wordless Wednesday

another August project finished

When I was in the felting mood

I tried another plan that I had for some time

but didn't get to.

I wanted to make a shawl with holes

or rather a collar.

I layed out the wool rovings on the paper pattern

that I made in the right (bigger) size

It was not very easy because I didn't want the fibres

to go in only one direction

well I finally managed to get it to my liking

and started felting

... keeping an eye on the size ...

So far it looked alright

but the largest hole in the middle was kind of sagging,

and I was not pleased with that.

Some holes had turned out too big and had a wrong shape.

( so I did some other things, as I mostly do in a situation like this,

before I decided what to do next )

I had to close some of these holes,

so up with the machine and some fabric

Then again some waiting and musing ...

there the internet is sometimes helpful with ideas

Cécile makes wonderful embroidery on felt

and the little bag of Corinna with hér embroidery on it

were just the little push I needed

So yesterday I started with swirls and spirals

( since long my personal  favourites )

on the collar

and finished it today

The other holes will stay open to be able to tie up the cords

( in fact the colour is more purple than in this photo )

*

btw .... another feather

oooh ... the blues

Well,

noooo ... 

nót what you might think 

not thát blues,

I am very happy at the moment.

thése blues

my "holy" blues !

I've finished my ultramarine blue bag !!!

Yesterday I felted the "failure" inside pocket and

today I cut it to the right size and stitched it (yes, sorry ...) in the bag,

the felt is really dense and thick so that was not a problem.

Now all is finished

( and I will be totally blue when I go out )

pots of gold

This day day started gray and clouded.

I had to feed our daughter's cats for a day

so went away in a dress, legging and a jacket.

Then I visited a friend and it was already getting really warm. 

I ate my late lunch in the garden

and had to change my clothes because it was hot in the sun.

At dinner time the sun was still shining brightly

but there was a distant rumbling of thunder

...

and heavy rain came pouring down !

You know they say there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow ?

Well ...

I think we definately were at the end of the rainbow

and in that pot of gold !!!

 

This afternoon I recieved a package with scraps I ordered

from Connie :

a little plastic bag ful of leftovers of her hand dyed fabric.

I layed them all out on the floor after ironing

( to see how big things are I have my own toes on the photo )

and a closer look

Don't you agree : another pot of gold !!!

Thanks Connie !

 *

Me, with my new ultramarine felted "Dragon" waistband

... or ...

should I say "Dragon" collar

?

a wand ... and a bag

Last Monday we had a birthday girl : 10

and one of her presents was

....

a wand !

She's quite mad about Harry and all of his books

( the last one is being read to her now, although she could easily read it herself )

The wand came in a box and was brought by owl

( ofcourse )

( Man, daughter and me went to see the last movie yesterday ....

I think we plan a marathon view someday : all eight movies in a row !!! )

*

Because the felted bag I use every day is getting a very weak spot,

which badly needs repair, I wanted to make a new bag.

The plan for a new one was there for quite some time already,

but as such things go  

I couldn't decide about the colour, the size, the model ....

( and my bag is getting worse every time I use it ! )

Finally I decided to use the "holy blue"

that is an ultramarine blue I bought at HAWAR's over a year ago

and it is an exact match for the colour

of my blue Cora Kemperman clothes ! 

That's why it was kept apart in our stash for such a long time :

"you can use blue, that's okay, but : not the "holy blue"  !"

So now it was the time for the holy blue, with some turquoise and purple for the inside.

The bag should be rather simple this time

but I wanted to add an inside pocket in the felt.

That's not a problem, I did that before, but I wanted it to be big,

almost like another compartment

So I made a template out of  IKEA plastic for the bag and some bubble wrap for the pocket

and I made some holes in the flap

All went quite well

.....

untill

I removed the rather sturdy template of the bag

.....

ánd removed the pocket in one go !

I considered trying to felt it on again, but decided against it :

I'll sew in a pocket.

