This weekend, I completed a custom order via my etsy shop, Wienermania. My customer sent me a beautiful blue handknit sweater in a luxury yarn that was accidentally washed - a genuine knitting "Waterloo." I have cut many cashmere sweaters in my time, but I hated to cut this one! All the same, it made a lovely set of dachshunds - a mum and a pup - and gave the dogs a very nice weight.
To give the stuffies a little color, I made each dog a removeable turtleneck sweater. This is very easy to do and would even work for a REAL, LIVE, small dog if you have one. Just take the sleeve of a felted sweater, cut leg holes, and adjust the length accordingly.
The felted sweater doxies I made earlier this year are now completely sold out! I so enjoyed making the bigger one that, if it continues to snow, I may make a few more for the holidays.
When was the last time you changed the needle on your sewing machine? I'm guessing that mostly people only change the needle if it breaks. I'm guessing that my sister, who uses my Mom's 1960's nightmare Singer, has *never* changed the needle. I'm guessing that my Mom never changed the needle either.
If you have a newer machine, chances are they provided a small envelope of needles, each with a different color tip. Some brands might use a letter, like Q for Quilting, and some might have a number. Find your machine's manual and look up what it has to say about needles - your machine's needle system will never change, so get to know what makes your machine happy! (If you can't find your manual, this chart may be helpful for you to look at.)*
And you will be much happier with your machine and your sewing if you choose the right needle for the task. Use the wrong one and you could wind up pretty frustrated with your project. For general sewing, the best place to start is, again, your machine's manual. It will tell you which needle works best for the weight of the fabric you are working with.
I made this little needle keeper out of a fabric scrap and some quilt batting and I keep it close to my machine. Once you've changed the needle a few times, it's really not a big deal - so long as you can find your needles close by!
Even if you stick to sewing fabrics of similar weight, it's important to change the needle from time-to-time to keep it straight and sharp. I like to think of the needle as the "underwear of the sewing machine." You really want to put a fresh one on about every eight hours of sewing.
* I have two machines, and their parts are not simpatico. I learned this the hard way, and had to make an expensive repair.
I'm convinced that you can get as much out of a relatively inexpensive home sewing machine as a costly, professional model. The trick is to understand your machine and take good care of it.
Like any piece of equipment, your sewing machine
needs a little TLC from time-to-time to prevent damage to its delicate
parts. Taking good care of your machine will help you, the sewist, to better understand your machine and, if you can keep things running smoothly, preventing many of the frustrations that pop up during projects.
Before you do anything, track down the manual for your sewing machine and READ
it. Technology has moved on in a big way since your 8th grade Home Ec class, and your manual will show you how to clean the bobbin case on *your* machine.
Let's take a look at my bobbin case and see what's happening in there. Even the finest fabrics and threads have slubs that leave fuzz inside your machine. Too much fuzz can upset throw off the tiny parts and keep the needle and bobbin from doing their thing.
My sewing machine came with a tiny brush. I got a little bit of fuzz, but since I have cleaned my machine in awhile I decided to remove the plate, just to be sure.
Ya.
Seriously.
Gross. Those little "worms" to the right of the bobbin are fuzz that was packed inside the grooves between the feed dogs. Take five minutes and clean your bobbin case before you use your machine. Get in the habit of checking the bobbin case regularly, especially if you sew fuzzy stuff, like felted sweaters.
I love working with wool felt - it's just so easy and fun! I found the pattern for this wool felt tooth bear, along with a stash of other ideas, at Martha Stewart online. By coincidence, it was a craft created for Martha by Cindy Treen, CPF and visitor here at Paradise Ranch.
I made this bear in a couple of hours over the weekend. The pocket is big enough to hold a baby tooth for the tooth fairy, as well as the quarter she might leave behind. I started off thinking I'd make three, one for each little kid, but didn't have enough wool felt in gender-neutral colors. In the end, I decided they could probably share one bear, but it's time to place an order for a new pack of felt.
