Needle Felting with Lynda and Lindago

My friend Lynda invited me to participate in a new felting class she's developing. She discovered that Lindago Alpaca Farm near in Neenah owns a needle felting machine, and they rent time on it to other people.   This has totally revolutionized her felting production, as the needle felting machine can shorten the hands-on felting time dramatically.  

She set the class up so that we'd each make-and-take a felted scarf that could be finished in just a couple of hours.  The photo above is my scarf as I laid it out -- painting with dyed wool.  I used my usual color pallet - blues and purples with a touch of green.   She also had some dyed locks which I used as embellishments. 

She started the morning by showing us what was possible -- with some of her own beautiful woven and felted works.  Some with inclusions like beads or silk and ribbons ...  Neat and inspiring stuff!

We painted with wool on a cheesecloth base (also dyed) which gave the pieces structure and stability.

 My scarf in it's entirity, laid out next to Karla's.

 This is how it looked after having run through the needle felter.  You can kind of see the lines of the needles ans they punched through methodically.

 The feeder tray for the needle felter also has a light box to help you judge the density of the fiber you're feeding through.

 Here it is on the other side, where the different layers have been felted into a single layer of fabric.
We ran each scarf through the machine 3 times in total.  2 times with the top up, then 1 time with the back side up. 

 After the needle-felting come the finishing with wet-felting.  Lynda brought out an old bamboo curtain.  We laid out our scarves (now wet with water and Dawn dish soap) on the bamboo. Then we rolled up and began agitating it.  This was so much nicer and shorter than I remember wet-felting before --which took hours!  This was 10 minutes tops.  Made all the easier and more fun with work songs -- kind of like that scene from Outlander where they were waulking the tweed ...

 More wet-felting with the Ladies.

 Lynda leads us through the process / technique

 This finished scarves.  It never ceases to amaze me that a class-full of students given the same assignment will all come up with very different final products.

I still want to add some beads for bling and glitz.  Lynda showed us how to add beads as a felter would, by string the beads on a woolen yarn, then laying it on the felted fabric, then using a needle felting tool to push it into the fabric.  This needs to be wet-felted to secure it. But so much easier than stitching them in one at a time!

 

Karla with a dyed Merino Wool roving, worn as a feather boa -- to go with the python boa she wore a few months ago at the ren fair when she was checking out the snakes on display!  She looks much more relaxed here!

Goat Milk and Honey Soap

Goat Milk and Honey with Clover Flower Scent.  Hmmmhh!

A new batch of soap.

This is the same recipe as the old goat milk and honey soap with oatmeal.  I left out the oatmeal this time, since it's been settling out in the last few batches.

I was surprised to see that I had not previously listed the recipe for this goat milk soap on Sweet Leaf Notebook, so here it is :

Goat Milk Soap - The KEEPER Recipe

21 oz olive oil

14 oz coconut oil

9 oz palm oil

6 oz Red Devil Lye

16.5 oz Goat Milk (or buttermilk), frozen *

1/2 cup ground oatmeal (optional)

2 T. raw honey

Carefully mix the milk and lye in a glass or plastic container. Allow to cool to 92 degrees (It may smell like ammonia if the milk was not frozen.)

Stir in the refined oatmeal and honey.

Mix well.

Warm fats to 92 degrees and slowly add to milk mixture.

Mix for 15 minutes, or until thick like honey; Pour into prepared molds.

Let set for 24-48 hours.

Cut into bars and air cure for 4 - 6 weeks.

Note : The finished soap has a sweet caramelly sweet smell.  Wonderful and worth braving the ammonia smell in the making. 

*  Freeze the goat milk in a zip-lock bag--flat.  When frozen, break it into chunks and put in a lye-proof container.  Immediately add lye.  It will totally melt in about 10 minutes -- WITHOUT smelling like ammonia and burning the milk.

Woollee Winder : My New Toy

I've been thinking about this purchase for more than a year ...  been trying to convince myself that I didn't really need The Woolee Winder, that the hooks on my old flyer work just fine ...  And then I went and put in the order.  So much for disposable income!

