Black Friday/Cyber Monday discount.

Are you feeling Christmassy yet? I've just started my shopping and decided to offer a discount in my etsy shop. If you use the code BFCM2015 at the checkout you will receive 10% discount. There is no minimum order. This is valid until the 1 st of December. Happy shopping. 

Christmas gift time again

It's here again time to rack our brains for Christmas gifts. This year I've introduced some matted felts to my shop which make ideal gifts for those hard to shop for women.
They come in two sizes and even you mother in law will like them! The smaller ones start at £20.00 so they are affordable and as the frame is not included they are inexpensive to post.

Here are some samples but there are quite a few in my shop.

More thread painting

I've been experimenting with my thread painting and really enjoying it. One of the problems I had was how to display the completed work.  After trawling through google images and trying various things out I decided that the finished pieces look best bonded on white mount board and put in to a box frame. I am going to supply them already on the mount board but not with the frame because the extra cost of shipping would be considerable and some people might prefer a wooden frame anyway.

This is the first piece which I have up for sale. It is called a sister is forever and if you want to see how it looks in a frame pop along to my etsy shop where there are more photos.

Textile pendants

Today I thought I would tell you about the lovely mini frames I have discovered for making textile pendants.
They are like little wooden picture frames but especially made for textiles as they have ready made holes in the frame to sew you textile in to place. I have made one with felt and stitch but you could use any type of textile .Needlework, knit, crochet a tiny applique or even a scrap of vintage fabric. Here is a photo of the one I made.

As you can see I picked an embroidery thread to match the felt for the stitching which is just a simple back stitch. I think that the stitching adds to the charm. A ring is also provided to slide a chain through. These would make a beautiful and very personal gift.

The frames were designed and are made by a husband and wife team called Shelby and Emad Allaho. Shelby is a textile artist and Emad works with wood so between them they had the knowledge and skills to make these special little frames for textile artists.

If you would like one of these frames to make a pendant for yourself or perhaps start making Christmas gifts for special friends they are available in Shelby and Emads etsy shop www.ewoodstory.etsy.com 

 you can also follow them on instagram @ewoodstory. 

Thread painting

In between felting I have been playing with my sewing machine. I really want to add thread paintings or stitch paintings to my repotoire and have been practising. The pictures are made by stitching with the machine over plain calico. The first picture is based on our dogs, a lurcher and a terrier and the second is from a drawing in my art journal. Girl dancing with the Stars. They are on a small scale of about four inches so I kept things simple. I left some calico showing so that the movement of the stitches would show. I quite like the whimsical feel of them but need to practise more.

faces in felt

Recently I have done a couple of felts featuring faces. One was of foxes faces and the other my first attempt at a human. Both were quite complex to do because in order to achieve depth and detail I had to  add very fine layers to create shading. I had a lot of fun with the girls hair though.

The foxes have sold already but the 'girl with the wind in her hair' is still available.

Because I like a challenge I am now attempting a womans face in embroidery done by hand. That is purely a challenge for myself and I do not expect it to be for sale. When it is eventually finished I will show you but it will take some time.

poppies and buttercups

I am surrounded with flowers at this time of year and the latest blooms in my garden are poppies. Some stray buttercups popped up uninvited alongside them but the colours look so good together I've left them. Here is a mini felt inspired by my garden. Poppies and buttercups with their faces all turned towards the sun.

wild flower felt finished!

Last time I posted photos of some wild flowers I had seen. I also posted a picture of the very beginnings of a felt I was making inspired by those flowers. As promised here is the finished piece.

It has loads of texture as I included yarn and lots of other fibres in the wet felting process. I have also added both hand and free machine stitching. I think I will be stitching French knots in my sleep tonight! To see more photos of it head along to my etsy shop.

Flowery inspirations

I've just returned from a holiday in Devon and Cornwall and inspiration came from a most unexpected source. Roadside banks! They were smothered in wild flowers. Each one like a stitch. Insignificant on its own but put together they form a rich tapestry of colour. I'm going to give it a go. Here are some of the banks of flowers.

Don't you think they are beautiful? Well I've made a start and will come back with the finished piece. Only just started!

Thread storage solution!

I just had to share this with you. I'm sure that plenty of people out there have the same problem as I did.

Anyone who uses Pinterest probably knows about storing embroidery thread on clothes pegs which is a great idea and works. However when you have as many threads as I do where do you put all of those pegs when they are prettily wound with thread? I scoured the Internet and found plenty of ideas but none suitable for me. I have a lot of thread but wanted my storage to be portable as I often stitch in the evening whilst watching TV. I also wanted to be able to see at a glance what I have.

My husband has been quite helpful and keen to help me resolve this matter. Perhaps because he knows he will end up having to make something for me if I can't find anything. It was him that came up with this idea.

We were in one of those shops that sells everything when he saw some toast racks. I couldn't understand why he was so interested in them until he pointed out that they would be perfect for pinning the pegs on , cheap and portable. We bought a couple and came home. Guesß what? It worked!

I still have a 'few' more to do but I have another toast rack and more pegs and I know how to use them.

On the rack above I have six rows of eleven pegs but could easily fit at least one more row in so quite a few are stored in a small space.

Now for the others.......

Pyrography Plaque from Texas

I just wanted to share this with you. I have a friend in Texas who is another etsy shop owner. We've never met but talk online and skype occasionally. Recently she has taken up pyrography (wood burning) and seems to have a natural talent for it. The postman just bought this for me.

