Not A Bad Mornings Work

I have been putting off doing the finishing work on more that a few items.  This morning I wouldn't let myself felt until I got most of this done.  My finished projects are whats pictured here. 


I had made this felt collar three months ago, all it needed was a button and a button hole.  I decided to use this black vintage button, and it only took ten minutes!  I am such the procrastinator!

I made a few of these white merino cuffs with Wensleydale locks on the edges, I think they look so pretty, like natures lace.  This one on the right has some pearl buttons and is for my lovely daughter-in-law, Alex.  I made two more that I may put on the Etsy site or I may give them to my Aunt to wear to the Renaissance Fair.
















This is a purple cuff that I had nuno felted some silk onto then put it in a dye bath of Brazilwood.  I left it in a little to long and the silk totally disappeared and turned purple.  So, I've tried to salvage it and did some free motion embroidery on it.  Still not sure if it's up to selling standard.  I do like the design though. 

Below is just a pic of some of my favorite embellishment treasures.  I am an avid collector of buttons and tend to like shell and bone ones the best.  If any one knows what the name or the use is for the white pearl circles on the bottom with the two tiny holes at the very top, I would love to find out!

Beginning My Third Year

I just realized that I've been felting for two years now, I started in January of 2010.  It feels like I've been doing it much longer!  Maybe that's because I can't imagine myself not felting, it's such a huge part of my life now.  Yet there is a part of me that say's, yeah-just two years, because I have so much still to learn before I feel I'm really on top of it.  I look at the felters out there who's work I admire and they have quite a few years experience working with fiber and you can tell by the quality of their work.  I have to keep reminding myself of that,  often when I see some great work in felt I can  feel myself getting frustrated because I'm not able to produce that caliber of work, both design wise and technique wise. So, I'll keep taking classes and try to

perfect what I've learned and continue experimenting with new ideas. 

Lately I've been playing around with making jewelry with felt. I took a course this summer on felted adornment from Lisa Klakulak up in Mendocino and learned the techniques I'm using here to make these necklaces and the bracelet.  The necklaces are wet felted cords and closures that I make with these beautiful beads my cousin creates.  I love the simplicity of them and how well they show off her beads.  I'm probably going to put some on the Etsy site since I love making them and a gal can only use so many.

   The bracelet is made from a natural merino that I love working with and I used some dark grey partial felt circles that I wet felted onto the bracelet.  I did some machine stitching on it also, another technique I learned from Lisa last summer, and then sewed on these great vintage buttons that have huge holes in them.  I was told from the lady I got them from they originally were used to hold ones bloomers up-before the invention of elastic!  There is a loop and post closure in the back that were also wet felted onto the bracelet.  These bracelets are so fun to make, I'm working on two more now and trying to incorporate more of the things I've learned over these past two years.  

                                                                                     

A Contradiction to Consider

  Can one be in a contradiction?  Or does one feel contradicted about something?  Either way I think I'm there.  I looked contradiction up and it gave this meaning:
a combination of statements, ideas or features of a situation that are opposed to one another.  Hmmm.  Here is the deal...the holidays are upon us, and I love the holidays.  I put the red stocking I made in the previous posting up for sale on my Etsy shop (ifeltlikeitbyterry) and it got lots of hits and was "favorited" many times.  And, yes, it sold.  One gentleman even asked if I could make four stockings in different colors with that design on them, they're pictured above.  He was very flattering and naturally I said yes!  I could really use the $$ too.  So far I've sold 8 stockings off my site and I'm super happy about that.
  Here is the "contradiction" . I would one day like to feel comfortable calling myself a fiber artist.  That being said, am I getting off on the right foot creating multiples of something-the same thing over and over-like offering the above stockings again?  I ended up re-listing them on my site, and I hate to say it but the main reason was that it was an easy money maker.  OK, I know we're just talking Christmas stockings here, but it's a start.  One reason people buy hand made is because they want to get something original.  I would hate to buy a nuno felted scarf and a few weeks later see that same scarf on someone else, or even for sale again in the shop I bought it from.
A friend of mine said I'm being too hard on myself and that since I did design them I should feel free to make as many of them as I like.  True too.  But does someone who wants to consider herself an artist one day create the same thing over again or does she come up with new and original ideas in order to further her creativity?
  Now I think I may contradict myself...I've started making these simple necklaces pictured below left.  I make a felt cord with these beautiful lampwork beads my cousin makes on them.  They are tricky to make since you have create the cord while the bead is on it.  Anyway, I'm really jazzed at how they turned out, there is a felt loop and hook at the back.  I just got a new batch of beads and plan to make some of the necklaces in different colors to put on my etsy site.  Now here, I don't feel that making multiples of the necklaces is a problem like I did with the stockings.  Hmmm.  Now I could never make a replica of the scarf I just made, pictured below right.  That would just be plain wrong in my book.  Now, in another color with different yarns....maybe.     Contradiction?
  One thing I am sure of though is that I love making felt and feel blessed to be able to have the opportunity to do what I love.  For that I need to thank my husband, Jack.  He makes it possible for me to study the craft of felting and then run with what I've learned.  I am such a lucky gal!  And there is no contradiction there.