Wooly Magnolia Wreath… complete!

February 17, 2012September 25, 2012 Mary1 Comment

Here it is – mid February and I am just now completing the wreath I started and almost completed during the holidays. I think I am going to remove the fruit and make different placements, but for now, I am going to put it in its storage container. Next Christmas, when I take it out, my eyes will see it in a different light, and I will make adjustments at that time.

At the end of this month, I am going to join an art group which will be led by Lyric Kinard called Elements Working Group. During these sessions I hope to gain new insights and may be able to appraise the artistic qualities of this project.

Here is what it looks like at this point in time. I am eager to move on to new projects and ideas.

Superior Threads University will become a part of my daily routine starting today also. It will be interesting to learn about how my Janome machine reacts to different weights of threads and also, how I can put those threads to use in projects. Fun ahead!

Della Robia Fruits

January 25, 2012September 25, 2012 Mary1 Comment

I have been having great fun creating some felted fruit to add to the Wooly Magnolia Wreath that I started in December. The pictures below show the fruit. The next step will be to add them to the inner ring of the wreath, after which I will post a final picture. The really hard work will begin then, as I want to create a pattern and another wreath with a bit less beading…. probably in muted grays and pastels.

Pommegranates

Grapes

Magnolias – just three around which to group the other fruits, randomly

Pears

Wooly Wreath

January 11, 2012September 25, 2012 MaryLeave a comment

Good progress is being made on the wool felted wreath. All three layers of the magnolia leaves are attached. Now I need to complete the della robia fruit and the magnolia embellishments.

I’ve also completed the four pears, and next will work on the pomegranates.

Wool Felted, Beaded Wreath

January 1, 2012September 25, 2012 Mary2 Comments

As former Californians, we were disappointed to discover that the NFL has pushed the Rose Bowl off for one more day. What is New Year’s Day without the Rose Bowl, we asked!!!!

I will work to complete my holiday project today. If you read earlier posts in December, you will see the beginnings of this wreath. I have completed the first two layers of machine felted leaves with beading.

This shows the straw wreath which has been wrapped in green satin blanket binding. My stated purpose earlier was to use “mostly” fabric and embellishments from my stash, without purchasing new supplies. So I completed about 1/5 of the wreath with a purple ribbon. It will only show on the back anyway. This is much like the quilters who use fabric from their stash for the back of the quilt.

This view shows the wreath with the second layer of leaves sewn in place. I whip stitched, by hand, the lower third of each leaf in the first two layers. This will keep them secure, but will allow a certain amount of movement to the wreath.

This shows the first of the 3rd layer and final layer of leaves. Today, I will hand stitch and bead the third layer of leaves and add it to the wreath. Then, I will still need to felt fabric to make pears, persimmons and magnolia blossoms to place along the inner edge. I am going to take some time to walk over to the gym and complete my new year obligation of getting more exercise at some point today. Onward….. and happy new year, once again.

Leaf 3a alternates with Leaf b

Can’t wait to complete this project and then design a pattern for it. Lots of ideas swimming around for the new year.

Christmas Project – Needle Felted Wreath

December 18, 2011September 25, 2012 MaryLeave a comment

Earlier this week I decided to work on the felted wool Christmas wreath that has been bouncing around in my head since last Christmas. My only rule was that I must try to use supplies that were already in my stash. I selected some remnants of upholstery fabric that I purchased about five years ago in Black Duck, MN, “way up north”, as they say. Then I disassembled a wreath made at the SAFF gathering in October. It was made from tufts of wool fibers which were tied around a metal ring. It was cute, but I wanted to re-purpose the wool to create this wreath. I set up my felting machine. It looks like sewing machine, but the needle doesn’t use thread or a bobbin, and the needle assembly has 5 to 10 barbed hooks, similar to fishing hook tips. The needle assembly has a plastic box around it to protect the needles from mashing a finger – very important protection.

Once I had the wool fibers felted into the fabric sufficiently, I cut several free hand leaves in the shape of magnolia leaves. These are about 4 inches wide and 7 inches long. I found, in my stash, some yarn which consisted of 3 strands – one a variegated beige, the other a glittery gold, and the third a gray/purple. I twisted and couched these using the double buttonhole stitch found on my Janome 6600 sewing machine. Then I added gold beads at the tip. The lower part of the leaf will be covered with other leaf layers, so I made most of the embellishments on the upper 1/3 of the leaf.

Rules are made to be broken, right? I needed either a foam or a straw wreath for a base, and I did not have one of those in my stash… off to the store. I decided on a straw wreath and left the plastic wrap on it because when you take it off, it immediately starts to flake and make a mess. It won’t show anyway. I did have the purple ribbon which I am auditioning here as a possible base decoration. We’ll see.

Well, I ran out of gold beads, and I didn’t wanted to keep my rule about using my stash, so I finished the remaining leaves with a variegated grouping of beads that add some additional hues.

This is the shape of the second layer of leaves. Using purple quilting thread and the buttonhole stitch, I outlined and secured the edges. Then I used a glittery copper thread to stitch veins and an outline. Coppery glass beads along with some amber glass beads were added for emphasis to catch the light.

Here is an audition of the first two layers. Now I need to needle felt the third layer of leaves and embellish them. Once the last layer of leaves is completed, I will begin to assemble the wreath. I do not want to use glue, so I think I will hand stitch all the layers to the wreath. It probably will not be completed until after Christmas…. but it is my Christmas project, so that is OK.

Our small family of four will take time off for a short escape and some travel over Christmas weekend, so I’ll probably finish it for New Year’s 2011-2012. More photos will follow as the work continues. Thanks for coming along on my felted wreath journey. I hope you will make Christmas meaningful in your own way. And…. Merry Christmas! Fa – la – la – la!