That Crazy Red Hat

I'd been browsing through some "felters" sites and saw some of the most wonderful, and some of the most weird hats, so I just had to have some fun.   Part of the exercise was to learn how to felt the hat and the ribbons joined together as one piece.  Of course after I'd done it, I thought of all the other places I could have placed the ribbons for better effect instead of on the back.  Isn't it typical! 

The decorative stitching is all cotton perle thread.  It took a bit of time couching the perle onto the thin edges of the hat and ribbons but it gave a nice finished edge. And I just happen to have a bead that had the right colours to match.

The long peak folded in and shaped the crown nicely.  I was going to needle felt the felt ribbons up the side of the hat  but ended up using the decorative stitch to attach them instead.  None of the decorative stitching is visible on the inside of the hat as I pulled the thread through the middle of the felt.

I think I'll have to try this again.

Sliced Sausage

Thought I needed to make a stripey sausage for a project I'll do one day.  When I think of what it is, I'll have them ready.  I used a Stanley knife (packageing knife) to slice the sausage and blunted 4 blades.  At just over 2 inches it was too thick to cut with scissors. There must be an easier way or a better tool.

Cherry Guavas

Good enough to eat.  These little balls are a practice for putting colour where I want it to go in small things like this.  They look just like the cherry guavas that my tree produces in abundance.   Well almost.

An Uneven Vessel

I'd read that a football is a good resist to felt a vessel on so thought I'd give it a try.  It seems to have worked out ok. The red wool embellishing took me weeks to do.  It's textured knitting wool that I couched very densely over sections of the brown and white base of the vessel. The stitched trim on the top points is just there to add interest.  I sometimes think I only make things because I like to do the embellishing.   Now I have to do it more often to warrant the cost of the ball and pump.  Or is it going to be another tool in the back of the cupboard......... naughty me.

Fabric Beads

I sat down last week and made these 162 fabric beads.  Haven't done that since I was a kid.....make beads that is.......not 162 though.  This time around I used Decoupage Finish in the whole process for most of them. For the first dozen I used PVA Glue than finished with Gloss Varnish but then I found that the Decoupage Finish could be used as the glue and the varnish all in one.  It also required less coats for the smoother finish if that's what's wanted.  Anyway, they make a lovely decorative bowl of lollies don't they. And all sugar free.

Eco Dyeing

 Our Textile and Fibre Art group at Caloundra had a workshop for Eco Dyeing and it got me all enthused.  I set about collecting  red and brown onion peels and tibouchina petals.  The petals were the easy part as they grow in our garden but the onion peels took a bit of boldness.  Actually it was my "sweet thang" who made a secret trip to the local supermarkets and asked for bags of the loose peels that I needed.  Isn't he a  sweety. 

These pieces of silk are about 3 metres long. The left one dyed in red onion and the right one dyed in tibouchina petals

Because this piece is 4 metres long and was wrapped quite tightly around the stick the brown onion dye is more prominent on the outer ends and becomes quit light in the middle.  I'm happy to see the patterning is quite evenly balanced on each half.

Brown onion peel on scrunched silk.

Thought I'd try a little bit of Shibori while I was at it.  This is marbles tied into a silk scarf.  It is dyed in red onion peels but I think I left it simmer too long because it went quite brown instead of the ruby colour that I'd been able to get before on another piece. 

Rainforest Canvas

I've become fascinated with sculpting fungus by felting them.  The treetrunk background is nuno felted,  then embellished by couching the woodiest looking threads and wools that I had, as well as some donated to my cause by a friend.  In some areas I've burnt into the trunk with a soldering iron.  After attaching the felted fungus I felt (tongue in cheek) that it needed some green fernery for interest.