Felted wool dryer balls - Part 2

Well, needless to say that the dryer balls did not felt as I expected.  I expect that I may have wound the wool sweater bands too tightly in a ball and there was not enough give to have them felt properly.  I wished I had sorted that out before I made so many.  So in order to save these and make them usable I have given them all sock covers which will keep them all intact even if they are not felted and they will work just as effectively in the dryer.  It is unfortunate that they did come out beautiful but sometimes that it the way it goes.  Therese

Exchange card - one of my digital images, embossing and ribbon

I created this card as one of my exchange cards for this month.  I started with a large envelope and created a large turquoise card to fit inside.  I adhered this wonderful polka dot background paper (gift wrap) and then added another strip of the same cardstock embossed with dots to which I had added a bright green ribbon.  Next, I diecut a large label (TH) from pink cardstock and embossed it with a smaller polka dot design and added a thin purple ribbon to the bottom section and tied on another small length with a single knot to simulate a bow.  I trimmed this flower image  - one of my own laser printed digital stamps - and used a corner rounder on the corners.  I watercoloured the image to coordinate and mounted it to the label over the ribbon using 3D foam tape.  Therese

Birthday card featuring hand coloured silk leaves, dimensional sticker letters and stamped decorative paper

My oldest daughter's birthday is coming up and I made this card for her.
I started with a long thin envelope and created a dark brown card to fit inside leaving it a bit short so I could highlight the edge with the insert.  I punched the top edge with a scalloped border punch (SU).   I dug out two coordinating scraps from my decorative paper stash and used regular tape on the back to attach them together.  I trimmed the right side to fit on my card front.  Thinking that the edge of the piece on the left needed a bit of something I decided to stamp it with a solid leaf stamp using a multicolour stamp pad (Kaleidacolour - Creole Spice).  I simply inked my stamp and then stamped the edge using a piece of regular bond paper to mask off the music paper.  I stamped the stamp twice - once right next to the edge and another a little farther over which gives are a really nice layered effect.  I added the dimensional letter stickers to spell out my greeting over where the paper were joined.  I added the "HAPPY" stickers to kraft coloured half inch punchies before adding them to my card using double sided tape.  I used letter punchies which I watercoloured before adding clear dimensional dots to create "BIRTHDAY" and then glued those to my card using double sided tape as well.  I started from the bottom for "birthday" so I would have a space between the words.  I watercoloured a sprig of white silk leaves to coordinate with my stamped leaves and let them dry.  I pierced a hole between the words of my greeting and mounted my silk leaves using a square gold brad.  I love how this element adds so much interest and texture to my card!!  I mounted this large element to my card front.  To finish off my card I used a push pin to pierce each of the scallops on the edge of my card.  I cut an oversized insert and trimmed it to the same length as my card on the top and bottom an added a quarter inch on the right hand side to allow the scalloped border to really be showcased!!            Therese

Exchange card - stamped image on polished stone, scalloped diecut and tracing wheel texture

An exchange card for this month!  For this card I used a large envelope and created a white card to fit inside. I started with this circle with a stamped image from my stash.  It is a SU image stamped in blue on a circle die cut of polished stone background on glossy photo paper.  I created the background first - a brayered piece from my stash that coordinated well. I cut it in two and mounted a coordinating piece of  blue cardstock in between.  I added texture to the piece using my pattern tracing wheel - a line on each of the top and bottom pieces and a variety of all over lines in the blue section.  Next, I added a length of coral gros grain ribbon and then mounted the background to my card front. I found a green scalloped circle die cut in my stash with I watercoloured to coordinate with my card.  I mounted my circle focal element to the scalloped circle and added to my card using 3D foam tape.  I found this coordinating stamped greeting (SU) in my stash and flagged the end before mounting it to my card. Therese

Birthday card featuring a dimensional sticker, ribbon and decorative paper

Our god daughter's birthday is coming up soon and I made this card for her!!  I started with a large envelope and made a soft peach card to fit inside.  I added two strips of white embossed cardstock on the top and bottom.  For the middle section I trimmed a piece of laser printed decorative paper into three.  I added two strips of aqua to my card front and then glued the three pieces of decorative paper into place overlapping the aqua strips.  For my focal element I started with a small dimensional sticker.  I added layers - peach, embossed aqua - peach and then onto a larger brown rectangle gluing them together as I went. I used my distress tool on the edges of  the brown one and then added flagged ribbons to the backside of it on the top right and lower left.  As I was considering where to place my focal element I decided I needed a bit more texture so I ran my tracing wheel over the two aqua strips on my card and used a brown gel pen to add a line to my two white embossed strips.  That was better!!  I used 3D foam tape to add my focal element to my card.  Pretty happy with how it turned out!!          Therese

Felted wool dryer balls - part one

 I have been thinking about making dryer balls for a while using the scraps of wool I have stashed!! I found this tutorial on The Spruce which uses hot water in a pot on the stove instead of a hot water wash in my washing machine which seemed a better use of water.  So I got started and found some felted wool scraps for my center.

