Embroidery has me in stitches!!!

Wow, I realize it has been a long time since I blogged. I'm so sorry.

I want to tell you about the Reggae Parrot Art Quilt I just did. I'll include some pictures for you too. I belong to TAFA, a Textile and Fiber Art Group which is really great. They have information coming up on shows and possible things to get involved in. It has been great.  One of them was See.me.  That's fearlessfiberworks.see.me for my art.

So I entered my Parrot Quilt and some of my other things that I have created for my shop Fearless Fiberworks on Etsy; then other artists comment on them or give them points and recommend you or not.  The prize is to be on a billboard in New York, I believe.  I don't want that, I was just hoping that I could be featured. I managed to get enough recommendations to be featured which is really great.  It kind of gives me an idea about what people like in my work.  Here's the parrot quilt pics:

I did hand embroidery, bead embroidery on the beak and added lots of different fabrics. I created a fern from shell beads on the lower right side of the quilt and did all of the sewing by hand.  I'd love to know what you think of it.

Then I really got into the Embroidery part and decided to try doing an Embroidery on my handmade Felt. I've been teaching myself embroidery stitches from a cool book I bought at Chapters - The Complete Photo Guide to Needlework by Linda Wyszynski.

So, in the middle of the felt I traced a design from a magazine on paper and then sewed through it on the sewing machine for the outline. Then I embroidered it with stitches from the book. One is a Pekinese stitch, very pretty, and they mention that the Chinese women used to stitch this so small and for so long that they went blind. I have to admit embroidering at night by one lamp is a tad hard on the sight, lol.

I then became more inventive and created two dragons from my head on the bottom and a jeweled thing on the top. Here's the pictures:

The dragons are actually a legged dragon on the bottom facing up (with pink beads for eyes) and the one orange one above is a shrimp dragon (both from my imagination) I used beading moderately in this embroidery, but I'd love to do much more. I put a backing on it and sewed the edge with machine sewing.  Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think.

I will definitely be blogging more as I'm going to take a course on line (I'll unveil what it was when I finish the project) and hopefully will learn all kinds of neat things to create.

Wishing you all a Wonderful New Year and I hope you enjoyed your holidays!!! Chow!

Halloween

Well, I hope everyone's ready for Halloween or Samhain as the Celtics or Pagans call it. Pronounced "Sowan".

I've got a small assortment of skin prosthetics at www.etsy.com/shop/Amberdark that I made and painted like: Zombie Skin, Alien Skin, Snow White Hair Color, lots of gelatin cuts I made and painted as well, if you're looking for anything like that. Not much time to mail them though, so it would be a rush shipping charge which I'm looking into.

So, on www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFiberworks, I've mostly been doing Textile Fiber Art lately and am just working on a project with my new embroidery skills I'm teaching myself.  I did the parrot's beak in bead embroidery and am rather pleased at how it has turned out.  Of course now I want to bead something else on the parrot's head, lol.

I drew it, painted it, beaded or embroidered it and added some fabric pieces that actually worked. I usually feel pretty good about my creations until I post them and I get no response and then it's downhill for me. I need to just do it because I love it, so I'm going to work on that.

Hope you all have a wonderful Halloween!!!!!

I just finished my second Textile Fiber Art piece. It is called A Fae Night. I've added a fair amount of gems, beads by hand embroidery, bright ink paint and fabric colours to show the magic and sparkle of the Faery Celebration.

Here's a picture and I welcome your feedback, good or constructive criticism:

Hope everyone is doing well and I'm in the process of creating another Fiber Art piece. 

Better late than never

Here's the picture of my drum carder (it works wonderfully). I've managed to make a few batts, but I'm still learning, lol.

I have so many Alpaca bags to go through, skirting, washing, picking, etc. Right now I'm really into doing an art piece of textiles in many different mediums. This will be a first and I'm really looking forward to getting to it.

I've been quite sick with the flu after going through a harsh set of antibiotics (won't be doing that again) so bed has been my constant companion :)

Talk to you all soon,
Carole :)

Snagged a Drumcarder!

I've been following EBay for a drum carder and found a vintage one in great shape. I bought it and am hoping to get it this week.

