OK… I couldn’t help it…It’s a beautiful snowy morning here in Minnesota and I love watching the snow fall. I know – this is NOT fun for those who have to travel to work or get across a town to an appointment, but for those of us who are lucky enough to just be able to ‘hunker down’ in a warm home (with untold projects that are begging for attention!), this snowy world provides us much beauty. (And for anyone who has a young canine companion, the snow provides unlimited opportunities to laugh while watching them enjoy the fluffy white stuff!!) However, I did not expect to see the above scene less than 25 feet from our back windows – frosted donuts! More…

It’s been a busy week – our two little grandgirls came to visit while their mom and dad took care of business in the cities. At ages 2+ and 4+ they are both an absolute delight as well as the cause for a realization that my DH and I aren’t quite as young as we used to be! Even Reka, our Aussie(a breed known to be extremely high energy), looks exhausted by the time they leave!! No matter, it surely is wonderful to experience the world through a child’s perspective! Of course, it also means that I need to put away all my projects and materials (they stay in the guest room which is where I do my designing, etc.) This wouldn’t be so bad, but as I return to my projects, I find that I am continually looking for something I can’t find – but I remember just where it was before I put it all away!! Wish I had a penny for every minute I spend figuring out just where I put something!! Anyhow, I do remember that I promised this post about how I tackle turning an ‘outside’ point with the blanket stitch. It can be challenging – especially for a beginner – to figure out how to get a nicely turned ‘sharp’ corner with the blanket stitch. So here goes… More…

Continuing from the previous post, I made my thread choices and appliqued the white snowflakes to the red background. You can see the dark variegated thread I used on the model to the right. It is interesting to experiment and see the effect of different thread colors – you will see later in this post that I did yet another one with black thread. I will also suggest that if you are new to stitching you may want to consider that a high contrast thread will show up more than a thread color that blends in – so if you are having fun but have yet to develop consistent stitches and don’t want to draw any extra attention to your stitching, stick with a low contrast thread More…

Since I began designing in felted woven wool and/or wool felt, I have found that there is a considerable range of opinions about the use of fusibles for wool applique. Personally, I feel that it is all about what look you want or are happy with, and how stitching on fused wool works for you. That said, I decided I would try some variations in working up my samples; while you can’t exactly ‘feel’ the finished results over the internet (maybe someday!!!), I think I can present some options that you might consider trying. As a designer and a teacher I can only benefit from experimentation, hopefully saving others from potential frustration OR presenting more possibilities! I used fusible in each of the 3 red samples – each in a different way – and I also have some photos of how I chose to use it in the larger green model. Be sure to click on the photos to get a closer view, as some of the detail in the photos isn’t really obvious until you enlarge the picture. More…

In creating this assortment of samples – all of which are made from entirely 100% felted woven wools – I want to share the process of folding, tracing and cutting the various paper templates used in their construction. Just to be clear, I made one larger dark green and winter white topper, as well as a group of three small 8-9″ red mats all of which I handled differently. I use both tracing paper and freezer paper for my patterns. More…

A very belated Happy New Year to all of you! I left 2012 with a nasty cold that left me indisposed for at least a week, but the good news is that I have escaped the flu (so far!). I hope saying that doesn’t jinx me! Certainly the holidays are busy times and rightly so – time spent with family and friends is priceless. This new year has brought me several reminders of just how precious. In the past few weeks, my cousin in Germany lost her husband to cancer, I said a final goodbye to a dear friend of more than 30 years, and another friend is currently recuperating from surgery that confirmed a cancerous brain tumor and an uncertain future. When it rains, it pours. I’m hoping the new year gets better moving forward. It has taken some concentrated energy to focus on stitching projects that I need to get done. I am teaching a workshop/class at Quilter’s Haven in Rosemount in February. Jean carries a wonderful selection of woven wools, so I want to make sure I have some samples of toppers done entirely with the felted woven wool. More…

Remember those cut outs of felt in my last post? Well, ta da! Here they are as finished pins! Plus, I actually got another one done (the black and white pin). All of these – with the exception of the pink and brown one – were given as gifts. There are a few people who have been very helpful and supportive in getting me started with my patterns/designing. I think “Thank Yous” are very important. While I was working away madly on these, I actually had a few more ideas. Take a peek at the photos. More…

It’s continued to be a rather busy week, with all kinds of random things calling for attention. Finally on Wednesday morning, I managed to lay and cut out the ‘fixins’ for a few more pins. If you notice in the photo that I am definitely trying to mix it up with materials; you’ll see some vinyl, as well as cotton batiks, and I especially used a lot of felted woven wool. For some reason, there have been those who are skeptical that wool can be used effectively in any projects. I also know that a lot of shops will carry woven wools on the bolt (or in smaller pieces), but have not yet chosen to carry wool felt, so accessibilty is a factor. I think that ‘felt’ conjures up images of the .25 sheet of acrylic felt we used to get at the Ben Franklin craft area – great for all those crafty kid projects. You know, the ones with untold sequins, pipe cleaners, glue, little pompons, etc. BUT that felt was horrible for any projects of more sophistication. Thankfully the resurgence of wool and understanding it’s qualities, gives us a chance to show felted wool at it’s best. More…