The detail is amazing look at the zentangle inspired designs within the lettering.

In her shop she also has jewellery which she has burned designs in to and some really lovely nursery wall plaques. I think she would only be too happy to personalise anything and the nursery wall plaques would be a great gift. Go and take a look for yourself.

 https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/byRickMarsh?ref=ss_profile

By the way it's not even my birthday!

Hand Spun art yarn

 Last week when browsing Pinterest I found myself lusting after some art yarn to include in my felts. It had merino, silk, Wensleydale locks and all manner of good things in it ( a bit like chocolate cake really).  I was trying to persuade myself that this very expensive yarn would be worth the money when I realised that I already had all of the raw ingredients. I also have a spinning wheel and know how to use it!

I dug my spinning wheel out of the barn where it has been for about six years and found my Wensleydale locks.

The spinning wheel was a bit grumpy and needed a little TLC before it would work and the locks were very dirty. I coaxed the wheel in to life and washed, degreased and dyed the locks.

I  then rooted around my studio and found silks, soy bean fibres and some other goodies which I had already dyed. When I put them all together and spun them with some dyed merino this is what I ended up with 

Since then I have also dyed and spun some green yarn and here is my first felt containing it. I used the green yarn to represent the grasses and it felted in beautifully. No stitching was needed.

Spring has sprung!

In my part of the world ( Wales UK) spring has finally sprung so I made a felt to celebrate. I know I shouldn't blow my own trumpet but I was rather pleased with the way it turned out. I added lots of hand embroidery to the foreground to make the grasses and flowers pop.

Spring lambs

Here in Wales we have an explosion of lambs! It's the same every year but I never tire of watching them. When they are very young they stay with their mothers but soon gain confidence and make friends with the other lambs. Then they race around in gangs, playing chase and leap the ditch. From watching them I'm pretty sure the ewes take turns to keep an eye on them as well. Here is my latest felt of a young lamb with mum.

Abstract felt

As most of you know my felts are usually whimsical, Welsh landscapes. Today I just listed something completely different and everyone will think I've lost the plot so I will explain how it came about.

A couple of days ago we had a beautiful sunny day. The first time this year when it was comfortable outside without a coat on. I spent a couple of hours in the afternoon in my poly tunnel repotting tomato plants and sewing other vegetable seeds. I felt happy, warm and joyful.

When I came back indoors I only had half an hour before it was time to start cooking so I decided to fill an art journal page. I've been following prompts from a lovely blog called 'Daisy Yellow'.  I picked a sunburst prompt and doodled away then got some paints out and painted it and then did some more doodling. I had so much fun dinner was late. This is my art journal page.

That evening I though what a cheerful felt it would make but it is so different from my usual work and only a doodle anyway that I banished the thought. 

The next morning as I was browsing Pinterest I came across an aboriginal painting which was based on the sunburst format. The colours were much more subdued than mine but the format was similar. I decided it must be fate and I would make that felt after all! Here it is

If you would like to see more photos of it go and visit my etsy shop.

New felt adventure.

I told you in my last post that I had started an exciting new venture. Well, I am making felt panels for opera jackets! Designer Susan Hollingsworth of Sukaz jackets has asked me to design and make panels for her one of a kind opera jackets. She already has textile artists in India and China working with her. I am honoured to be part of such a talented team.The first panels have been completed and sent off to Texas. I can't wait to see them in a jacket. 

March hare

Hello,
I've been incredibly busy this month and am about to start an exciting new venture which I will tell you about soon.
In the mean time I thought I would share my new March hare with you.

Lots of lovely texture on this one. To see more photos pop along to my etsy shop.

Felt art paintings - How to finish and display.

Hello there,
 today I thought I would try to help with a dilema some felt makers have. You have made a beautiful felt painting but how do you diplay it to it's best advantage?
There are several options.
1) Handmade felt has irregular, organic edges which some people like to display. It is possible to add a sleeve to the back of the felt and put in a rod for hanging. I think this workswith boho/hippie style decor but not in the average house.Here is one of my felts with the edges on view,

I am happy with the actual image but think the presentation (or lack of it) looks messy.

I usually stretch my felts  on to an artists canvas or matt them ready to be framed. If you do want the edges on show you can mount the felt on to a plain piece of felt or other fabric and then put it on canvas or frame it.

Here is the same felt painting but this time it has been mounted.

Don't you think that looks better?

If you want to do this it takes a bit of practise getting the felt to the correct size. You must add some for the usual shrinkage and then add some to go around the sides of the canvas and then some to allow it to be fixed at the back. Don't put any major elements of your design near the edge as you may find them dissapearing round the side when it comes to mounting. The fabric of the felt musn't be too bulky either or the corners will be messy. I usually start with a needle punch prefelt and then add  3 - 4 layers of fibre. Each layer should be thin enough to read through. The easiest method for fixing is with a staple gun.

If your felt is smaller you can make it have more impact and seem more 'impotant' by matting and framing. Here is a photo of one which has been matted in preperation to be framed.

The aperture is only 6 x 6 inches but the matt is 2 inches around the edges so will fit in a frame of  8 x 8 inches. To get you felt to fit the desired size is a bit easier with this method. just allow for shrinkage plus a bit more then trim the edges to fit. I usually attatch the felt to the backing board with double sided tape and the front matt to the backing board with more double sided tape.

I hope this has given you food for thought and will help to make the most of all your hard work. To see more of my work visit my etsy shop here

 https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SueForeyfibreart?ref=hdr_shop_menu

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