Apologies to everyone (anyone??) who has been waiting with baited breath for a new post from me! Well, life has rather overtaken felting during the last months. We are in the slow process of moving from Belgium back to the UK after a very long time away - we first arrived in Brussels in 1981! We packed up our home here in May, and are leading a nomadic existence while we renovate a 400 year old barn in Suffolk. And maybe - just maybe - the renovations will include a studio for me where I can make felt to my hearts content! Meanwhile, my wool is all packed up in boxes. So here are a few pictu ..read more

I haven't done any felting for ages! And it was hard to decide what to make to break the felting fast. How about an egg? I have been wanting to try a one piece handbag with an integrated handle, so here goes. I used 3 layers of merino wool around an egg shaped resist with a slightly flattened bottom. To make the felt very strong, I incorporated a layer of cotton scrim between the top 2 layers of wool. I'm not sure if this has made very much difference, but I had some purple dyed scrim. I carefully felted and fulled the piece using a bamboo blind and cool water with savon de marseille.  I ..read more

I spotted this delightful knitted nativity in a bakery shop window on Sunday in Monschau, which is just near the German Belgian border.  It had snowed, and the Christmas market was enchanting ..read more

I have some great oak trees near me, which produced lots of acorns this autumn. I've seen that several people make charming felted acorns using the real "caps" but replacing the acorn with an elongated felt bead.  I discovered a fool-proof way of making felt beads in issue 7 of the wonderful Australian Felt Magazine. You put the wool into a small container, add water and soap, close it up and shake vigorously. Then remove the loose ball of felt that has formed, and roll between your palms under running water gently at first and applying more pressure until it's a tightly felted ball. Ri ..read more

Shibori is a Japanese technique, often used in dying textiles, which involves twisting, stitching and tying fabric so that the dye creates interesting patterns. In felt making it can be used to create interesting  textures too, using the capacity of wet felt to mould and form permanent shapes as it dries.  If that makes me sound as if I know what I'm doing, don't be fooled - this is my first experiment. I made a roughly circular piece of felt layering different colours and finishing with some black in the centre, then some silk strands to add some shine. While still ..read more

  This is my latest fad - rope bowls made with cotton clothes line or pulley rope, using a zig-zag stitch on the sewing machine. These are satisfying and strangely soothing to make as the coils are added and all you have to concentrate on is keeping the zig-zag stitch on the right line.  They can be round, oval, shallow or deep. They can have handles, and the rope end can be finished off in a number of ways.  One way to add colour is to use different coloured thread.  They are surprisingly strong and hold their shape well, and they make nice gifts with a few home ..read more

I have been making some simple little cuddly bunnies to give as gifts for new babies. One is for my own granddaughter of course!  The pattern, named Bunny Lovey, is available free at this blog site, provided you just use it for personal use.  You just have to sign up to the mailing list, and then you receive a link to the pattern pdf.  I bought some soft plush fabric, and used small amounts of brightly coloured cotton from my stash for the ear linings. Only the head and tail are stuffed.  ..read more

A tea-loving friend asked me to make her a capacious tea cosy to accommodate a large teapot.  I used 3 layers of merino wool around a resist and decorated the final layer with green, shading through grey to lavender at the top.  Before felting I added an elongated tuft of roving to the pointed top which I rolled into a rope. The final decoration was a couple of white silk hankies laid on top to give a cloud-like effect, and some shine.  The whole was well felted and fulled - a tea cosy needs to be hard wearing. Before drying I coiled the rope at the top.  I decided to ..read more

I wanted to make some more cards, and try out a new method!  These were made after a trip to the beautiful White Peak area of Derbyshire, and are slightly inspired by the distinctive stone walls there.  I made the felt, which is very fine and delicate in a new (to me) way, suggested in Sheila Smith's book "Embellish, Stitch, Felt"  I laid out a piece of water soluble fabric, and then built up overlapping but very fine layers of merino wool, bits of organza, dyed scrim, sari silk, coloured silk. I then put another piece of water soluble fabric on top to make a sandwich, a ..read more

This year I lead a small women's Lent study group in our village, and we were asked by our Vicar to create a reflective piece on one of the Stations of the Cross, which would be displayed over the Easter weekend. Other groups in the community also contributed. We were given the subject of Tears, thinking of when Jesus met the weeping women of Jerusalem.    I made some cream merino felt, decorated on both sides with vertical trails of silk, and some bamboo. You can see the picture I used as inspiration, which was from a booklet called "One Friday" illustrated by Jenny Hawk ..read more