mandala and the embellisher pieces

Ahhhhhhhhh

13 - 11 - 13

it was such a fun date yesterday

That was supposed to be the name of the post 

.....

when our PC started to act really funny :

it took ages to open, to load sites and pictures,

and was altogether impossible to get a post done.

So here is yesterday's mandala

This year's theme are the Celtic celebrations

We started in September with

Imbolc which is the beginning of the year.

But that felt so akward (it being nearly autumn)

that we switched for the second and third meeting 

to a subject more appropriate to the season,

so yesterday was Samhain.

I just realized that I didn't post

the other two

Imbolc                                            Mabon  

*

Yesterday I was also working 

on the needle felted "Embellischer pieces"

(ahhh : I really don't know whát to call them)

The mermaid was this far when I left for the mandala group

(doing French knots on the star fish)

And here is the final result today

hand dyed (not by me) craft felt for the cut-out, fabric, tule

magic thread and four very old mother of pearl beads

blue and white pre felt of previous projects

little circle of mint silk (old blouse)

more glas beads

and the embellisher felted blue / green

mounted on a painted canvas 

(size  20 x 20 cm)

animal crackers

Well .... not really of course

but when I look at my felt cut outs

the name is appropriate

fabric, felt and tulle sewed together.

Here are yesterday's fish

in the piece of needle felted felt 

(so it's not real "felt"  because it isn't wet felted !)

After adding some pre-felt parts 

and woolen thread

it's time for my magic thread !

(Although this little ball is all I have

I'm sure it will last to decorate many many more of my pieces)

Next steps will be : to do some more stitching,

paint a canvas in a matching colour

and then attach the piece with invisible stitches.

green bag and more embellisher

Some days ago I finished my green felt bag

.... on the sewing machine !

I found some matching green batik fabric

of which I made the gussets,

inside pocket and strap.

Though I'm happy with the result

sewing felt and fabric together

(in a precise way !)

isn't the easiest thing to do.

I'm really a precisian

...

(the red and the dark gray bag are still waiting)

*

On the embellisher I worked again

and finished a present

so :

 

only a glimpse !

Today I started on some other "middle sections"

four and a half done !

wordless Wednesday

bags

This time the bags I've been busy felting 

don't look like the bags 

I'm usually making
...

I wanted them to be a bit more simple to felt

and possibly combine them with fabric.

(as long as cat-assistant leaves my wool in peace

she's allowed ón the table)

The pattern is just a long strip : 

front - back - flap

The rest is still a bit of a mystery (to me) 

Using a piece of net, to prevent the "nuno" parts from shifting

(though my hands don't like rubbing on the stiff net)

This one's dry now and waiting for the fabric gussets.

*

The next one in a different colour scheme

just four layers : two for the inside (light pink)

and two for the outside (reds oranges and pinks)

This one's still wet and not all the nuno pieces are well attached :

the silk and cotton were okay, the mix fabric (big dots) not quite.

And my other assistant ?

bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

doing some vacuuming for me,

(with my felting "swimm noodle")

another one ....

The "felting exchange" (viltketting) 

with the ladies I met at Sara Lechner's workshop

that lasted a full year and ended last August,

was a lot of fun.

So, when I stumbled on another one

a bit different, but nevertheless a felting exchange,

I didn't hesitate long to participate.

For the tenth time (!)

Tanja, of the "Amore Fecit" blog, organizes this.

She asks you to make a felted item 5 times

(the theme is FLOWERS this year)

and send them to her, 

with a description how you did it, so that others can learn from it.

In the end you get 5 different items 

and a booklet with all the descriptions !

What a fun idea is that !!!

Though I had a lot of other thing planned

I started right away with a proto-type

and than I made the other ones.

The little ball I did with a felting needle first, so I could fasten it to the "stem" more easily

Voilá : a little bell shaped flower

with a key ring inside

(for a very special key, or, if you don't like that,

you can still use it as egg warmer ... ;-) ...)

They are all dry now and ready to send them to Tanja

;-)

let's fly away

I know,

it's still a long time ...

but my first angel is ready to fly away.

In the last photo 

you can see very well what the embellisher does :

the fibres of the yellow triangles migrate 

through the blue wool ánd the dotted fabric to the back

"Catching stars"

Some Noro yarn was needle felted with the embellisher,

some stitches and French knots with self striping sock yarn,
a bit of magic thread

and twelve very old mother-of-pearl buttons

complete the work.

( 20 cm x 20 cm )

Later on I will sew it on a painted canvas.

*

In the garden I found something odd / special :

at least four years ago I bought ánd planted some saffron crocuses

....

To my regret I never saw any of them !

untill today !!!

Here was  one  saffron crocus

and another, withered one, I apparently missed !

When I picked that one up :

it stained my fingers bright orange !!!

(hmmmmmm ... probably not enough to eco-dye ???)