It's always a lottery as to what gets to the front of the queue in my world! Ha, yes it always feels like everyone else has more time doesn't it. I feel like that ALL the time when I see what others are up to. Frighteningly I laid the original square out back in May... MAY! 🤪 Have just done a bit more work on it and felt like sharing to try to get fired up and prioritise the fun stuff again! Really not sure how it is possible for weeks to fly past so quickly!🤪 xx

Hi Antje, it's good to play and not feel the stress of a desired outcome isn't it! I think I might do a bit of a combo since this is experimental - some needle, some wet, a bit of embellisher and see what results I get that I like then can do more of :) I swing from liking highly textured to liking flattened, it all depends on the day and what looks right for that particular piece. The original square was approx 60cm and so the little squares are approx 20cm although with all the fiddling about some are condensed and some have spread out! I can always trim them to a size later if I need to. I think I might have turned a couple of them. I just need to make sure I spend regular sessions on them as my mind tends to wander - as I lay awake last night I was dreaming up big floral felty bouquets in my minds eye! xx

Thanks Ann, it was tricky to cut, I just did it very slowly! Oh yes it's all a bit of a colourful mess at the moment, I'm just experimenting with adding and taking away and moving it all about until something emerges that I like. They definitely won't be literal representations of woodlands just the essence of it, with some of the motifs and colour and contrasts. Probably. Don't really know yet, but that's what I find fun about it! :) x

Hi Antje, you're absolutely right! I often don't fully felt / shrink when I'm making pictures since it is only for looking at, so doesn't need to be hardwearing like slippers or a cushion! This one is quite loose in places (so if it was troublesome maybe an option for further needling or stitching if it needs it). It depends what final look I want to achieve and depending on the layout and the materials it can lose it's vibrancy if overworked I think. However, sometimes I do want a flatter, firmer look so I'll work it til it can't take no more! :) xx

Thank you Karen :) I do wonder if I possibly overdid it again! But I do quite like it with lots going on. I've just had a look at some of the photos I took over the course of laying it out and I quite like the simple half way stages too. It's a shame we can't keep all of the stages but you either have to stop or keep going don't you! The drum carder is very addictive isn't it, the possibilities are endless and I'm always oohing and ahhing over what comes from it! :) Glad you enjoy it too! x

Happy New Year Teri! Thank you - love the pun :)

Thank you Barbara - we wish you a happy and creative 2024.

Thank you Ann - looking forward to seeing your prop in FFS later on!

Happy New Year Karen - we're looking forward to seeing your creations in 2024!

Thank you Karen, I think they will probably change each time as I discover something new! I'm looking forward to getting the 4th one underway, I just wish there were more hours in the day! I love your idea of mounting on a thin board, thank you. Less fussy than traditional framing, it will look great and also leave the felt exposed to show off the texture and other felty properties :)

Our main crafting focus is still feltmaking and stitching, but we like to try all sorts, most recently I did some mosaic and a bit of lino cutting... Anything and everything colourful and creative! Earlier today I watched Monty planting a pot of tulips in a 'lasagne' arrangement so you get a succession of flowers, one to try! x

Thank you! It's a lovely subject to experiment with, it would be good to portray the changing canopies throughout the year, with the seasons and different weather and light they bring.

Funny you should mention that....we had tree surgeons here last week to prune and make healthy the larger trees and I stood guard at the wood chipper all day rescuing as many branches as I could! I could see potential in every bit! The tree chaps were very patient with me (I was a bit in the way!) and I managed to wrestle a whole load of goodies including a 4 metre long cherry branch (it had grown a long over reach), a whole stack of copper beech branches, hazel sticks, eucalyptus branches.... :)

Thank you Ellie - all good ideas! Maybe when I lay out some future ones I could think about making 3 that complement each other more to hang together horizontally. I'd wondered about velcro, might give it a go! Is your blog 'feltabulous'? I just had a read through some posts - I see you have done well and got your tulip bulbs in, good job! Mine are still in the packets, must sort that out, but we seem to spend all of our garden time fighting off the brambles and rampant thuggy wild geraniums at the moment!

Hi Antje, thank you, I agree - the third piece is more interesting to the eye, more of a journey. I do like the abstract / graphic effect of not much detail / variety sometimes, but the third trees in this case did come alive with more depth and variation of widths and placement. They are all approx 120cm wide, the first two are approx 25cm tall and the third one is approx 35cm tall so that also gave more room to play! :) I'm thinking the first one might become a 3D object, as in my mind it is to be used for experimentation now! I think framing for the others might be tricky / expensive on this size so maybe I need to think of an alternative, perhaps stitched on to foamboard or something, not sure yet, any ideas gratefully received!

Thank you Meriel for your lovely comment, so pleased that our work evokes happiness for you, that's so wonderful to hear! :)

Hello Candy - the author of this ebook, Zed, has written and illustrated with photos all you need to know about nuno felt. Yes we would still recommend it.

Thank you Francesca - we hope you have fun making your first piece of wet felt and that you find it as magical as we do!

Hi Antje, the woodlands really are magical and I'm looking forward to getting out lots as the colours change, this is definitely my favourite time of year! I think my route would look like scribble from a team of spiders crawling over a big sheet of paper with ink on their feet! :)

Thank you Karen! Ha ha ha - it is a bit of a mess in here, and does look a bit like a riot has made it's way through! Sometimes it's good to show the "warts and all" isn't it, as well as the finished things for the reason you say, then we can all feel ok about it! It is pretty fab being surrounded by all the fluffy colourful wonderfulness and being able to see all of the materials and my "palette" to pick from, and then at some point it will all get too much and I'll have a huge tidy up only for it to all descend back to the same state shortly after! I must crack on with finishing these, the project queue is so long now.....!

Thank you Jeanette! I do love to play with colour, and I do always get in a bit of a mess when I'm working! Great fun! :)

Thanks Antje! I did indeed....got in big colourful mess in my work space, fluff and fibre everywhere, until the final thing emerged! :)

Ha ha! Yes - we've all found ourselves in strange positions to get that perfect photograph haven't we! 🤣

Oh yes there is so much scope in this subject, endless playtime! So many possibilities as always, kind of makes your creative brain explode a little. In a good way of course! :)

Hello Jacque - no drill - the pointed needle will pass through the felt ball ok. If you struggle to pull the needle through, use flat-nose pliers to grip the pointed end of the needle to pull it through.