It has these gears that run the loop up and down the flier arm, allowing the yarn to fill the bobbin evenly.  It does take a little getting used to. I had to loosen the brake considerably to avoid taking up too much wool too fast.

I think it will be great for plying.

Here's a shot of the old bobbins, wound with the old system of hooks.  It fills the bobbin very unevenly.  It hasn't really been a problem, but it does show a dramatic difference between the old system and the new Woollee Winder.

Here's a close-up of the newly plied yarn. Alpaca is a dream to spin!

I decided I needed to finish spinning this batch of alpaca roving on the old system for the sake of consistency.  Then I can use the Woolee Winder with abandon!

Ailin Learns to Sew

My little niece Ailin is 10 years old.  This summer I am teaching her how to sew.  It's a great reason to pull out my Singer Featherweight to give it a workout.  A great and simple machine to learn on as it only does straight stitch -- and it does it very well.  It's not a fussy machine.

Ailin wanted to make a dress as her first project, but I convinced her that this little origami bag to hold her new sewing kit would be a better beginner project.  It's all straight lines, and gives her a chance to get used to the machine, the foot pedal, gives her a chance to develop hand-eye coordination, sewing speed, keeping the sewing line where you want it ...  remembering to back-stitch at the start and end of a line. 

Skills Ailin worked on with this project :
   *  Pinning edges together
   *  Not running over pins while sewing
   * Sewing in a straight line
   * Top stitching
   * Starting and stopping - securing the start and end of a line of sewing
   * Hand-eye coordination
   * Controlling the foot pedal and sewing speed
   * Ironing Fabric
   * Pressing Seams / Setting Seams
   * Sewing on a Button
   * Feeding ribbon through for a draw string

Since this won't be her regular machine, I did not make her learn to thread the machine, or fill a bobbin.  We've got to save something for next time!

She's a quick learner!  She picked out the coordinating fat quarters, learned about pressing / ironing fabric.

 Auntis Michele (me) with AIlin and her finished Origami Bag

I remember my first sewing project was a little orange sundress with a yellow jacket.  I spent most of my time picking out bad stitches because I was probably too young to really control and coordinate the foot pedal (under the table and out-of-site) with guiding the fabric along the sewing line with my hands.   That was in a 4-H class to begin with.

Later on Gramma Pickles and my mom helped me learn to sew ...  This is the only picture I have of sewing with my Gramma.  Wish I had more ...

Now it's my turn to teach the young ones.

It was a productive afternoon!

Skye in Black and White

Skye (as in Scotland) in black and white.

This photo is from our most recent trip to The Misty Isle in July 2017. 

This treatment with SilverEffects emphasizes the ever-changing and dramatic skies of the land so aptly named for all that drama!  I was going for an Ansel Adams look ...  Not quite there ... but I'll keep it!

Unfortunately, I didn't save a copy and lost the original in the processing of this, or I'd show you the before shot.  Suffice it to say, there was a lot of beautiful green in the foreground.   The only thing missing is the "Hilan Coo!"

Design Possibilities for a new iPhone Case

It seems my old iPhone case has done an admirable job of protecting my device.  By now, I can feel scratches in the case, and I think it's time for a new one ...

I'm entertaining the idea of having another one printed with one of my very own designs on it at SnapMade.com  They have an option where you can upload one of your own images to have printed to the smartphone case. 

What do you think of these as possibilities?
The image at the top is a Kaliedecam (app) kaleidoscope.   I LOVE how it turned out, but not sure I want to carry around so much yellow with  me on my iPhone.  As a personal statement, that's not quite me.  Too fiery, I guess.  I'm much cooler ...

Like this one:

 This one is another Kaliedecam kaliedescope of some of my watercolor textures.  Nice and simple.   I like this one, too, but not sure I want such a blue case.  I'm afraid it might get lost to easily amid all the clutter at my house and office.

 

One more Kaliedecam mandala, taken from one of my quilts.

