Blustery Autumn Felt Bowl

Involution made the Front Page on Etsy today with her beautiful Blustery Autumn Felt Bowl, congrats!

Here is what the artist says about herself ...

"I am a seamstress, wool felter, and jewelry maker, and I love continually exploring new ways to combine these arts into well-crafted, original pieces that are made to be loved for a long time. Wool felt is an ancient medium - durable, natural, and eco-friendly.

In my imagination, beauty is trendless. It is about knowing ourselves, loving who we are, and celebrating our uniqueness. We weren't ever meant to be all the same, and I hope you find something here that calls out to what is beautiful about you."

I love what she says in her bio ...

"I'll admit it. All of my life I've tried to fit into boxes - career boxes, personality boxes, you name it. And I wondered sadly what was wrong with me when I couldn't ever seem to find a pre-prescribed box that really felt like home. So I'm incredibly proud of Involution, because it was the beginning of my heart waking up, the dawning of the possibility that I could chop my own unique path through life's wild underbrush. On a chilly fall day a new idea swept me away with it, and almost before I knew what I was doing, Involution was born.

When I'm creating, my mind goes silent and I just follow the current of my impulses. Involution has become a way for me to express and honor the crazy and beautiful ways we are all so special, because in my imagination, beauty is trendless. It is about knowing ourselves, loving who we are, and celebrating our uniqueness. We weren't ever meant to be all the same, and I savor the truth of that with every piece I make."

Her shop that she calls Involution is definitely worth a visit!

 

 

Mitten Felting Class

Felted Mittens, originally uploaded by AlpacaLady.

Durable and warm, these felted mittens are a great warm weather project.  You  may get wet so pick a sunny day!

For those of you that live nearby, I am offering a Mitten Felting Class on Saturday, May 8th from 9am - 2pm, or however long it takes!  To reserve a spot, you can purchase the class through our website.  Click Fiber Art Classes.

 

 There is a kit available with the supplies you will need.  If you have your own fiber that you'd like to use, just purchase the foam forms and a felting tool.  A two-needle tool is sufficient. 

 A washboard is helpful, but not a necessity.  We may even experiment with an electric sander!

 

These mittens are not hard to make.  If you're not in our area, just purchase the kit and try them at home.  They will keep your hands warm this winter!

Felted ALPACA Bunnies

Click here to view these pictures larger

 Did you know that a group of rabbits, like alpacas, is called a "herd"?  And a herd of rabbits lives in a "warren".  I didn't.

Here's my herd of Needle Felted ALPACA Bunnies.  Meet Bernard, Charlotte, Peter, Beatrice, Debbie, and Liz.  They are all now listed in my Etsy shop.

I attempted some French Knots on the faces of my bunnies, without much luck.  They seem to just disappear.  I ended up felting little wisps of fiber instead.  Then I found this great little tutorial . . .

French Knot Tutorial

Easter Egg and Bunny Felting Class

 

 My first "stab" at teaching turned out okay, I think.  I wasn't sure how I would be at conveying my thoughts to others.  We all got an egg made, first needle felted into an egg shape with embellishments tacked in place, then wet felted to finish.

Easter Egg Felting Kit

I do have kits available if you want to try this at home.  It is not hard.  Remember not to squeeze when rinsing the soap out.  Wrap in a towel to absorb the excess moisture and lay in the sun or sunny room to dry.

 

The group was anxious to move on to bunnies and so we did.

Everyone brought alpaca fiber that they had carded into batts at home. We all were working with Suri Alpaca, so yes you can felt Suri!  Adrienne had a pretty yellow pastel that she had Dyed with Kool-aid, Christie had some gorgeous white Suri to which she added red, also dyed with kool-aid. 

I was working with multi-colored rovings that I had dyed with Gaywool Dyes.  What I like about Dyeing With Gaywool is that the mordant and dyebath acidifier is formulated into the dye, which makes it simple, and there are so many pretty colors.

We divided our batts into nine pieces that we used to "build" our bunnies.  We started with the body which took the most fiber, then added legs, arms, head, ears, and tail.  Rolling the fiber tightly into the desired shapes was the "key" first step before starting to needle the fiber.

Diane used a natural color and had the help of her daughter, who found felting in cookie cutters to be much easier!  A Multi-Needle Felting Tool makes the work go much quicker, most of us used a tool with six needles.  A double or single needle was needed to get in the tight spots when adding the head and tail.

 

My daughter joined us, she is 13, can you tell?  I guess she didn't want her picture taken?

When we wrapped it up, we all had some felting to do at home to firm up and finish our bunnies.  Each one looked different and had his/her own personality!

We had fun taking the time out to do something fun together, and everyone went home having learned something new to do with Alpaca Fiber!

Meet Beatrice!

And Peter!

Both are listed in my Etsy shop.  They are definitely one-of-a-kind!

Check out the Fiber Arts Classes at Alpaca Meadows and see what's scheduled next!  Happy Spring!

