 3 different colours before it arrived here.

The wool batt from Germany again. Different colour combo. They look cool on with a big shawl pin. They wrap around the neck 2-3 times.

More Hats

2010-11-07T13:59:00.004Z

The Frog or Lizard as my children call it. Made from Icelandic wool bats and silk hankies. Love this one the most, I think.

Simple shape of cream merino and black and gray silk hankies.

The Pom was inspired by friend Sheila's lovely flowers. It's a long wide strip. Folded in half and clipped. Role and stitch. Very effective embellishment for a simple understated shape.

Nordic Blue

2010-10-20T16:59:00.001+01:00

Thought I'd try a different shaped hat pattern for a change. Daughter, loves the hats with the braids, so we did something a little different. I used an Icelandic fleece for the first layer. Short soft fibre. 2nd layer is turquoise silk pongee fabric which I dyed at the Feltmakers Ireland dyeing day a couple weeks ago. Next was the fairly monochromatic layering of colours - grading plain turquoise, turquoise/silk blend, rust, lavender and then repeat until you run out of room. Last, cover the entire hat with a pale aqua silk fibre to cut down the colour contrast.

Curly Q top and sides took the longest to dry, but are really cute. Last, stitch on the butterfly antenna's as equally as possible. The next one will be orange for the little lady of the house.

Makin' Bacon

2010-10-19T16:48:00.005+01:00

Well, this has nothing to do with pork or meat products. In making hats for the workshop last weekend, I needed something for a band. Using the colours of the hat, it occurred to me, that it looked remarkably like bacon. All be it, very lean bacon. No fatty additives.

Here it is cut and filled with a salmon (to strong) and apricot (to weak) to produce a combo that Goldilocks would be proud of. Very close to the silk velvet ribbon that's felted into the main body. It's just right.

Looking forward to wearing it when I get or make a coat or wrap to compliment it.

Before and After

2010-09-28T10:13:00.003+01:00

Here is an amazing pack of stuff I got from Her Majesty Margo, plus some brown wool and silk roving that I dyed at one of the Dyeing Day's at the studio. Oh, what will it be???

Ta Da!!!! The amazing ruffled hat and flower combo. Trying to make use of the last bits of the garden before it's all brown. Not the grass! But the plants.

Blue Face Leicester makes hairy felt. SO, if you want really smooth felt, don't use is. It takes more muscle as well, but is really beautiful in it's natural colours and over dyes gorgeous.

I bought a polystyrene hat block from a company in Germany. It was several inches bigger than my head. Makes for droopy hats. I borrowed this beautiful on from the lovely Sheila. Now I have to get one. It's amazing and adjustable. Made by one of the members husbands, in Feltmakers. Gorgeous and functional.

Happy, Happy, Happy. Now I just need to find the coats in the attic!!

Rainbows

2010-09-09T17:13:00.005+01:00

On Wednesday this week we had these. After a beautiful summer, this was the first real, day after day rain we'd had. Autumn officially begins in September, but August can feel like it's begun. Having said that... Avery, had found a Noro hat I made 2 years ago. She loves the hat. It's a bit saggy and falls to one side. I'm thinking Rhasta is in her future. She thinks dreads are amazing and now that she knows someone who has them and is her race and hair type, there's no stopping her. I have to reassure her that until she finishes High School, they're not allowed.

So being inspired by rainbows and all things bright, she selected the Noro Taiyo yarn. Cotton, silk, wool and nylon. Should wash well too.

Mine is on the left. A bit more subdued and hers is the other.

This is the way is perches on her head. Night and day. She does take it off for classes, but then it goes back on right away.

Seeing Red

2010-09-03T11:50:00.004+01:00

Having not done much felt making while I was gone, this is the first piece I'm made since the return. Red hat, blue hat.... Dr. Seuss? Maybe? Anyway, a lovely woman came to the Studio on Sunday for the Heritage Yurt day and fell in love with Sheila's red hat. Please, please, please??? No, I really love my hat... Please, please, please??? Holly? Would you like to make a hat for this nice lady? Sure I will, so here it is. Ruffles, although not to ruffly. Silk handkerchiefs, not the nose blowing kind, but the super thin, lovely type that makes any piece of felt extra special. Dyed a small bundle with 3 red colours. Couldn't decide, but really like the multi colour effect. Might make a green one for myself.

I find reds and oranges difficult to photograph. After changing rooms 3 times and trying ever setting I could, the bottom one is closest in colour. 3 colours of wool plus the borders and the silk. It's very pretty and very close to Sheila's original creation.

Hiatis Over - Part 2

2010-09-01T11:46:00.006+01:00

2010 started off fast. Lots of sledding with enough snow to keep us happy.

Birthday party for the 12 year old. Bowling with 10 boys is loud!!

6th Grade Graduation. We're very proud. Roy was already back in Ireland finding us a new house to move into. Time was tight between School release, our flight back and getting into a house over a Bank Holiday weekend.

Evidence of the new house and the old tenants. Stuff, not bodies. Years of over growth, dirty carpets and unsalvageable furniture. Skip number 2 is coming on Friday. For the remaining overgrowth from the garden.

Our new family member Suki. Dwarf, lop eared bunny. He couldn't be cuter, as long as he doesn't eat my plants.

Extension on the hutch will fit her just right and the rabbit.

Avery went to Art camp this summer and then taught ALL of us to make beaded bugs. Note the concentration!

Dyeing Day with the Feltmakers at the Studio in Phoenix Park.

Assembling the Mongolian Yurt this past weekend at the Studio. It was part of Irish Heritage Week. We did demos, story telling and put up the Yurt and Squirt (mini yurt). It was a beautiful day after the morning rain ended. It was very well attended and hopefully educational.

Liz Brown, one of our members lives in Scotland. She and her partner, built the frame and invited all the Feltmaking Guilds and groups across the British Isles to do a panel for the Yurt. It was then combined and has been at over 300 events to promote craft and the Mongolian artistry of Feltmaking. It is incredible beautiful, inside and out.
Ok. We're caught up for now and I'll try to keep a better reign on time. Ha!

Hiatis Over

2010-09-01T10:51:00.013+01:00

Boy does the time fly. After planning on spending 6 months in the US, starting in July 09, we ended up staying for another 5 months. Kole finished primary school in one school and one country. It was a good year for both the kids.
Although the crafting front was minimal (for me), I did manage to do things that I normally wouldn't or couldn't. Here's a little review of some things I was doing.

Canning was a jolt from my past. Although I completely enjoyed it at this time in my life. Prompted by dear friend Calla, who would drop by large bags of extra food from her garden, I was lured into making pickles and applesauce. Yum! Easy enough to do since supplies are in every store. Since returning to Ireland, I have found it impossible to find canning jars. Biggish ones, not preserve jars. Did find 2 on EBay for 6 euro. No thanks.

Resign rings for all the girls in the family for Christmas. Started that early enough to send a few to Ireland as well. Ample supply of supplies at every craft store. So I stocked up.

September birthday for Daughter. Ten is big and so was the Cupcake Cake. Easily feeds 10.

Johnny Appleseed Festival in Fort Wayne, IN. My favorite festival of all. Piles of vendors, food, period costumes and beautiful stuff to buy. I found my all time favorite slippers there again.

Off to Chicago in October for a long weekend. Went to the Legoland Discovery Center. Miniature city scape of Chicago waterfront. Very small, but worth the $6.00 for the commemorative stamped Lego.

First snow of the year. Very exciting. I love snow.

Small apartments call for small trees. Our lovely neighbors loaned us theirs. Our first fake tree! I don't really like them, although it doesn't shed.

Snowman casualty. Yikes!

Family Christmas with EVERYONE this year. Really Amazing!! 20+

Happy Christmas

2009-12-25T15:02:00.001Z

Wishing you a Happy Christmas where ever you may be.

Doud's Orchard

2009-11-02T14:15:00.006Z

The Roann Covered bridge. It was a bit shaky. The field trip, not the bridge. Kole came home from school on Tuesday with a 102 degree temp. We were planning on traveling to Chicago the next morning for Fall break. Nope! Poor guy, but within 24 hours, the fever was gone an the son was ravenous. Ok, we'll go on a short trip to the orchard and pick pumpkins too.

I'd been to Doud's orchard the previous week with my friend Calla. She's an amazing cook and is very self sustaining when it comes to seasonal food, so we bought apples. I bought 1 small bag of beautiful Honey Crisp apples. They're similar to the Asian Pears. Juicy, crisp, sweet and a little grainy like pears are. Yum! Calla bought bags for sauce, pies, deserts and all sorts of things. I had the bug.

Just because it's so beautiful. Here is one of the trees across the lane from our apartment.

This is our haul. U-Pick pumpkins were 3 for $10. Good deal, plus I had to have my white pumpkin. They're like aliens, very cool and the insides are pale green. With every $12 you spend you get 1/2 a Peck of apples free. Ok, I can't pass up free food and still having most of the delicious apples at home from 4 days ago, I think I may be crazy.

This is inside. They have dozens of varieties that they grow and sort on the premises. Plus little knives around that you can taste the apples before buying. I also bought beautiful apple blossom honey that is produced there as well.

Here are some of the aliens. I bought the one in the center. It's very pretty. I wonder how it will taste when I roast it tomorrow?? We did end up going to Chicago later that day.

Halloween

2009-11-01T19:15:00.007Z

Happy Halloween

We all had a great time, although we weren't in Ireland this year. We usually congregate at the Barry's for an evening of fabulous food, rummaging through their neighborhood for candy and very excited children. We missed them, but had a great time with the Goldsmith's.

