Countdown to the Craft Fair

Hello!

I am getting so excited about this craft fair next month...just a few weeks to go and I am madly sewing, collaging, and organizing. I wanted to have more of my art quilt sketchbook covers-- so here's one I made today.

 

I had forgotten how fun these are to make!

 

I'd love to hear your stories and advice from doing craft fairs, too!...total newbie here!

Felt Cluster

As I felt beads,  I always end up with neat end pieces.  And, I have little felted balls all around my sewing table. I started pinning them onto a large felted piece...and kept going...and am creating my own funky pincushion.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Shop News

Hello!

I finally finished this large felted bag and listed it in my shop.

It's a big- throw it over your shoulder- bag! It would hold sketchbooks and all kinds of things. I am still hoping for a sunny day to get a few better pictures. I love the colors and I have tried for weeks to really get it! Urgh! :0)  There are little dot details where it opens, and a couple little dots on the back, too. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Felting jewelry

I am giving felted jewelry a try. I finished some earrings and have a felted pendant in the works.

These were made from the midnight ride bead ends...

Snowy weekend for felting

It was the perfect snowy weekend here in Olympia, Washington for felting. Western Washington just isn't well equiped for snow. This week may get interesting if it continues. I'll see the sun before a plow comes by my neighborhood. So, I was happy to stay home and work on a new felted bag. I'm going to make some larger messanger bags for my shop. I still haven't decided, but I may just keep this first one for myself. It's still drying and may need some touching up. I really like the way the color choices worked out and felted together.

Hope you all have a great week!

More Felting this year

I have been enjoying  felting and really want to learn new techniques. I had been eyeing a 4-day workshop with Lisa Klakulak from Strongfelt for awhile. It is in Durango, Colorado, where I went to college  ( I haven't been back there in about 12 years!). I decided to go for it! I think it will be amazing to learn from Lisa. To me, she's a felt celebrity!  If you haven't seen her felted works check out her gallery on Strongfelt. It will amaze you.

We're going to make a 2 day roadtrip there from Washington, through eastern Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and southwestern Colorado. I'm excited to go through Arches National Park and Moab, UT again. It's a beautiful area. We'll also make a stop in Salt Lake City. My favorite vacations are roadtrips and I haven't been down those roads in so long. Also, my old college friend, Sara, is going to meet us there. We're finally going to ride the Durango- Silverton narrow gauge railroad. You know, we always wanted to, but must have spent our extra money on drinks. Ha!

Now, I just have to wait until May.

Here's the latest bag I made. The red is a merino blend and the grey is bamboo.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Hellloooo!

Hi everyone!

Hope you had a wonderful holiday. We sure did, and I'm still enjoying the days off! Lots of time for crafting...and using my new laptop! Yes, I have my own now! Woo hoo!

I need to get caught up on all your blogs and I am busy making Valentine fabric postcards for my shop. I didn't really prepare for Christmas so I thought I would get the jump on the next holiday!

Here's a fabric and felted XO I made today, and some more felted beads--- I love the name "Midnight Ride"! Ha! Just calling them all felted beads seemed a little boring.

Raspberries and Sea Life

The felted beads seem to be the hit in my etsy shop so I felted up some new beads yesterday. Had to move the operation indoors....getting the kitchen drenched from crafts is one way to get it clean!

Here are the new ones...

mmmm,raspberry...

Sea Life

Have a great day!

Another felted bag in the works

Started another bag. Waiting for it to dry so I can play with free motion quilting on there.

A Felting we will go....

My Christmas shopping trip to Seattle last weekend turned into a shopping spree for myself at Weaving Works! Wool, wool, wool!!! Bamboo! Silk wool blends! Merino!! I couldn't pass up on the soft, beautiful colors!

With my wool baskets full, I decided to start a bag last night. It was first needle felted, and today wet felted. It's not quite done, but I was so happy with the progress. It's been a couple years since I made a felted purse, and I've only made one.

A little break from dolls and diving into felted purses, bags, and vessels!

And, I love close-up shots of felted wool...

A colorful gal

I finished a fourth felted doll. She's in my shop, too.

I've been so busy cleaning and decorating for Christmas. Where did my creating time go? I'm sure I'll squeeze it in.

xo

colorful felting

Roll, roll, roll...more little bobbles ready for felted dolls. I am looking forward to 5 whole days off for Thanksgiving. No traveling. No big plans. Just dolls, sewing, a little shopping, and creating...

A Happy Little Doll...

Meet JoJo, the latest face with the felted bobbles!

She's a happy girl.

Here she is with her friends. I decided I like the painted face a little bit more. Although, the others have a cool earthy feel, I think.  I was able to take advantage of some late October sun and felt some bodies. I've completed four dolls so far.

November could mean me standing out in the rain rolling the wool. It will probably be a couple weeks until more dolls are in production. I'm also looking forward to working on some other projects- more fabric postcards, mail art, and fabric books. Sometimes, going to bed, I have all these ideas swirling around and just need to find more time in the day to do them. I'm sure we all feel that way!

Bobbles on my head

I finished the third of my "faces in the felt" dolls. Here she is.

Can I take the rest of the month off and just make dolls? Oooh, I wish I could!

She is also in my Etsy shop, ready to find a happy home.

I hope you all have a great weekend. xo

The Felted Bead Factory

More beads to show. I like this color combo! More dolls coming. I'm like a woman posessed these days!  Apparently, opening an Etsy shop has kicked me into high gear and I'm loving it!

Felt while the sun is out

I am on a bead felting mission. Here's the latest I did this weekend. I am also trying to take advantage of our rare sunny days for some felting I am doing for a new art doll.

Big News! I opened an Etsy Shop!

I am so excited to tell everyone about my new Etsy shop, The Red Tin!

I decided to jump in and give it a try. I have nothing to lose!  I have been busy getting it all set up and making new products for my new business. I will be adding more items all this week. I wanted to have some new items I haven't shared on my blog and maybe you haven't seen from me. I am really excited about the new fabric and felted sketchbook covers I have been sewing. They are like art quilts for a Moleskine journal!

This one is in my shop...

 This could be hung up as an art quilt too!

I am really excited for this new adventure. And, thank you to all the friends out there who have been so encouraging, urging me to open up shop!

Feel free to tell your friends and spread the word. I'd really appreciate it. Wish me luck!

Shades of Purple

Felting....stitching...french knots...

merino...silk...

Happiness is wool

In love with my basket of wool these days. Felting along and trying new shapes and things.

Rolling, rolling, and more rolling

Trying out the jellyroll method to make some felted beads ( or whatever they end up being)!

I love how they turned out!

I sat, knelt, and changed positions a million times rolling this for 2 hours! Is it terrible that I may be sore from felting? Shoot, I'm out of shape!

Here's the felted log and then pieces are sliced off to be added to upcoming felt and sewing projects.