Isn’t this sweet? It’s the first needle-felted landscape for my new needle-felting class that will launch on http://www.quilterskeeplearning.com on March 27.

This will be needle-felting by machine, meaning embellishing machine, or needle tool and mat. The class plan is pretty ambitious and packed with information and exercises. This landscape is from Week #3 when we start felting in deliberate patterns. I love the depth the poppies add as they recede into the distance.

It also illustrates two ways of blending colors of roving.

There is so much potential in needle felting and the roving colors are so yummy! A quick visit to Ebay reveals scads of hand-painted roving in wool, bamboo, rayon, angora, mohair, tencel, silk, soy silk, and more. I want to try it all!

I’m always jealous when someone comments about what their “art group” did in the last meeting. There are no art groups in my area and I really want to be part of one! So, a handful of artistic buddies created one ourselves!

We are a diverse mix. Dixie is a photographer and painter, Gail is an altered-book artist, Susan is a graphic artist, Christine, Carol, and I are quilters, Lori jumps right into any of it, and Amy has her own kiln (although she teaches painting and works in many media)!

We take turns hostessing the group and planning the project. There is usually a lot of giggling and occasionally a serious discussion of art matters, such as the state budget cuts for art education and grants.




Amy introduced us to clay. What a step out of the comfort zone it was for some of us (meaning me). I think in fabric, and clay has a totally different philosophy.

Amy made it all work and we all felt like the project was do-able. The clay was already rolled to the proper thickness and we used a pattern to each cut out a kimono. There were all sorts of texture tools used to press or gouge a pattern into the damp clay.

We meet about once a month, so December we formed the kimonos and added texture. In January we applied glazes and this past Sunday we saw the finished pieces.

Each kimono was a delight. Every one was different, and we rejoiced in the differences.


Mine has a ruffled collar and buttons (of course). Not knowing how the glazes would act made the whole exercise serendipitous, but I wanted something organic looking. I’m definitely pleased. Clay will not become my medium of choice, but it was fun and challenging.

Isn’t that what art groups are all about? Experimenting in new techniques, encouraging one another, and enjoying the community of like-minded souls.

Don’t despair if there aren’t any art groups in your area. There are many online groups for fun, swaps, and serious discussion. Check out Yahoo groups. There is sure to be one that will tickle your imagination.

If you’re interested in rust dyeing or thread-base art, consider joining. There are links to the Joy of Rust Dyeing and The Thread Society along the left column. Or contact me and I’ll be glad to send an invitation to you!

Enjoy the adventure!

As mentioned yesterday, I’m working on a new online class in Needle Felting using an embellishing machine or needle tool and mat (more work, but less expensive)! It’s sooo much fun and initial experiments with incorporating images printed on fabric have been very positive.

I need your opinion.

Roving can be difficult to find and next to impossible to find a variety of fiber content and colors locally. However, there is a wide variety available on Ebay. The problem with purchasing on Ebay is you have to buy (much) larger quantities that needed for this class.

Would it make sense to offer a starter kit with small amounts of 8–10 different colors roving for less than $20?

I really value your input!

Aren’t they beautiful? These photos came from Rhoda Oakes in California. The camellias, crepe myrtle, and jonquils/daffodils are in bloom in her yard!


She sent them to me because here in northeast Indiana, we are experiencing another snowstorm. This one is expected to dump up to 8" on the area today. We are weary with winter and longing for warm sunshine!

The wind is blowing the snow sideways, so there hasn’t been much accumulation yet, but it’s a good day to work on my new online class.

There should be a photo of a class sample or two to share by tomorrow.

It’s Valentine’s Day! Officially my favorite holiday of the year. The one day I can be ooey-gooey sentimental to my family, friends, and loved ones—and not even my son can object.

It’s snowing today, but we’ll celebrate the holiday later with dinner and games by the fireplace.

The beautiful stamps above are on an incredible envelope from Catherine Etter. We were swap partners in a Beat The Winter Blues swap on The Thread Society yahoo group. Catherine’s charming card (5" x 7") was delivered to my mailbox inside a cheery pink paper bag with sweet messages penned on the front and back (below).






Inside, the fiber card is just as special—with fascinating nest made from an upholstery fabric scrap, stitched with free-motion stitches to create interesting texture.





What a lucky girl I am to be the recipient of such loving kindness. Thank you, Catherine!





One more Valentine ATC, also from a swap with The Thread Society list mom, Diane Harmon-Hoog. Isn’t this a hoot? The artwork is from a vintage postcard. I scanned it and use the image frequently. Can’t you just hear the young lady scolding cupid for causing romantic complications with a gentleman?

In class I often say “I’ve made this mistake so you don’t have to.” This is a sincere comment! Please feel free to benefit from the money and/or time I’ve spent trying a new technique or pushing a product beyond its intended use.

Such is true of the silk roving Lori and I shared with a spinning guild yesterday. We wanted to apply rust-dyeing techniques to materials a spinner would use—and we did.

Lori packed the roving on Tuesday and washed and rinsed it on Wednesday. I tried to needle felt the roving on a wool felt background and found it didn't felt well at all. Even using the sewing machine I converted to a needle-felting machine, the fibers simply didn’t entwine as they normally would have.



So, I stitched the little rascals down with free-motion stitching. HA! The little doodle you see above is a test swatch. The texture is really interesting and there is a high possibility this technique will be found in a quiltie very soon!

The upshot is, rusting for weaving and spinning needs to be completed after the roving has been carded and spun, but before it’s knitted or woven.

Rusting roving works well on silk or wool, but don’t plan on needle felting it, unless you want to add free-motion stitching on top to secure the fibers.

Nuno felting? Haven’t tried it yet!

Well, I finally put the raku beads on #7 in the Straight-Stitch Series. The ginkgo leaves were not effective, but these flat round raku beads from the artist’s market in Santa Fe, NM are perfect! It will be difficult to send this to Collage Mania, but it IS for a good cause. I may have to make another one to keep, although there are no more of those raku beads. Hmm...





This is a sweet little piece (only 5" x 7") completed recently for a swap on The Thread Society Yahoo discussion group. The challenge was to depict something that would chase away the winter blues with promises of warm spring days to come. The little bluebird is a photo, which has been partially altered in Photoshop. The bird remains un-altered, but the sky and branches have been funked up for texture.

If you’d like to join The Thread Society Yahoo group, either go to Yahoo Groups and search for The Thread Society, or click the link on the left. We’d love to have you join discussions of threads, techniques, which needles with which thread (I’ll never understand), and more!

Thanks to Jeanelle McCall for the suggestion, although she didn’t know it, of doing raw-edge appliqué on top of the photograph piece. The main branch is frayed fabric held in place with free-motion stitching.

There are a few Potato Chip Bags (see the kit on my website) for a gallery ahead of free time to design, but I’m taking the raw-edge appliqué concept to a Threadography composition of a beautifully ornate door photo, taken in Portugal in 2004. Can’t wait!