2 Gangsters, 1 Grim Reaper, 1 lady bug, 1 kangaroo, 1 gypsy, 1 mad scientist and me as Raggedy Anne. I didn't have the equipment or time to make my own costume, so I went to my mom's and borrowed hers. Stripy socks, bloomer and the whole deal. I love to dress up and the kids love when I make their costumes, so I did theirs.

We had great weather. A little cold, but it is October! Trick or Treat time is from 5:30-7:30. The police and Fire Dept were out with treats and patrolling the streets. I think there is plenty of candy to be had in 2 hours and you don't get kids at the door late into the night.

I did find it interesting that the police dept was couxing children over to their cars with bags of candy. So what was all the about "Not Talking to Strangers??" I love a small town!

Autumn

2009-10-22T01:24:00.005+01:00

It my favorite time of year. The air is cool and the leave are turning. The smell of burning leaves and Halloween is in the air. The first autumn Craft show is starting this weekend.

Some friends from church have an annual hayride. We were invited this year since we're in town. Roy was out of town, so the kids and I took the occasion to go and hang out in the country.

Mostly because I wasn't sure where I was going, we arrived early. Yes, I did know there would be skeet shooting, no, I wasn't planning on participating. But.... When in Rome.... Let the boy try. His father would be proud. Neil was a very good teacher with the older boys. Koleman loved it and decided that hunting was in his future. After asking him what he was planning on doing with the kill, he gave me a blank look. I guess he didn't realize that there might be actual killing involved in hunting. Maybe the shooting range is more to his liking.

I also had a go after several declines. I have nothing against guns in the proper environment, but have never actually held or shot one. 2 shots were enough for me. LOUD!!! Even with the head phones on. Enough!!

October 10th

2009-10-11T20:54:00.000+01:00

My Older Sister Laurie got married this weekend. She married a wonderful man and their very happy. So are we. They've known one another for many years and have spent the last year of so just spending time together and falling in love. They're amazing parents to their 5 grown children and are wonderful examples to them. All the best.

This is my family. My younger sister Jenny is on the left, then mom (3 weeks after knee replacement surgery, Lauren (Laurie's youngest) Jordan kneeling (Laurie's oldest), Laurie, Me and her dearest friend Dena from California.

It was very cold (32 degrees), but sunny. It had rained for the previous few days, so an outdoor wedding on the lake was not certain. It was lovely and Laurie wasn't cold. Adrenalin!

Roy (DH) performed the ceremony for them. It was sweet of them to ask. Roy and Jim have been friends for some time, so he was thrilled.

The next day she ran the Chicago marathon. 26.2 miles! Her first one! She said that she was registered and paid for before the engagement came. You can't train for that and not do it. They're off to Hawaii next week. We all went up to watch and cheer. No, I was not inspired to try it myself. I know my limitations and it's 26.1 to many miles for me. Yes, she did make a veil for her running hat. Easy way to keep track of her amongst 40,000 runners. It was fun.

Rivers and Tides

2009-05-06T13:55:00.003+01:00

Thought this was really cool. There is a Sculpture in Context Exhibit going on at the Botanical Gardens in September. It's brilliant.

In Honor of Spring

2009-05-03T10:33:00.003+01:00

Felt Snails are the safest type. He was fun. I did him at the zoo demo a couple of weeks ago.
Another finger puppet to keep the mice company.

A close-up of the shell. I've also made a ring using the same process. He doesn't like to share!

IFA

2009-03-26T00:01:00.000Z

Well, I'm off to Loch Lomond Scotland for the International Feltmakers Association annual AGM. 4 days of workshops, socializing and seeing the wonder of felt. I'm scheduled for 3 workshops: Art Therapy, Printing on Felt and Shibori (which is meticulous tying, then over dying)
Heading off with 12 ladies from Feltmakers Ireland tomorrow at some wee hour of the morning. Should be great!!

Annette Quentin-Stoll

2009-03-25T09:38:00.005Z

Finally a post.

Feltmakers Ireland has just hosted a marvelous German felt maker. We invited her to come and give 2 two-day work shops. She has recently published an amazing book called The Felted Play. It's a composition of early work from Textile Design school and recent work. Soft toys, play mats for babies, puppets and inverted pleating provide exceptional texture and interest.

She makes unbelievably smooth felt. Very thin and light weight. Amazingly cute and child like. Hidden pockets and folding surprises. It was really a pleasure to learn from her.

This it the mouse finger puppet that I made after coming home from helping all day on Thursday. Plus another brown mouse and of course DD needed to make a pink one with purple ears and tail. The design is very simple, yet very effective. As you can tell, I was impressed!

This is the 1st group with their mats that were made the first day, as well as all the items that were made the second day.

Workshop 2 was animals. We did a small mat the first morning to learn how to insert dimensional pockets, spikes and tubes. This is my camellion. He turned out well. It was very difficult because of it's size. Making and inserting the tail and legs was hard as well. Annette does most of her felting dry in the beginning which makes it tricky to work with initially. I got the eyes and 3 legs done by the end of the first day and took the rest home. I worked until 10:00pm and finally got the body laid out, eyes and legs attached and was ready to do the tail the next morning. I would have never finished if I hadn't done a bit of homework.

This the the group shot of the second workshop. There were 2 seahorses, a mythical animal, spotted chicken, dragon, yak, snail, Very Hungry Caterpillar, elephant, cat and a spotty insect. Everyone had a great time and I'm very happy to have taken the workshop from a talented Felt Maker. Thanks Annette and Sonja!!

Valentine's Day or Keebler Factory?

2009-02-14T10:56:00.009Z

We love baking at our house. Allergies and waistlines prevent us from doing more, but when holidays come... We must bake.
Avery wanted to make up cookies for Valentines Day for her class mates. Might as well do both classes while we're at it. So 2 batches later we have dozens of cookies. DD thought we might ice and decorated each one.
This was Wednesday night. Thursday schedule was jammed with Mom's craft morning at school, Feltmaking with 2nd Class in the afternoon and Family Fun Night to follow. Hardly had time to make dinner and swallow it.

So when time it short, production mode commences. Put the children to work. Decorated 60+ cookies in one shot. 3 colours of icing, bags and tips and off we go.

I think they turned out well and the children seemed to enjoy them. Have a great day whatever you're doing.

Mehmet Girgic - Felt Rug Workshop

2009-01-19T11:46:00.012Z

I've just completed a three day workshop with Mehmet Girgic. Nicola Brown is hosting him for 2 workshops this month. He's a fantastic rug maker from Turkey. Very calm, doesn't lecture, gives as much help as people want. He started by teaching us the Osman method, which starts with making ropes and outlining your design. Then you fill in each section with colour. The same colour choices were given to everyone and I was amazed at the style differences that came out of it. Myself and 9 others took the course.

This is the basic rug base that everyone started out with. You could make them smaller if you wanted by cutting them. It is really a pre-felt of cheesecloth and a light layer of wool. These were provided for us, but it would be interesting to try and make them.

Here is a bit of the outlining. Using tops, you pull off a sliver and roll in on your leg to make a yarn type of material.

Filling in is done by wetting the wool with thick olive oil soap/water and stretching it into the outlined form. It can be difficult in the pointed areas.

This is how far I got by the end of the 1st day. It takes a lot of time to do this.

The final finishing of the corners before laying it out to be rolled.

Huge mats were brought in from Turkey to roll the rugs on. We rolled 4-5 at a time.

One they were rolled up, we rolled them in one direction to tighten the mat down so nothing would shift in the design work. The mat was lifted, turned and rolled to the other end for about 10 minutes.

We then tried to stay behind and on top of the roll. Kicking and stamping for about an hour. Always turning and rolling in the same direction. It makes smooth, dense felt this way. This is Elizabeth Bonnar and Mehmet working on the rugs.

The final rolling with 4 rugs together. It's a lot of work, but well worth it.

Here are all the rugs that were done before we left. Nicola and I were taking pictures. Check out Feltmakers Ireland and Clasheen for more photos and videos on the course.

New Glasses

2009-01-15T09:12:00.003Z

I got new glasses. I find it odd that you have to get used to glasses that are measured for your eyes. Like shoes you have to break in.. " Wear them a week or two and you'll adjust" So I did. I'm sure my sinus headaches came from them. Took them back... "Sorry, we made them too strong" "We'll lower the script" so they did. First two days, I'm back with the headache, but not as much and last night I discovered that my head wasn't hurting at all, except when I went to look for a lost lipstick under the cabinet. Thought my brains were going to pop out from the eye sockets. Won't do that again. That's what kids are for, Right??

Anyway, I like them a lot and think everyone needs more than one pair of glasses. You don't wear the same shirt everyday, so why do it with this. As soon as the "newness" wears off, I'll take the green ones in for an update.

I'm off to County Carlow for a felt rug making workshop for a couple of days. Laundry first.

Off to London

2008-12-03T20:12:00.003Z

Well, I'm off to London tomorrow. Visiting a friend and talking to her sewing club about selling their wears. Funny, I've sold a lot, but not through Etsy. I've learned a great deal in my years with the Feltmakers, so hopefully I'll be able to pass on some information that they can use.

Signs

2008-11-29T14:38:00.004Z

Our first signs that winter is on it's way.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T20:21:00.002Z

Hope everyone has a great day!

Craft Show

2008-11-24T11:04:00.009Z

Tribal Nuno Scarf.

For the past month or so, I've been getting ready for a craft show at the kids school. It's on Sunday the 30th. This week is photographing and pricing things.

SOLD
This scarf is wool/silk with silk strands running in a trellis pattern across the front. I dyed the fibre and silk.

SOLD
Silk ponge with a window pane of wool/silk. Whisper thin.

Mad Retro plaid print silk from the 60's found in a vintage fabric shop in NY years ago. It's a large wrap with orange wool panels to create a nuno felt effect.

