Fabricating Felt Fleurs: a relaxing stylish craft

   When our beading group, the Beadsprouts, travel for a few days to the Vineyard, we each take a craft. Chrissy researched felt flowers this year since they were in so many fashion magazines and pointed us to HiP: Felt Flower Tutorial. To prepare to write this blog I Googled "tutorial felt flower" and found many more videos. Whatever, it seems these are so easy to create by all ages. I plan to make some to cluster with granddaughters 4 and 6 years.

My two flower pins are about 2 1/2" diameter. Click to enlarge. 

    Get or make your felt (there are all qualities of felt: from the wool sweaters you shrink with soap and hot water to the squares or rolls you can buy at a craft or fabric store.) Cut out shapes of flowers with scissors or with Sissix shape cutters (I do not have or need Sissix, but could enjoy).  You can make a pattern by circling a glass, and cutting out different sizes and flower shapes. You can cut individual petals or stack shapes of one piece, different edges. You will invent other solutions such as folding strips of felt and cutting in a bit. A glue gun or needle and thread with button can hold them together. The stitching with embroidery thread or beading on the  petals adds so much ooomph! Loving care always does that.

Nancy made a giant flower and wore it to the museum!
Click to see better.

Island Getaway: a journal quilt

     The beader's getaway to Martha's Vineyard was for only three days, but I was shocked how relaxed I was after such a short time, absolutely forgetting all that I had on my plate to do. Hopefully I can remember that feeling and call it forth when needed. Maybe this journal quilt should have been about all I filmed there for my little movie, or about the craft I took to share (it's failure, despite my good planning). For the journal quilt, however, I singled out that special moment where I realized I was SO relaxed. Note: Usually I sew with white thread only, and take an extra fine Sharpie of appropriate color to go over colored areas. I forgot to get out my blue Sharpies for this piece before photographing, but did remember on the postcards.

   While I had the sewing machine out today, I made and took to the Post Office three fabric postcards. I sent the postcard of the dollhouse to another Alice whom the beaders visited yesterday. We saw a myriad of doll houses Alice created over the years. I was especially taken by the Rennie Macintosh room, and returned home to get out a book of his watercolors and to look for pictures of his windows at Google Images to mail to Alice.  I mailed the Seurat fabric postcard to an ill friend who is a fabulous painter. The postcard with the basket with Toto is a thank you for a Nantucket beading tray basket.
    You remember I cut the address side, front and batting, each of the three pieces, to 4 1/2" x 6 1/2". I put the batting on the bottom and the good sides of the back and front together and stitch 1/4" all around except for a 2" opening at one end so one can turn inside out (the pillowcase method). Clip the corners, turn, iron and stitch around one more time 1/8" around. I love making these; and so far, they have all arrived via our Post Office in perfect shape!