In the past, I've purchased wool felt at Magic Cabin, but I've also been looking at the beautiful colors sold at Purl Soho. Felt-o-rama has felt made from recycled plastic bottles and bamboo fiber, and offers to send three swatches of these new blends for $1.99 so that you can test the products in your studio.
Last night, I whipped up these little fortune cookies out of wool felt using a pattern from Martha. On Christmas, the girls will find a fortune and a little bit of gelt inside each cookie.
All you need to make them is a little bit of felt, some wire, and some glue (I recommend SOBO.) I completed them in about ten minutes, not counting the drying time for the glue. I love them! I'll never give money in a plain, old envelope ever again. Never. Ever. Ever.
I love these felted sweater birds in their pretty yarn nest. I met their creator, Becca Jo of Duckie Uglings, after she stopped by Two Kitties and left a comment.
It turns out we are muy simpatico. Like me, she loves felting sweaters, making softies, works in theatre, and went to the high school in the town next to mine - which means we know people in common even though we have 1) never met; and 2) live 1500 miles apart. But I digress.
Check out Recycled Goodness, Becca Jo's Etsy shop, to see some of her other softies!
Oddly enough, today's Valentine inspiration was cobbled together from various posts on Twitter this week.
I follow @Jesus_ on Twitter. Now, obviously, he's not the *real* Jesus, but his "tweets" are kind of interesting. Today, he wrote: Prov 14:13 “Even
in laughter the heart may be in pain…” It's Valentine's Day. Take some
time to offer a loving expression to others." That inspired me.
Twitter buddy Rebecca Shapiro was on TV the other day making these fabulous valentine hearts from felted sweaters. They are so quick and easy to make I bet you can whip up a few of them before your big date tonight. The "how-to" video and patterns for the hearts can be found here.
Suffered a recent breakup? Feeling kinda Anti-V-Day? Shred those old love letters and turn them into seed paper to plant in your garden this spring. OR, you could make THIS.
And, how about this quote from Richard Scarry? "If I write a letter to someone I love, someone I love may write a letter to me." Think back to the last time you received a hand-written personal letter - pretty rare these days. Why not send one to someone you care for? All it takes is a pen and a piece of paper. It doesn't matter if its late, it really, really doesn't. Really, really.
Some time ago I figured out that whenever I'm really stressed about something - I sew. Stuffed animals, specifically. There was my sheep period. And my rabbit period. And a scattering of other species that you can check out in the "Needles" category.
M. went back to Montana last weekend but I stayed here, at least in theory, to catch up on things on my desk. But how could I help myself? All my felted sweaters are here.
I'd been wanting to try a new bamboo fiber stuffing I saw at Joann Fabrics. I loved the bamboo - 12 ounces for $12.99 - it was like putting your hand into a cloud.
**I wound up remaking this needle book. The new photos are here. **
Earlier this week, I received some serious blog love from Cynthia Treen, the author of Last-Minute Fabric Gifts. She is a fiber artist and the genius behind so many of my must-be-completed-in-one-afternoon-or-will-never-happen sewing projects.
Treen found Two Kitties on the interwebs, and extended the sewing basket of friendship via email. It really meant something to me.
When I reflect back on how and why I started blogging, I often think of her, because at the time I was working steadily through that book to keep from going crazy during a long, Montana winter. If you've been reading me a long time, you might remember the sheep.
Looking at some of the posts Treen called her favorites, it is interesting to observe just how much I've learned about digital photography over the past couple of years. And, looking at the photo above, just how much more there is to know. I have yet to master macro, and yet to master good photographs of my own work. A resolution for 2009.
This afternoon, as a kind of steam punk thank you, I made Cynthia a small, sheep needle book from felted wool. He folds open to reveal a felt strip where Cynthia can store her needles. I also tufted his head so she can use him as a pin cushion while she works. His body is decorated with vintage buttons that can be cut off and used for her various projects. It's so much cooler in person!
