Needle Felting Class

Needle Felted Gnome

I taught another needlefelting class - this one in one day, rather than dividing it up into 4 evening once a week classes. Everyone is different and I love seeing the differing personalities created!

I did the typical starting out with doing a flat picture so they could get used to the barbed needles. I should have taken pictures of them. Once they were well along and could fine tune them at home to their heart's content, we started on three dimensional wool sculpting.

I always have them start with the head, then the body and attach it to the head and then clothe it. I have them think about whether it'll sit or hang from a wall. Standing is harder - the legs and torso need to be heavily needled so stiff enough to stand. That would take more time.

They start out with a slight idea of what they want - usually a female. But as they go along, usually the face will take on a personality and lets you know it wants to be a male, or a fairy, or a gnome, or old, or young ...

The next one is the one I made as we worked the stages together. Since everyone pretty much goes with flesh tone wool, I choose to go out of the box with working with another color. I actually love this creature! I love it's expression.

My needle felted example unfinished - but I love it so far!

This was online - maybe Facebook. I love it! It is so true in my life.

I remember YEARS ago when in college, I'd put my sewing machine away, thinking I'd not use it now that I needed to use all my extra time studying ...

Oh, but I was going crazy! I pulled out my machine and spent a bit of time creating, and as I sewed I could feel myself unwind; thoughts became ordered and crystal clear.

Never, never think creativity a waste of time!

Dyed T's and socks

Stan with t-shirt and socks I dyed

Monte's partner in geology called wanting more socks. He loves my hand-dyed bamboo socks and wears them all the time. He will go down in geology history for many things, including his typical attire: Wild T-shirts with lizards, iguanas, dinosaurs, etc plus my hand-dyed ones. I did a serpentinite print from a photo on the front of a shirt and sponged on dye around it (on this shirt the print faded as he's washed it a ton, the next one I did differently). And when not in the field, he still wears shorts, even in winter and then sandals. So my socks are well exposed for all to see.

So this week when pulling out socks for both him and Monte (all my family asks for more socks), I saw that I had a t-shirt his size and decided to do one for my Grandson. Monte had also labeled a pair of his pants to be dyed black and a pull over shirt brown.

Accordian pleated and lots of clothespins

Here's Stan's shirt. I folded it accordian style from an off center at the breast then clothespinned every inch. I scrunched it into a plastic basin, along with socks and the toddler T. The dye I poured over was a mixture of 1/2 black, 1/4 cobalt blue, and 1/4 deep yellow.

Toddler T and socks

I'm sure he'll love the T and will tell me some rock tale the shirt tells.

Hand-Knit Baby Dress and Booties

I knit a dress and matching booties for my first Grand-daughter Scout. It's knit of washable variegated sock yarn.

Beautiful Little S in hand-knit dress and booties

Bootie close up

Dress close up - love the differing shoulder buttons