Emma at Southwinds

Who says kids can't needle felt? Look at 4-year-old Emma felting away. She is making felt art from alpaca fibers grown right at her own farm near Springfield, Illinois. There are 23 alpaca on her farm and one llama. She also raises banty chickens for their feathers.

Celery Garden

I've developed a passion for yarns that are fat and thin and interesting, like this offering from Ozark Yarns. I call this piece "Celery Garden". It's specialty yarn on a piece of natural quilt batting from Back to Back Fiber Products (made of 60% alpaca and 40% wool). Later, I hope to make this into a totebag. The beauty of this yarn is that it can be separated into fat and thin areas to add texture and dimension. I just want to run my fingers through it. The fibers are simply needle felted on! What could be easier than that?

See these yarns at www.ozarkhandspun.com.

I purchased this yarn in LaVeta, Colorado when I went to see a taping of "The Quilt Show" with my friend, Ricky Tims. www.thequiltshow.com

Babe Spinning Wheel

Today, I got to see my first Babe Spinning Wheel. It is made of wood and PVC pipe. The wheel belongs to my friend, Terry Jones, of Southwind Alpaca Farms in Pleasant Plains, IL (near Springfield).

One day, I'll learn to spin. I'll be sure to add it to my blog when that happens!

www.babesfibergarden.com

Wet Felting Spirals

Wet felted spirals are easy to do and make quick embellishments for a variety of projects. By using prefelt sheets called Pacafil Brites from Back to Back Alpaca Products in Mesa, Arizona, they can be easily accomplished and quickly put to use. For a tutorial on wet felted spirals, check out our website at www.ritablocksom.com. The instructions are printer-friendly and the spirals can be made by anyone of any age. Roving can be used as an alternative to prefelts.

Forest Floor

I call this piece "Forest Floor" because of the brilliant colors. Reds, varieties of orange, browns, a plethora of greens. This is a stunning piece, if I do say so myself.

I started with a prefelt base and added rovings of my favorite colors onto it. This piece is wet felted and I will treasure it.

Vintage Coin Purse

This small coin purse was decorated with natural fibers and a vintage button. I made it and it sold immediately at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Festival in Crystal Lake, IL. I was sad to see it go since I had kept that button since childhood, but...that's the way the fibers fall, as I say. Net year, my goal will be to have a booth and teach at Midwest. It's a great show!!

Sublime Purse

Cinnamon FeatherFelter

Here is the newest baby in the family, a cinnamon-colored FeatherFelter. This machine is a one-of-a-kind. It only felts, it is not set up to be converted back and forth between sewing and felting, thus making it less expensive and more affordable. Notice the drilled out center of the stitch plate. It is enlarged so that the six needles can penetrate the fibers as you felt. This stitch plate is custom made so that the multiple needles can do the felting for you.

See www.ritablocksom.com for photos of other Featherweights that have been custom painted.

Orange Sherbet Purse

This is my felted version of orange sherbet. It is created on a prefelt of 60% alpaca and 40% wool and is embellished with beads and buttons and features a braided yarn handle. It is a small purse to be sure, but there is no minimizing its effect.

Pink Spiral Purse

This is a pink purse I made and embellished with spirals made of 5" stacks of prefelt. It is also built on a pink prefelt base and features commercial handles which are available at local craft shops.

I have a pattern available on my website and webstore for this fun purse.

www.ritablocksom.com

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