Can you help? and Hand Sculpted Felt Cloche continues

Can you help? I have created an on-line portfolio in the hopes of winning an arts grant. The more supporters I have, the greater my chances. If you can spare a minute to go to my portfolio here, rhondarogalski.see.me, and click Support in the upper right, it will help greatly. There is nothing to sign up for, but it will ask you to post a link on your page of my portfolio. I would appreciate it so much if you could help spread the word about the work I am doing. The more people that are aware of the sustainability and environmentally friendly process of felting, the more our artists will succeed as well as bringing new artists on board.

Stay tuned for more of the exciting adventure of creating a hand sculpted Felt Cloche. The journey completes today with more photos of the process and the completed hat. Thanks for coming along! 

Hand Felted Cloche Begins

Today I started making the cloche that was a custom order. I took some photos along the way to show some of the steps. It's not a complete tutorial but if you are already familiar with felting then you will get the idea. If you have no felting experience or would like to use a really nice, step by step tutorial, HandiCraftKate offered one on Craftsy. You can get in touch with her to see if its still available. It is awesome!! So, here goes...

 I began yesterday by choosing my materials and today I started by laying out the roving to make the flat felt that will eventually be sculpted into a cloche, or wide brimmed hat. I laid out 3 layers and then decided it needed a bit of sparkle. The woman who ordered this is an entertainer with very red hair, so I don't think she is going for subtle. Since the fabric I will be using for the flower has gold threads in it I decided to sprinkle some gold Firestar on the roving.

Shingling the merino roving

Firestar sprinkled on top

After it was all laid out I covered it with some netting and rubbed until it passed the pinch test. Then I went to work with the sander. I love using the sander!!!!

Rubbing on the netting with a recycled grocery bag

I love my sander <3

After both sides were sanded it was off to the sink for squeezing, kneading & rinsing in the sink, throwing, then repeat all several times.

Rinsing, squeezing & kneading

Throwing - this part can be a lot of fun!!!

I wanted to harden the flat felt a bit more so I threw it in the dryer with a bunch of felted dryer balls for about 15 min. While it was tumbling I began laying the roving on the recycled lace to make the removable hat band.

2 layers of roving on the back

Rolling the cord that will be the ties

 Now to make the flower. I cut out 2 circles from the shirt and one I cut into petal shapes. I laid some roving, Firestar and kid mohair locks then sanded it together. The other circle has roving laid onto the back only. These aren't the best photos but it will be Fab when you see it all together tomorrow!

Fabric with merino roving, Firestar and kid mohair locks.

The 2 pieces of fabric together. It will look better tomorrow!

 All the pieces I made today are drying and resting, getting ready for tomorrow. I will begin by sculpting the cloche which takes quite a while. It will require a lot of rubbing and shaping with my hands. Stay tuned & I'll post the photos when it's all done. Thanks for tagging along as I make and create with Fab fibers :D

Starting a new Cloche (hand sculpted wide brimmed felt hat)

A customer recently ordered a custom made felt cloche, and her only request is that the hat be green. She is an opera singer with vibrant red hair and the green hat will look so striking on her. I picked out an olive green merino roving and some off white re-purposed vintage cotton lace for the hat band. I also include a lovely flower in complimentary colors and I am thinking that this green and gold shimmery shirt fabric would make a beautiful flower. Any thoughts? I might add a bit of red to the flower as well - just a touch.

I love making these cloches!! I took an online workshop by HandiCraftKate and it was such an excellent class. It was only $8 and I have lifetime access to it in case I forget anything - thank goodness! Felting is so great to begin with and in the making of these hats I get to utilize my skills in flat felting, nuno felting and sculpting with wool. So much fun! I will be taking photos as I go along and will be posting them here so you can see the process and steps involved. Today I started by selecting my roving and fabrics and tomorrow I will lay out and make the flat felt that will magically be transformed into a beautiful cloche. Stay tuned!

Clearing out the old to make room for the new!

I have finally started to clear out my old inventory from the 2012 market season. I've been putting things into my Etsy shop, since I have one. It makes sense to use it if I'm going to keep it. I have so many ideas for new pieces and inspiration is everywhere. I'll let the older things go to make room for the new and exciting. If you see anything in my shop that you just have to have, let me know. If it's a bit out of your price range I am happy to haggle! I want all these pieces to find new homes and get out into the world! Stay tuned, there are many more to come. I add at least one item a day and also post it on my Facebook page.




Celestial Song

A compilation of re-purposed and recycled silks, cottons, rayon, velvet, nylon and polyester. They combine into a harmonious piece of Wearable Fiber Art that can also be used as home decor. See additional photos here.

A wonderful light created by using 3 led tea lights inside a frame that is wrapped by a wonderful piece of merino wool felt. The tree is made from pieces of hand dyed merino silk blend wool. More photos here.

A 400 page hard bound journal encased in a seamless cover. It is reusable with all future journals. It has a wonderful flap and button closure for privacy. Made with merino wool and re-purposed lace. See more here.

I call this wrap Cafe Au Lait because of the wonderful dark coffee and light cream colors. So beautiful, functional and light as a feather. More info can be found here.

Ahhhh, Pixie Dust! That is what I think of when I ponder this yummy wrap. It is made using re-purposed silk fabrics, some hand dyed cotton gauze, lots of silk fibers and throwers waste, merino wool and some Firestar for glint and sparkle. Don't you want to just snuggle into it? Look here for more pics and see how you can even use it as home decor!

