Monday, February 12, 2007

I finished another heart ...

But, I'm keeping this one as a memento! I don't consider it done yet anyway ... but by popular demand, I'll show you a little about how I do my needle felting. I want to do more needle pouncing on this one and maybe even add one more thing and perhaps do a little more detail. So for now ... it's a work in progress.



First I collected some books and supplies like felting needles for example to start out with. Here are a few books and of course, roving.

Note: These are very sharp needles and not meant for children. Be very careful ... or you'll need a first aid kit on hand as well.




Another source of fibers that we all have as knitters is yarn pieces. I save all my clippings from any project I used wool or any other animal fiber on. These can be added to felted pieces. I just put the clipped pieces in a sandwich bag ... when the bag is full, I put them with my felting supplies.



As you see, this is not a neat little work area! Not when the Stitchingnut is working on something anyways. I just spread it out and get to work.



If you're interested in where I got some of my supplies, a couple of nice places to purchase anything you could possibly need are Halcyon Yarn and Weirs Dolls & Crafts. Both have good prices and just about anything you need to get started.













I've got my books and magazine pictures I've saved.













As well as the pictures I've drawn.
Or rather more like doodled. When I get an idea or see something in a magazine I like, I doodle it out on paper. Just pencil scratching.





Some books are there only for inspiration ... mainly because I'm not as advanced at this as the author of Pixie Felt. What a gorgeous book for my coffee table if nothing else. Same with it's companion, New Felt! Both books are hard to come by so I was lucky to acquire them when I did.





Okay ... let's get started ...




I've already knitted & felted my piece that I'll use for my "canvas" and now I just give it a brushing before I start. A stiff bristle brush will do. Mine is an old finger nail natural bristle brush. Your canvas can also be a flat piece of ready made felt ... or a woven piece of fabric or even blue jean material or canvas. Or use nothing at all and just felt your roving on the sponge surface for a 3 dimensional piece or to be applied to something else by sewing or glue or applied needle felting using the special needles. Oh, did I forget to tell you to have a nice thick sponge surface to work on? It'll save your needles AND your table. I recommend using one made for needle felting like mine. This one is 3 inches thick.


Let's get down to the real work now.


I lay out thin layers of roving first for the background of the picture I want to create. Just as I'm doing here. When I get it the way I like I pounce the needle to attached the fibers of the roving. Remember to see the whole picture ... the details will come later.



Pounce with the needle until you feel it's ready for the next step ...



Adding a little more detail to the background.












And then
add some roving for some placement to where the foreground figures will go.



The outline is put in and then I start building the colors from the back to the front. Until I get something like this ....




But I think it could use a little more work. What do you think?


18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm going to save spinning scraps for you.

Rhonda the Stitchingnut said...

Is this Anna with the SS knitting group? M-m-m-m, maybe not 'coz I didn't think the Anna I know did spinning. Oh, I think I do know you from MIT (?) ... thanks heaps & bunches, Anna. Of course I would LOVE the scraps!!

Anonymous said...

Awesome tutorial. You are very creative.

That is a really fun widget isn't it?!

monica said...

OOOhh, I need to come to your house for a lesson, although this is a great one on line I am going to have to check out a book or two from the library and buy some rovings. I would love to learn this technique. I love the one in the tutorial and the one with the shepherd with the staff. They are just beautiful.

crissy said...

i am going to join monica and come see you for lessons on this one. your work is awesome gf and the tutorial on it is well done. something i know if i ever ge my hands on felting tools i will refer back to alot. thanks :)
think i better heat some verners and head back to bed. see if i can keep this head cold thing from getting worse. been sitting here to long today LOL
hugs and love and tons of prayers from me crissy in alaska

Sarah said...

How cool. I love the colors you are using. It looks entirely too addictive! One day all the kids will be in school...

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the information! I really like the way you left some of the greenery more three dimensional on the left side - really adds interest and depth!

Kim said...

Amazing! Such beautiful, tiny pictures, made by (your) hand!

Shelley L. MacKenzie said...

Oh my goodness...that is amazing! Don't know if that is something I could ever do...you should think about selling some on an etsy shop or at a flea market or something...I bet they'd go like hotcakes!! Awesome work!

Unknown said...

Woman you are a freaking genuis! I think you have so found your calling....stunning Rhonda!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the awesome tutorial! I dipped into needle felting over the summer and had a blast with it but I quickly strayed back to knitting. Thanks for relighting my spark!

Nadira said...

Rhonda. I am always impressed by your work, but sometimes I get so used to being impressed by you that I am not sufficiently ASTOUNDED by what you have created. I did not have that problem today. Wow. Just wow.

Anonymous said...

Wow, what a totally awesome tutorial - thanks so much for sharing! And I have to say: You're a genius!!!

Chrissy said...

You are extremely talented!

Kim said...

Congratulations on being in Yarnival! You certainly deserve it!

jennhx said...

It's stunningly beautiful and sweet! I love it! You are a talented artist.

Anonymous said...

Hey Mommy , See I always knew someday someone would put you Famous HAha ... Great job and congradulations .... An Artist you are !!!

Evelyn said...

Salem, Mass! I grew up in Lynn and worked in Salem for a while. (Now I'm in California.) Well, I wonder, would you be so kind as to share your pattern for the knitted and felted heart? I saw your piece on someone else's blog--a little sheep needle-felted on a heart and sent as a gift--and I absolutely love it. I have no illusions that I'll be able to embed pictures into hearts, but I'd love to be able to make the heart itself. Most knitted hearts I've seen look misshapen, but yours is perfect.
Thanks.
My blog: www.lostthethread.blogspot.com