I love this guy! He's made from a Gap sweater I found at thrift. I modified a vintage McCalls pattern I had in my files and I'm so happy with the results!
These glamorous kitties were featured on Little Love Blue recently. I love their simple styling and the texture the wool gives to their "fur." Little Love Blue has an etsy shop with plenty of inspiring wool felt projects. Her blog gives me courage.
Still no snow in Montana, but the temperature is dropping and I notice that I'm starting to think about sewing again. I'm not a great seamstress but I really enjoy it - as long as it's a simple project. Any pattern that requires a) special materials that require a 50 mile drive to town, or b) more than one afternoon to complete will likely be abandoned. I need the feeling of immediate gratification when I'm sewing. At least I understand that much about myself.
I felted two sweaters last week - both vintage, wild and crazy stripe-y patterns from The Gap. I bought this pattern from Pink Chalk Fabrics with them in mind. Two multi-colored cats (without the skirt) to give to T & T for Christmas, or maybe just to keep.
Kim Taylor - aka "The Sassy Crafter" - wrote with news that her recycled sweater bags have been
featured in Stephanie Girard's new book, Sweater Surgery!
The book features several of Kim's original patterns, including my favorite, "The Cheerleader." This little leopard number is also a fave.
Stop on over to Kim's blog to check out the post on this new book, and Kim's other cool crafts.
It's been awhile since I've done anything with felted sweaters. Just not the right weather, I guess. But I love these 'creatures' EveryLittleThing is making. A good use of sleeves and very cute!
My love affair with felt began at Robin Richman in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood.
That's where I first saw Karin Wagner's felt flower jewelry. I love the intense pigments in this necklace.
I own two Karin Wagner pieces - a flower brooch and ring. The ring covers nearly half the fingers on my right hand. It's hard to have a bad day when you have that on your finger.
I bought a copy of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazine to put inside a crafty care-package for my friend Helena in Scotland.
I'd never really looked at it before, figuring the magazine was more for mom-crafters than aging, childless types like me.
But you know? Some of the stuff in there is pretty awesome. Check out Men in Hats.
I found this great slipper project by Heather Ross in the February/March 2008 issue. The slippers are made with Heather Ross fabric and soles of felted wool. I've got felted wool. I've got fabric. I've got vintage ric-rac. Lots.
I first learned about Siamese twins Lori and Reba Schappell in the BBC documentary Sisters of Hope. Like all conjoined twins, the Schappell sisters have to negotiate each of their individual desires and tastes within a shared body. One twin became a Mormon, the other a country western singer.
While we were flying through turbulence, I remembered the Schappell twins saying that they could go "invisible" when it was needed, to allow the other twin privacy and space to pursue their own interests.
They said they go inside their own minds, calmly unavailable and emotionally distant to the other twin during individual involvements. A mammoth compromise for two people joined at the head.
I tried to do this while we were flying, to keep my nervousness inside so Mike could pilot without having to deal with my emotional freakouts. It worked for me, but it confused him when I got so quiet, and really weirded him out when I tried to explain it to him later. One of those things that should never be said out loud, I guess.
So it was no small comfort when I came across these "Fierce Bunnies" made by Canadian artist Sonja Ahlers.
They speak to me, not only because of what I'd just been thinking about siamese twins, but because they are made from recycled angora sweaters.
That's the ultimate re-use: returning the bunny to the bunny.
I found these great looking recycled sweater baby booties while trolling the internet this morning. Heather, who made them, created a pattern from a pair of baby socks she had on hand.
In her blog entry, she said that the only thing wrong with them is that they are way too easy for a baby to pull off. I'm wondering if a small piece of elastic in the cuff might do the trick. Any thoughts?
Heather publishes an independent D-I-Y magazine called Croq. Check it out.
The 'Bitty Bird Pouches' designed by Popsiedaisy have inspired me. I've been needing a little pouch for my knitting notions for this bag. I can easily pick up the bird theme and I know I have a coordinating sweater in my felted collection.
