artfully distressed

pictures of what I create and the places, people and ideas which inspire my art.

Saturday 2 February 2013

Felting

Had a lovely night last night with a couple of friends - chinese takeaway, few drinks and a chick flick. :-) After a lay in, bacon butty and a couple of paracetamol I thought I'd spend a few hours crafting. Bliss. So this afternoon I took over the kitchen and had a go at some felting.


I absolutely love this book by Moy Mackay and would love to be able to produce felted pictures even a fraction as good as her designs. I thought I'd follow her instructions from start to finish and learn the process she uses as it's slightly different to what I've done before.

 
I had a go at carding to mix colours, it worked okay but I definitely need to practice getting the fleece off the carders, it sounded easy but of the 5 or 6 times I tried once it worked perfectly and the other times not so much. Practice might eventually make
perfect I guess?
 


 
After laying out the fibres this was my piece before felting:
 
 
 
I used Moy's tip for applying the soap - mix soap flakes and warm water in a plastic bottle and make holes in the cap so you can sprinkle the soapy water over the picture.
 
 
and scrunched up bubble wrap to rub over the picture
 
 
then a ribbed roller

 
then rolling in the bamboo mat
 
 


Here's the finished piece, I'm really pleased with it, just got to dry it out then I think I'll do some free machine stitching over it and hopefully make it into a notebook cover. It's going to be a present for someone special (Mum - hope your not reading this or at least not until after next weekend!).


Andy Skinner book of secrets

 
I signed up to Andy Skinner's online class to make the 'Book of Secrets' a few months ago. I was really pleased with the finished result and apparently so was my brother as he asked me to make him one. So I have been a busy bee this last couple of weeks and here is my second book of secrets all finished & ready to give to him tomorrow. Hope he likes it, I can't help but think it's better than the first one I made, I love the way the cogs on this one interlink. But I'm very attached to the the first one as it was my first experience of trying out the amazing techniques of Mr Andy Skinner. I've just signed up to his 'Book of Ruination' online workshop which starts in march. Can't wait!