I wrapped some felted wool around it to start creating a ball and then wrapped a long scrap of felted wool around and it started looking more like a ball.  I dug through my unfelted wool stash and found this pale pink cashmere sweater which had already been cut up for another project and cut some half inch strips from two of the panels.  I started wrapping the unfelted wool strips around my ball and just kept adding strips until it was the size of a hard baseball.

 I decided to tie yarn around it to keep it all together until I could get a few more made.  I managed to make two more balls and they are ready for felting.  I will continue with the felting instructions when I get to them.  

Therese

Anniversary card featuring a layered greeting, embossing and ribbon

 I am working on cards for my family whose special occasions are coming up soon!!
For this anniversary card I started with a large envelope and made a kraft coloured card for fit inside.  I added two panels of embossed white cardstock  (top and bottom) and then overlaid a piece of beautiful decorative paper over them.  I added a length of soft aqua ribbon gluing the ends to the inside of the card using double sided tape. I created a layered greeting using a small laser printed greeting which I punched with a small oval punch (SU).  I added it to a decorative paper oval punchie (SU) and then to a gold metallic scalloped oval (SU).  I used 3D foam tape to adhere my greeting to the front of my card over the ribbon.  To finish off my card, I added two little punched hearts below the paper on the right and three little clear rhinestones above the paper on the left of the ribbon.    Therese

Two small quilt tops

I picked up a few scraps a while back when my sister was lucky enough to come upon a lady down sizing her quilting stash.  I got a bag of scraps and a few boxes of larger pieces and some precut squares as well.  I ended up with a large bag of flannel scraps and pieces and have since picked up a few more precuts and small pieces on my most recent trips to second hand stores. After washing the ones I picked up I was sorting through what I had and started placing some of the squares in alignment to see if I had enough to make a small quilt.  They have been sitting for a few days and I went down there looking to access the felted wool which was at the back of the room and the choice was to pick up all the pieces and try to remember how they all went together or to switch gears and work on the quilt instead of the felted wool project.  Needless to say, that I got started on the quilt and very soon I had filled in all the spaces between the squares with strips and had added long strips in between to get the width I was looking for.  I was aiming for a kids quilt so anywhere near 35"-36" would work.  So I started sewing the pieces in each row together and finished sewing the rows to each other yesterday.  I am very happy with how it worked out as I really did not have any idea when I started what I was going to end up with.  It was fun to play with the pieces and move them around until I liked the way they went with the others.  I had to cut a few pieces for the in between strips so I used my rotary cutter and cutting mat.  Worked really well.  It was fun playing with fabric and actually making something that has a real purpose.  I trimmed the edges even today and measured it and it is 37.5" x 46.5" or so.  I will have to see about finding backing, binding and some sort of  fabric to sandwich in between.  I am looking to make a lightweight quilt so it maybe just a sheet.  We shall see.   Today, buoyed by yesterday's success I decided to see if there was enough fabric to make another top for a kids quilt.  

As you can see I did manage to make another quilt top but when I made the decision to not add any pink pieces to this one I had to get quite a bit more resourceful to make all the pieces fit.  I cut a few squares from some of the larger pieces I acquired recently to have enough for my design.  As you can see, I also had to add a piece to the green and blue ones but fortunately, I had small pieces that I had leftover when I was cutting the squares that were just the size I needed.  So there are 4 lager pieces that are pieced rectangles instead of square - one in each row of squares.  I started by creating the center strip with the only solid colour pieces I had - bright yellow ones.  I found some coordinating pieces of patterned fabric and used a small scrap of dark green which gave the strip a bit of definition.  I added long strips on each side of that one just adding two little pieces to each of them to make them long enough.  One is monkeys and the other is giraffes.  The four rows of squares were then filled with what I had left to make the little strips between the squares.  There was much moving of pieces and squares before I settled on this layout as I did not want the same fabric touching to too close to each other.  I spent the day sewing the pieces of each of the row to each other and then sewed all the rows together.  I trimmed the edges even and this one measures 35"  x 44" - a pretty good size.  I folded them up and pinned a paper with the measurements on it to the corner of each quilt top.  I picked up all the other pieces and put them all back into the bag along with the quilt tops and all the other flannel scraps I has sorted out.  

I am very happy with my days work!!!!!!  I like that they easily could be baby quilts and that I have one for a girl and a boy!! So for now they will be stored away until I can get to finding fabric to make a backing, binding and to add as a filler.  I am looking to make them light weight so they won't require much in the way of filling but for sure that will be a project for another day.  This week we are back to our regular meetings and commitments so there are a few full days ahead.  

Therese