Christmas Boot Serviettes

Every year I make loads of these cute little boots for the table.

They're a great idea to spread cheer and give to friends and neighbours.

Here's how to do it .... visit my Christmas Boot Tutorial above or click on the photo below!
...... a bit fiddly at first, but hang in there, they're well worth the effort.

You are guaranteed to hear lot's of oooh's and aaaah's of delight from your guests !

Get the family together and have a go - they're fun ! 

Preparing for Christmas

Every year a new decoration for the tree...

This little pixie slipper

is destined for my daughter's Christmas tree this year.

She decorates with bright pinks, oranges greens and purples.

It's about 12 centimetres long and made from hand made felt.

Sending love

I remember a day in my childhood

when I felt lonely and lost

and I burst into tears on my Nanna's stairs.

She sat beside me and we talked for a long time,

ending with one of those 'Nanna Hugs'

that made you feel you could do anything in the world

and even if you couldn't, it didn't matter, because she loved you.

When I left to go home

she slipped a note in my pocket and told me not to loose it.

This is what it said .. .

 

 

Every so often

it's pleasant to find

That some little thing

will have brought you to mind

 

 

A warm happy glow

comes to brighten that minute

Simply because

of the thought of You in it !

 

Wow, I did have a place in this world . .. my Nanna's heart.

Are there Fairies in your sewing basket?

This little Fairie will keep your pins and needles safe.
She has little silk wings and makes garlands from threads we leave behind!

She is a perfect gift for someone special

. .. but there is no guarantee that she will do your mending for you!    
... sorry, this little Fairie has found a new home !

Friendship grows here

 

 

Take some morning sunshine

add a smile

. .. some kind words too

sprinkle in some happy hours

It's not very hard to do

 

Add a little thoughtfulness

. .. stir just enough to blend

 

 

serve it warm with loving hands

It's the makings of a Friend

Every girl should have a pretty needle case

 

 I love felting

 and I believe .. .every girl should have a pretty needle case!

The old and the new ...

I made this needle case years and years ago adding synthetic fabric flower petals

to each nuno felted page. It survives today in spite of being attacked by scissors

in the hands of my young son (along with his doonah, pillowcase and a pair of his shorts)

- I should have known better - instead of blessing the rare silence,

I should have been afraid of it and asked myself what he was up to ...   

 I like to make needle cases and pin cushions

Last night I felted the cover of this one to add to my collection.

Pretty pastel needle case

I embellished the fleece with silk fibres, silk fabric strips

and a small amount of opalescent pink fabric.

Champagne pink is such a gentle colour.

Blue Star Nuno Felt Baby Wrap

Here's another baby wrap nuno felted onto white cotton muslin.

 I'm not sure if it reminds me of stars in the sky

 or starfish in the ocean.

Easter cheer

Belated Valentine

My 'I Love Hearts Swap' gifts sent from Australia to Kuwait

have finally landed at their new home with Tammy !

Here's a peek

 

an embroidered linen bag

 

 a red embroidered felt heart

 an alpaca pincushion

an embroidered felt card and a white felted hanging heart.

I'm so glad she likes them !

Drop by and say hello at T's Daily Treasures

. . ..  lucky girl just had a holiday in Sri Lanka for her birthday !

A little off topic . . .

It's raining again today, surprise surprise !

So we went for a walk by the beach for a breath of fresh air and to escape the muddy garden.

 This is my other girl, Willow. Look at her face -  she loves the car.

 Walk . . . Did someone say Walk ?

  We walked and we walked

 and we walked in the rain, a gloomy but beautiful day.

Colours are more rich, textures more vivid

and everyone is wet, sandy, dripping and wearing smiles.

A good day !



Crochet Butterflies by Dinaz

I just LOVE butterflies

 Dina has posted instructions for these sweet crocheted butterflies.

 They're on my To - Do List !



For the love of Nanna

This is my girl . . .
or was about 10 years ago.
She has a beautiful heart and holds her memories close.

She is lucky enough to have a Nanna who loves to knit
and as a small child had an abundance of cardigans and jumpers.
I remember her crying, sobbing when she out grew her favourite blue bunny cardigan
. . . so Nanna made her an identical one in the next size !
 . . . and there was a similar story with her penguin jumper!
 Such a lucky girl.

 

All these years later it's been decided 

that since she can't bear to part with them,

we will make them into something she can keep for ever.

She's in favour of a blanket, one that can be handed down to her own children.

So that's my challange . ..

 

She has a couple of requests

Please can I leave them in pieces, so they look like jumpers ?

 . . . as each one has a story

and  Please can I not felt them . .. she loves the textures just the way they are

. . . they remind her of Nanna.

 

So I've spent a lot of time thinking . . . thinking  . ..  thinking

and I'm still thinking and collecting ideas.

 .. . at this stage a story blanket is my favourite idea  

 

My concerns so far

 . ..  the finished weight - will it be too heavy ?

. .. what type of backing will be best and how to secure it ?

. .. my knitting is laughable ! - I will need to fill the gaps with crochet

 

 

If there's anyone out there who may have attempted this before

I'd love to hear from you . . .

And equally if there's anyone out there who'd like to do the same

and would like a friend for the journey . . . Email Me !

The more the merrier.

This is going to be a long ride, I think !

A visit to Faser Traume

It's raining again today and I found myself wondering around

looking for inspiration for my next project

and found Faser Traume  .... meaning  .... Fibre Dreams.

If you love all things textured and coloured 

you have to visit !

 

 

Have a wonder around .... You will find lots of lovely treasures to inspire you !

- well I did anyway !

I'm going back to read more - the photos are so much better close up : )

 

 



Medusa - a felt sculpture

In April 2010 I posted about a new project I had been working on ...

I had joined a fibre group who experimented with all types of creative fibre methods.

We had been given a challenge with a theme of 'Wild Women'

My mind went immediately to Medusa.

To me she was truly wild, exiled to survive on her own haunted by the writhing of a myriad of snakes which were her hair. I could imagine a felted bust of her tortured face

and snakes of all colours and textures slithering about her, so I set myself to work.

Firstly I found some garden wire to build a basic frame

 

 Then covered the frame with chicken wire.

This allowed me to shape her face

 And I covered the soon-to-be snakes with fabric medical tape

to prevent the fibres slipping away from the wire

 Using corriedale fleece I began to needle felt the shoulders and face

 and refined the facial features

then began preparing the snakes

added some colour to the shoulders

 and face

- I like her best like this

added more shape to the shoulders

and began colouring the snakes

The nights were long

It was my intention for the snakes be the feature

with each one created using different fibre techniques

But I was running out of time.

 I had to forget most of the finishing and textures

and present her as she was.

I think she looked wild and tortured enough