SOLD
Hand dyed silk ponge, wool and silk scarf in rust, plum and sand.

Aqua - SOLD
Floral Broaches.

SOLD
Hand dyed wool/silk fibre with silk crepe strips are made into a sheer cobweb scarf.

More fibre that I dyed with a blossom edge.

Bangles galore!

Aqua/Brown - SOLD

Pink/Brown - SOLD

Pink/Green - SOLD
Now the key is selling them! Should be fun and they're really lovely

Halloween Felt

2008-10-31T13:34:00.008Z

I have done a bit of felt over the last few weeks. These are among the seasonal.
Giant Witch hat that was worn last night! Looks really good on.

Nuno Ghost. Layer of muslin and wool over plastic template. Worked on these two at the Zoo demonstration in early October. Kids loved them.

Little pumpkin never got filled with treats, but will also never go bad.
Hope you had a Happy Halloween!

Going, Going, Gone

2008-10-29T18:12:00.003Z

What a suprise! Before delivery to the Knitting and Stitching Show booth that they were intended for, I had sold 6 out of 11 of the dyed fibre. Need to dye some more before Saturday!

Fibre to Dye For

2008-10-27T16:44:00.003Z

Brown Blue Faced Leicester and Silk Mix overdyed with acid dyes.

White and Brown Blue Faced Leicester fibre

More of the white Blue Faced Leicester. Gorgeous fibre to spin and felt with.

Ready for the annual Knitting and Stitching Show this weekend in Dublin.

Halloween at School

2008-10-26T12:57:00.004Z

It's that time of year again. Costumes R' Us.
Time for the costume making to overtake the kitchen table. Several sewing machines, fabric, paint and total mayhem.

This year, after stories of long lost Halloween's of my childhood, the milk carton costume took hold of my son. So, here he is. Mad Cow Milk.

He was well loved by all the children in the yard and became the human bowling pin as the younger children trying to knock him over. No damage, but he was very disappointed that kids would try and ruin his costume after so much hard work. No noticeable damage thankfully as we still have another day to conquer before the recycling bin swallows it up.
Recyclable costume. Got to love that!

Avery decided to be the Japanese Geisha. After a redo of an adult bathrobe and a slim skirt, she was ready. There was no interest in having any makeup on, but somehow that morning I managed to convince her that it would look great and not itch.
Have to say, Utube has great videos of how to do Geisha hair and makeup.

We're all set for later this week.

Tag

2008-10-05T19:13:00.006+01:00

Not the normal blog tags (thankfully) but...

These little lovelies. I love Moo.com Love it, love it. Great packaging and great products.

Extra cute holder for business cards. Coupons inside for my next order!

Great way to advertise or use as hang tags on crafts.

And you can upload up to 100 personal photos in your box of 100 cards. Wow! Now I know they've been around for a while, but I'm just getting around to ordering and getting them. Also took me several days to pick them up from the post office. I think our mail carrier waits until I leave before delivering packages. I'm sure I've seen him hiding out in the neighbors bushes just waiting! Maybe it me he doesn't like. Frightening woman in the red bath robe, hair that looks like tumbleweeds coming to the door. Yikes! Can't say I blame him, I guess!

Oh yeah, I got labels as well. Just cut and stitch. Love them too! They're from GB Name Tapes Ltd. in the UK.

Fruity Pebbles

2008-09-30T09:21:00.003+01:00

A total US breakfast cereal. Sugar coated lumps of processed flour, dyed with technicolor foodstuffs. Yum! Tied into the Flinstone's, Fred and Barnie gobbled it down by the barrel full. Every kid (most) loved it's sugary goodness, so to speak.

Hand dyed boucle that I picked up last time we were in the US. Really pretty. Only took 100 grams to make a good size shawl. Stocking stitch with an increase on both side of the right side rows. Garter stitch on the outside 3 stitches. US size 15 needles. Picot edge to finish it off.

I could say it was a quick knit, but I've been working on it for several months. Pick it up, knit a couple rows, put it away for a few weeks, pick it up again. Felt making, that's my excuse!

Before and After

2008-09-26T18:26:00.007+01:00

Summer 07' we were in the states on holiday. We picked up a lot of stuff along the way that are scarce or really expensive in Ireland. Joann Fabrics has an amazing sale table. Bolts of silk crepe for $4.00 a yard. So what do you do? Buy it all!! Came home with Teal, Aqua, Purple, Hot Pink and the lovely Beige. Feltmakers always need silk for Nuno felt.

Kidding on the Beige. It reminds me of my first real pantyhose that I got when I was in Jr. High School. I was a real grown up. Suntan pantyhose. Ok, Nobody has a suntan that colour. But, in the case of silk, you can dye it!

Broke out the Food colouring. Cochineal, drop of Red and a bit of Blue. It's actually a deeper shade than the photo, but it's really pretty. I may overdye it again in blue. The Wensleydale roving or top felted in beautifully and really crinkles up. I didn't shrink in the length, so it about 2 yards long. Looking forward to a little cooler weather to wear it around my neck.

To Market, To Market

2008-09-25T09:37:00.008+01:00

Not to my market (Etsy), but to Diane. She's teaching a drop Spinning class in October in Galway for the Knitters Retreat. 50 grams each of Blue Faced Leicester fibre. This is gorgeous to spin and silky to felt. Anyway, off it went yesterday to 16 lucky spinners. Have fun.

New Love

2008-09-18T20:56:00.003+01:00

I find I'm really partial to certain colours. I can't remember ever liking pastels except when I lived in California and had a perpetual tan. Haven't had that for... Ok, more than I can remember.

Early in the summer, I found a pair of Plum sudo Burky type shoe. Very feminine with thin mauve elastic straps that cross over the top of the shoe. Cute!! High on the Squeal factor! Anyway, need something to wear with it. Got some fabric and made a jacket, shirt and skirt of a cool funky cotton/Lycra print. Again, not drawn to mauve, country pink, yuck!!

Yeah, well now I have a small wardrobe of mauve, dusty, faded type of colour mauve. Of course you need a hat for weddings, so I got out the white merino/silk fibre and the (what was I thinking 4 years ago) silk package of dusty mauves, grays, blues and made a hat.

Love the hat. Have worn it many times. Have had 2 woman offer to buy it off my head. Hate to see the hair underneath it! No, I really love my hat. And bracelet. And necklace. Oh well, you need accessories to go with shoes! Right?

They Grow So Fast

2008-08-25T20:02:00.009+01:00

I had the best intentions. I even made them on time. I just thought we'd get together before he outgrew them. Didn't happen!! Schedules, new baby, family, distance. There was even an occasion where I could have, but something else was scheduled that day. Schedules, new baby, family.... They really are pretty. Varigated browns and rust with silk that I mixed over the top. Shame.

Anyway, these are the Toddler Boots that were made to replace the Newborn Boots. They may be primary school boots, but at least he hasn't grown out of them yet. Yes, they have been passed to Sharon and son.

They're felted from Blue Faced Leicester fibre that I dyed in several shades of blues, aqua and green. The little tie is a colour called Petrol and the blanket stitch was a multi coloured floss in drab greens and blues. Really works well with the boots.

Hope they keep him warm this winter.

Felt Bangles

2008-08-24T12:22:00.010+01:00

Most of these are Nuno Felted. Can't get the colours right yet. Hopefully I'll be getting a new camera with high resolution that will help with that. Anyway, merino wool and silk plus some beads.

Some are double wrap, some are triple wrap. I'll put some of them up on Etsy after this weekend.

Birthday Ring

2008-08-17T07:00:00.001+01:00

Here's a little ring I made for my niece who just turned 17. Swarovski Crystals and seed beads strung on jewelry elastic. Have to say, it's harder than it looks to get a tight ring, but I really think it's pretty in the light.

Happy Birthday Lauren

Noro Hat II

2008-08-16T18:31:00.007+01:00

A bit of Christmas Knitting. Yes, I'm at it again. All but 1 of the pressies are done and sent to the US for Christmas. Insane??? Maybe, but I plan ahead. I'm also nearly done with the immediate family as well.

It helps me enjoy the holidays when I'm not pressed.

This is another of the Noro Hats. Same pattern, but not the stripey yarn. I like the citrus greens, blues, aquas and purples. I'm pretty sure the recipient doesn't read the blog, so it may be safe.

I also love the pointy top. I didn't do it on the last one, but this one followed the pattern.

Resin

2008-08-09T15:29:00.003+01:00

It all starts somewhere. I bought a ring off ETSY. (curse you etsy!!) From there, it went through the warping of my mind. "Hey, I could do that!" Heard that before.

Well, the Internet is a handy thing and since my parents were already coming to visit and this stuff is relatively small....

Here you go.

I used a product called EasyCast. I'm very happy with the results. I knew that paper making session would come in handy at some point!

So these are the things in the new SHOP!

These are the rings I'm just made about. The purple on is Fab, but has a small bit of resin on the side, so I didn't put it in. Guess I'll have to wear it : )

I HAVE AN ETSY SHOP!!! finally...

2008-08-09T15:24:00.002+01:00

Well, I went and finally put something into the shop front that I've have for months. YIKES!! No pressure to restock or anything. Here's the link.

Scotland - Day 5

2008-07-30T09:39:00.006+01:00

Ok. This is it.

First stop. St. Mungo Church or Kirk.

There is a museum of Religious Artifacts and Life which was very interesting. Several Belief Systems were included that I didn't know much about. I always find it helpful to have a bit of background on beliefs when talking to people. The last thing you want to do is offend someone.

I did that one time. Killed a spider in front of a Buddhist friend. He was horrified! Sorry. Didn't know.

