Needle Felted Christmas Angel

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends and Visitors

I hope you are having a great weekend. We had a lovely time yesterday. First we met our in-laws and daughter and son-in-law at Basildon Park the National Trust property to see the Christmas decorations. We had lunch in a very nice pub before heading off to a place selling nice Christmas Trees and wreaths but also with an indoor Christmas market. We bought a wreath to decorate because what I need to do right now it have some more jobs to do.

On Friday I was helping at Christmas themed Felting workshop run by Seadrift Studio . I was able to make two things. I was rather pleased with how my Christmas Tree Angel turned out. I am slightly nervous about sharing my angel so please be kind.

I made a frame with pipe cleaners for the head and the arms. This does mean that the arms are bendy. I felted fibres over the frame to cover it. 

I added wool fibres and angelina fibres (they make it sparkly) to decorate. The wings were attached last and I sprayed them with hair spray to make them stiffer. I decided not to make a face as that might just have ruined it. 

There we all are sat round the table needle felting at the workshop. We did have a good time. 

This is all the things that were made there is such a variety. 

I am very pleased with how she looks on our tiny tree. I added some wire to the back to hold her securely in place.  Now I am going to decorate the wreath we bought yesterday. 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Challenge 113 at the Butterfly Challenge blog

I hope you have a wonderful week. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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I made a Felted Scarf

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends

How is your week going. I am off to help with a Felting Workshop this morning. It is a Christmas needle felting workshop. I wonder if I will get to make something. I have learnt a lot.

My friend has been asked to run workshops where people can make a felted scarf. So a couple of weeks ago I helped her by  doing  a trial workshop.

This is the finished scarf laying out on the lounge floor. 

You start with a piece of muslin bigger than you want the finished scarf. Under the muslin was some bubble wrap bubbles up. 

You lay the wool fibres over the edge of the muslin.  

I created a pattern in the middle with the fibres. I even added some Angelina for a bit of shine. That has to be covered with some of the wool fibres as it doesn't felt on its own. 

Then you lay some net over the design. It helps to have two of you do this so the fibres don't float away. You spray to make the wool wet with  a weak solution of washing up liquid and warm water. You role up the bubble wrap, the scarf and the net over a rolling pin (pipe lagging cut to size) and roll backwards and forwards for about 60 times. Then you unwrap and remove the netting. You roll up again and there is lots more rolling. You can tell when the felting is done as the fibres don't pick away. The other side is done in the same way. I made the design simpler and with no sparkle. You do fold the edge fibres over to make the edge neat. As the fibres mat together they shrink and this causes puckers in the fabric. This adds nicely to the design. 

This is the finished damp scarf. I took it home and dried it flat and then ironed it through a damp tea towel. It is recommended to hand wash the scarf and to dry it flat. If you machine wash it the scarf with shrink as the matting will continue. 

Here  is me wearing the scarf it is very warm. I am so pleased with how it turned out. This was my first time doing a really large felting project. 

Enjoy the rest of the week. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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