I really love this one ...  but I'm not sure if it's appropriate for an iPhone case?  This was actually the first one I pulled into the template, but my husband said  no ... so I deleted it.  And then I worked it up again with a few changes (flipping the image to balance with the iPhone camera eye).  This one is still my favorite and could be a real possibility!

 Here's the larger shot of this image.  The camera placement is a little better here ...
This was a photo of a performer at the Bristol Ren Faire a few years ago.  I worked the image in PhotoShop and Topaz Impression to get the painterly look and feel.  I love how her hair came out!

 

This one is from one of my textures of a rusty lime kiln.  Looks understated, and simple, even dreary, but I love the texture on this one,  but it seems a little too camaflage-y.  I'm afraid it might get lost, too.

 This one is a distress stain texture.  Looks cook, but too dark for me to actually have it made up for my own use. 

 This texture was made with alcohol inks.  Looks pretty neat with the depth it brings, but brown is not really my color ...

This one is a closeup detail shot of the granite counter top in my kitchen.   I loved it when we got it, and I still love it, but again it might be too dark to serve as an iPhone case.  This looks really cool -- but not sure the image will scale up without getting pixel-ly upon printing. 

My current case has a white marble image with pink streaks running through it.  I was looking for something light and airy --- and that fit the bill.   It also doesn't hurt that the pink streaks act kind of like kryptonite to certain male members of my household.  

Decisions - Decisions.  What would you choose?  

Or would you tell me to scrap all of these and start over?

I'm going to sit with these before I make a final decision ...

Details : Week 27 Let's Do 52

Details - Woven Cloth

I love-love-love this yarn!  It makes common weave look like fish scales.

It's a Lion Brand Homespun

Turquoise and browns.  Sand and surf.

I am participating in Denise Love's 2017 "Let's Do 52 : 52 Weeks of Photo Prompts" to kick start the lull in my photography.   If you'd like to join us, find out more at the link above.  The more the merrier!

Small and Large : Weeks 28 and 29 Let's Do 52

Prehistoric - What some Kid Left in the Park

Small and Large

This photo covers 2 prompts in one.  It's one of those little plastic dinosaurs -- small in scale but representing something much larger.  I can just imagine the colossal battles this kid played out with this T. Rex other dinos.   Imagination!

I thought this looked remarkably lifelike -- at least for a diorama.


I am participating in Denise Love's 2017 "Let's Do 52 : 52 Weeks of Photo Prompts" to kick start the lull in my photography.   If you'd like to join us, find out more at the link above.  The more the merrier!

Frozen by too Many Color Choices

I dug out my old Periodic Table of Colors - made in an online dye class several years ago.  My intention this 4th of July was to dye a few blank outfits. I have the color samples, and the dye recipes to repeat colors.  And still ...

I'm immobilized by so many color choices and options.  [I can't believe I'm saying this!]  And once I do pick the colors and combinations, will my dye be too old to create such bright colors anymore?  Will I be left with mud?  Do I even remember how to do it?  Ugh!  Do I just toss a coin and go with the color it lands on?  No -- I know I want purple -- but WHICH Purple?

I'll try this again another day.  I need to do the planning BEFORE the weekend comes when it's time to do the work of adding color to life!

Joy : Week 24 Let's Do 52

This shot deserved it's own post.  Why not link it up with JOY?

I guess it also shows the uses of reflected light to bring out the colors.  This is much brighter and more vivid than the whole quilt pictures we took.  

I made a quilt for the birth of a close friend's first grandchild. This is the view of it inside the washing machine after it had gone through a cycle. This is how I want to remember this quilt. It is a JOY to welcome a child into the family. A joy to see my friend become a Grandmother; and a JOY to be able to make a quilt to welcome the child. It is a JOY to create ... and a JOY to recognize precious moments like this one.

I was also thinking about the other things that bring me Joy -- my dog (ALL my big black dogs), my family, creating ... making ...    Back in the day Figure / Ice Skating brought me a tremendous amount of JOY, too.  The joy of moving, of flying like the wind, of mastering the physical forces so you could defy gravity ...  But I wasn't sure how to get a photo of that.  It's much more about FEELING for me than watching, or knowing anyone up close whom I could photograph.