I found it amusing that St. Mungo was a stanch Christian and the J.K. Rowling name the witch and widard hospital St. Mungo in her books. Funny. To me at least.

This was a cool miniature map of the Kirk and surrounding areas. Love the copper patina that has built up over the years.

The Museum of Transportation. Since my father collects Petroliana (Gas Station stuff), we decided it would be a good one to go into.

Loved this motorcycle with double side car. I'd use this! Me and the Kiddies snug inside. Room for groceries in the back. Roy driving through the pounding rain. That's what I meant by I'd use that!

This one is for my sister in light of her recent purchase.

This is my ultimate car. I love the Citroen Dolly. I have to say, that if I could have any car in the world, it would be this. Don't ask me why, but I love it. It would have to be two tone though. If I could had any car in the world.

It faintly reminds me of my VW Bug that I had for 18 Years. First car after graduating for High School. I loved that car too.

The ultimate Petroliana Collectible. Might have been Dad's favorite bit in the museum.

Rows of trams. Really cool. Would have love to ride these instead of the Dublin Bus!

Scotland - Day 4

2008-07-30T09:25:00.006+01:00

Nearly done.

Day 4 and 5 were spent on the Glasgow bus tour. Gorgeous weather both days.

This building is in the George Square in the centre of the city.

DD was in charge of the camera for the most part on the tour. She takes great pictures for the most part. Above my average.

Got a late morning start and did the complete tour first. We then went to the Botanical Gardens since it was such a nice day.

Museum

The Armadillo Performing Arts Centre.

Scotland - Day 2-3

2008-07-28T20:58:00.011+01:00

Day 2 - we hired a car and drove up through the Highlands. The scenery was amazing. So weird! Most of the mountains were green, but no trees, just a mossy shrubs.

The weather changed as we drove. Rain, fog, sun, but all in all, the weather was on our side.

We went to Fort William to ride the old steam train on the Harry Potter route. Really a great trip and the train was cool. It took us out to Skye and back. About a 4 hour trip total.

After the train we drove up to Inverness along Lockness. Gorgeous windy drive canopied by trees with castle ruins along the way.

The next morning we drove back down to poke around in Lockness to see the illusive beast. No Joy there, but we did find cute little cafes and the staircase lock system that was transporting boats upstream. Really ingenious.

Lovely Angus Highland steer

Stopped by the Rare Breed Croft (farm).
I got a bit of Hebridean Sheep fleece. Black, not brown, black. The owner said she just composted it because there was no use for it. YIKES!! She said she would be more than happy to send me some : )

Unicorn Elvis. I thought these were mythical creatures. Who knew??

Mr. Angus

Lockness itself.

Mr. and Mrs. Baggy Pipes

Lovely views on the way back to Glasgow. People were out in hoards walking and climbing the river and cliffs. Looked like fun.

Scotland - Day 1

2008-07-27T10:46:00.004+01:00

Get ready to be killed with pictures. Better than me narrating!

Tall Ship - Day 1

The last of only 5 Clydebuilt sailing vessels still afloat in the world available for restoration, the Glenlee launched in December 1896. She represents the final development of the cargo carrying sailing ship after 5,000 years of sail.

Looking up to the crows nest. Wouldn't want that job!

Mom and Dad working together over rough waters!

Nice iron gate leading to the ship.

Why did we have children?? Put them to work!! AAARRRR!!!

This was the underside of a ship. Loved the colours and distressed look of it.

Feltmaking at the Zoo

2008-07-26T22:21:00.003+01:00

Wow, it really hard for me to blog in chronological order these day. Before we went to Scotland, I did a feltmaking workshop at the zoo. The kids were at the zoo all week for camp. They did many activities and art projects. Thursday is felt this month.

Kids range in age groups of 5-7 and 9-13. We had 25 in the morning with the younger groups and 25 in the afternoon with the older. Quite a group. Eleanore and I wrangled those kids and taught them how to make a beautiful work of art.

We decided to use batts (large sheets of carded wool) as the base and let them decorated with wool yarn and pieces of pre-felted wool. The did great work and were very open to having clean hands. It is a great craft for kids to learn and easy to clean up with large groups.

I did a couple of samples for them to see the variety of what they could do if they wanted. I have to say, the boys are much better felt makers than the girls. More power and energy to burn makes good friction.

Back for more punishment next week!

50 Years

2008-07-25T11:15:00.003+01:00

Wow, 50 years of marriage. Today is my parents 50th Wedding anniversary. Amazing life together they've had. Several moves around the country, 3 wonderful daughters, 8 gorgeous grandchildren and many lifelong friends. Congratulations to Mom and Dad.

This is a little sneak peak of something that I made for them. They will get it later when they return home to the US.

Close up of some stitching, embroidery and layers of silk and organza. The muslin was painted with acrylic paints and the picture was printed on fabric in the copy machine. I set it with an iron afterwards.

Guess my textile class paid off!

Anita Larkin Workshop

2008-07-24T10:00:00.004+01:00

Anita Larkin is an amazing artist. She works in all mediums as a sculptor. What a treat to have her email us to see if we'd like to have a workshop while she and her husband were visiting Ireland.

We had never heard of her and were very curious. Imagine our surprise to find fantastic things made in felt! YES! Please come teach us.

She's lovely and so is her family. We met in the Dublin Botanical Gardens for lunch and had a great time getting to know her.

Fantastic neck pieces!

The technique is truly inspiring and the felt is amazingly dense without being really heavy.

Nothing like hers, but we started out with basics. Felt Balls - morphed into any shape you want.

Ropes - another amazingly fast technique for making ropes fast with all sorts of attachment applies in the process.

Wire in coils. How to make them so the wire doesn't come out the one end after the felting.

This is my wire coil. I decided I liked the lumpy bits in, so I stopped felting the centre and ended up with "The Small Intestine". It still needs shaped around the neck.

Felting around objects. I done this before, but the way she taught things really made sense. Wrap the object in bubble wrap, felt for a bit, cut a hole, remove the plastic and continue felting. It makes really hard, dense felt.

Really great workshop, excellent time with the ladies and a very inspiring tutor!

Off To Scotland

2008-07-16T22:15:00.002+01:00

Well, not really today, but tomorrow evening, Myself, DH, DS, DD, DM and DF are all off to Scotland. That is after doing a childrens Felt Making workshop at the zoo!! We'll be back in 5 days and will get to ride this!! It's the Harry Potter Train!! Yippie!!

Group Project

2008-07-06T10:27:00.006+01:00

This project was done as a memorial to one of our members that passed away last year from Breast Cancer. Her husband donated all of the fibre and fabric to the Feltmakers Ireland Guild. We decided to do a piece to donate to the hospice that she was in for a time.

Feltmakers Ireland has done many group projects in it's time. Members also do them on their own with schools, hospitals, special needs facilities and others that request it. It really is enjoyable and each session is widely varied.

Dympna was an amazing felt maker, embroiderer, florist and many other creative elements. Plus her personality was sparkling. Humor was her constant companion. Lovely to know, for some, and lovely to get to know through this project.

As a group we met 3 times over the last 6 months and sorted through ideas for the project. Quite the task. 15 women, lots of ideas. We decided to have a design team to coordinate theme, size and style. Yikes!! There are so many directions that we could go.

On the last Saturday we met together, things really came together. We decided at one point to do 2 pieces. One for her family and a larger one for the hospice.

The black background is the larger piece by far. It's about the size of a tall door. 7 foot maybe.

This is the initial layout for the white one. Dypmna loved hearts and flowers. We'd made tons of pre felt pieces. These were all cut into hearts and the flower pre felts were used as is. There was still lots left over. We didn't start the white piece that day, but the black was nearly finished.

This is our last Wednesday session. I decided that it would be a great opportunity for some of the ladies that didn't participate in the other sessions to get an idea of what is involved in a group project. We ended up covering the entire surface with a fine web of silk.

It really brought the whole thing together.

Elderflower Cordial

2008-06-22T12:32:00.010+01:00

It may be a bit late in the season, but I have just finished a batch of Elderflower Cordial. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's something like a lemon-aid concentrate. With a touch of floral to it. It's really lovely. We just happen to have a huge bush dangling over our fence. My theory is, if it's over the fence, it's free game.

We hoisted DH up on the ladder with the grass clippers and got to it. The night before there was a lot of rain and wind. Little white flowers all over the garden. What was left was the ones that were still good.

Make sure you properly identify the flowers. There are a lot of tiny white flowers in bloom at the moment. The internet shows close up shots of them.

Here is the recipe:

*3 liters of water
*65 grams of Citric Acid
*25-30 Elderflower Blossoms
*900 grams of Sugar
*Zest of 1 large lemon and orange - save the fruit

*Combine water and sugar
*Heat to dissolve and cool until just warm
*Add zest and citric acid
*Cut fruit into chunks and add
*Add blossoms and push down to cover

*Cover and let sit for 24-48 hours.
*Strain through muslin or cheesecloth to remove bugs and bits.
*Pour into sterilized bottles. Since it is a concentrate, dilute 1/4 cordial to 3/4 water or club soda. Adjust the citrus to your taste.

Enjoy, it doesn't have a long shelf life, but can easily be frozen.

Saying Goodbye for Now

2008-06-13T22:31:00.000+01:00

Friday, we said goodbye to Cheryl and family. It was a lovely day on Thursday as the kids and I went up to the Bell House for the final time. It's a beautiful place, but what makes it that way is the family that lived there. Everything around us is ever changing, but this family has really impacted and changed our lives.

They will be missed until we meet again next summer.

Happy Trails and we love you.

Baking, Cooking, IKEA, Oh My!