 Another wonderful journal and cover! This one is made with shibori dyed cotton fabric, merino wool, firestar and some hemp fibers on the flap. Check it out here.

 A little romance, some Boho and hippie and you are good to go. This headband is a multifunctional piece of Eco friendly Fiber Art. It is made with merino wool and re-purposed cotton crochet lace. See more about it here.

Crochet from 100% super soft Cascade yarn, this granny square hat is so much fun and really warm. It has 3D flowers crocheted into the center of the square and is a lovely soft blue. It's the perfect season for a warm and stylish hat. See more here.

Felt Art - "Creation"

A small wall hanging I call "Creation". We are all spiritual beings tapping into the consciousness of the Creator and "creating" all the time. What are you creating today?

 

Experimenting with resists

I saw a beautiful textile of folded and pleated fabrics created to look like a waterfall and wanted to try something similar with felt. I only had a limited amount of blue merino roving so I didn't make as many ruffles as I would have like to, but I am pleased with the results.

By laying down long strips of plastic between the fibers I was able to create these dimensional ruffles. I call this piece Abstract Waterfall. I had a couple photos of the process but seem to have lost them :( 

Glass Etching and Free Stencils for YOU!

I have an antique mirror that I just love, but it's in rough shape. It sits on a shelf and now and again I look at it and imagine it sparkling and beautiful - displayed proudly in my home. But it's still on the shelf waiting for the day I give it some well deserved attention. What to do?

Enter Eric and Glass Etching Secrets. Diane at The Artful Crafter gave away some glass etching stencils and now there is hope for that old mirror! I received my stencils the other day and am reading Eric's blog for ideas and instructions. Soon that mirror will have a new life in my bedroom.

Eric has a great site and would love to give you some free stencils. Just go to http://www.glassetchingsecrets.com/freestencils.html. He also has a great blog that you should check out.

Enjoy!

New Items in my Etsy shop

It's only taken 3 months but I am finally starting to add inventory to my Etsy shop. The first is this super soft and thick headband crocheted from single ply merino wool in a dark and rich eggplant color. It is adorned with two 3 dimensional hand felted flowers and a long green vine and leaf that winds its way across the headband. This is a one of a kind item as no two flowers are ever alike. Click HERE to see the posting on Etsy.




The second is my own pattern that I designed to wear on my bad hair days. But honestly, I think its so cute I wear it on good hair days too! I have long thick hair and some days I just don't want to wear it down - and I don't like pony tails. I do like lacy warm hats though. What to do? Create a Head Sock!

The Lace Crochet Head Sock is the perfect versatile accessory for all hair types. The design is feminine, made of warm soft wool in an oatmeal color and so fun to wear. Wear it on top of your hair, pull your hair through it or even tie the end closed and you have an adorable pixie hat. This hat is exceptional for dread locks. If you want your dreads out & flowing but want your head and ears warm just slip on a head sock! Click HERE to see this listing on Etsy.

Great Giveaway by Nicola Brown of Clasheen!!

Have you ever wanted to make your own felt pouch or clutch but didn't know where to begin? Well, all you have to do is enter the giveaway by Nicola Brown of Clasheen and you could win this great kit!

Nicola is a fabulous fiber artist from Ireland. I have been following her blog for quite a while and want to be just like her when I grow up! To enter the contest click HERE. If you love fiber art and felt be sure to subscribe to her blog and FaceBook page. She is a dynamic artist that loves to share updates of items, classes and her journey through felting. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do!

http://clasheen.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/blog-giveaway-and-hat-workshop-update/

Holidays are Over - Time to Make new Inventory

With the outdoor markets long gone, the Christmas sales over and the holidays past it is time to get busy and make more felt & crochet inventory! I will start putting my remaining 2011 inventory on my Etsy site as soon as I get some photos too.

I had a fab time at the 2011 SOJAA FiberMania show! I love this show and look forward to attending again in 2012. There were suppliers, artists, animals, farmers, oh so much to see and do. The informal fashion show was a hit. My best friend Lori Houston Pewsey of Connected Threads brought some of her beautiful knit hats and manned the booth with me. She was also an excellent model! Thanks Lori :)

Here are some photos of my booth, the fashion show and Lori wearing a couple of my items.

My booth at Fiber Mania 2011 - Awesome show & great sales too, wheeeeeee! Many of the items are not here right now as they are being worn by the models in the fashion show :)

Cute model wearing my merino wool & cotton nuno felt wrap around skirt, cutout wool & silk nuno felt top, crochet chunky wool headband with felted flower and long strap "Hearts Galore" merino wool & chiffon nuno felt purse.

Beautiful merino wool & silk nuno felt headband.

Lori putting on my merino wool & cotton lace nuno felt scarf.

Another cute model wearing my crochet & felted newsboy cap, nuno felt circular shawl, nuno felt purse and nuno felt scarf/skirt. These wide scarves are great to wrap around your hips and wear like a skirt - ingenious!!!!

Same cute girlee, but here she is wearing the circular shawl like a sarong, and the wide scarf around her shoulders.

Lori Houston Pewsey, expertly modeling the merino wool and silk nuno felt headband. Lori ROCKS!!!!!