NUNO FELTING RESULTS

Yesterday we took a look at the process of Nuno Felting......today we will look at the results.....and how I utilized this unique felting technique.

This scarf was created from my first nuno felting attempt.  Most of us in our group decided to leave part of the silk gauze unfelted.  We did it not only to hurry up the felting process but also as a design statement.  Frankly, I was totally unimpressedwith my efforts.

Other members had much better results which can be viewed here.

 So, I cut my scarf apart and got busy auditioning various threads and embellishments to decorate a section of that scarf.

Weston's Marsh 9" x 12" is the result.

It features hand embroidery and beading.

Detail

My mind is already whirling with ideas to turn my new large felted piece into several smaller embellished designs.....  I'll be sure to share my efforts when I do.

NUNO FELTING INTRODUCTION

This past week has been super busy....so I'm just now getting around to posting the results of our April Fiber Junkies gathering....our task was a day of Nuno felting.

Nuno felting is a Japanese fabric felting technique. It's a method where loose fibers (roving), such as wool, silk, even alpaca, are incorporated into a sheer fabric such as silk gauze.  This is accomplished through moisture, a little soap, & lots of friction, until the fibers become one.  It creates a lightweight, drapable felted fabric. 

We pooled our roving stashes to provide a wide range of colors.  First bubble wrap, the size you want your finished piece to be, is place on a table.  It is covered by the base fabric...in our case Judy Simmons, dyed a sheer silk for us.

Next.....I covered the entire piece with thin strands of wool roving....some purposeful, other times not.  Crisscrossing the fiber is a good idea since it helps to hold them together better during the felting process.

 Next we covered our 'layout' with pieces of nylon curtain material that Val purchased at a resale shop.  This hold the fibers in place for the following steps.

The 'curtain' has now been thoroughly wet with warm to hot water...you want the fibers beneath quite wet to help them stay in place.  Once that is done, a small bar of soap is fitted into a nylon footie, which makes holding onto the slippery soap easier.  Now the hard work begins.....one vigorously rubs the soap across the wet surface....this is where friction, water, and a little soap starts the felting process.  The goal is to work the fibers together and this takes upper body strength for sure and it takes time!  

 However, once the fibers hold together quite well....the nylon surface fabric is removed and the piece is rolled (along with the bubble wrap) onto a swimming noodle.  Other items can be used for this next step such as bamboo place mats or window blinds....the idea here is to continue putting pressure/friction onto the fibers until they slowing become one.

Here's my piece which is quite large.  I intend to cut it apart and use it as a background for bead embellishing.  

Three of the Fiber Junkies members made scarves and Kate (2nd row right) made a larger piece to frame.

I blogged about this technique way back in 2009....check it out here for additional photos and descriptions of this process.

Check in tomorrow to see how I turned my nuno felted piece into wall art.

This will also be shared on Nina's Off The Wall Friday be sure to check out her site for wonderful inspirations!!

INTRODUCING KAY KOPER SORENSEN

Today you are in for a real treat......I want to introduce a long time friend and super talented quilter.....Kay Koper Sorensen.  Kay is responsible for getting me to my very first quilt guild meeting way back in the early 1980's.  Looking back, I'm not sure why I was so reluctant to attend....especially since I really didn't have a clue what it was all about....  A huge thank you continues to go out to Kay for pushing me!

She now spends half her year in Wisconsin and the other half in Florida where she cranks out the most wonderful quilts!  Many, if not most are created with her own dyed fabrics....including some fabulous shibori designs.

Never content to remain satisfied with her vast knowledge and skills, she's ventured into designing fabric which can be purchased through her website.  (right side bar)  Visit Kay here.  You won't be sorry that you took the time to roam into past posts to see her many other special touches.

This is one of her designs.....check out the incredible quilt she made below using sections of the print.

 I'm always in awe of her talent......isn't this stunning?!?

Here's another example of how Kay uses her own hand-dyed fabrics as the starting point for her very special quilts.

My career as a quilt professional has taken me around the world and given me so many new friends......but my admiration still continues to grow for one of my oldest pals!

WHAT DO YOU WASH?

This post is definitely off our typical subject or perhaps....even interest.  We all certainly are good friends with our washing machine and dryer...how to wash our new fabrics, our finished quilts....sure we get all that.....

BUT....have you ever seen one of these??

 I might be living under a rock here in the rural mountains but still, this dog wash located in Birmingham, AL that I saw this weekend was news to me.