I'm one of those people that saves everything - even the scraps cut from my felted sweater projects. So when I came across this gem of a project on the Bernina website, I couldn't have been happier.
The pincushions were designed for Bernina by Linda Lenich and Jennifer Zoeterman, the owners of Pure Wool, Inc., a needle felting supply company in Chicago, Illinois.
You can download Bernina's directions by clicking here: Download berninapincushion.pdf If you don't know how to needle felt, you can still add beautiful designs to the pincushion with crewel wool and some simple embroidery stitches. Have fun!
These are made with 100% wool felt sewn together with embroidery floss and embellished with beads. A quick and easy project that would make a great stocking stuffer or last minute gift. You could even monogram them and use the stars as gift tags.
Since I've got such a stash of old sweaters to recycle, I'll probably use those instead of wool felt. I've got a felted cashmere sweater in Christmas red that would be perfect. You'll find Molly's felt star tutorial here.
But I have way too many unfinished projects as it is. So I'm sending off my favorite cashmere cardigan to Kim Taylor, the Sassycrafter, for "re-purposing."
I came across this photo on her flickr site, and promptly put a request in for a custom order.
This charcoal grey sweater was made of the best quality cashmere - which must be why something chewed a hole in it over the summer.
Kim has free reign to alter the sweater in whatever way she chooses - I can't wait to see how it turns out! In the meantime, check in to Kim's websites to see what she's got going on!
I haven't done much sewing lately, I guess its just a winter thing.
But, I did finally finish caulking and painting my art studio on Saturday - at last! So I celebrated with a cherry wheat beer and a little needlework on the deck.
I whipped this custom onesie for a friend who had a baby not too long ago. I also finished a pink pig, cut from my collection of felted sweaters.
Yesterday, I blogged about my plans to make a series of felt stuff animals or "softies" from an idea published in Martha Stewart Living. Before I cut into my precious stash of felted sweaters, I wanted to try out the patterns to get a better idea of how the animals would come together.
So last night, I whipped up this pig softie using fabric from Heather Bailey's Freshcut fabric line. You might remember that I ordered a fat quarter assortment of her line last month. I love him! He looks great in a print and I will definitely have to make more to sell in my etsy shop.
Working on sewing a stuffed pig after a couple of weeks of time on my free style embroidery project made me realize why I've been enjoying my sewing projects so much this year. Sometimes, it's just really nice to be told what to do and how to do it. I choose the fabric and at the end of the day, I have something to show for it without having to make too many other decisions.
Working on the bird and getting digital images ready for my Miranda Lake workshop yield more nebulous results. The results of these projects will have to be born from my own raw imaginings, and I definitely feel the pressure to come up with something good. Same with my professional consulting business - it all has to come from me. So its nice to take a couple of hours at the end of the day to sew a stuffed pig. You know?
On a visit to Bend, Oregon, I stopped by Goodwill and picked up a handful of wool and cashmere sweaters to put in my studio inventory. This week, I felted the sweaters for this stuffed animal project that I had seen in Martha Stewart Living last year.
When I looked on Google for instructions on felting sweaters, I didn't find very many helpful posts. So here is everything you need to know about felting a sweater for your projects:
1) I think we all put a borrowed sweater in the washing machine in high school, right? So remember that experience when choosing sweaters to work with. They will shrink significantly during the felting process so make sure you don't get too attached to your project idea until you figure out if you'll have enough wool.
2) In order for a sweater to felt properly, it must be 100% wool. I also love to make soft toys out of cashmere, but cashmere will not felt as tightly as wool.
3) Machine the sweaters (separately, by color) with a small amount of laundry soap and hot water.
4) Machine dry the sweaters on high heat until dry. (Save your beautifully colored dryer lint to make handmade paper another day.) If you can cut the sweater and it doesn't fray, it's felted.
Your felted sweaters can be used to sew mittens, pillows, blankets, tote bags, ipod cozies and much, much more!