Fiber Art Classes

Though I’ve never thought of myself as a teacher, I’ve been asked enough times if I give classes, that I’m going to give it a “stab”! So, for those of you in our area (Ohio) here is my schedule:

Easter Egg and Bunny Felting

Saturday, March 20, 2010

10am-3pm (or whenever we finish)

$35

Basic needle felting combined with some wet felting to make a basic egg shape with embellishment, then building a 3-D bunny for your Easter table! Coffee to get you started and lunch included. Peak at alpacas and visit to The Farm Store after lunch, then back to work! 

*You will need:

Multi-Needle Felting Tool

8 Ounce Batt of Fiber

Liquid Soap in Pump Dispenser

Plastic Tub Approximately 12”x14”

Towel

If you need fiber, please let me know ahead of time so I can card it. It is not pictured on my website but is available at $24 for an 8 ounce batt, available in light fawn and black.

Enroll In Class Now 

_______________________________________________

Fiber Processing at Home

Saturday, May 8, 2010

10am-1pm (or whenever we finish)

$35

This class is a walk-through of what can you can do with your fiber at home, without spending a lot of money, in order to have a product to sell. Introduction to sorting, tumbling, washing, drying, picking, carding, packaging, and selling. Lots of ideas to go home with! Coffee to get you started and lunch included. Time to see the alpacas and visit The Farm Store.

Enroll In Class Now

 

_______________________________________________

Alpaca Hand-Painting

Saturday, June 26, 2010

10am-3pm (or whenever we finish)

$35

Hand-Painting with Gaywool Dyes and introduction to a variety of other methods. This fiber will fly off your shelves, people love it! Bring your own fiber, rovings, or yarn, or purchase from Alpaca Meadows in advance. Coffee to get you started and lunch included. Time to peak at alpacas and visit to The Farm Store.

*You will need:

Try Gaywool Kit

4-8 Ounces Fiber, Rovings, or Yarn (white or light fawn)

Large Aluminum Roasting Pan—2

Aluminum Foil

Plastic Bottles—3 (can use empty dish soap bottles)

Plastic Gloves

Dish Soap—(any kind)

Plastic Tub Approximately 12”x14” or Small Bucket

Towel

Enroll In Class Now

_______________________________________________

Mitten Felting

Saturday, September 4, 2010

10am-3pm (or whenever we finish)

$35

A combination of needle and wet felting on a form. All supplies included as well as tools to take home and make more with your own fiber. Coffee to get you started and lunch included. Peak at alpacas and visit to The Farm Store after lunch, then back to work!

*You will need:

Felting Needle—Single or Double

Mitten Forms

Washboard

4 Ounce Batt of Fiber

Towel

Liquid Soap in Pump Dispenser

Plastic Tub Approximately 12”x14”

Bubblewrap (supplied)

If you need fiber, please let me know ahead of time so I can card it. It is not pictured on my website but is available at $12 for a 4 ounce batt, available in light fawn.

Enroll In Class Now 

*If needed, these items can be purchased on our website prior to class.

All classes will be held at the farm.
Alpaca Meadows
185 Bethel Lane
Mansfield, Ohio  44906

Questions?  Call (419) 529-8152 or e-mail me at Julie@alpacameadows.com.

Bead Felting Kit

Bead Felting Kit

I've been busy finishing up projects and getting ready for Best of the US Alpaca Show in Columbus, Ohio next weekend, March 12-14, where I will be setting up as a vendor.

This felting kit includes alpaca fiber in a variety of different colors for making beads, a felting needle, and detailed instructions.  The process described involves both needle and wet felting.

 

 There also is some suri fiber that works well for embellishing beads, be sure to pull apart and use very thin, wispy pieces.

  

I like to use a combination of both needle and wet felting.  Needling your fiber into a smooth round ball actually makes the wet felting go very quickly and makes a nicer bead.

 

Here I made beads and then flattened them to make buttons for my felted mittens, coming soon!

What Is Needle Felting?

Needle Felting is a craft that is easy to learn, inexpensive to do, and fun!  You can create flat objects or three dimensional objects. 

Felting Needles are straight needles with barbs cut along the shaft. When repeatedly pushed into a tuft of wool fibers, the barbs pull the fibers down, compressing and locking them together. The barbs are cut in one direction so that felting or matting together of the fibers will occur when the needle is pushed in and not when it is pulled out.

These were done in a heart cookie cutter shape with fiber I cleaned out of my drum carder - waste not, want not. So very easy!

I ran across a website called The Silver Penney.  She has posted some helpful Needle Felting Basics for Felting a Flat Shape, (without a cookie cutter) and a very helpful video on Needle Felting a 3-D Object.

This is Alpaca Felting Fiber in some shades for your Valentine's Day projects!  It has not been carded but only needs pulled apart slightly and works great on small projects.

I've added a pin to the back so that it can be worn.

Or given as a Valentine.