Felted holiday pincushions for the Christmas Market

I found that I could work on these cute pincushions even with my arm in a sling!  So far I've made two of them.  I might list them in my Etsy shop but not sure yet since I made these to take to the Christmas Market at the Archwood Green Barns  http://www.facebook.com/archwoodgreenbarns   in The Plains this Sunday, December 2nd.  There will be about 15 vendors in the little barn offering all kinds of yummy and beautiful Holiday things.  So come and visit us this Sunday.

Back to the pincushions.  These I made using wool sweaters which I felted in the washing machine.  I embroidered them with mercerized cotton thread and then needle felted the center button with Merino Sheep's fleece.  I have lots of different felting needles but one of my favorites is the Clover pen style one which holds just one needle.

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It's best to have some refills  Clover 73883 Felting Needle Tool Refill Fine Weight-5-Pkg (Google Affiliate Ad) on hand to replace the one you break!  Trust me it does happen.   When I make the pincushions I use a heavy cotton thread that I pull through the center of the cushion and make it come out the other end so I can pull it really tight.  I then tie it off and then needle felt the center button over it to cover up the thread.  Hitting the knot with your felting needle is what can break them very quickly.

Another pair of toadstool baby shoes

These are newborn size.  The bright blue wool is a mix of lambswool, rabbit hair and angora, soooooo soft and a very pretty blue.  The designs are needle felted with merino sheep's fleece.  I sewed a velcro closure on the straps so they can be easily adjusted to baby's ankle size.  These make great baby shower gifts.  People love to display them after baby has outgrown them.  They will be listed in my shop tomorrow.  

THESE HAVE BEEN SOLD. 

Another nuno felted scarf

THIS ITEM HAS BEEN SOLD. 

 
I've been making nuno felted scarves for about 6 years now and still haven't gotten tired of making them.  Each scarf is a work of art, a one of a kind creation.  I love making them since I don't have to follow a set pattern.  My hands just do their thing and ta-daaaaa here is my latest one.  I'm kinda bumming because I'm having a rotator cuff issue in my left shoulder.  I just really really hope I'm not going to need surgery.  But then on the other hand so be it if I do.  Might actually be a good thing, getting it fixed and be pain free after it's all healed.   Except that I won't be able to do nuno felting for a while which would suck.   Wait and see what the doc has to say when I go back on Tuesday.  So for now I'm moving along making some more scarves, kinda in a turtle pace but I'm doing it.   

This one I just finished yesterday.  I'm no longer putting them up in my Etsy shop.  I will have it for sale at the Farmers Market this Sunday so if you are interested in purchasing it from me on-line you will need to let me know before Sunday.  These do tend to sell fast at the Farmers Market that's another reason I don't put them in my Etsy shop at this point.

Let me know what you think.

Needle felted bunny in a basket

A needle felted bunny for a customer of mine.  Working on another one for her.  These are perfect for baby shower gifts. 

Entwined: A Word About Needle Felting

Thanks Heather from  Entwined for featuring my little bear amongst all these other needle felted little creatures and mentioning me on your blog.  Your little crocheted creatures are just as darling!  Click on this link to have a look at her blog and read all about it! Entwined: A Word About Needle Felting: Needle Felting is defined as: Piercing tufts of raw wool hundreds of times using a very sharp needle with tiny barbs to sculpt various shape...

Itty bitty OOAK bear

I finally got some better photos of this little guy. For some reason they always turned out blurry. I just listed him in my PurplePlatypus shop http://www.etsy.com/listing/81997815/needle-felted-ooak-miniature-bear He would make a great cake topper for a child's birthday. He's got his little party hat on and shows you how much he loves you!!!

Needle Felting Machines and Art Dolls, figurines

I've been thinking about needle felting machines for some time now. Don't know if it would be worth getting one but I'm definitely all ears if any of you have one and what you like and don't like about it. I would love to hear it. Today I found this huge needle felting machine, they actually call it a Feltloom which is pretty amazing. Don't think I'll be getting one of those any time soon but it's worth checking it out so I've attached the link. Working on finishing a couple more hats and a scarf. Have another little white owl I still need to get pictures of but now that the days are so short and it being dark when I get home I have to try to take pictures on my days off so hopefully this Saturday I can take some ... as long as it doesn't rain! Here is the link to that felt loom: http://feltloom.com/home.html
I really need to get my act together and finish another figurine for somebody in Belgium. Here is one I made while I was living in Australia. She sold and I wonder sometimes where she's ended up!

