Early Entries...

Pssst.

Have you signed up for the May Challenge yet?

The one where you get to make a felted bag, and then embellish it any way you fancy?

Want to check out the competition so far? We've had three completed entries already.

And they're all deliciously different.

Take a little look:

Juanita has incorporated the eyes into her bag - but it looks nothing like mine!

She's really glammed it up with thick eyelashes and luscious lips...

I know there's a couple of Little Girls in this house who would go nuts for a bag like this.



Patricia has made two bags already - what a Speedy Gonzales!

I love the dusty pink and burgundy combination. I had forgotten how nicely they work together...

And how nicely stripes blend into one another when felted.



Janie has gone all out with the artistic talent on this one...

Such a Clever Chook!

She has used her needle felting skills to work up a farm scene, complete with clouds, flowers, sheep and a pond. She's even looking for the perfect duck buttons, so they can "swim" in the pond...



Aren't they all Deliciously Different?

And all based on the same pattern...

Which is your favourite so far? And how would you embellish your own bag?

Remember, the untested pattern is available for FREE until the end of May 2013.

If you want to join in, come and see us here on Ravelry or email me directly.

May Challenge

Ready for a new challenge?

This month we're working on a Felted Crochet Bag...

I give you the instructions for making the bag - and then it's up to you to decorate it any way you fancy!

You could add a crochet trim and maybe some embroidery...

How about some beads and buttons?

Anyone own a BeDazzler? I always wanted one of them... Imagine the bling you could add!

Maybe you're a whizz at needle felting? Or you just want to give it a go?

This is your chance to play around and see where your imagination takes you...

So how about it?

Are you interested?

Email me for the pattern... or join us here on Ravelry.



This is the sketch given to me by Esther... the winner of our February Challenge.

She asked me to design a bag with a face... and hoped for a couple of different facial options..

But where is the face, you ask?

Here it is...



And here:



And here: 



And here:



The pattern includes instructions for making these faces...

Or you can jumble them up to create your own expressions...

Or ignore them completely - and let your own creativity run wild!

The challenge will run until the end of May 2013, and during this time the untested pattern is available for FREE.

Don't miss out.

As for me - I'm still thinking about how to decorate my bag...

That Bag is DONE!!!

So it's been years in the making.... but finally that bag is DONE!

Started: Feb 2009

Finished: November 2012

How embarrassment!



I wasn't completely sure at first. Somehow it felt a bit bland - like it was just quietly waiting to be embellished...

And then a funny thing happened.



I just started using the bag!

You know the deal... Running out the door... Need a bag to throw your latest project into....

All the other project bags are overflowing....

So I grabbed this one in desperation - AND IT IS BRILLIANT!



There's room for my sketch pad and pattern notes, as well as the umpteen different balls of coloured yarn that I need to have on hand...

And still some room left over to throw in my purse, keys and phone, if need be.



If I'm throwing it into the back of the car, then I can just knot the handles together like this.

And when I come home, it hangs happily on the coat rack like that:



I'm loving it EXACTLY the way it is - and it doesn't need a silly embellishment after all.

(That being said, I reserve the right to add said silly embellishment at any time)

PS. If you've been following the progress of this bag over the years, you'll notice that I didn't use the lining or the handles that I planned to... I'm so fickle!

And another Oops!

So last week I was busy unraveling this jumper...

It came apart beautifully, and I was loving the variation in the colour.

Then I washed it.

I was feeling lazy, so I popped it into the washing machine.

I made sure that the skeins were tied in plenty of places, so there would be NO tangling...

But then I must have had a vague moment - and I put it through the wash on a regular cycle.




Not GENTLE.

Not DELICATES.

Not the WOOL cycle.

Just regular.



And you know what happened, don't you?

It felted. Oh YES. It felted.

BIG TIME!

(and I might have said a rude word when I opened the washing machine)

Craft Fair

Last Sunday I went along to the Melbourne Craft and Quilt Fair at the Exhibition Centre.

It's always fun to have company at these things... so I traveled in with some of the girls from work - Julie, Tam, Jo and Mary... and met up with my crochet buddy Annie once we were there.

There's always so much to see and do at these events. Although I'm not a quilter, I still like to look - and imagine that ONE DAY I might be!

Annie and I took part in a felting workshop, where I made this gorgeous flower...

And chatted to the woman next to me about the Craft Cruise she has booked to travel on. How AWESOME would that be? A Craft Cruise! Have you ever been on one?

One of the other COOL things about the Craft Fair was that I got to meet up with Prudence Mapstone (my freeform guru) and also see the Hang Ups Exhibition in person.

Remember the closet monster I made earlier this year for the coathanger exhibition? Well, he was on display at the Craft Fair... along with some VERY SPECTACULAR freeform pieces from around the globe. I tried to take photos to share with you, but with the indoor lighting they just didn't turn out at all well. So you'll just have to take my word for it -
They were EXQUISITE!

My Hakelbeutel

Remember the Hakelbeutel Bag I was telling you about last week?

The one that Dawn gave me?

Well, as I was writing about it... I remembered that Dawn and I had worked that Pattern at the same time...

Which meant that I, too, had made a Hakelbeutel bag!!!!

But where is mine? 

WELL... It's not QUITE finished yet...