2008-05-12T18:50:00.006+01:00

It's been really busy most days. We've been off with the kids on their extended mid-term sort of break. They really just took the days from the February break and added them onto the May break, thinking that the weather would be nicer and so it has been.

We've had gloriously warm, sunny days for May. Upper 50's and low 60's. Some how, it just seems and feels a lot warmer than that. Maybe I'm getting use to the cooler weather.

Anyway, DH had a birthday and the cake requested was the traditional Coconut Creme Pie. The "Queen of Pies" is what my father has called it and so the name has come to live at our house as well.

Coconut custard with piped creme and toasted coconut pieces on top. There was a bit left over, so I fulled the the little cups as well.

Tamales. In honor of Cinco De Mayo on the 5th of May, I made sweet corn tamales. I make them every so often. Not as hard as I remember. Of course I didn't tie the ends into cute little tassels like last time. Just folded all the sides in and there you have it.

Great for our Gluten Free kiddies. Corn meal, sweet corn, cheddar cheese and some sweet red pepper. Blend, heat and put into corn husks and steam.

Yes, that's right. Recycled corn husks. Of course, mine were lovingly brought for the local Hispanic grocery store to Ireland on the last visit of my parents. I'm really surprised they weren't confiscated, but happy they weren't.

Here is a close up of the bundles after they've come out of the steamer.

OH YEAH!!!

Went up to Belfast to take the kids to the W5 Children's Museum. Had a great time. We were nearly the only ones there. Occasionally there was a small creche worth of school children that would arrive in uniform and then leave shortly there after. We managed to ditch them most of the time. Whew!

Pulling into the parking lot, we notice the fuel tank was beyond low. We had just put in some petrol in the last town. Not to freak out, we were optimistic that there wasn't a hole in the tank. We went on the hunt for the closest petrol station. Following the directions given by the guy at the museum, we promptly got lost and ended up going in the wrong direction. By the time we found the next station and could actually get off the motorway, the was IKEA glowing in the distance. It was like a mirage. STUFF MART, here we come!! After the petrol, of course. We had a good time as well. The children loved all the rooms and shortcuts. We loved the prices and brought a few things home. I do mean a few!! Nothing crazy, like a new kitchen for the rental house. Anyway. We would love to go back.

Funny thing was, we were going to ask for directions at the petrol station on how to get there. Ha! No need!

Avondale Weekend

2008-05-07T12:11:00.013+01:00

A few women from Feltmakers Ireland arranged a long weekend away in Avondale. It's in the beautiful Wicklow Mountains. Chilly and misty for most of the 4 days,
but we weren't necessarily there for the mountain air.

We were there to make felt. Nothing organized, just make whatever comes to mind. Some had things planned. I didn't. Mostly because of the hectic schedule we've had at home. I did want to do something in Nuno felt, maybe a jacket for DD. I think I brought nearly everything I had. Poor Sheila. It's a good thing there is plenty of room in the boot of her car. Nearly stuffed it full!

This is what I came home with. We did flowers for the Bloom Festival in May and June, Nuno buttons or beads, booties for a friends baby boy and mostly samples. I did so many samples, I decided to not to even start the jacket.

I got to thinking about all the bits of fibre that the ladies were discarding or not using after their projects were made. I began to gather them up in a shoe box that was by the drum carder. It's amazing how much gets stuck to the floor and carder. Enough for 2 bats of lovely mixed fibre. If you've never seen Pluckyfluff, head on over to see her amazing mixed bats.

So pleased was I with the junk bats, I made some mixed bats of merino, silk and ribbon cuts for the jacket for DD. I have pink and lavender silk fabric that I can use with it.

We did manage to get at least 1 walk in each day. You can only felt so long before you need a break. This was a really cool Eucalyptus tree. I love the smooth bark and the way it has twisted over time. There was a whole grove of them near the beginning of the hiking trail. The smell of the pods as they were crushed under our feet, reminded me of the street in Southern California where my Grandmother lived. The streets were lined with them. As high as you could see.

The damp forest was a perfect place for the trees to be covered in moss. It's like shag carpet. Vintage 60's - 70's plush.

We had a great weekend and the ladies made amazing things. The best part was just being able to hang out for hours and days on end. Great time!

Textile Class

2008-04-22T12:59:00.013+01:00

Well after 10 weeks of taking a textile embellishment course, it's done. Had a great time and met some lovely ladies. Here is a tour. Heavy on the pics. The first week we painted canvas for the backgrounds of all of the work that we'd be doing. We had excellent tutors from all different backgrounds.

Eleanor -
Water soluble paper, stitched on the machine using a free form embroidery foot or removed completely if you don't have one. I didn't.

Anne -
Synthetic burning. layers of synthetic chiffon, ribbons, adhesive and anything else you'd like. Heated with an embossing gun. Really cool and really stinky. Lots of ventilation.

Eleanor -
Silk paper. Silk fibre, cellulose or wallpaper paste laid out on net. Very versatile stuff and lovely.

Debbie -
Basic embroidery. Big challenge for me. I'm not a stitcher, but I did learn plenty.

Debbie -
Open work canvas. I HATE THIS STUFF! Don't feel offended. I never did needle point and didn't last at cross stitch very long. I'm glad I tried it and will probably never do it again unless it's a form of punishment. Does my head in.

Mary -
Patchwork or Crazy quilting. Very fun. I at one point in my 20's made a velvet coat with the collar and cuffs out of silk ties. I still love it. Brought back fond memories of my grandmother and the beautiful crazy quilts she would make.

Colleen -
Free form embroidery. Fun stuff. Layering fabrics and stitching them down in no particular order.

Elizabeth -
Nuno felt. Well, no need to go on. I'm a felter, so it was pure bliss.

Mary -
Book making. Amazing binding and stitching techniques for finishing off our books either in hard or soft covers.

Really great class. Now back to knitting on Tuesdays!

Birthday Boy

2008-03-24T15:06:00.010Z

Today is the birthday of the eldest child. The ever present smile (mostly) and willingness to make people happy are some of the many qualities that make our son a joy. He's just a lovely boy.

He also happens to be very allergic to a whole host of things that normal people take for granted. Wheat, eggs, peanuts, etc... Can make baking birthday cakes a challenge.

So we've become used to cooking for him. Fortunately, child number 2 came along with similar allergies, so no one feels left out. I was more than surprised when he said he wanted something chocolate cake for the big day. He normally doesn't like desert. More of a salty guy. Much like the momma. Hmmm.... How about Chocolate Cheese cake? He was in agreement with that. Surprise!

Started out with the chocolate gluten free biscuits. Scraped the fatty faux cream for the inside and smashed them to bits. Added some melted butter to hold it together and press into a spring form pan. Chill.

Next melt chocolate and a bit of gelatin to mix in with the whipped cream cheese and powdered sugar. Combined all the ingredients and spred into the chilled shell.

Sprinkle mini semi sweet chocolate chips in for interest.

Whip double cream until almost done, add more powdered sugar and cocoa. Spread that on the next layer. Chill for a bit, although you could serve it then.

It was very good and a wonderful day was had by all. At the park now, then back for a belated egg hunt. Hopefully it will stay partly sunny!

Happy Easter

2008-03-22T14:39:00.003Z

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Hoping your day brings you meaning from the original day.

Wild and Wooly

2008-03-22T13:49:00.007Z

Things have been amazingly busy in my world. Mostly Felt making things. Not much to show as it was a lot of teaching and large group projects.

Last week I did a mini workshop with the children in my daughters class at school. 24 kiddies aged in the 7-8 year old bracket. They are studying fabrics and textures. DD's teacher has noticed her sporting lots of felt and knitted things in school and asked if I would be willing to teach them how.

I agreed and with a month to prepare, I left it until the last week or so. Most of the fibre was donated from junk stuff that was nearly felted from being in the bottom of a bag. Almost unusable... Almost. One run through the drum carder and we have soft fluffy bats that are ready to use. After consideration of what type of project to do in 80 minutes time, I asked the teacher what her thoughts were on it. Large piece to keep at school or small individuals to take home. She opted for the take home things. It's hard to keep something hanging around after the children have moved on to the next grade. Wise choice.

I made things simple. Foam rollers, Bubble wrap all the same size, approx. 8x8 piece of fibre chosen for them by my glamorous assistant Sheila, bits of yarn and coloured fibre for each table to share and 1 large milk jug per table with warm soapy water. Seemed well planned with minimal room for spatting. You never know, but I was amazed how well they shared the assortment of fibre.

I did a brief demo, making them count as I rolled each side 50 times. Get them involved 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. While rolling, I gave them the history of Felt, asking questions all along about what types of things could be made from wool. The answers are hysterically funny! Love that age! Roll on. Now it was their turn and with minimal repeating we set to work. You could hear the counting!

Periodically we would take a break to check the work and move on to the next step. Squishing the prefelted pieces, quickens the process and gets their grubby hands really clean. Love that!
Then the rinse and very pleased faces! I was astounded at the great work they did and the artistic designs that were created.

We all had a really fun time and a big thanks to Sheila, DD's teacher and class helper. Good to have extra hands to guide each table.

Jade and Pearls

2008-02-25T09:37:00.006Z

I'm a sucker for fresh water pearls. But put them with yellowy-greeny jade and I'm done for. The supplies are from everywhere. Jade disks are from Potomac Bead Company in Virgina, the pearls and cool copper flower bead cups are from Beads and Bling in Dublin, copper ear wires are Wal-Mart and wrapping wire comes from Canal Bead Shop in Winona Lake. They are yummy!!

I did a long lariat necklace with the same things including the brown stone disks, a few crystals, clear glass beads and the celadon squares that I used in the crocheted necklace I made during the summer. It's about 40 inches long, so it wraps around several times.

