Quilt, Sewing, and Craft Festival

The Quilt, Sewing and Craft Festival at the Arizona State Fairgrounds has ended successfully. I demonstrated wet felting for 3 days at the Back to Back Fiber Products booth for my friend, Sue, and taught a demo class where I showed wet felting step-by-step to groups of enthusiastic students. This is my 5th year of teaching at the fairgrounds, and surely won’t be my last.

I showed wet felting to thousands of interested onlookers over the 3 days of the fair. All it takes is a little water and soap and voile! What a privilege to share felting with old friends and new.

Sue's Treasure Brooch

My friend, Sue Bunch, and I were scheduled to take a class called "Treasure Brooch" in Flagstaff but at the last minute I got called that there was a death in the family and I had to go to Utah. Look at what I missed. This is Sue's Treasure Brooch. Isn't it lovely? The technique exposes a treasured piece of art.

The Power Felter Has Arrived!

Utah Sunset

Here is a photo of one beautiful sunset. Look at the colors! This shot was one of several photos taken during a car trip from Phoenix to Salt Lake City. Looks like the beginning of a perfect needle felting project. With the right tools and appropriate fibers, this could be a beautiful finished project. Watch this site for more on this series of photographs.

Stencils

Stencils can be used as idea starters for beginner felters. Here are some tips for beginners.

• Tap your needle through your base and into your foam lightly.
• Next tape your stencil to your base using blue painter’s tape.
• Poke your fibers straight up and down being careful not to pierce the plastic of the stencil, which would bend or break your needle.

Cookie Cutters as Designs

Cookie cutter can be used as designs. Cookie cutters are readily available, and come in many sizes, shapes and themes. The more basic and open the cutter, the easier is it for the beginner to “fill” the shape with fiber.

Wilton puts out a set of fondant cut-outs that we highly recommend as the cutters are smaller and often nested, so that there are several sizes of the same shape. They are currently selling for under $3 per set at local craft stores. There is a

larger package that makes the letters of the alphabet for you if you don't wish to freestyle your work.

Blue Challenge Piece

I submitted this purse to the January Challenge on Felting Forum. The challenge called for something to be made in blue. This blue and white envelope clutch seemed perfect for it. The clutch is made on a blue prefelt with white and shades of blue alpaca fibers smooshed around on it before the wet felting began. I added some beads and bling to pull it all together, sewed in a very cool lining and voile!

Check out the forum at www.feltingforum.com.