a felted needle book

I made myself a little somethin' this weekend that I have wanted to make for years and years. A needle book. My needles tend to end up stuck in odd bits of fabric or shoved in the side of a felting mat and I often lose them which makes for dicey barefoot travels in the Jordan home.

I wet-felted a cover and stitched in some wool pages. In between each page is a used dryer sheet that in my theory, will help keep my needles conditioned. Or at least keep them smelling spring fresh.

I added some knots to the cover and a felted cord for a closure.

The whole thing bundles up nice and neat. Long overdue.

Now maybe I'll find time to work on that vest I've been wanting...

Happy Monday, all.

eggs of shimmer and earth

I've been channeling my inner magpie. Building nests and filling them with shiny things. (I know they don't really collect shiny things, but I love the imagery anyway) My wandery mind grew interested in the idea of giving birth to the things one has experienced and I daydreamed about birds who saw glittering snowflakes, the smallest of ferns; who then laid fantastical eggs full of shimmer and earth. 

Imagine what our own eggs would look like, imprinted with our memories.

These special nests and stone eggs, my offering to Spring, will be in my shop today along with some new nest brooches and a couple of stone necklaces. I'll be working on putting them in this morning so you'll likely see them pop in there, one by one.

new brooches today

 

Over the weekend I finished needling those brooches I've been working on, and cut and sanded the wood bases too.  These 7 pieces will make their appearance in my shop today at 3pm CST.

 As always, they tell stories about places I'd like to be, places I've been, places where I imagine one could find some quiet peace.  You might have noticed there are no man-made structures in my pieces.  That's on purpose.  There might be fields and meadows, but you won't see barns or red balloons.  Not in these pieces, anyway. (some other time, maybe)  These are all very quiet.

 Some tell of moonlit swims, some of trips to the mountains with my father.  Some remind me of flying on cliffs above Lake Superior (remind me to tell you of my "flying" habit one day).  Others of quiet places I've only dreamed of.

If these move you, or if you know someone who might enjoy them, I'd be so grateful if you'd spread the word.

I do have a number of other pieces started, I'm still in the mood for making brooches, AND I have babysitting help this week so you just might see another update before too long.

Thanks everyone!  Have a great start to the week.

I'm a little Death Cap short and stout

 

 I don't know why that is running through my head, but it is.

A little Death Cap (short and stout, I am deadly so spit me out) that I'm finishing up today.

 Just a teeny little guy based on the Amanita phalloides, the "World's Most Dangerous Mushroom".  How's that for a distinction?  The thing about these guys is that they supposedly taste pretty good.  It isn't until days later that you start getting sick and then you wake up dead.

 

Of course this guy is just wool so we won't try to eat him.  His cap gets its pale green from the batch of dyeing I did with St. John's Wort supplement.  He'll be mounted on a base from the Alder in my yard and offered to a friend who I think will appreciate his creepy inspiration.

snow folk

 

Snow folk have been cropping up under the poplar and pine.

Each is made of felted wool balls in three sizes that I sewed to a wooden button (gifted to me by Cheryl at handcrafted travellers).  Their little arms are tendrils from a Virginia Creeper vine and their hats are acorn caps.

 

I liked how they each had a different posture when I sewed them together so I didn't bother to needle them together.  Their noses and faces, yes, their posture, no.  Each one was so different that I felt they needed to have a little photo session.

 

Clearly I need to get out more.

 

These are headed off to some friends and I hope they get a giggle out of them too.  

 

Happy almost-weekend, everyone!

 

a poplar scoop

Just a little scoop I made for myself yesterday, carved from a piece of poplar that fell in the last windstorm.  I've been wanting to make spoons for a long while, (years) and finally made some time for it.

My husband reminded me, twice, that I could buy wooden spoons at the dollar store... 3 for a dollar... instead of making one.  He's hilarious, isn't he?  Ho ho ho, Mr. Jordan.

He does make a point, even if he was mostly just getting my goat.  From a monetary perspective, it's much cheaper to buy some wooden spoons for a dollar rather than spend a few hours of my time carving one.  But from an aesthetic perspective, well, that's different.  This scoop carries my story with it of being cut from wood from our property.  It's sanded so smooth it feels like satin, and it's been oiled by hand with the meat of a walnut.  It has love in it, and it's beautiful. (to me)

It's now performing its duties in my sugar canister, and I'll get to hold it each morning when I make my coffee.

Now I need one for the flour jar...

Happy Friday everyone!

my very first toy society drop

Last year I stumbled across The Toy Society's blog and knew it was something I wanted to take part in.  It wasn't until this holiday season, when I made a sleepy baby for my niece, that I realized how I wanted to contribute.