I really need to get a good book on stone identification! I
used to think I'd remember what they were, but then the shape, colours, combinations, possibilities and time got in the way. Wishful thinking.

Falling off the Wagon

2008-02-22T15:01:00.005Z

As of the first of the year, I started my yarn diet again. Last year was very good and I only bought a few balls of yarn. Mostly for felt projects. Although I've done a lot of knitting, I really haven't made a dent in the stash. Redo!

Ah, the Avoca Sale! For those who don't reside in Ireland, Avoca Handweaver's started as a weaving mill, down in the Vale of Avoca. Bet you'd never have guessed that by the company name! Television show Ballykiss Angel was filmed there. Apparently it looks exactly the same. I never watch the show, but those who have can attest to the likeness.

Back to the sale.

Every year, around Valentines Day, they start a Yarn and Fabric sale. Cones of yarn, mostly weaving sorts, but cones of lovely yarn that is from the past weaving season or two.
Fabric, nothing much to talk about in years past. Mostly, very plaidy plaids. They're know for them. Nice Sunday suit for the Misses or a day out with the ladies for Gran kind of plaid.

This year was a whole new kettle of fish. I did some damage, but I have to say. At 5 euro a meter, you can't go wrong. I don't think you can buy interfacing for that. Oops, what's that sneaking out from under that lovely celery green voile? Oh yeah, I bought some yarn. A kilo or two of steel blue chenille.

This has been calling my name for several years in the store. They've been using this thick and thin in woven scarves and blankets. There is possibly 2 kilos of this and I've seen a couple of Louisa Harding patterns that would work great.

It Orange!

This is the haul. Above is the plum linen with a metalic shimmer to it (9 euro for 6 meters!!!), stripey tan and chocolate, tan linen, embroidered dark brown tweed, lovely celery voile (3 meters for 5 euro!!) washed grey-blue linen, cream linen and a lovely citrus green mohair with ribbons and silky yarn running through. I'm making a lap blanket or throw for the couch. Don't know what, but it was really good value.

So, minimal damage with yarn, but good value and lots of clothes worth of fabric. And it only took two personal trips and one personal shopper via friend going down again to pick up something I forgot to buy along with all her stuff trip.

Create As You Go

2008-02-16T15:39:00.003Z

Knitted from the stash from Summer 2005. I picked up the brushed alpaca for a sweater. After several years in Ireland, I've noticed that my skin colour can at time be close to the same celery shade of the yarn. Lack of sun does that. I used to have a fair bit of tan year round in the US. Even in the sub-zero temps of winter.

After some consideration, I decided to divide the yarn and knit things that wouldn't drain my complexion all the more. To bad, because this stuff is next to the skin soft and fluffy. Yum!

They started out as wrist warmers or fingerless gloves. I started with the rib back at the wrist and did the garter stitch on the rest. Fitting it as I went along. They were knit flat and seamed up the side leaving a whole for the thumb.

My hands are always cold and mostly it's my fingers. Why make fingerless gloves and leave exposed the coldest part? Mittens!

This is the rib from the back side.

I went and bought an assortment of shell buttons and used a good quantity from the button stash as well. Used green thread to sew them down and am pleased with the over all design. Pretty basic, but the green is a winner for me.

After wearing them today, they just seemed a bit baggy, so I may knit them again on smaller needles instead of threading elastic through the back. I may put it off to the summer. It has been sunny for the last couple of days. You never know, I may not need mittens soon!

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T00:01:00.002Z

Hope everyone has a lovely day! We had this waiting for us this morning from DD. She was busy at school yesterday. I love it!

Earings to Match

2008-02-12T08:55:00.000Z

Over the weekend I did some beading. Trying to catch up with some of the jewelry that I have, but need additions or things that are starting to pile up. What I don't want to do is to start stock piling. Don't want to have to do a bead diet in a few years. I also find that I buy beads with a specific project in mind (most of the time) and then loose the inspiration after a while.

Narration aside. The lovely pearl necklace that I got for my birthday needed ear rings, so into the stash I went and found powder blue potato pearl, silver beads and a larger aqua bead. The are very similar. I'm fond of the cluster stacking with pearls or anything else, now that I think about it. I like jewelry with dimension. Good thing I am learning to make my own.

Over the summer, when I first got into this, I found a great little shop for beads and jewelry. Little did I know how great it was and the extent of the products that were packed inside of a small space. Lucky residence of Winona Lake!

These are cinnabar tubes, beads and flowers. Real Copper ear wires irritate my ears so I opted for the faux. I did use the original wires for the beads and the main body of the ear ring. The oxidizing process is really cool. Found a website that give directions for doing a non chemical process. You have to use urine... Where shall I get that much? Start drinking water... Lots of water. Press on, Next topic. Well I don't have one for today, but never the less, Move on.

Bit of Colour

2008-02-11T10:38:00.001Z

I did some dyeing on the Blue Face Leicester from the stash. Have several pounds of it from Craftspun Yarns. It's gorgeous. Spins and felts like a dream. It also takes up dye really well.
I recently sold the Duck Egg / Lavender felt hat that a friend ordered from me. Good -bye lovely hat...

It was also the last of the blue/green fibre that I had left. Love that colour! Anyway, after searching the internet for the perfect replacement, I was unsuccessful. Hey, I'll dye my own. I have lots of wool just waiting to be transformed into something lovely.

The Acid Green was the first attempt. Not sure what I was thinking, but maybe went a bit to hard on the chartreuse?? Didn't add enough blue. I don't have any plans for it yet, but the colour is bright enough to use as a beacon if the power fails.

Second attempt came out just as planned. Variegated a bit, but that's how I was hoping it would go when I did stripes in the dye pan. Gives a deeper effect when it's felted without the many varieties of colour.

Red, Orange and Yellow again. Went a bit light on the red. Meant to match a red hat. I may sew in bits of red felt along the way. I have to say... I hate Navajo Plying! I haven't done it that much and that may be part of it, but it really gets away from you quickly and becomes an uneven mass of curly Q's. Plus I think it really wastes yardage. It's probably the way I do it. Hack job, this one.

Fat Baby Booties

2008-02-09T11:58:00.000Z

Our next door neighbor just had a baby girl. What to make? Felt a baby hat or booties? Knit a cardi or hat? Hmmm??

Cheryl had mentioned that she was going to knit a pair of fulled baby booties. I thought they sounded really cute.

Little did I know that they came from Interweave Felt magazine that I had picked up this summer. So last Saturday, I went to knitting in the city all prepared to start knitting and Cheryl had finished hers and brought them along . I was very inspired.

These are my choices. Lopi, spare bit of pink Manos and a lovely novelty yarn I picked up at Loop, on a trip to London a couple years ago. Should be pretty and girly. I'll embroider a daisy on the front and put a little button or something on it.

This is a pic from the magazine of the back of the boots. Pretty simple I think. Buttons and elastic shouldn't be to tough to find. HA!

Knit One, Crochet Two is the maker of this yarn. Close up shot! Pretty fine, lumps of colour and sparkley throughout. Says "Dry Clean Only" It's only trim and with the pink, it shouldn't matter. Right???

Here they are. Notice anything different??? Love the Lavender, Celery and the tiniest hint of Pink. Isn't the daisy on the toe cute? Old Manos was never meant to be washed. It was used for knitting. The 1980's were not for felters or fullers. So, it's always a gamble as to what will come out of the washer on this. The other, well, apparently it's not colour fast as well, but, I have to say, I really got lucky and love the colours that surprised me.

These things are so hairy!! Hard to get a good photo of them. The lens keeps moving, trying to focus on what? Fuzz! I've already trimmed them once and will have to do it again after I brush them. It's like having a really hairy pet. The Lopi always does that with fulling though. Sasquatch... That's all I can think of.

This is the improvising that I did. White elastic was too white. Black, well... Black and colours are non existent. I was laying in bed not sleeping, so I was thinking of how to fasten them off in the back. SKINNY HAIR ELASTICS!! They come in LOTS of colours. I've been picking them up off the floor of my DD room for years! Cheap too! 1.50 euro for about 10 skinny ones, plus you get the fat ones to give to the DD. More bits to pick up.

So this is how the back looks with the new adaptation. I like it. The gold goes so well with the pink, yellow and orange yarn. Don't you think??

Opted to use buttons from the stash. I have a tendency to cut buttons off of things that I'm getting rid of, if they're nice. I usually recycle the fabric into craft bits and use the buttons to decorated my craft area, now that I have one. They use to go into jars until they were needed. So, I don't remember what this came off of, but I had 4. Perfect.

Noro Hat

2008-01-28T14:07:00.000Z

I got 2 balls of Noro yarn for my birthday. What to do with 2 balls??? I'm not on Ravelry, so I don't have the unlimited resources for finding out what others have done with it. I also have no idea how I came across this pattern, but while surfing one night... There it was. I can't even tell you who's blog the link came from. Thanks whoever it was.

Noro and I have a fickle relationship. Some things I've seen knit from it are fab. A couple of girls at Tuesday knitting group have knit lovely things from it. I've also seen things that didn't do anything for me. Another great reason to have many yarns to pick from.

I wasn't sure about the colour combo on this. Loved the burgundy, lime, chartreuse and olive. Wasn't wild about the peach. Luckily, there was only one repeat of this per ball.

Here is an up close of the ridges. I really like the way they don't pull out when you put it on. They stay nice and bumpy. Like rows of soil after the tiller has come through just before planting. Great texture.

Here is the little topper that is a simple I-Cord. I always need a "little something" to add onto hats to make them my own. 4 Stitches, about a meter long and the looped and sewed between layers. I didn't make quite as many rows as the pattern said. Didn't want the pointy part at the top, even though I like it. DD had it on, heading out to school this morning. Had to give that a stop. I haven't really broken it in yet. She opted for the purple felt again. Glad she has options.

