Something Different

I'm still trying to finish projects and WIPs so I can tidy my summer sewing stuff away. I found an unfinished project from years ago when I was putting some felt offcuts away. Hopefully, this link will show some of the pieces I made, if not search my photostream for 'embellished'. It inspired me to finish it off and make some more. So I had a rummage through my offcuts and found lots of nice ones, so many that I started to think that maybe I wanted to do something a bit bigger, like a notebook cover (surprise, surprise!). I found some thin pieces of felt to use as a base and sewed them together. I really wanted to make something the complete opposite of the carefully measured and carefully and neatly sewn notebook covers I usually make. So after spreading all the felt offcuts out, I got some contrasting sewing thread and set to work attaching the pieces to my felt base. I didn't expect it to take as long as it did and I got through quite a few episodes of Foyle's War while I sewed :)

When I'd attached all the pieces, I attached a piece of thin blue cotton fabric to hide all the stitching and thread. Then I folded the flaps in, machine stitched them in place, then hand stitched the top and bottom edges. I think you'll agree, that it's nothing like what I usually make :)  This is the front:

And this is the back:

I tried hard to make sure nothing matched, and that it wasn't too neat or even, including the top and bottom edges, I just followed the edges of the base felt. This is the cover opened out:

I didn't attach felt pieces to the base where the flaps would be, I didn't want it to be too thick. The felt I used for the flaps was originally white merino and cotton which I experimented on with direct dyeing.

I also made a strap closure for it in much the same way as I made the book:

It just fits around the book and clips together with a Delrin clip.

I thought it'd stick out like  a sore thumb in my etsy shop, but surprisingly it doesn't. But maybe that's because it probably has a little offcut from almost every other piece in there with it!

Slow Sewing

I had a comment on my previous post from Ali (Random Wooliness) about my nice blanket stitching (thank you!) and that I must have 'oodles of patience' :) The truth is I have dodgy vision, my eyes flicker and get worse with patterns or when I concentrate, so I have to sew really slowly and kind of  'slide' the needle across the felt for each stitch, as trying to poke it through in the right place would have me there all day with shaky hands and vibrating eyes :)  I have managed to get another couple of projects finished though. Last year I made a piece of rainbow coloured felt, made with merino blended with crimped nylon I'd dyed myself.

I really liked this piece, it feels really nice, kind of 'spongy'. And has a really interesting texture to it, and it almost looks like it's still damp if that makes sense? Well, I measured it and it was the perfect size for making a notebook cover, and I got to keep the natural edges too. This is it all sewn up before putting a notebook inside.

 I decided the orangey side would be the front.

And the greeny side the back:

It's a shame the back of the felt on the inside won't be seen, I liked the way that turned out too:

I mentioned in my last post that I used the blue flowery piece of nuno from my e-book for making camera cases. I managed to get one of those sewn up too. Is it just me, or does everyone who makes things want to keep them all? Is that really narcissistic? :)

I did put them both on etsy (in GBP at last, thanks Deborah I was being so dense about that), but if anyone buys them, don't be surprised if I've 'lost' them ... just kidding!! :)

Weekend Projects

I discovered the other day just how much time it can take to list things on etsy. I thought I'd put together a pack of fabric samples from all the fabrics I used in my e-book, thinking it couldn't take that long, but it did :) I enjoyed going through all my fabric though. I think if I list fabric or fibre supplies again though, I will put together a pack while I'm getting together the fibres for a project, get some extras out and build one up. It might work better like that anyway because I often work on a colour theme and get out similar coloured organzas, silks, embellishment fibres and novelty yarns.

It was nice and tidy once I'd put everything away though (and picked up a load of fabric threads!) so I had a good look through my box of felt pieces to make things with. I had quite a large piece I’d made with black merino and strips of coloured cotton gauze (sometimes called cotton scrim). The back was blues and greens with silk embellishments. I thought it’d make a nice purse or wallet, with two sections. I’ve almost finished it, I just need to add the button and button hole.

I almost used the blue side on the outside, but I'm glad I didn't

Trying out a button:

I cut out some pieces to make another one, and this is almost finished now as well.

I also had time to make this notebook cover from a nuno felted piece I made a while ago:

The silk piece had an unusual pattern, and it made a really nice texture when it was felted.

I'm running out of cotton threads now though, so I might have to have a look at the Rainbow Girl's shop for some more gorgeous hand dyed ones. She sells lots of gorgeous threads and fabric and fibres for felting, including dyed cotton scrim.