What is a felting machine?

This is for Rach, Faye and Faye's mom....

I looked for a link that could maybe describe this better than me but couldn't find any good link on the machine at all... lots of felting by hand links though....

Anyways, the felting machine a great embellisher. It has no tensions or thread... it uses 5 barbed needles that allow you to take one fabric and "punch" in into another... fusing the fibers.

Like my bolero to the left here... its an old Goodwill sweater. I washed it twice in hot water and dried it, cut it into a bolero (after you've "felted" something in the washing machine like this it will not ravel)... then I took eyelash yarn and punched it all around the edges. Then I took ribbon metallic serger thread and punched in it randomly... steam ironed it... and yes, its permanent! And SO easy!

You can punch yarns and wool roving into cottons, denims, wools... from what I learned at the seminar in ATL ,"I felt like it", you can punch any fabrics and fuse them except leathers and suedes.

I just got a pattern yesterday for making wool roving appliques and then punching them into a pair of jeans and a purse.

One result of felting, besides easy embellishments, is you get very textured embellishments!

Check out the beautiful wallet here on the right...

I didn't make this. Its on the Janome web site.

Its felt with wool roving, yarns and angelina fibers all punched in.

You can do felting projects by hand with the barbed felting hand needles... which come as a single or in a round handle with 5 barbed felting needles. Then you felt your projects on a large foam block....its just takes longer than the machine... but you do have the advantage to getting to sit in front of the TV and work this way.

Any local sewing shop should be able to help you with the felting supplies.

There's much to be done with this machine and hand felting I am just learning about...

I need more hours in my days for all my projects!

I hope this has helped explain what felting and what a felting machine is!!

Marathon cooking Monday!

I am very much in to healthy whole food eating. But if I don't plan some meals.. Especially lunches I grab easy things like nuts or a green juice.. not enough to keep this body going! something I started a few weeks ago on Monday was what I call marathon cooking. I make up a couple of high protein desserts and snacks , a couple of easy things for a few lunches and dinner with enough leftovers for the next days dinner or more lunches. A couple hours in the kitchen and solid healthy food for days! While things are in baking/cooking mode I use that down time to organize patterns , work a simple project or promote/check social media. Don't let ok at it as, yuck 2 hours of cooking .. I look at it as 2 productive hours of multitasking. Today's marathon cooking consisted of,, simple egg salad that we like put on a low carb wrap with spinach. Huge Baked sweet potatoes which I'll cut in half and eat for lunch or a snack with butter and goat cheese mashed up! Super yum! A huge ...

Work in Progress Wednesday: Natural Dyeing, organization and new fleece!

Ok! Well I had so much fun posting yesterday's theme post I decided to do one today too! Organization is a big deal for me. I live in a small house but I have big crafty area needs! I need areas to dye , to store fiber, yarn , to blend fibers and card, to spin, to occasionally sew, to make and store soaps .. and on and on! Dyeing is done now on my back porch and green house. I have a stove, stainless steel work table , shelving and screens. Picking and drying fleece also takes place there. Solar dyeing saves time and energy too! Only certain plants will successfully dye this way though. This works well! Gets the dyeing components out of my house kitchen! And gives me a large area to spread out and do several things at once. Organizing work in progress projects has been a challenge until now! No fiber person I know only has one project going at a time. It can get messy and confusing! I try to limit myself to 4 crochet ( or knitting) projects at once. I come up with this...

Knocking it off dress

I feel in love with this Chanel look last spring.... so instead of making a Chanel jacket I decided to put that time toward knocking this off the best I could.... I am pleased with my results! Fabric from Miami's Rex Fabrics for the top..... and ofcourse fabric for the jacket and skirt... I found a close to perfect match at walmart! Of all places! Add so hip chain belts and here is my knock off! I made the skirt longer than the original.... and no collar on the little jacket... lower neckline on the top... and a bit longer on it too.... I have several other Chanel outfits I want to knock off too... soon as I can find similar fabrics for them! I had fun with this outfit and fun wearing it! Next V8489.... I bought this fabric on a trip to Panama City, Panama. This was an easy pattern and I will use it again in the future. I added a personal touch to the dress but it didn't photograph at all... asymmetrical from shoulder across the waist and to bottom I hand beaded swarvoski crys...

Handworks Crochet and then Some!

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