Quiet in the studio

I have been very busy in the barn with lambs, we currently have 46 with just a few more expected.  The studio has been very quiet and a few projects have been put on the back burner.  Luckily, I am back to felting and it feels good!

The current projects are awards for the Portugese Podengo Pequeno National Specialty.  What is a Podengo?  Good question! 

The Portuguese Podengo is an ancient multi-sensory hound (sight and scent) breed of dog from Portugal.  There are three sizes - small (Pequeno), medium (Médio), and large (Grande).  Each size with two hair coats (smooth and wire) and its own unique temperament.  All three sizes love to hunt in their native country.

I didn't know what one was until 6 months ago and I have learned a lot about them since!  A few of my bags were given as awards at their Specialty show at the beginning of the year.

 I finished the Best of Breed award today.  They requested a smooth and wire haired Podengo coursing a rabbit in the Portugal countryside :)  It took a lot of thinking and visioning on how I would accomplish this.  I finally came up with a plan and I am pleasantly surprised with the outcome.    

Room for 10 more entries!!!

If you are still thinking about entering the Felting Challenge - do it fast!  I have decided to limit the challenge to 20 entries - that means I have room for 10 more entries.

Enjoy your Tuesday!

A winner and a felting challenge!

Mary was the lucky winner of the giveaway - I will be sending your fabric glue shortly!

Now for the Felting Challenge!!!  I don't believe you should ever stop learning new crafts, so I have entered a felting challenge over at - My life under the bus - The premise of the challenge is to make something based on the Felt Wee Folk book by Salley Mavor.  It does include felting, but I am not familiar with making the adorable fairies and dolls.  I have an idea in my head and I hope it translates well!  I will post pictures once the challenge is finished.

This inspired me to do a Felting Challenge of my own.  No previous felting experience needed - I will even provide the materials!!!  I have been tossing around the idea of a felting kit in my head and I have decided on the little felted sheep. 

They are so fun to make and easy for beginners.

Here is how it works:

1.  I have opened this up to 20 entries, so you must be become a follower on this blog or have commented leave a comment on my Farm blog if you would like to participate.  If you have always wanted to try needle felting - here is your opportunity!

2.  Leave a comment saying that you would like to participate.  I will contact you and find out where to send your felting kit. 
 

 

Here is what you will get!  A piece of felting foam, 2 felting needles, 2 colors of Jacob wool, 2 beads for eyes, yarn, and instructions. All you need is a little bit of glue.

3.  Send me a picture of your completed item - everyone will be starting with the same project, but they will be judged on creativity.  You can photograph your sheep with a prop or at a fun location, add an accessory, turn it into something else - a hanging ornament, a mobile, etc., let your imagination go wild!!!

4.  The contest will end February 5th at noon - please have your picture to me by then.

5.  I will post the pictures on both of my blogs on the 6th and they will be judged by the people :)  I will close judging on Sunday, the 10th at noon and announce the winner.

6.  The winner will recieve one of my Fabric and Felt totes with colorful wool inside!

Good Luck!

Creative juices are flowing :)

I have had several new ideas come to me this week and they have been so much fun!!!

I want to send a special 'thank you' to my mom and grandma for giving me the gift of creativity. They have always been so inspiring and I have many memories of the items they made for us growing up. I will never forget the Cabbage Patch Kid sized horses that my grandma made for all of us kids for Christmas. I think it is still one of the best presents and I have vivid memories of the surprise.

I always have ideas running through my head, but this last weekend when I was home by myself I was able to listen to some of the ideas ;) I was playing around with a necklace idea - unfortunately it was a total flop - but it got me thinking and I took the piece of glass that I was working with and wet felted around it, much like you would felt a bar of soap. It had possibilities... then later when I was at my parent's house, my brother had a wire wrapped necklace on that got me thinking. He helped me and below is the result. I have ordered some wood discs in circles and squares and am looking forward to working with them.

The next item isn't fiber related, but part of my other life - photography. I am taking pictures at a lure coursing trial this weekend and I am really excited to be able to offer collage prints.

I'm not sure where this idea came from, but I took two different items that I have made and combined them. I took the felted sheep balls and the flat felted sheep from the bags and made these little guys.

They have a front and a back and are stuffed with a little bit of wool. My plan is to make them into sachets with lavendar and eucalyptus scents. They can also be hung or turned into magnets - so many choices ;)

This little birdie pillow spurred another thought...


little birdies, just like the little sheep. Unfortunately, this one didn't turn out very cute.



Here is attempt #2. Now, when I look back at the first one, it looks like a nasty crow :)

I hope some of these ideas have created some ideas of your own!

We did a little bit of everything :)

I knew Joan and I were going to be busy when she came, but we ended up cramming a week's worth of fiber fun into 2 days. We started out needle felting...

this was her very first needle felted item! The horse is one of her beautiful Kigers, Cali.

While she worked on hers, I worked on a gift for a jacob breeder that helped me out by housing and transporting some of our lambs after they traveled from Oregon to Indiana. I hope he likes it!

After we needle felted our designs, we needed a back for our pillows. Our local JoAnns used to carry 100% wool felt and that would have been the easiest route, but they don't have it anymore - so we wet felted! We made fairly big pieces, they started out being 2 1/2 feet by 3 1/2 feet. I kept laughing because most beginners start with something simple, like a flower or a sheep and you certainly don't learn how to wet felt by making a big piece of fabric! We found that we are very much the same - we don't like to start simple ;)

We didn't have a lot of time, so we did a LOT of multi-tasking. We dyed fiber using my new pot and the results were fun.

She dyed some of her washed jacob fiber with a beautiful teal color. The carded results are going to be so pretty!

We also washed fiber. I found this great tub out in my barn! We also found out that my fiber shop has a small water heater. Wet felting and washing fiber takes more hot water then it had! So we moved the washing tub to behind the house.

She brought me some of the wool wash that she uses as a hostess gift and I am really impressed. It has a nice soft euctalyptus scent and did a fabulous job! I washed Wrangler's fleece first and it doesn't have any ram smell left and the white is white!

The weather was beautiful on Friday and the fleeces dried pretty fast.

We finished making our pillows and she learned how to blanket stitch - my favorite!

She sat down and used my spinning wheel (I hope she posts some of her pictures) we laughed quite a bit :) Then she tried out my drum carder.

It was so much fun and very motivating! I have been washing, carding, and spinning since she left. Who wants to visit next ;)