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Here are a few of the items that I have made using the Embellisher. I will be adding more photos soon.
Knit-to-Felt Purses
Lately, I have just been drawn to designing knit purses made specifically to felt. I have been trying different yarns, all of which I have hand-dyed. So, for those of you who like to knit, look for some of my hand-dyed yarns and patterns for knitting specifically to felt. You can't just take any pattern and knit it to felt because knitted purses shrink in strange ways when you felt in the washer. So, you need a pattern that works with a specific yarn to insure success. I hope you like the purses. They are in basic form now and I am looking forward to taking them to my Embellisher and adding the special details that will make them all mine. But for now, here are the purses:
Blue Lagoon: This purse is a clutch style purse with a long strap, made so that it can be knotted. It is lined with a colorful butterfly fabric and uses plastic canvas to help it to keep its shape. I can't wait to put a needle felted butterfly on the flap.
Unnamed: This purse is styled like many of the purses that I embroider and carry everyday. But, somewhere along the way, I decided that a drawstring might make it a bit more interesting. It took me a few days to figure out how to make it work, but I really love it. It is not lined yet, and may never be.
Postcards
Here are some new postcards that I made this month. Thought that you all might like to see them.
The inspiration for these postcards was something that I wrote. Here it is:
From one place
Many paths lead.
Some are colorful
Some are loops
Some are joyous
Some return you to where you began.
But all paths add to your experience
And change the way you see things.
May 2007 Hope you like them.
This Teddy is made of felt made using the Embellisher. The felt was made from hand-dyed roving. The design is from Evy Hawkins at A Bit of Stitch. This purse is currently on display at Margiotta's in Charleston, SC.
These two felted flowers were made using a Babylock Embellisher to create flat circles, leaves, and a strip for Merino roving. In the first flower, the circles were then shaped into a flower using a hand felting needle. The second flower was created from a strip that was folded using a technique similar to one used to create ribbon roses. After the flowers were complete, the leaves were attached using a hand felting needle. These flowers take about 10 minutes to make. They are about 1 inch high by 2 inches wide. I have attached pin backs to them. They are great when added to a soft wool sweater.
I call this purse "Juniper Revisited." When I first started dyeing my own roving, I sometimes had failures. This is one of those times. The dye in this batch separated and it resulted in some of the wool being almost olive while other sections were a very light teal. I like my hand dyed roving to have some variation, but this was not what I had planned. One evening, when I was too tired to sew or embroider, I decided to play with my Embellisher. I thought that this roving was of no real use, so I decided to play with it to see what kinds of results I could get. The more I played, the more I liked what I saw. So, I decided to make a purse and to use the felt as a "veneer" to decorate the purse. And, I liked the results. But, it needed something else. So, I couched the novelty yarn around certain sections and I liked those results, but it still was not right. So, I put it away for a while. A few months later, while reading a book on needle lace, I believed that I had found what this purse needed. So, using cotton perle, I hand embroidered some basic needle lace designs on the felt. With a few iron-on metals, a button and an elastic clasp, I think it is now finished and ready to be revealed.
The purse is made using an original design. It does not have a strap. It has pockets inside. I have really started thinking about the idea of making "veneers" and adding them to purses and other wearable items. Look for me to showcase more of this type of work in the near future.
I made this purse at a Babylock event in Alexandria, VA in October, 2006. It is made of a linen/cotton blend Essex which is quilted using a stippling design. The front of the bag is embellished using pieces of silk boucle, roving, organza, ribbon, yarns and Swarovski crystals. The flap has a ruby colored flower made with roving with Swarovski crystals in the center. This picture does not really do it credit. It was a good class project.
For more inspiration, see the images in the gallery below:
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