Hanging basket time

Seeing as the season is moving along without me, I thought it was about time I did my hanging baskets and pots. We're lucky as we have a large covered porch outside the back door so we can sit out on warm days even in the rain. The cats enjoy being able to shelter from the rain too, So this is where I put most of annuals.

I usually have a plan for the colours in my baskets but this year I just picked up what I liked, figuring that nature never makes colours that clash.So we have surfinas, trailing petunias that will trail up to 1m (we'll see), fuschias & bidens. For the pots there are marigolds, calendula, osteospermums, and marguerites. Lovely hot bright colours, just perfect for me!

On the craft front I have plans for a lap cushion for Indiana to stop her digging claws into my legs on an evening. She is a very jealous lady and guards my lap from the other cats. I have ordered some chunky wool so it will knit up fast! I'm thinking a sort of patchwork effect. I have also spent the morning on Ravelry looking for cat patterns so we'll see what I end with.

I also have a new plan for another felted bag in purple tones this time, I just have to find the time to make all these lovely things now!

Felting ...part 2

Feeling all self confident after the semi success of the wall hanging, I thought I would give the postage bag a go. The trouble with felting is that it takes so long, much to the ire of David who is banned like the cats from the kitchen when it's in progress. I worked really hard on the Saturday to clear all chores and orders so Sunday was pretty much free to get on with the bag. 

This time I did think about it...a little bit! Drew out some ideas and then started. I never know how big to make the initial laying out as I know it will shrink by roughly a 3rd, but the end article always seems smaller than intended. I wonder if I full it too much...hmm.

So I laid out the shape a sort of thick cross, the plan being to just sew up the 4 corners to make the bag. I must admit the 'less is more' voice was nowhere to be seen, I got very carried way with all the wonderful coloured wool tops, angelina, curly locks, nepps and silk throwsters waste I have in my felting box. I was trying to create an illusion of more little flowers with a few bigger ones...sort of.

Then I got really adventurous and thought I'd make a bee and a butterfly, but with wet felting everything moves and I must admit to needle felting after it had dried to tidy up the edges and give them some detail.

 I got the troublesome sewing machine out and added embroidery which gave it a nice quilted effect. Don't even ask about the silky lining! It was a disaster as the felt wasn't straight (it never is) and using the bag as a template it was all wonky and much muttering ensued during the final stages. So as long as it filled up with post and no-one can see in it, it's fine.

It's not as I envisioned, why can't my hands been on the same page as my brain? But it's bright, functional and I made it. Felting is an art I have yet to master, but it won't stop me trying  as it's so much fun and one day maybe I'll get good at it!

Lesson learnt...less IS more, leave the shiny, brightly coloured bits alone, or use them in moderation...if you possibly can...

Felting..part 1

It's been a busy time in the crafty cat household. The day job has been very busy and due to my markers appearing in Simply Crochet my Etsy shop has been very busy. I've been making markers in every spare minute to try and keep ahead of orders and everyone seems pleased with them when they've arrived from feedback left....phew!

I love to think of them bobbing along on needles all over the world, helping create wonderful items. So after the rush was dealt with I decided to give felting another go and make something for me.

I love felting, the smell of the wool, cats LOVE it too and have to be banned from the kitchen once I get going and I get 3 or 4 faces sat on the windowsill all staring in longingly at me laying out the wool and assuring me that they could help!

I wanted to make a new bag that I take the post to the Post Office from felt. Being a sort of can't wait to start and see how it goes rather than planning in detail, the first attempt ended up being a wall hanging. The plan was to make some felt fabric and then cut it up and sew into a bag. Firstly I shrunk it too much so it wasn't being enough and secondly I felt it was too pretty to cut up!

This is it just after felting out on the line to dry. 

Luckily the weather was warm so it dried quite quickly and in a few days I could get on to the machine embroidery. I have a very old sewing machine who has seen better days and gets quite temperamental at times, chews fabric and gets stuck! When it is behaving all goes smoothly but I do frequently shout at it when it's being naughty! I should buy a new one really or maybe get it serviced as old machines seem to be made better. Anyway after a few machine 'issues' and a steep learning curve about sewing onto felt I felt it was finished. Less is more isn't in my vocabulary and I had to stop myself adding more to it!

Sewing is not my strong point, but I was happy with the finished result and it now hangs over the fireplace. It was a good test piece as I felt there were too many big flowers, but I did learn how to get the curly locks to felt in (previous attempts they came away). 

I also learnt different techniques for making flowers...some worked well, others didn't. So all in all it was lots of fun and a good learning curve !