Totally Useful!

I've been collecting short ends for a while, and am not alone - 

last year Linda introduced us to the TUSAL jar!

This particular jar contains the shortest of short ends, the longer ones were sorted into a bag to be used in scrumbling and other projects..

Whilst browsing fellow stash busting blogs I came across these fabulous ideas from Stephanie of Handwerkjuffie (Needlework missy) on how to use those tiny scraps.

So totally useless scraps became a very useful colour injection!

One layer of  natural shetland, a sprinkling of random bright off cuts -

two more thin shetland layers and a top splatful of  colourful randomness

followed by a very thin topping of shetland to trap all the fibres.

Whilst rinsing the piece of wet felt the combination of the two coloured layers was really obvious..

The wrung out wet felt was drenched in water again for a sunny photo shoot to optimise the colours

each scrap is a reminder of  past projects and fun creations

there are some sparkly bits of thread too camera shy to show up here!

The next photo is the sopping wet back view...

Held up to the light more colourful squiggles can be seen...

From the next few pictures you can see how different the felt looks when dried as the trapping layer of shetland fibres subdues or masks the colours.

Back view:

 

So now I have to work out what to do with this piece..I really felt liberated

 being free to fling fistfuls of fabulous fibre at random and

I would have been really pleased with the final dry result had I not known its fully soaked gloriously colourful secret! 

Only you and I know that though!

Any ideas very welcome...Mr RW has made a suggestion which I might investigate.

Until then I'll leave you with a sunny front face of friendly fibre filled felt and the fact that the jar is still full of colourful threads!

Scraps

I have always collected scraps...of paper, ribbon, card, string...or yarn and fluff (though I do draw the line at the sock variety!). 

Short ends of yarn have been really useful for mouths

swirly needlefelted middles

pumpkin stems

 

 

wrapping..

 

 

 and many more exciting adventures!

When Linda introduced me to TUSAL I had an idea for using some really special ends of Rowan Colourscape Chunky from my flower loomed blooms

I love the way the yarn changes colour and has speckles of rainbows all the way through. Last week I  had the chance to make three pieces of felt and a couple of them re-used those special short ends..

This is for a special present project... is double sided

and quite thick..

 

I love the fluffy first stage!

There's some longer pieces on this one!

 ..again it has an interesting back...

So.... some of my Totally Useless Stitch A Long items become Totally Useful SALs!

Clippings!

The other pattern Tracey has in Craftseller 13 is for pretty hair clips:

These three were made for a special little lady celebrating a family event last week...

there are two clips and an elastic

each made from 2 strands of rainbow sock wool.

A couple of shadow shots as it is nearly Sunday!

A peek at my TUSAL jar...

..filling up slowly!

...and finally - another of the hair clip patterns (slightly tweaked) used as a feature on a card

sent to wish our friends Eid Mubarak!

xx