But

the bag is drying now with a lot of towels in it

and when the strap is finished and sewn on

I will be happy

While I was at it, I made a waistband too out of the "holy blue" 

After I finished felting, it was still way too big

so

I rather boldly put it in the washing machine 

( never did thát before ... ) 

on the wool washing program

....

and now it fits !

I think it's a kind of  "dragon" waistband

last stitches

Sun and clouds today,

enough sun to sit a bit in the garden

with the felted vest.

Time for a few stitches.

Accents only, to bring out the subtle prints

of plants and string that survived

the felting process

The orange that stands out a bit is from a package

of yummy silk things and bits I bought,

the silk embroidery thread

is what I used to tie up the dye bundles,

so it matches nicely.

I also had to think about making a closure.

I took a piece of a stick I found at Dorie's place

and made a nice pin!

( I hope it will last ... )

Okay !

And some stitches on the back ...

... finished.

small

The garden looks very beautiful this time of the year

although it was rather dry, which some plants didn't like very much.

But there is water next to our garden

where I can fill up the watering-can.

And the rain of last night was well recieved.

But

look at this normally nearly round leaf of the Lady's mantle :

what tiny lady is making herself a brand new dress

from all the pieces cut from it ... ?

Oooh

I'm sorry,

this little guy won't grow up to be a mighty oak tree 

No room for that in our small garden !

......

... not growing up to be a true "Tree Soul" like

Oliver Hertel makes them ...

( ... could I make a Bonsai out of him / her ?)

april finished .... quilt finished !

Today is Koninginnedag (Queen's day) in Holland.

It's a day that a considerable part of our country is coloured

orange !

I like that colour but I didn't join the party.

Our queen (with a lot of her family)

celebrates her "birthday"

somewhere in Holland.

Though her real birthday is in Januari ...

but then it's a bit too cold to celebrate outside,

so she decided to stick with the date of her mother's birthday

for all the festivities.

I didn't go out or watch t.v.

because I wanted to finish my

Caterpillar quilt

... and I did !

After adding a lot of hand stitching

I put the machine on the table again :

I finally had to tackle the problem of the sides,

but a "normal" quilt binding didn't fitt to the design, so

......

I know from experience

that making a "zig zag" stitched border

can go terribly wrong !

brrrrrrrrrrr

After a few try outs I solved the problem

with this special press foot

(although it still wasn't easy)

Then I fixed the sleeve at the back

and added the parts that "stand out", after making them a bit stiffer

with some dissolved "water soluble fabric"

This is all you get right now ....

When the new owner has the quilt

then  I will show the whole picture.

no name yet ...

This morning I did the last stitches on my March felt / fabric

( I know it's April )

There were some new things I tried in this one

and I like the way all of that turned out.

You can think things out beforehand

but it's funny how opportunities suddenly appear along the way.

I wanted this piece to be really "Springy"

In our garden there are lots of flowerbulbs blooming every year

so I wanted bulbs in the ground

and then ... above ground

a Daffodil "appeared"

But then I thought: it would be fun if the flower was

three dimensional ...

so that's what happened.

Such magic needs some magic thread !

After all the elfs were there I saw that the Daffodil

was right over one of the bulbs :

it was like they were just waiting to be connected.

magic

The very last thing I did after all the stitching

was putting some beads on.

( and signing it on the back ofcourse )

Now there are three pieces finished

although I don't have a name for the last one yet

( any suggestions ? )

After I saw Jude's post "Willow wakes" today

I made a photo on the balcony :

the Willow right on the other side of the water

is already fully awake and "weeping"

some progress

Slowly the spring felt / fabric is growing

First I cut a piece of batting to the right size

and put a thin cotton backing to it

so now I have an even thicknes everywhere

The cut-outs of the felt will become flowerbulbs with chrochet roots 

And here is a little ground elf who's watching the bulbs grow,

there will be more of them

( and I must decide where to put my magic thread ) 

Today I had something else to do :

making a mandala for the daughter of friends, who is getting married tomorrow

... it went in the mail this afternoon !

What a day to get married :

the first of April !

We wish them a lot of sunshine

and many happy laughs

!

Have a good laugh, all of you tomorrow !