SO you'll have to settle for the joyous quilted visual above.  ;-)

And now a joyful musical accompaniment :



Tommy Shaw - Sing for the Day

Stevie Winwood's Higher Love

I am participating in Denise Love's 2017 "Let's Do 52 : 52 Weeks of Photo Prompts" to kick start the lull in my photography.   If you'd like to join us, find out more at the link above.  The more the merrier!

Managing Scraps

I just finished the Scrap Quilting class at Craftsy with Pepper Cory.  I have at least one of her books in my stash somewhere--I think it's on marking quilts.    It's so nice to listen to her tell stories, and share her wisdom.  She really enjoys what she does.  It's like she was right here with me -- an old friend at Quilt Camp giving me directions and pointers on how to do something.  In the class videos, she comes alive in a way that's not possible in a flat instructional quilting book. 


  

And I loved seeing her use her old Singer Featherweight whom she called Jessica.  I had to laugh -- I called one of my old cars, Jess!    I think I'll name my own Featherweight Pepper, or maybe even Cory in honor of this most comfortable teacher and friend.  It's important to have a good working relationship with your equipment.  What better way to get along, than to name it?

I didn't actually make any of the projects Pepper demonstrated in the class, since I'd made similar ones in my past quilting history.  So for me this was more entertainment to watch Pepper, and listen to her stories. 

String Quilt
I didn't actually use the old phone book pages that Pepper recommends for this project.  I remember seeing this method a while back and being intrigued by it enough to give it a try.  In this digital day and age, phone books are not so common as they used to be.   So I had to scrounge to find one (if you can believe that!).  And once I tried it -- Sure, it makes a good foundation, but I did not enjoy the ripping and the picking out the paper bits that got stuck in the seams.   The ripping process distorted the blocks.  For me, it worked much better to use blank muslin blocks as the foundation.

This string quilt was not so much scraps.  I'd purchased multiple sets of black and white 2-1/2 inch strip sets to have good variety to choose from.

From the leftovers, I made a Mondo Bag, sewn with my vintage Featherweight Singer Sewing Machine.

My goal was to learn to get a handle on my growing scrap bins after 15 years of quilting. I did a lot more fusible applique back in the day, and I told myself that I needed all those choices and colors and textures and sizes of scraps because I might need them some day ...   But it's getting to be too much now.  Time to use them!

Chinese Coins Quilt
I'd done a scrappy quilt after buying a set of 200 4-inch squares.  All the pieces were different, and it came out looking varied and beautiful.  But something was strange about it -- and I finally realized it didn't have the emotional power that a true scrap quilt has, where you can point to a scrap and know exactly where else you used it, and when you purchased it.  Or that it came from a piece of clothing from way back when ...  You can give its full pedigree.  That kind of quilt has the power to settle you down, and start a walk down nostalgia lane with all the memories it brings back.

Don't get me wrong : I adore this Chinese Coins Quilt as a whole.  But the individual parts -- the individual pieces -- don't have that emotional impact mentioned above. 

Wedding Ring Quilt
Last summer when I was working on Rosita's Wedding Ring Quilt for her grand-daughter's wedding, I was just mesmerized because I knew all those little scraps and pieces were leftover from Rosita's lifetime of quilting.  That quilt was full of her story / herstory.  Powerful stuff, when you know that.  I'm sure Kayleigh knows that, too!

Then of course, you have to use the new stuff, to MAKE it part of your story.  To give those scraps their history, to make them yours.

Composed Fabric

I'd been keeping scraps and cutoffs for making composed fabric, but I think I'm over that.  Many of these became Journals.  My sewing room was too full, and something needed to give -- something had to go.  So I gave a big garbage bag away to someone who will use it for stuffing in cat beds for the local animal shelter.   Reduce - Reuse - Recycle!

In Pepper's class, I was hoping to learn how to tame the leftovers from any given project, to be disciplined about cutting them up into strips or blocks  of varying sizes and just wait until you have enough to make something -- Like my friend Laura does.  I'll have to ask her for some lessons on that in October at Quilt Camp.  I know basically what she does -- and still I'm afraid to commit to cutting something down like that -- what if I really needed that larger piece later on?

