Sunday 27 January 2013

Personalised Felted Hearts

This week I continued making Felted Hearts. I wanted to make another hanging decoration.


This time I wanted to embroider letters on each heart.


This is quite brave for me considering  me and sewing dont get along!
But as I had envisaged what I wanted it to look like, I was determined to give it a go.


I was quite pleased with how it turned out. It didnt matter if they weren't perfect as it added to its natural rustic feel.
I haven't quite finished. I have yet to add the ribbon and to felt the backs of them, this will cover up the back of the stitching and attatch the ribbon.


On another note, we have recently started to watch movies regularly. We don't get the time to go to the cinema so we decided to hook up to LoveFilm, and Sunday afternoons have now become our movie time. So I thought i'd add an update each week of what we've been watching!

HUGO = Martin Scorsese makes his first foray into children's cinema with this semi-fantastical drama based on a book by Brian Selznick. Asa Butterfield stars as Hugo, an orphan who lives in the hidden nooks of a train station in 1920s Paris. With the help of his friend, Isabelle (Chloë Moretz), he sets out to solve a mystery left behind by his late father (Jude Law): a curious puzzle involving a heart-shaped key, a cranky toy shop owner (Ben Kingsl
ey) and a broken automaton. Along the way, the tangled lives of the staff and passengers at the station provide numerous colourful detours, and Scorsese pays homage to early pioneers of cinema including the Lumiere brothers and Georges Méliès. The film was nominated for eleven Oscars and won five awards including Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects.
****1/2
SUPER 8 =
From J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg... In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth - something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

***

Sunday 20 January 2013

Hanging heart decorations...

So this week I have still been working on the needle-felted hearts.
I've used a combination of the small, plus a larger heart, made in the same way as documented in my previous post
I've made these in to hanging decorations for the home.


The first colourway I made was using red, pink and purple.


The second using yellow, orange, pink and red wool roving.


I decorated each heart with a matching button.


And strung a small and a large heart on to a colour co-ordinated ribbon.

Both of these have now been listed in my Etsy store.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/121074731/decorative-needle-felted-hanging-heart
https://www.etsy.com/listing/121073517/decorative-needle-felted-hanging-heart?ref=v1_other_2

Its the 100th post of Handmade Harbour, and although I am a relative new comer, I have actually stuck to writing my blog every Sunday. I have found this site very useful. By having a set day to get my blog posted has meant that i'm doing it every week. This has turned into a habit now, and the blog is in the back of mind throughout the week, and taking pictures of everything I do has started to be a natural process! But also Handmade Harbour is a friendly mix of different crafters and its very interesting to pop in and see what all others have been doing throughout the week!

The cold weather, and snow has settled in and if I had my way I would hibernate, but unfortunately work means I have to face the icy white paths! Thankfully my work-related trip to Derby came before the wintery weather arrived! And i'm hoping its not going to last too long!




Sunday 13 January 2013

3D Felted Hearts

Sorry for the picture-less post last week, I did finally get the issue sorted, and if you wish to re-read, with the images you can look here

I did a bit more needle-felting this week. I had my first try of doing something 3D.
I had a heart shaped cookie cutter, so I used this as my mould.


I used a piece of ready made felt as a base to work on.


I chose my colours from my range of wool roving.


I pulled off small tufts of wool, and layered them in the mould.


I then used the specialist needle to keep stabbing at the wool,


until the fibres start to bind together.


Then the mould can be slipper off .


And the piece can be decorated.



Sunday 6 January 2013

New Year crafting...

So now I can reveal the secret craft making that I did over Christmas! After my felt making course, I was eager to do a scene from Cornwall for my Dad.


I searched through my photos and images online. I had a mini starter kit, so I had all the bits I needed to dive straight it.
I put across the colours for the background, then layed on top the patches of colour for the shapes, then used scraps of yarn and embroidery to add more detail and bring the scene to life.
I was very pleased with the final outcome, and thankfully so was my Dad!


I also made some mini crochet stars. I used Attic 24's pattern, which was very quick and easy!
My intention was to make some bunting out of them, but I have only made a handful so far!


My first project of New Year, is to start a cushion cover. As I stated in a previous post I intend to make things for the home.
A year ago we purchased a lovely new sofa, our previous one had been second hand and not our taste at all, but I kept the cushions, as I knew I could do something with them!!


I used Planet Penny cotton, as they are a lovely rainbow of bright colours, which is just what I like! I am using the neat ripple pattern, again from Attic 24. This project should keep me going for awhile, the first row was a little tricky but it now flows very easily!








I don't really have much direction at the moment. I usually am quite focussed at the start of a new year, and have plans in my head of what I want to achieve. But this year I'm not sure what I want to achieve, and with crafting I'm not sure in what direction to go next! I guess I will keep pondering until things become clearer or until opportunities or situations arise!


I have just made a new purchase, a lovely new camera !!


My trusty old camera has served me well, but it takes AA batteries which is a bit of a pain, and technology moves on so quickly that it is quite dated now.
So now I have a massive zoom, and loads of megapixels for amazing clear pictures, a big screen to view them on and loads of different modes to play around with!
Now I cant wait to go away to give it a thorough try out!!