I have garbage bags full of different colours of beautiful Alpaca and some Llama wool which I imagine I'll be carding away at. I've been doing some of it with dog brushes and I have three batts done with the help of my husband. Hand picking and then carding is hard work, lol.

I'll show you a pic of the drum carder when it gets here.  Happy Canada Day!!!!!

I am so very happy to have been accepted to TAFA! Please come and see my profile and work. http://www.tafalist.com/members/fearless-fiberworks

There are very talented people here and I am honoured to be amoung them now. Please come and take a look at all the wonderful artists.

Alpaca Wool

Well, the reason I've been kind of away is that I managed to get my hands on garbage bags and bags and more coming of Alpaca and some Llama wool. I've been hand washing, hand picking and hand picking away at this wool and it sure is fun.....well, actually a bit frustrating, lol.

Here's some pics of about to be washed Alpaca:

I managed to make a tea pad out of the jellyroll slices of felt I made:

Well, I'm glad I'm getting some stuff done at least!! Hope you're all doing well out there!

Geez, I've been sick and working hard, so I'm sorry I forgot my blog.

I've been featured in a great treasury of Etsy Lush products you just need to see. Lovely items have been picked out.
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/OTgzNzM2NnwyNzIyODg5MzM2/youe-not-going-to-wear-that-are-you

I've just got to put up a picture of my newest listing. I'm really proud of my research paying off. This top is made from Superfine Merino Wool with some Peacock Mulberry Silk on the front. This shell top is completely seamless, no sewing.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/100807785/felt-shell-tank-top

I Finally Finished My Mosaic Felt Jacket

I finally managed to finish my Mosaic Felt Jacket. But let me tell you, it is really hard to add Nuno Felting to a finished Wet Felted project. It took me months to make this jacket as I was sick for a good part of the time. Here's a picture or two for you.

HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERYONE!!!!

I sold my Ocean Shawl

I'm so happy to say I sold my handknitted Shrug, a lizard pin and the bestest of all - I sold my Ocean Shawl (which I had made into a Kimono) as a Shawl and the person was sold on the whole artistic idea of the Ocean with the little fish nets full of fish with ribboned kelps, boulders in clumps and bits of effluvia floating in the green blue ocean. I have cascading waves of foam along the top (which are Wensleydale curls).
I am truly the happiest of all about the Shawl. Wow!

 As the kimono

As the original and put back to original Ocean Shawl

www.etsy.com/FearlessFiberworks

Is everyone good and wet with the rain or is it just me, lol

With all this raining going on day after day, I guess it is a good time to do handmade creations. I don't really know what the weather is doing in other places, but it has been raining a lot more since last year. Well, this is a rainforest, but come on, lol

I'm just in the process of doing the last stages on my jacket and long dress that will be coming out as soon as I can make it happen. I'm pretty excited as it is a new and different type of felting look and it's pretty cool.

I find it hard to make a particular item for the holidays because I'm driven by my creative urge and it doesn't recognize them. It just goes on doing what it wants to. Picking colours that just come together at that moment along with the ideas of what to do with it. I don't like to box myself in because it definitely affects the quality of what comes out.

Does anyone else find this? Anyway, talk to you soon.

I didn't want you to think I haven't been doing anything. I just finished my second prefelt and now have to create the intricate art, shawls, possibly clothing, with them. I'm so excited about this project as it is so creative and leads the imagination all over :)

I hope everyone is doing well. I have to honestly say that putting my shops up with ads has definitely increased traffic. I think Fearless Fiberworks may be slowing now, but it just needs the new creations I'm making, hopefully.

Take care. I will let  you know how it's going.

MY SHOPS - etsy.com/shop/FearlessFiberworks & etsy.com/shop/Amberdark: Artistic alone or Artistic shawls

www.facebook.com/Fearless Fiberworks

www.facebook.com/amberdark

Artistic alone or Artistic shawls

Well, I got those wicked books on different ways of felting and a ton of wonderful artistic ideas. I'm right in the middle of doing a Mosiac inlay. I'm going to do two of these as they both are used anyway during the process. I suppose my dilemma is should I make these into shawls or clothing or actually do them as the art they are. Any ideas? I suppose saleabililty comes into question at some point.