I think I need to get a few books on the topic of managing scraps from the Public Library and see what is recommended.   And figure out what will work for me ...

Maybe I just need to figure out what kind of scrap quilts I like to make, and have that in mind as I'm cutting down and saving scraps.  For instance -- Am I shooting for another Chinese Coins Quilt, or something with 2-1/2 inch strips?  Or something with 1/2-square triangles to make scrappy stars?  I'll have to ask Laura what her standard sizes are ...

Welcome to the World Quilt for Baby Clara

My friend Vicki became a Gramma a few weeks ago with the birth of her first grandchild.  Of course that is an occasion that requires a new quilt to welcome the little one to the world!

It looks wonky in this picture because we have to tilt it to catch the light in the kitchen, and we can't photograph it straight on.  Believe me--It's square.  

If this looks familiar, it's made with the leftover fabric from the Arc en Ciel Quilt from a few year's ago. 

This is the back side.  I picked purple because Vicki likes purple -- not a baby color, but I wanted Baby Clara to be reminded of her Gramma Vickie when she sees this quiltie.

Here's a detail shot of the blocks and the quilting from the front.

And here's me, as the quilt-maker sending love and light to my old friend, embarking on this new role in life.  I have no doubts she'll be a wonderful Gramma!
[Vickie -- I'll try to get it in the mail this week ...]

I have this picture Vickie from 9 or 10 teaching Oliver to make homemade pasta noodles.

 

The Quilt Label says :

"Welcome to the World"

for Baby Clara

from Gramma Vicki Moen

Quilt by Michele Matucheski

June 30, 2017

Oshkosh, Wisconsin 

This is how it looked in the washing machine when it was done with the spin cycle.  

It just made me happy to see it on display at the bottom the washing machine.

New Blocks for Mande's Star Quilt

My mom asked me to make a quilt for my sister who lives in Japan.  Although an accomplished and prolific quilter herself, my mom has developed some health issues that do not allow her to quilt much anymore.  Since I don't live close enough to help her out daily or even weekly, I said I would do this for her-- because it's something I can do where I am.

They wanted a little lime green thrown in, too.  So I'm making that the center of the star that will radiate out in oranges and blues ...

Sorry--The oranges in this pic with the lime green are not quite what I see in real life.  Real life colors is more like the orange and blue above... 

Orange and Blue are the main colors.   Although my mom and I both have enough blue in our stashes to make this quilt, neither of us had many oranges.  Good reason to go on a shopping spree collecting orange fat quarter sets.  ;-)

So far, I have 12 blocks made of the required 56.  I wanted to post my progress because it reminds me that I am making progress, and my mom (and Mande) can see how it's coming along, too.  Maybe Ailin will help me to sew some of the strip sets when they are here in August?

Each block is about 12-1/2 inches when cut.  Though I start with 2 18-inch squares of strip sets sewn in opposing color-ways.  Lay them down right sides together, then sew a 1/4 inch seam around the outer edge.  Once that's done, you carefully cut 2 lines corner to corner.  The resulting block is like what you see above.  You can make 4 blocks at a time with this method.  I can't seem to find the instructions at the moment, but I'll add a link to a demo when I locate one. 

This is essentially the same basic block as in Aidin's Corner of the Sky Quilt, only these will be set differently--without cornerstones and strapping in between.  It's a wonderfully versatile block-and essentially a souped up half-square triangle.

This is how I'm planning to lay it out for Mande's Star Quilt  (minus the red squares in the centers) :

At present, I have enough for the star in the middle, but no room to lay it out for you here. 
Only 36 blocks to go! Plus borders.

Pattern : Week 26 Let's Do 52

The Spiral Staircase inside The Lighthouse in Glasgow, Scotland.

I am participating in Denise Love's 2017 "Let's Do 52 : 52 Weeks of Photo Prompts" to kick start the lull in my photography.   If you'd like to join us, find out more at the link above.  The more the merrier!