Silk Wrap

2008-01-25T17:39:00.001Z

This was the other project for Silk Day.

I started thinking... How can you present silk without it turning into Nuno Felt? Hard. Other than using silk fibre, which I did, how and what else can be used? I gave in. I needed another scarf or wrap like a hole in the head, but I had received this lovely piece of silk fabric from a friend that went to China. Ok, I'll use it!

I'm pleased with the result. It really puffs up around the back of the neck and pulls in close under the chin. Goes with more than I thought!

I also picked up some 100% Silk Yarn from Debbie Bliss. Very pricey, but for what I was using it for, it was alright. The colours options were Baby Pink, Baby Blue and Pale Yellow. None would be my preference, but while I'm branching out, I'll do a pastel colour range as well.

The silk fibre is awesome! Again, pastel, but Gorgeous pastel! Butter yellows, shell pinks, shimmery silvery slate and then the blends! It's like the inside of an abalone shell. You could seriously roll around in this stuff! Ok, enough!

This is the basic layout. Minimal wool fibre. I wanted to really pull it in on either end. I layed out the yarn and strands of the silk fibre for colour variation, then pulled invisible wisps of wool out to secure them all to the fabric.

At the bottom edge of the photo, you can see where the wool will pull the straight lines of silk yarn in. The wool is layed in one direction so that it will only shrink across.

This is the result. It shrank in by at least 50%. It is amazing what happens when you place the fibre in a precise direction. Really cool!

Dyeing Cocoons

2008-01-23T09:32:00.001Z

Did a bit more dyeing for the silk day. Food colouring, cake colour, vinegar and cocoons.

Soak cocoons for several hours if you have the time. Not necessary though. With the boiling, they get soft.

Add vinegar to the microwave safe bowl. A Tablespoon or good glug will do. The more vinegar, the faster the colour will take up into the cocoons.

I try and do everything in the same container. Less washing.

Add enough water to cover cocoons if they were to sink. A couple of inches or 5 centimeters.

Decide on the colours you want, mix if necessary and add directly onto the wet cocoons. You can get multi colours by dyeing half and then rinsing and do the same again turning them over.

Microwave on high for 3 minutes, let stand for 2-3 minutes. Repeat. You should have good saturation at this point. Make sure you turn them over part way through if you want an even coverage. They will be soft when done, but will go back to very hard once they dry.

Silk and Hats

2008-01-18T22:47:00.002Z

Wednesday was our monthly Feltmakers Drop-In Session at the library. Sometimes we have one of the ladies do a demo, but this month it was my turn. Not that I mind. It gives me motivation to do things I normally wouldn't.

Felt and I have a weird relationship. I like to design and plan things out ahead of time. Even it it just a little. Get the supplies ready and begin. Like cooking... What if you don't have quite the right decorative item? Who wants to go to all the trouble of laying fibre out when you can't finish.
Well I think the hats may have helped me along
to changing my process a little. I found I love
the freedom of just throwing colour down. Not having enough to make a complete hat, I had to use others. Could be good.

I used an old template I had from making a beret and extented the round bit at the bottom. Enough to fold up. Made that another colour as well.

Silk Carrier Rods an
d a white silk hankie was put on the front before the felting process was started. Helps the wool to grab onto the silk if it's done in the beginning.

I was pleased with the results. So was my friend Deirdre. She came in and ordered the one below. Same Duck Egg blue, but with lavendar for the trim. I added a bit of purple into the front to keep the design complete. Don't like the look of things that are just patched on without a reason. Needs to have a purpose. I'm amazed at how different the blue looks with the lavendar and the green.

This is demo piece that was done at the library, to show them how to use silk and cement most anything under those hankies. It is amazing what you can make stick. Bit of ribbon, rafia, synthetic yarn, anything!

DD is now the proud owner of another hat. Yes, it is bright!! Shocking!! Very
her. Photos don't do it justice. Neon pink, Purples in several shades and the green is because I like it! Thankfully she does
too and has worn it since it's been dry.

I like the way the silk crinkles around the edges and makes it pucker.

More silk projects to follow.

Candle Making

2008-01-16T20:53:00.001Z

I love candles and have a large rustic tin that I refill every time it gets low. I bought the candle 6+ years ago and have it burning frequently. It's large as I said. Holds three wicks easily.

Little stars are punched randomly across the top, so when it's lit, there are sparkles of candlelight that dance around the room.

I would be no expert at making them, but have read a few books and checked on the Internet on what size wicks to use and how many for the proper
burn ratio. Don't want to get stuck with a lot of extra wax around the outside while the inside burns down to quickly.

Somewhere in the back of my memory, I remember making them by digging a hole in wet sand and pouring layers of wax into the hole. It would set up with these lovely coloured stripes. We also did them in paper milk cartoons. Must have been at a camp. It's just not that hard!

Orange, what can I say, I love it! The scent by no means matches the colour. Sleigh Ride would be the smell of choice for the last few years. Minty, woodsy, balsam kind of whiff. Hard to describe, but I still like it a lot after all this time. I picked it up from a girl I met many years ago when I was doing bath fizzies, lip balms, lotion bars and all sorts of other body gifts. I really haven't check to see it she's still in business.

The melting pan I have is small, so I have to melt the wax in batches. It really doesn't have time to set before the next bit is ready. I've been doing it that way for a while and really haven't noticed that it makes any difference.

The hardest part is getting the wicks placed right and waiting for the wax to melt. I try not to mess with it to much, but patience is tough for me on crafting, so sometimes I give it a little poke with a long skewers.

Finally the next day, I can light it and enjoy the scent that is lovely year round.

Gifts of Love

2008-01-13T16:23:00.000Z

Yesterday was my birthday. It was made up of several things that I love. Breakfast in bed. Prepared by DD, minus the chocolate that was also included. Because every meal needs dessert. See the beverage? Yes, it's Diet Coke. Keep that in mind. I don't drink coffee at all or tea on a regular basis, so Yes, this is my morning routine.

This is the gift made entirely by DD. She was quite busy the day before and that morning. Pompom, bookmark (not show), origami puzzles with lovely things written inside. Rubbers or erasers depending on your country and a spectacular card with an equal number of X's and O's for how many years old I am.

Palest blue potato pearls and aqua glass beads make up the necklace that DH bought for me. We were in a new bead shop and they had things made up for sale. I must have said I liked this one, so he went back and got it for me. I've got it good, I know!!

I love dyed fresh water pearls. Love the shape, the gloss, the irregularity. They are one of my favourite stones or jewelry types.

Here we go. DH also got me a Starbuck's gift card. Again, I don't drink coffee! But it's not for that. It's for the Frappuccino's. Especially the blended juices! Mango Passionfruit! Outstanding in the world of coffee. So that's why I got that. What a thoughtful man. I'm gushing, I know.

New book. Rumors have been good about this one. Apparenly Julia Robert's is going to be giving it to all her good friends. At least that's what the cover said! We'll see if I decide to give it all my good friends. Watch your post boxes!

Cool pen and pencil set from DS and the new felting book from Nicky Epstein. Yippie!! I love birthdays.

Four Score

2008-01-13T13:38:00.000Z

Four score and seven years I started the socks. Finally, (a few weeks ago) they were completed. Here are a few highlights of the best parts.

I really like the decrease on them. Think it looks cool.

Heal is good too. Very squishy. Knit one, slip one. Makes them feel like French Terry fabric.

Did the same on the bottom as well. Squashy to walk on and hopefully it won't wear out as quickly, being a double layer.

The yarn of course is lovely. Merino and Bamboo. The shoes are still in the US that these were knit for, but I'll wear them while I'm waiting.

Stripey

2008-01-03T12:47:00.001Z

I finally decided to knit a hat that would go with many of the scarves I own. I also wanted something that would cover my ears and keep the hair from parting above the them, for the stylish comb-over that I'm trying to avoid when it's windy. Which seems to happen daily in the school yard.

Into the stash I dove and fished out red, pink and orange Lambs Pride Bulky, green (ancient) Rowan and the white and yellow are Manos from the 1980's. Fade factor on those are great.

Headed over to the Garn Studio site to look through their hundreds (it seems) of free patterns. Great resource!!

It's knit on straights, but if I do another, I will do it on circulars to avoid the multi strand stitching in the back. Makes a nicer looking hat all around without the seam.

Only one wash with 3 pairs of dirty shoes and it shrank down well. The white picked up a tinge of pink and the yellow must have to, because now it looks like a pale apricot. Other than that, the result was great for me. I made it a little longer in the head before the decrease. The pattern looked a bit shorter than what I wanted.

And yes, I love pom poms. So, it needed a little something in the front and the felted flower that I did just turned out all wrong.

So there it is. A nice warm hat for all the snow we had today!

SNOW

2008-01-03T12:44:00.001Z

We have snow!! Can you see it?? It's the first snow of the season. Wonder if it's cause for a snow day?

It's the little things. We may get a bit more before it's over!

Pressies

2008-01-01T09:43:00.000Z

Just a catch up on the gift that were made recently. This is a bracelet. Sea glass, silvery pink freshwater pearls and lavender Swarovski crystals.

I really like the sterling clasps that I found in the little town of Bray on the coast of Ireland.

Another bracelet. Checkoslovakian glass beads, bugle beads, white sea glass and other small glass beads in greens and blues.

Teacher gift for DS's 4th class instructor. She's brilliant. Really love her and she's very inspiring to the children.

Rectangle beads in grapes and berries, purple freshwater pearls, iridescent seed beads and purple opaque round beads.

