Friday, February 9, 2007

Woven and Fulled


I've been playing with weaving and fulling pencil roving. The bag on the top was actually a class I taught with Janel from Chameleon Colorworks, we first dyed the roving, wove it, fulled it in the washer and turned it into a bag. The bag on the bottom was done with commercially dyed roving from Crown Mountain Farms, I then sewed the piece into this clutch, lined it with a beautiful red leather and it closes with a magnetic snap.
Green Bag measures 9 1/2" Tall X 11" Wide with an adjustable strap with a maximum 20" drop.
(SOLD)
Red bag measures 6" tall 14" wide & 3" deep, sold















Wednesday, February 7, 2007

What are "lasted" shoes

Shoes that are "lasted" are made on a form, either old wooded ones or more modern solid plastic. I'll someday get some photos of the process up, but lasted shoes are actually made from the inside out. The insole is attached to the last, the vamp (or outer part of the shoe) is then glued to the insole, starting with the lining. After the lining is in place other components are then attached, like a heel cap and toe cap. The Vamp is then stretched and glued to the insole. This is all done while the last is upside-down and attached to a last jack so you have leverage. Lastly you glue and trim your sole.

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

My Shoes

These are some of my shoes. Clockwise from upper left:

Blue Clogs uppers made from a Merino wool & Tencel blend custom dyed for me by Chameleon Colorworks. They have an all leather sole that I made by gluing several layers together, they are a lasted shoe. Hand felted flowers

Brown Polka Dots are hand made felt uppers with a hand stitched edge, the shoes are lasted with a custom Vibram sole and tied with ribbon.

Last, but not least, my HGTV That's Clever Shoes! This is my "Hero" pair, which is my totally finished pair made from the same Merino wool & Tencel blend from Chameleon Colorworks. They are also lasted with ribbon ties.

Monday, February 5, 2007

Belts

Hand made Merino wool felt, sewn to a brown leather backing. Matching felt attached to the metal buckle. The buckle is also removable making the belts reversible, why you'd want to do that I don't know, but it's an option! Both belts are 2 3/4" wide, Blue belt is adjustable from 40-45", Brown belt is adjustable from 30-35".











Forest Hat

Hand felted wool and silk hat in a blend of purple, green and sable. The brim is finished with bias tape, the inside is purple Merino wool. The headband is rolled felt to match the hat. size Medium. Brim diameter is 13". SOLD













Locks on the Brain

Beautifully soft grey (with hints of teal) hat hand felted in Merino wool and silk. The brim has playful mohair locks felted so they drape over the edge. The inside is a blend of Merino wool & Tencel in teal blue. Size Med/Large, brim diameter is 15". SOLD













Pink Sun Hat

Hand felted pink wool and silk Sun Hat adorned with felted flowers. The edge of the hat is stabilized with millinery wire and has a Petersham ribbon sweatband. Size medium. 151/2" diameter