Needle Felted bird named Ernie

Meet Ernie, he's Dora's brother. These needle felted little birds make great Christmas ornaments. You can set them on top of a branch in your tree or if you prefer I can attach a ribbon or rope so you can hang them. Or, you can just set them somewhere in your house as a home decor. How about in that empty little birdcage you've had for so long and didn't know what to do with. These make much better pets, they do not toss their food around and won't get upset about being in a cage! I just listed him in my Etsy shop so go and see more photos of him in my shop. http://www.etsy.com/listing/55530418/needle-felted-bird-named-ernie?fref=fb_itemlist&ref=nf

Meet Luke and Ernie - Needle Felted Critters

Still having fun with needle felting critters. I've been using styrofoam balls inside of these which makes it go a little bit faster making these ... which makes the price a bit more reasonable compared to if I use nothing but fleece. I'm just trying out different things with these little guys. I used polymer clay which works great for feet and beaks. Next will be a needle felted doll ... I have a picture in my head as to what she will hopefully look like. But, probably a good thing YOU can't see that pictures because a lot of times things come out looking totally different from that picture in my head! Time for dinner so goodbye for now.

Recycled sweaters turn into Toadstool baby shoes!

So instead of using felt I made myself I decided to use some of my stash of fulled sweater which I use for making mixed media cuffs and pincushions. Of course I couldn't help but putting something on them using the needle felting technique. I wanted to use something that would work for a boy or girl so therefore the toadstools. The closure band looked kinda heavy and took away from the more dainty toadstools so I made it narrower by using the pinking shears on them and needle felting some dots on it which made them look a lot better. I got about 2 other designs in my head for some more fun little shoes like this but first things first ... I need to finish needle felting this owl I started a couple of weeks ago. Poor thing is missing eyes, a beak and his wings need to be attached so off I go. Hope you like these little forest shoes! Find them in my BitsofFiber shop on Artfire if you're interested in purchasing them. Thanks for stopping by.

Needle Felted Baby Harp Seal named Kalika

So here she is ... all fixed up and in my shop. I'm gonna hate to see her go when she sells. She's a real cutie ... my favorite from all the ones I've made so far. Even my husband loves her! If you're interested in purchasing her (or other needle felted critters) go visit my PurplePlatypus shop on Etsy.

Have to finish a pair of Lambswool baby shoes so off I go. Thanks for visiting with me!

Sneak Peek at Kalika - Needle Felted Baby Harp Seal

She's not completely finished yet but I thought you'd like to have a sneak peek at my latest needle felting project. Her name is Kalika. She'll be ready to go into my Etsy shop by this weekend looking for a loving home.

Annabel - white needle felted foal

Finally I finished this needle felted foal! It took forever it seemed ... well to be honest it did take forever. I worked on her 2 market days (from 10 -3) since I usually have a project going so I can demonstrate how needle felting is done. Then I had to work on her some more at home to get the mane and the tail attached which took some time trying to figure out. But, she's finished and I think she turned out pretty good. My horse expert, (my 13 yr old daughter Sofie!) was a tremendous help in making sure I got the proportions right and how the mane and tail was suppose to be positioned. So, thanks go to her for making sure she looks like a foal ... and not a monkey! hehe

Pincushion and kid with a sprained ankle

I finally got around finishing this pincushion I had started. The top and the bottom are a light green from a wool sweater I fulled. The belly part is of a cashmere sweater so it's oh so soft. I used mercerized cotton and linen thread for the embroidery. The dragonfly button is brass with an antique gold finish. I used rice, dried lavender and batting to stuff it so every time you poke it with a pin or needle it will smell like the South of France!

Now about the sprained ankle part ... kid went to scout day camp today and managed to hurt herself on day one! She's suppose to go all week to help out but it looks like tomorrow will be out of the question for sure ... hopefully not the rest of the week too ... she was really looking forward to doing this. Oh well.

Itty Bitty Bunny ....

look she has found the rest of her family! Click on this link to find her http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4be1da5de56c8eef8e87f91a/white-bunnies

Thanks to Angela at http://www.etsy.com/shop/decentartworks?section_id=5440464 for putting this treasury together and including my Itty Bitty Bunny, who is still looking for a home! Go visit Angela's shop she's got lots of beautiful pictures, I loooooove all the Belgian photos.