(So this Unusual Looking Photo is a view of the inside of My Hakelbeutel Bag...

I love the way the light is shining through the holes) 

How long have you been following my blog for?

Were you with me in Early 2009?

If you were, then you might remember this project.

It started out with some experimental dyeing with these results.

Then came a little more dyeing, and I worked this new yarn into a crochet bag.

The bag was WAY too big, so I worked up a quick swatch for felting.

So far so good the swatch was a success!!!

And I gave  you a sneak peek at how the bag turned out after felting...

But that's where the story ended.

WHY?

I don't know!

I just kind of got lost on what to do for the handles,

and the project ended up packed away for a few years...

So what do you think?

Is it time to get my act together and finish it off?

I still don't know what I'll do for the handles though.

Any suggestions?

Advent UFO

What do you do with an UnFinished Object (UFO) that you are never EVER going to finish?

Seriously...

Like one that has been hanging around in your craft cupboard since the 1980s?

Do you trash it?

Or donate it to the Op Shop?

Or tuck it back into the cupboard - JUST IN CASE you decide to finish it one day?



This one is an Advent Calendar made from felt.

It's a wall hanging - the Christmas Tree has buttons on it for the decorations, which hide in the pockets at the bottom... until it is their turn to hang on the tree.

Totally gorgeous, and the kids are excited about starting this tradition in our home.

But first I need to make it!



The project was started by my friend Adele, but she donated it to me after it has spent TOO MANY YEARS languishing in an unfinished state at her place.



Mind you, I think that Dellie has done most of the hard yards already. All of the pieces for each decoration have been cut from the felt, and placed in individual bags.

In fact, two of them have already been constructed.



Katie was very helpful, and has filed each little baggie in the order she would like me to make them.

Notice our stylish File Box?

We call it 'The Vaalia'... very IKEA, don't you think???



But before I get started on the decorations, I guess I should prepare the Tree!

The instructions for this part seem to have gone missing, so I'm just gonna 'wing it'



Stitching by hand, because I don't trust myself to get it right using the machine...

Plus I like the look of the contrasting embroidery:



I figure that if I can get the Tree done in the next day or two... then maybe a couple of decorations each day after that, we can 'kinda sorta' use it this year...

Or maybe NEXT YEAR!

Thanks Adele.

bell completed

I still think this flower is a bit on the large side... but I'm loving the look of the felt with the aged bell... and the colours of the felt are just perfect.



As you can see, I have added a couple of green leaves. They were a bit 'flat' on their own, so the embroidered stitching around the edges helps lift them a little, and because I have use a golden colour... it helps tie the leaves with the bell.

Now all I need is that hook in the ceiling... and to hang it somewhere that I can play with it easily, but the children can't!

perhaps a poinsettia?

I've been thinking about how to best decorate this bell, and decided I would try out a felted poinsettia flower...



Started out with some red and green felted jumper pieces and some beads. I made a cardboard template for the petals, and cut out eight pieces from the red felt.





Then started sewing them together, alternating beads and petals, until all eight were on.



I also attached a circle of brownish coloured felt to the centre of the flower... oops... bit of a blurry shot, sorry!



Now I need to think about the leaves, and exactly how I want to use the flower on the bell. It has actually turned out a little larger than I had anticipated.

tempted by the red felt...

I had my red felted jumper out yesterday, preparing the tongue for the snake...

and I couldn't help but start thinking about how I could use it for Christmas...

and I came up with this tree decoration:



so easy too...


first I cut my shape


then defined it with some yellow stitching


some random french knots in orange


and then some in green


a few blue stars, with white knots at the centre... and a hanging thread to finish it off

simple... easy... tasteful decorations... I love them!

lisa gentry yarn bag

I was invited to join a new group at Ravelry the other day... for lovers of Lisa Gentry's designs. Have to be honest with you - I had NO IDEA who Lisa Gentry was!

Well... it turns out that she is the fastest crocheter in the world. Since 2005 she has been the Guiness Book of World's Records holder of the title. To achieve this title, Gentry crocheted 853 trc (5113 sts) in 30 mins... that's 170 stitches per minute.. WOW!

That was enough to peak my interest... so I joined. I figured I would just sit back and lurk for a week, and then decide whether to become active, or leave the group.

Anyway, I spotted that they are just starting a crochet-a-long (CAL) working on a free pattern of Gentry's for a yarn bag. It is a very basic bag worked in super bulky yarn on a large hook... and should only take a couple of hours to complete. So I jumped in and got involved. The CAL is actually a contest running until mid September, so check it out if you are interested.



Instead of 'super bulky' acrylic... I am using three strands of wool held together.



Circular base completed.



Body and handles done... I modified the pattern for longer handles... ch30 for the foundation of each, instead of ch16 as stated.



I worked the final row (sc) of the bag in a contrasting colour, and added a row of sc in the same contrast around the inside edge of the handles.



Now you know I love my felted hearts... so I had to add one to this bag.



Ta-da! That's the yarn part complete...

click here to see how I added a firm base

I'll also be adding a lining to help the bag keep it's shape


EDITED TO ADD:

if you are a member at Ravelry click here for the free pattern
if not, you can click here to purchase the pattern

(pssst... join RAVELRY it's a huge online knit and crochet community... and a fabulous resource)