Red glass hearts, red glass chips, freshwater pearls and red globes that look as though there is a fire in them. Really cool. This one is for DD's 2nd class teacher. DD says she loves red! Me Too!!

Snowman

2007-12-25T12:39:00.000Z

At school this year, the children made decorations from recycled materials. DD chose the milk jug and used printer paper. Accesorized with plenty of glitter glue and a bit of tape. Have to say, it's very cute and she's thrilled to have done it all on her own.

DS did a fantastic Christmas tree (not pictured) from a toilet roll with another (Santa) tucked inside. Pull the star at the top of the tree and Santa pops out.

Hope you all are having a Happy Christmas today.

Happy Christmas

2007-12-24T22:59:00.001Z

Well everything is done. Pressies are wrapped and under the tree. PS2 is wired for Europe from US. Bit of a worry there. No telling what we'd have to pay for a different one at this point. Whew!! No worries!

Milk and cookies are out for Santa and Rudolph gets the marshmellow.
Nice note from the kids wishing him a Happy Christmas from all of us.

Stockings are stuffed and over flowing. Fun stuff for all.

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas. May you all have a joyful day and season. God Bless.

Holly

Tis' the Season

2007-12-17T13:20:00.001Z

Sometimes I think this would be a great job. Drive the van around with the festive bun on top. Sort of like the hot pink mini's in groups of 3-4 all painted with whatever radio station it is. Getting paid to sit in traffic!! Most days, I'd pay not to be in it.

Anyway, this chap lives in the neighborhood and the new family car arrived December the first in the drive! Wonder how long it will stick around after next week?

Happy Holidays!

Another Hat

2007-12-15T20:25:00.000Z

Well it wasn't a last minute thought, but I needed to get a Christmas gift to the US. This is an easy and good looking hat. Knits up fast and with the progressive increase in stripes, I like the way it turned out.

Debbie Bliss and Rowan something. 5mm needles and away you go. It's as fast as this post!!

Summer Jewels

2007-12-12T20:03:00.001Z

Ok. Since I've not blogged about anything new in a month, I'll blog about something old. This was the start of the beading thing for me. I had these great earrings, but nothing to go on the neck. Since my hair covers the lovely earrings most of the time, I wanted a little something visible.

I had a chat with a couple of beader friends from the US when I arrived back and they lead me astray, to a lovely little shop in the
village of Winona Lake. Canal Street Gallery. Jewelry and beads. YUM!! How could I go wrong. I'll just make the one thing! HA!

I'm hopeless with the stone types, but it's aqua and matches perfect. Copper spacer beads, Swarovski Crystals and the large tear drop of the same stone. It's perfect for me. The great thing about this bead shop was the service. I bought the copper beads and they were a bit bright and new. "Shall I age them for you?" she asked. What? "Yeah" "Can you do that?" and off she ran to dip them in sulfate of liver or something that takes the newness right out of it! Great!!

So I was hooked. At the moment I'm surrounded by piles of beads, wire, magazines and tools, wondering why I can't find the perfect beads to complete the projects for the school teachers for Christmas. I'm sure what I have is fine, but I just want something that's a bit unusual in shape without being to bulky. Of course I need it buy next week, so I'm off the Bray tomorrow on the train to see what is available.

Plum and Berry

2007-11-11T10:59:00.002Z

I really liked the way the first crocheted necklace turned out so I did another.

This one is with dark purple wire. 28 gauge, big hook, size J, variety of iridescent seed beads, fresh water pearls, 2 types of Checkoslovakian glass beads and disks of brown polished stone.

It takes 6 lengths of wire, each 6 foot long.

Start off with a simple slip knot. String the beads on the other end and crimp the wire so they don't slip off. Chain 3, slide the bead into the next chain, repeat based on how far apart you want your beads. Alternate the beads so that they don't all end up at the same spot on the neck.

Gather your ends together and twist them together at one end. Trim. Do the same to the other end. At this point, you can put on any closure that you like. I prefer the cone that covers the wire twist, but it's not neccessary.

With the extra beads, I made a pair of ear rings.

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T10:24:00.000Z

Happy Halloween from the land where it all began. Here is a fantastic link on the History of Halloween and how it got to the US.

Hope you all have a frightfully good evening. My little ghouls were up at the crack of dawn, buckets in hand and ready to eat mass amounts of sugar for breakfast. "No, no" I say, wait until after breakfast!!

Blue Faced Leicester

2007-10-30T14:24:00.000Z

The last 2 days have been dyeing days.

Fibre of choice was Blue Face Leicester. This was pre-spun and fantastic to dye. Used food colouring, Kool-Aid and chemical dyes.

The fibre is also Blue Face Leicester and spins up beautifully.
Mostly chemical acid dyes on these. Tried to use up the bits left over from the first dyeing session.

Random dye pattern. Stripey, splashey, squirty and then some. DD helped out with the colour choices, so we have lots of brights and red/pink/purple combos.

I really like the dark one. It's dark brown, burgundy and gold nugget. I'd like to see how that spins up. It's always amazing how the twist effect the colours.

These are for the Knitting and Stitching Show that starts on Thursday. A mere 8.00 euro for 100 grms.
What a bargain!!

Pressie

2007-10-24T21:01:00.000+01:00

I love birthdays and tomorrow is a great friends special day! So I decided to lay down a little felt project. Hopefully the internet is still down at the house so she won't read this before I give it to her. Bit of a risk!

She's a fan of warm drinks and has just moved into a new house. Coasters!! You can never have enough coasters. Well may you can, but not really cool looking ones. They turned out really good.

I like the hand spun intertwined with the store bought yarn. Photos aren't great to show the colours, but the oranges, greens and browns are yummy.

I used a Norwegian wool as the base that really felts up to a good thickness for a heat barrier. Started out with one large sheet and then cut it into 4 x 4 1/2 inch slabs. Felted them a bit more to soften up the cut edges and stretched them back into shape.

Hope she likes them.
Happy Birthday!!

All That Glitters

2007-10-19T18:14:00.001+01:00

It all has to start somewhere. "All That Glitters" is the theme of the Feltmakers Ireland booth this year at the Knitting and Stitching Show. It takes a little nudge sometime to get out of our comfort zone. I would not be overly glittery. A bit of sparkle here and there, but not over the top.

In terms of yarn, I like something interesting if it's a novelty. This is to be used with a felt bag project that has been in the back 40 of my brain for a year or more. So, when looking for inspiration, just start digging. Without beading and adding lots of sparkly fibre, I was wondering how to get a project by the screening process. Time is in short supply for me.

I'd tried to do some stamping and embossing last month, really like the effect but, I blew up my heat gun. Wattage change from US to Ireland. Ouch! Smelled awful after I put it under the temperamental broiler for just a second or two. Maybe metalic paint and stencil, how about Gold Leaf. May just work. Now the challenge of finding it! Craft shops are few and far between on the island, similar to yarn shops. To bad, cause I've already started formulating ideas.

Found it and it was minutes from my house!! Great, zip over (relatively speaking) buy it and start the samples. This is the result.

Did a bit of playing with Fimo clay for the buttons and glitzy bits. Hadn't worked with it before. DD was enthralled, I was too! Fun stuff and quick results!

This is the begining layout. Silk chiffon with resist in the middle. Wisps of fibre over the top. Yarn arrange sporadically. More very fine wisps to secure the yarn.

The silk will create the Nuno effect I want and give the bag strength on the the inside. Fragile, yet durable. Is that possible. Yes!

Final Project!

Socks

2007-10-08T15:28:00.001+01:00

I'm knitting another pair of socks. I got the yarn in the US this summer and loved the colours. Seems everything in my life right now goes with the socks in progress. The orangish shoes I got this summer, the plaid dress that is exactly this, only a tad heavier on the burgandy. I was sitting on the bus the other morning and realized that it went with the burnt orange dress I was wearing. It's hard to escape it. I was telling DH this morning about the weirdness of it when my smoothie comes to the table. Yes, it also matches the socks. Not the green bit, the orange/peachy. I also got these really cool silicone muffin liners. Notice the colour? I guess it's just that time of year. I'd better hurry before the Christmas theme comes in.

I'm doing the magic loop with both socks at the same time. That way if I make a mistake, it will be the same on both feet. The yarn is Merino and Bamboo. Should be good! I'm trying to overcome the "Thing" I have with hand knit socks. I love them. I've only knit one other pair. They sit in the drawer and look lovely. They go well with many things in my closet. The "Thing" is, I don't want to wear them out! I've worn them maybe 3 times now. So I'll knit another pair to have on hand. Then I'll knit another and so on until I have no choice but to wear them more often. Crazy, I know!

Aaahhh, I Think

2007-10-07T20:17:00.000+01:00

Well, it's been utter mayhem since returning from the US in late August. Can't even fathom the load of events and planning that has taken place since our return. Several Birthday cakes, spinning demos and workshops, reorganizing, reading which takes the place of crafting for me, Feltmaking Exhibition, new school, new after school activities and trying to catch up with friends. Whew!!

First cake is the wheat free, egg free, at home birthday party. DD turned 8 and is insane over the Littlest Pet Shop stuff. You have to have a girl 5-9 to understand. Little plastic Bobble Heads with the gigantic Precious Moments type eyes. They're cute, harmless, innocents and that's fine by me. Also to big to be sucked up by the vacuum sweeper!

The next cake was the regular wheat, egg variety that all the girls could eat and would eat at the party the following week. She wanted a quilt type cake, so that all of the pets could have their own land. This is the result. She got to pick the colours and sprinkles. Squeals of little girls as the cake comes out makes it worth it. The wrestling over who took what animal home was altogether amusing!

Done with cakes for the next 6 months. Knitting to follow.