Felting

Here's a pic of my latest needle felting (by hand). This is only the third project I've done and I'm really happy with it. I finally got some wool roving in lots of colors and shades, which makes it really fun! (My very first try was with just 6 basic colors and it was so simple it looked like a 5 year could have done it) I really like wispy-ness and blending the fibers. Also, once I did the flowers, they were shaded, but really flat, so I added more fiber to give them more dimension, which was a good idea.


I looked around on the net to check prices for wool roving. I figured I'd make backgrounds for embroidery or make postcards, at least at first, so I wanted lots of colors without breaking the bank and then having a lot to store (you do have to be careful about wool and bugs). So I ordered a bag of Penny Candy from Decadent Fibers. I got more than 35 little balls of roving. I especially like the ones that are shaded (see pic below), because then it's like you get 2 or 3 colors, all in the same little ball. I didn't really plan this design out that much, I just knew I wanted three flowers.


So if you'd like to try it, do! It's great fun.
Happy needling,
~Lin Moon

SRE Landscape

Well, this is what I've been working on. It is for Quilting Arts' "Go Green" challenge, to make a five inch quilted square using as many recycled materials as possible. Since I've made mostly crazy quilted squares, my knowledge about quilting is very limited. I know that you're supposed have about the same amount of quilting overall. My "batting" is the sleeve from a wool sweater that's been felted in the washer, which was kind of thick and hard to quilt through, but this was really a fun project!

Happy Stitching,
~Lin Moon

April TIF

Here is a picture of my April TIF. I was just playing around with my new needle felting stuff and various yarns and some angelina. So, weirdly enough, the rose is the back of the felting. I think a felting machine is needed to successfully felt yarns from the front, but I liked the subtle shadings and fluffiness from the back. Since this was my first try, I didn't have very many colors of wool roving - certainly not several shades of a particular color, so I augmented it with yarn, etc. I really like the wispy quality of the leaf more so than the rose. Since I'm new to this felting stuff, I am compiling a Fact Sheet about the terms used in felting, etc. Look for it in the future. (FYI: Did you know that if you work with uncleaned fleece, you should have a tetanus shot?)

This month's TIF was about change. I had first intended to use the yesterday-today-and tomorrow as my motif of choice, but I like the rose as a metaphor for change. It seems that life is very much full of layers: layers of meaning, layers of inhibition, layers of learning, layers of comfort and layers of dependency. As you peel away the layers, sometimes the core is soft and sweet, like a rose. Sometimes the true you comes out as fears, inexperience and insecurities are peeled away. And sometimes when the petals are gone, it's time to regrow. (Or, you're just left with rose hips and it's time to diet! - sorry, I can never resist injecting a little humor...)

The next picture is a teaser - I am working on something I can't yet share...


And the last picture is my yesterday, today and tomorrow plant. When I open the patio door, the sweet fragrance of it is just so wonderful...and I love the purple - it's worth the extra care it needs....
Happy Stitching,
Lin Moon

News and Notes

Here are a couple of pix of the irises in my front yard. I just love spring - it's such a harbinger of hope. Buds preparing to burst into bloom, bulbs poking out of the dirt, so much to look forward to in the garden.

Quilting Arts magazine is one of my favorite magazines. I am sooo thrilled whenever it arrives in my mailbox. Did you know the editor of Quilting Arts has a blog? Maybe I'm the last one to know this, but it was news to me! Check it out here. There's even news there that isn't yet on their website.

I stumbled upon this collection of wonderful, quirky and whimsical felt creations. I love it when someone creates this type of thing that escapes being called "cute", but instead is arty. Check it out here.

Happy Stitching, and gardening too,
~Lin Moon