 The Toy Society is a group of people from around the world doing a small random act of kindness - they leave a handmade toy for someone to find.  It's done anonymously and with no strings attached.  It's simply done for the joy of bringing a bit of handmade happiness into someone's life.

It's my goal to do one drop a month this year, each a sleepy baby fitting the theme of the season.  January's here is clutching a little snowball in her mittens and she has snowflakes at her feet.

Her (his?) shape is simple but easy for little ones to hold.  I added embroidered details like a tuft of hair and little bitty eyelashes.  She's made of all recycled wool, mostly from sweaters, and she's very soft.  I stuffed her with wool and lavender so she smells lovely and is delightfully squishy.

I gave her the cuddle test and yup, perfectly squishy.

She was my very first drop, and I left her at a small park in town yesterday.  I hope whoever finds her, loves her.

I think I'm going to enlist the help of my kids for the next drop.   I think it will be good for them to take part in a random act of kindness, and it will make me feel less like a creeper when I'm skulking around a playground if they're with me.

I can't wait to get started on February's.

wordless Wednesday

getting closer - bed linens completed

My goal for yesterday was to make the linens for my daughter's doll bed and I'm pleased to report that I made my goal and then some!

I started pulling out fabrics to create the blanket and was preparing for a semi-complicated process.  I had chosen some pieces, none that I was too gaga over but would do, when I pulled out a matching set of these sort of strange embroidered pillowcases I got a year or two ago at a garage sale.  DING!  A light went off in my head!  I checked the size and yup, nearly perfect for the little bed with very little tweaking needed.  I love that!

All I had to do was lay a piece of batting inside the pillowcase, fold over the decorative top, and stitch it down.  Voila!  Doll blanket!

Using half of the second pillowcase and a piece of leftover carpet pad, I made a mattress to fit the bed.  That still left me enough material to make a little pillow, and I still have one whole panel of the embroidery to play with.  (and what is up with the orange poodle and roses anyway?)

I saved so much time with this project I was able to finish a little friend to tuck in under the blanket.

My daughter loves owls so it seemed like a good choice.  He's made of all recycled materials - wool from coats and sweaters, a scrap of upholstery fabric, and some corduroy pants.  I stuffed him with wool and lavender so he smells nice too.

The paint on the bed is still drying so I'll post a pic of it with the linens tomorrow.

Today I'll be working on this...

My helper is enjoying this task because she gets to build castles while mom carves.

After this I have just one more project to finish and then presents to wrap and cookies to bake.  After that?  I'm taking a break.  (and it is much needed)

'til tomorrow!

a bed on the bench

An unusually warm December day.  A few hours to myself in the barn.  A few lengths of lumber, my saw, sander, and drill.  Some instructions and a naughty dog who likes to steal from my scrap bin.  He was sassy and ran off with one of my pieces of 1 x 3.  I made do.

Eventually a doll bed stood on my workbench, heavy and sturdy, and ready to be puttied and painted and outfitted with linens.

This will be my goal for today.  I'll need the little girl to nap so I can work and I need a chance to clear my head anyway, so I think a nice long walk in the woods is in order.

It's unlikely I'll finish everything on my holiday to-do list, but I'm going to have to be okay with that. 

Have a good and peaceful start to the week, everybody. 

acorn ornaments and crafting with squirrels

Yesterday you caught a glimpse at what was on my work table and here today we have the end result, teeny tiny acorn huts for mushrooms.  I like to think that if the pine squirrels came over for a crafting night, this is what they would make.

I've hollowed out some acorn bodies and after they were cleaned and dried, glued in a wool mushroom and moss.  I sewed small french knots on the caps for their spots.

They're so tiny and they fill me with glee.  I am gleeful when I look at them.  This one with the extra nub on the cap is my favorite.

These little guys will be in my shop soon and will be available on Sunday morning, not Saturday as I said earlier, as I've had a couple of commitments come up since then.

To celebrate the acorn theme, I decided to make myself a cup of acorn tea.  I poured boiling water over some of the acorn flour I made, allowed it to steep, then strained out the acorn. (a french press would be really handy for that)  I added a bit of sugar, but next time I might not, it was really good on its own.  The acorns have a caramel taste to me and this was like sipping warm, milky caramel.

I think the pine squirrels would approve.

Today I am ever so flattered to have been featured at re-nest, a gorgeous green home site.  I was invited by the talented and charming Rikkianne to define "needle-felting" and offer a few thoughts on the process.  I'd love it if you'd stop over and have a look.

On Needle-felting : Lisa Jordan of lil fish studios

Have a good day everyone.