Flame On!

This is the card we gave Mum for her birthday...

It started as the fourth piece of wet felt created for The dying of the Sun...seen here on the right on the line of fire!

There's a bit of everything incorporated into the needlefelting, two types of Teeswater curls and mainly shetland tops with some sari silk...

...and some crochet. 

I suppose the crochet flames could be considered my first free form crochet as I just hooked a few stitches until I got a flame shape.  They then took on a completely different form as they were needlefelted onto the piece..

I'm amazed how much my style has changed from this

to this in just a year. 

I'm always on the look out for frames and this is a great one from B and M bargains last year. The glass has been removed but the mount had padded foam on the back and a polystyrene sheet is included to pack out the box style. I might have to pop in and pick up some more, though I have quite a collection of shapes and sizes as I buy them when I see them. Also I'm never quite sure what size a finished item might be!

Part of mum's present was a crochet Poinsettia brooch from my daffodil pattern,
with a few more petals of different widths, and...you've guessed it...

a needlefelted middle!

Happy Birthday Mum!

The Dying of the Sun -

a meditation on Fire....

...as my last post finished with a sunset..so this one starts with a small detail of the balls of fire sparked by The Dying of the Sun - a meditation on Fire:

The public exhibition runs from Saturday 6th until Sunday 14th October 

at The Barn Gallery, The Bield at Balckruthven, Tibbermore, Perth PH1 1PY

It has been organised by the fabulous and friendly felter Tracy and Angela to celebrate the fourth annual International Day of Felt.

This week I have posted 3 items to be included in a collaborative piece...I am really excited about being part of this interesting and inspirational project alongside some very talented felt makers (including a friend of mine, Penny).

I will reveal more of the firey photos nearer the time, but in the meantime anyone nearer the venue might like to book the dates of the exhibition in their diary....

Exciting!!

I have abandoned my intended post mid-construction to pass on some excitement! If I left it until I had completed the said page I fear the closing date might for one of these news items may have been and gone! I'm being incredibly slow at the word to blog action at the moment!

So....first of all the exciting news that the fabulous felt makers Tracy at narkeymarkey and Angela at a life of felt are organising an exhibition

 to celebrate the fourth international day of felt, on theme of  

The dying of the sun -  a meditation on fire. 

A message to all my felty friends -  they are calling for submissions -  all the info can be found here and here! 

What a fabulous subject - bound to spark a flame of  inspiration!

It gives me a nudge to explore and extend ideas from my firey piece from last November...

can't wait to get back to felting again hopefully sometime soon I might get some space in my house and week!

The other slice of excitement is the arrival of my labels! I asked Fiona from craftedHOME  via Folksy to make them and they are fab! 

I gave her an idea of typeface and colours and she sent a pdf before printing them. I'm really pleased with them and am itching to make something so I can use one!!

xx

Fire! Being Creative

October's theme for Being Creative is Fire...a real gift for a felter!

 I started with a dark background.....wet felting a bit of dark blue merino and some curly black uncarded fleece from a mixed bag, there are still some curls apparent, and the uncarded wool held together suprisingly well.

I didn't take a photo of this stage but this is the finished reverse with sparks of the fire poking through!

A loose fire pattern made from orange, red and yellow merino and shetland with a hint of silk was then wet felted onto the wet background. I also included some red tweed yarn from some short ends given to me by Tracey. 

I couldn't have made a better autumn leaf shape if I had tried and could have stopped there....but I had a vision of fire blazing so I continued with my initial design and..

... needle felted a combination of the same yellow, orange, and red merino shetland intertwining some purply silk threads to create finger like flames with whispy ends:

I intended to write something to accompany the firey photos but November crept up quickly. 

Curls of fire, Brownie and Cub campfires,  The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, and Titian tresses, locks of flowing fiery hair on iconic Pre-Raphaelite women were images that sparked the mind of one creative, imaginative friend who had a sneak preview ....

what does it fire up for you?