Felted Statement Necklace

I finally finished it.  There are so many possibilities.  I'm sure I'm going to try to exhaust them.  Check back to see my progress.

Felted beads

Things are coming along nicely.  Still not finished though.

Lesson: Struggle into Success!

 Success:  today was a success!  I started over using my friend  Dalis' handpainted wool @dancingleaffarms.  Within  5 minutes I had a felted ball and I finished these in less than an hour.  So glad I didn't let yesterday's struggle get me down.  If I hadn't experienced yesterday's disappointment, I would  not have experienced today 's 'Joy!'

For my students:  Yesterday, I had a project fail .  I was trying to make felted beads for a necklace.  Felting is not my expertise, but I'm always up for something new.  My friend and Gallery owner Jenn @obxbluepelican braved her wool allergy to help me out.  We tried for over an hour and it didn't work.  These balls just wouldn't felt!!  When I got home I saw I had been using super wash wool which is designed not to felt!  Oh, well there really are no mistakes.  I'll just repurpose them into another project.  The lesson? When crafting there are successes and struggles.  The key is to turn the struggles into successes.

Final Update!  What a difference a day makes.

Painting with fiber

This week I got into a real fiber frenzy which was strange after batiking last week.  I finally made space to make up the needle felting kits I had purchased.  Once I got started I couldn't stop.  It was good to get lost in that crafting zone.  I hadn't been there in years and through the darkest days of my illness I didn't think I would ever get it back.  When I owned my highly stressful business I would dream about just sitting in a little cottage and crafting whenever I wanted.  Yesterday I realized that I finally manifested that dream.  These scarves layered with color texture and flowers came to symbolize the creation of my dreams and confirmation that dreams do come true.  This technique is a form of weaving and collage making.  I find that when I create using a random method I am able to access the deepest parts of my spirit.  It was a very joyful experience for me to have allowed myself  the space to create.

Fiber Arts Open Studio

Had a great morning at the Fiber Arts Open Studio @ Blue Pelican Gallery.  Jeanne finished her gorgeous knitting from last session.  We decided to make it a poncho instead of a shawl .  Love it.  The brilliant colors and texture do not convey in the picture.  She also made a nuno felted scarf.  Love the Monet inspired roses she created.  Join us next week for more 'fibery' fun!

More Felting - Fiberarts Open Studio

We had a great time at this weeks Fiber Arts Open Studio at Blue Pelican Gallery.  We had Rita and Pat both visiting OBX from Ohio.  We had a great time sharing stories and exploring the expressive arts process with fiber. Look closely and see if you can find hearts and paisleys in the ladies scarves.  Both women will be sporting these beautiful pieces around Ohio.

Felted Scarf Project

We had a great time today at the Fiber Arts Open Studio at Blue Pelican Gallery Gifts & Yarn making silk felted scarves.  Making this type of fabric is like creating a fiber painting.  You use the same elements it's just with hand dyed wool roving, a silk scarf, yarn, ribbon etc.  My oldest daughter Courtney joined us today since she was in town visiting and made this video short.

Here is a step by step photo collage of the process.