Tuesday 29 March 2011

fiber talk: Dryer Balls Lead To 3D

fiber talk: Dryer Balls Lead To 3D: "Quite literally!! I f you think about it , a ball is a 3D object, so once you've tackled and mastered the Ball, you should in theory, be abl..."Top left corner  Forest Fibres  for all your felting needs.......don't forget!

Dryer Balls Lead To 3D

Quite literally!!
I f you think about it , a ball is a 3D object, so once you've tackled and mastered the Ball, you should in theory, be able to make a head, animal, bird or whatever!!
It's all a matter of planning and practice. 
As I have said in previous posts and this goes for pretty much any artistic endeavour or worldly skill, practice is the key. Many people over the years have taught me, that whatever their skill level, they found that without regular, (not continuous, otherwise there is the risk of boredom), practice, they were able to quickly resume the level of participation(think sportspeople) that they were capable of.
So, from the simple ball, all sorts of shapes are possible. A small ball added on top of a larger one, immediately says snowman!! An even smaller ball on the front of the 'head' part is the nose! A series of 'sausages' become arms, legs, hands and feet, I think I'll stop there before I get myself into hot water:-) But you see the direction I'm taking??
Before I get into detailed construction procedures of all manner of objects and beings, I should encourage those who fear 'they can't draw to save their lives' , I'm not looking to make anyone of you the next Leonardo, and it really doesn't matter a jot, what others think of your handiwork at this early stage. I want you, the reader of this blog, to feel that no-one is judging your artistic abilities but rather, just encouraging you to take up arms or in this case, felting needle and have a go!!!
I really hope that within a very short time, that you will have something on your sideboard(I don't know what the American equivalent is) that you are happy to show family and friends and feel proud of.

Lets have a go at making a Fairy Mushroom(actually for the purists, Toadstool) but whatever, it's a simple starter and is a fun, brightly coloured piece.
Here's a picture of what we're aiming to make.
As you can see, there are two basic shapes here, a cone and a cyilinder. There are two cones joined by a cylinder. Now to start with, the shapes are made with polyester fiber wadding or batting, this simplifies things to the point of silliness but it does illustrate how easily objects, that at first may appear relatively complex can be broken down into very easy stages.
Right, if you'll forgive me, for today, I will stop here and publish but I will be back tomorrow to finish up.Good night.

Monday 28 March 2011

fiber talk: how on earth!!!!!

fiber talk: how on earth!!!!!: "How on Earth is a guy supposed to get any work done when the weather is as nice as this??? The trouble is, in the U.K. we have to take advan..."

how on earth!!!!!

How on Earth is a guy supposed to get any work done when the weather is as nice as this???
The trouble is, in the U.K. we have to take advantage of the good days, when they come and I'm certainly not complaining. How does the old Spanish saying go ' Manyana' probably not spelled right but you get my drift!
One thing I have been able to do whilst sitting out, is make felted dryer balls. Such an easy project for all you guys to get your felting fingers limbered up.
Start of with a handfull of polyester fibre filling, any quality will do, it's only to bulk out the ball and save some of that valuable wool.
Scruch it up into a roughly shaped ball and needle it, 'til it holds together by itself.
Next, if you have some handy, take a square of knitted wool, jersey fabric or even polyester fibre batting(wadding) and place your ball in the middle of it.
Pull the corners up the sides, quite firmly, and hold together with the fingers of one hand, whilst needling them into the ball,(the corners, not your fingers) with the other hand.
Once it's firmly held in place, take knitting wool and wind round and over , every which way or roving and layer over the surface of the emerging ball, needle until it's holding in place, then using the same method, continue to layer-up 'til you are happy with the shape and the colours.
Keep squeezing and squashing to shape the ball.
You really can go to town with the designs and colours on a project like this, let you imagination just roll with it!!
If you wish, you can now wet felt it, by putting soap on your hands and rub over the surface, try not to get the ball too wet, otherwise it takes forever to reshape and roll around in the palms of your hands forcing the fibers to meld together and form a much tighter felt.
As this is meant to be a dryer ball, of which you'd use four or more at a time, you can throw it in the dryer and let it bounce around in there for a while, check regularly.
In use , put a few drops of fabric conditioner or essencial oil on each ball, let it dry for ten minutes before use. It lasts for a fair few loads before you need to recharge it.
The same is true if you are going to use them as decorations, they make very handsome potpourie thingies!!
Personaly, I think these babies are far too good looking to spend their lives out of sight in the laundry, why not make a display of them in the lounge room! The possibilities are endless. Cat toys, childs ' toys, fly wappers!!! You get the drift!
Have fun and let me know how you get on. Also if you think of other ways to use them or even make them. Maybe you already make them in some other way, let me know and we'll share the good news!
Be good and don't waste too much time enjoying the sunshine, Eh??



I thought you might like to see some I made earlier!


These ones range in size from tennis ball to softball. Hope you like.
Now you can see, what words often fail to describe.

Sunday 27 March 2011

fiber talk: Spring At Last

fiber talk: Spring At Last: "Well spring has finally showed up here in Wales. Lovely to be able to, sit out in the garden and just dream. My Primroses are all in bloom a..."
http://phillsphiberblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/spring-at-last.html#etsybot

fiber talk: Spring At Last

fiber talk: Spring At Last: "Well spring has finally showed up here in Wales. Lovely to be able to, sit out in the garden and just dream. My Primroses are all in bloom a..."

Spring At Last

Well spring has finally showed up here in Wales.
Lovely to be able to, sit out in the garden and just dream.
My Primroses are all in bloom and what a delight they are, they seem as if they just want to celebrate  the fact, that  for the moment at least, winter is behind us.
Everywhere I look, there are more  and more lambs being born. Their pitiful bleating is such a contrast to the gruff tones of mum. They too seem to be full of the joys , as they 'gang-up' and charge up and down the fields, pausing only to check on mum, then off they go again, terrorising the rest of the flock, who are quite content to sit and chew the cud.
Spring sunshine is more than just a welcome sight, it really does appear to cure the melancholy of winter and all of a sudden you feel good and want to start on the garden, which of course innevitably means that odious task of mowing the grass, of which I have more than my fair share!!
This year things will be different though because my son has bought me a ride-on mower and as soon as the grass is long enough, I will be annoying the neighbours.