Same but Different

I have been really enjoying working with needle felt both with machine and by hand but I do love the effects that can only really be achieved with wet felting.
I decided to make up a small piece of wet felt with a very random sky and colourful landscape.
The idea was to carry on with my cottage and sheep theme but move it on a bit and make the end results a bit different.

I wanted to make my cottage a little more three dimensional so I've put it at an angle instead of face on.

Then I added a bit of shading here and there and some basic machine stitching just to define some areas.

After I'd added the sheep I felt it needed something in the foreground and so tried my hand at a bit of drystane dyking. I had to get my hand carders out and mix up a bit of grey wool for the stones. The free machine stitching around the stones adds to the three dimensional effect. I did loose a bit of that lovely foreground colour but I think the wall really works.


So here is the finished piece! All framed and ready to go.

Over the Dyke
£55

SOLD

October Update

October has possibly been the busiest month of the year so far. I have been making so many new things these last few weeks and running here and there with stock for shops and the Craft Fair that it is amazing that I have anything left to put in my Online shops.

I've spent a bit of time today making some pieces available through my Folksy Shop though. Not the best day for taking photos with it being so dull but I tried my best.

Among the new items are these Bookmarks.
All £4.95 each

Each Bookmark comes tacked onto a display card making it a nice little gift.

I will make some more of the Treble Clef design in different colours suitable for giving to men.

I'm also offering a set of four cards for £10 including p+p.
My cards usually sell for £3 each so snap these up while they are on offer.

I also have a baby card available. Ideal for buying in advance as it is suitable for a boy or a girl.

£4.95

So after being such a busy bee over the last few weeks, I have come to a stand still. I just don't know what to make next. I probably have to start all over again and build up a stock of cards and sea themed pictures for the shops but I'd love to take some time out and just experiment. There are so many materials and techniques to explore.

My Mum brought me this fibre back from Orkney in May and I haven't even opened it yet!

It's a funny thing when your hobby becomes your work and you then have to find time for yourself again. But I have plenty of ideas to be working on during these long dark nights that have arrived.....it's just getting started again that's the tricky part. Does anyone else find that after a big tidy up they have no idea where anything is? I need a studio................

Craft Fair

The Craft Fair at Pitcairngreen Village Hall on Saturday was a great success. Thank you to all the committee for their hard work in putting on such a good event.
It's lovely to meet people there that we see every year and to meet new customers as well.

For anyone looking to buy online, I will be updating my online shop this week.
You can email me at aileenclarkecrafts@tiscali.co.uk with any inquiries.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my site.

New Seascapes and Other Bits and Pieces

October is always a busy month for me. I have a craft fair coming up at Pitcairngreen on the 24th and all the shops I stock are looking for new work.

I was enjoying playing around with the necklaces and cuffs but I've had to tear myself away and concentrate on making new pictures.

These two went off to new outlet in Oban.

Room 15, 15 Stafford Street, Oban

Seagull and Sunset in 12x12cm in 25x25cm Box Frame

£40 from Room 15, Oban

I quite enjoyed doing the gull although he was quite time consuming. His legs were very tricky even with a single felting needle.

The pieces below were a real joy to make. I love using my needle punch machine and I love the effect of machine stitching on felt. I added lots of fabric bits to the felt too to add a slight sheen and extra texture to the sand and sea. The sky I left unembellished, just plain wool roving needled onto blue felt.

Over The Bay

12x12cm in 25x25cm Box Frame

£40

West Coast Tranquillity

12x12cm in 25x25cm Box Frame

£40

In between finishing off half started pieces and working on new ones I also managed to make this for myself.

It started out as a piece of hand dyed pre-felt in a rather strange shade of green. I had started felting onto it thinking I'd make a Lochan scene with lots of green hills around it then I put it aside for months. The other night I began to work hand spun yarn and angelina into it to turn it into a seascape but when I added the silk I just knew I had to turn it into something wearable. So a bit of machine stitching and a few beads later....here we are. It wasn't quite long enough to go round my wrist and fasten with a button. It would have to have had a loop round one of the beads as a fastener. I then decided it would make a nice panel for a small bag.............

I acquired the green tweed recently from box full of fabric pieces that one of the Mums brought into my daughters nursery. I arrived one morning to all the Mums oohing and aahing over this box of remnants that one of the other Mums had got from her neighbour. They were saying what great costumes the kids could make with some of it and how the rest could be cut up! Cut up!! By 3 and 4 year olds!! I nearly passed out! As the box was shuffled into the staff room I plucked up the boldness to ask if I could have the nice green bit. It still had an original luggage style label on it saying three quarters of a yard. Glad I rescued it.

I was hoping this would go with my new winter coat but the green one I had my eye on was not available in my size so I got purple instead......that will not surprise anyone who knows me.

I'll just have to make another bag in purple shades now, maybe with some other colours woven in to match my favourite new scarf too!

I love the effect of the felt, fabrics, stitching and beads on the bag panel though. I think I could really develop that style for brooches, cuffs, neck pieces and other adornments.