My husband bought me two and I bought myself a third as I can't get enough information when I love something. I just research until I run out of information, lol.

Some pictures to look at as plain text can be boring. I promise I will put up some pics of my mosaic inlay as soon as I do the other prefelt.

I'm definitely thinking about dyeing some wool as it's so hard to get enough at one time for a large project.

Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve!!

My new custom order offer for a ponchette. I made this one for my Aunt for Christmas.

comes to the elbows and just comes around the abdomen. Can also be worn with a point in the middle if moved around.

Happy 2012!

I'm going to meet my long lost Aunt and cousin tomorrow or the next day, so I'm a bundle of nerves. They are going to stay with us for a few days and it will be so different from the quiet house my husband, cats and I share, lol. I've made her a gift of felt that I'll have to tell you about after she opens it. I bet I may have problems sleeping tonight. 


Wishing you all the best!!

My Llama Felt Dress

Wow, after adding Merino wool puff rows with textural sewing on the front of the dress, it really turned out in a way I really like. I just listed it last night so I really haven't much of a response, but I sure hope some of you like it.

The big thing I'm finding about felting something is that you can always refelt it, needle felt pieces with it to change it to the way you want it to be.

So, I hope everyone out there is getting the Christmas vibe. I haven't been hearing much Christmas music, so I have still to get in the mood.

Well hope you are all doing well and hope to hear from you. Hugs.

Oh, here's a pic of the dress:

Full Felt and Needle felt Llama Dress

I've worked quite hard on this project and just finished now. I've used Full Felting, Needle Felting and Textural Sewing with a sewing machine to create the shape I wanted this to be. It was larger than I wanted and so I made it smaller, making the armholes and beautiful rows of white Merino Wool at the waist and just now the bodice.

I've placed a vintage rhinestone button at the top closure and two shell buttons to close later down the front. This is basically an overlapping dress in an A-line shape. I have learned so much from making this dress, just like I did from making the Nuno Dress. There is nothing that beats finding out through experience. Tips and tricks to make things behave the way you want. Water in the right temperature in a small area will change it up to what you are looking for. Needle felting will change the appearance of things to something more desirable.

I'm hoping for some books on felting which are on my Chapters Wishlist from my husband so I get more ideas on dyeing and the Shibori method of dyeing, as well as using colours with the textural sewing. I can try that out on my own, but it looks like there are some really cool techniques that I've yet to try.

I've noticed that I'm not gathering anymore followers, but I sure hope there is more than one person reading all this. :)

I wish you all a Merry Christmas as I will be making a shawl/poncho for my Aunt for Christmas and just in case I don't get back here in time, I wanted to make sure you all knew how much I hope you enjoy your holidays.

I found family I didn't know I had and they are coming out to spend time with me and my husband around the 14th or 15th. I'm nervous and excited as I've never met my Aunt or cousin.

One of the things I noticed when I bought some Llama wool recently and awhile back, is that there isn't always truth in advertising. They both said they were clean and with little vegetable matter "vm" and yet the first one I purchased ended up being filthy and so coarse it just isn't usable to me. The second came as roving and is so beautifully soft that I made this felted dress from it. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough and am having to add here and there to re-felt in places. I guess I'll have to learn to ask a lot of questions and check it right away instead of just putting it in the drawer for a later project.


If anyone would like the coarse Llama, please leave me a message and we'll get it out to you.

Well after much needle felting and re-felting the Nuno Felt Dress is done and I love it!
Here's a picture for you.

I'd add the full length, but for some reason it won't turn right side up and I don't know how to fix it. Any help would be appreciated!!

I'm now fixing up my new fully felted Llama dress I just made recently. I'm adding textures and goodies to it to really make it look good.

I've put up 15% off coupons on both my shops for Christmas!! www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFiberworks and www.etsy.com/shop/amberdark

I hope all the Black Friday shoppers had fun. I gather it is only in the US as we don't have that here in Canada. We have Boxing Day, the day after Christmas when the stores offer big discounts on merchandise, so maybe that is the same thing??