 What a concept..... the funny thing is, we drove around for quite some time rejecting a dozen or more car washes....trying to locate one where we could hand wash our car.....and we stumble upon one that meets our needs and the family dog!

The pollen in the area was nothing I ever experienced before.....within 30 mins. every surface outside is covered in green dust.....yuck.  No automatic car wash brushes will ever touch 'the husband's' toy.....sadly, cause I had to help hand dry it!

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

While my sewing machine is still out for repair....I can, guilt free, indulge myself in DVR'd reality TV shows while my hands do the stitching.

I'm down to only 2 more of my hand felted, resist dyed wool pieces.....panic is setting in for sure.  They've been my 'go to' projects inbetween other projects. The design of this piece comes from securing old fashioned metal hair clips and narrow strips of wood onto the undyed wool.  After three dye baths.....this was the result.

Embellishing began with some simple straight line stitching using embroidery floss on the avocado sections, following by running stitches along the lines created by the hair clips.  Then the beads came out....

.....and then back to more embroidery....and finally the finished product is below......

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

11" x 8" 

Ready to hang or frame
Sorry you missed this one....similiar pieces are available
HERE

                                                     

STUFF

SERIOUSLY?!?!  It's April 4th and the temperature upon waking this morning was 38.  After an outing today, I returned to our mountain valley to find ice on the trees from the freezing rain and a thermometer that read 33 degrees.  Did I say it's April 4th...and we are in North Carolina...NOT Wisconsin!

*** unaltered photo....ICE on the trees.....

 .....however it was a great day,  I continued the week long birthday celebration with bread pudding and ice cream...complete with candle!!

 .....black pepper potato chips embellished with green dyed curled wool roving....

.....and stunningly beautiful sea shells from Florida, ala Val.....(all the Fiber Junkies thank you Val!!)

....and finally....there were presents to unwrap.  The Fiber Junkies had a nuno felting day today which required a major upper body workout.  Soon these 'packages' of felted wool will be unwrapped...revealing what we are sure will be stunning works of art.  

Stay tuned......

GREETING CARD FUN

The rest of my week will be very hectic......let's just call it a long week of birthday celebrating.....and at this stage of life...any birthday, note-worthy milestone or not, is worth celebrating!!

My pal Jackie from Colorado Springs has built in radar when it comes to locating every laugh out loud 'cow' card ever printed.  Did you know there are cow cards covering every subject out there?  ......and Jackie can find them all....

I opened this one early.....really.....I just knew I'd be in for a good chuckle.....and she didn't disappoint.....  IS THIS A PERFECT CARD OR WHAT?  the 'earrings' are made up of a plastic daisy and a faceted 'gem stone'.

Thank you girlfriend.....

LIME-AID

My current in-progress project stack has included 4 different pieces.  This one was the subject of my blog in mid March....you can follow the progress here and next here and finally here.  Basically, I was on a roll and blogged about it for 3 days straight....then it got set aside.  

Since my sewing machine is still in need of repair, I directed my attention to the handwork finishing touches of this felted wool wall art piece. (I'll be making the 3 hr. round trip to Tennessee today to drop off my machine, oh don't we HATE to be w/o our sewing machines!!!)

 

LIME-AID  9" x 12"
Woolfelt (tm), machine stitched, agate & bead embellished

AVAILABLE HERE

HAPPY EASTER

Happy Easter everyone......

There weren't any Easter baskets in this household today.....however we have a very thoughtful neighbor who presented these yummy treats to us.  BUT WAIT....they aren't people food....nope....instead these are doggie treats!

Here's our Sooty with her Easter beggin' face!

 Here's Sooty nearly removing fingers as she enthusiastically gobbles one.

Here's Sooty trying to vacuum up every tidbit.

......and here's Nali, our son's black lab on Easter day 2004.  She's the reason 'the husband' has coveted a lab for years and years.  We often 'dog sat' Nali and had fun doing 'art theraphy' with her as she 'finger painted sheets of blank paper in our basement...which were ultimately framed!!  Among many other notable activities, we also took her to a paint your own pottery shop where she imprinted her paws on coffee cups.  In this photo, she had fun finding Easter eggs filled with dog treats!  

Hope you and yours are enjoying and treasuring this day as well.

PAT CAMPBELL

Sadly, the quilt world has lost one of their brightest stars.  My buddy, the well known Jacobean Applique artist, Pat Campbell of Richardson, TX passed away recently. Bonnie Browning of the American Quilters Society has posted sonme details and a wonderful tribute....read it here.

She will be missed!!!