Crewel Embroidery ~ From Wall Flower to Wildflower Garden!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

I am so excited to show you my latest project that I just finished!

It is a Fiber Wildflower Garden that has been waiting to bloom for over a decade!

There is a FUN story of how it came to be!

About 10 years ago, I bought a vintage 1970's crewel embroidery kit from Ebay to learn how to embroider and create a beautiful garden all at once!

This 12 x 12 square is actually only half of the giant kit that I started many years ago.

Embroidery is a wonderful craft that takes a lot of time and attention to detail that I guess got pushed to the side as other kits, projects and paintings presented themselves in my heart and hands over the years.

While cleaning out my craft closet this Spring I found it again and saw the wonderful stitches I had started with Emmitt by my side so many years ago.

I looked at Archie and thought, what a wonderful Summer project this would be to finish the part I had started and make it into something new for our sun room.

I had an idea in my head that I wanted it to be a fiber creation that grew on a 3-D garden wall just like you would find outside.

I knew it would take more time than just the Summer to finish the whole kit, so I decided to focus on completing the half I started and cut the other part off to complete at a later time if I decided to.

Like life, when making art... there are no set rules.

Make every piece your own so that it is FUN for you to create!

My twin sister Melanie is not only an amazing fiber artist, but also a gifted gardener!

Look at her real wild flower garden!

She inspires me everyday and after seeing her living work of art, I knew just how I wanted my garden wall to look!

To combine the other fiber arts I love to do... fabric collage and crochet, I decided to add felted wool shapes cut out like leaves to finish the flowers and crochet an abstract painting along with Strings of Pearl succulents to complete my garden wall.

I wrapped the crewel embroidery around a 12 x 12 x 2 canvas and then mounted the crochet abstract fiber "painting" to a 16 x 20 x 2 burlap covered canvas.  

I hung the embroidery onto the larger canvas and then covered it with the crocheted succulents I made.

Ta Da!

This is my new fiber garden creation!

I just love how it turned out!

I found the perfect wall to hang it on that I can see from every angle and corner of the room.

It is also hanging right by the door where we go out into the backyard so it feels like you have either brought the outside back in with you or you are taking a breath of anticipation of what you might see when you go out!

I am really happy with how it turned out!

It also feels good to finish an old project that if i finished back when I bought it, would never have been made into what it is now!

How wonderful to know that everything blooms when it is supposed to in its own time!

xoxoxo

Melissa and Archie

Scrap Wool Fabric Pet Portrait #4 ~ Black Pug

 Happy Wednesday everyone!

I am so excited to show you the last of my set of 4 Scrap Wool Fabric Pug Portraits!

I had so much FUN making these that I will have to get more placemats to glue my pug shapes onto to make more soon!

I decided I wanted to make a Black Pug this time so I pulled out my stash of felted wool sweaters and pulled out a black one along with little scraps of wool, felt, yarn and leather to make the face with.

I just love how he turned out!

Here are links to the other 3 I made so you can see all of them together...

Portrait #1, Portrait #2, Portrait #3

I took lots of photos for you as I made him for you to see how he changed each time I added something else.

I hung the first two in my kitchen and the last 2 together in my upstairs hallway with butterflies and my favorite photos of my magical first pug, Emmitt.

Tune in again on Friday when Archie visits his Frenchie friends!

They invited him to play at their favorite watering hole!

Spanky and Buckwheat do not know that Archie does not like to get his pug toes wet.

I wonder what will happen! :)

xoxoxo

Melissa

Having FUN with Fiber ~ Wool Scrap Pug Portrait #3

Happy Friday everyone!

It is me...

R-Chee!

Guess what my mom and I did this past week?

We made another Wool Scrap Pug Portrait from our felted wool sweater scraps, a little bit of yarn, fabric glue and an old placemat! :)

See how to make them too on this post we made for you to easily join in on the FUN. :)

We took some photos to see the process of making our 3rd one already!

They are so FUN & fast to make that you will have a work of art completed from one of your favorite pet photographs or drawings in no time at all!

Mom said that my expressions inspired her to make this one from one of her pug paintings.

Ta Da!

We have one more placemat from this set of 4 that we found at our local thrift shop for only $3 so we will make another one for you to enjoy soon!

What are you up to this weekend?

Please leave us a note and let us know!

We cannot wait to hear all about your plans!

xoxoxo

R-Chee

Wool Scrap Pet Portrait ~ Pug Wall Hanging

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Archie and I had so much FUN this weekend!

We made a wool pug collage wall hanging from left over scraps of felted sweaters that we have in our stash.

It was so easy and fast to make!

All I did was cut out pug shaped pieces from the sweater scraps and glue them onto a retro placemat like a puzzle to make this in just one afternoon!

I love finding wool sweaters at thrift stores to throw in the washer on hot and then in the hot dryer to felt them into beautiful cutting fabric that does not fray or unravel when you cut it. :)

Some of the other projects I have made from these sweaters are the wool felt houses that Melanie and I love to make together & the pug doll I just made last month.

Thrift stores have a treasure trove of wonderful materials that you can use for all of your creations without breaking the bank!

I buy yarn, fabric, wool sweaters, sheets, pillowcases, and even the retro placemat that I glued my pug collage onto as the background!

I found a set of 4 of them for only $3 and the wool sweaters range in price from $3 to $6 each.

I also love to buy clothes there for me to wear! :)

Most of them are brand new and cost a fraction of what I would pay at the store.

My favorite Gap long sleeve waffle shirt that has kept me warm all winter would have cost $50 at full retail price and only cost $5 at my local ARC!

...but I digress with my excitement for finding treasures. :)

OK... back to my project explanation...

All I did to make the background was to fold down the top end of the placemat to make a flat edge.

I thought it created some interest by showing the mustard side to allow the pug face to pop a bit instead of competing with the busy plaid print. :)

After it was set and dry I glued a few pieces of acrylic black yarn along the outside edge to finish it off and Voila...

It was done and ready to hang in the kitchen to smile at me, Fred and Archie everyday just like the real Archie!

He inspires me everyday!

What FUN things are you up to this week?

Please leave us a note and let us know!

We cannot wait to hear all about them!

xoxoxo

Melissa & R-Chee

Upcycled Art Doll ~ Felted Sweater Pug

Happy Wednesday everyone!

R-Chee & I had the best time hand sewing this little pug doll this past weekend!

We used felted scraps of wool and cashmere sweaters to make him with this FUN Japanese Pattern we found on Etsy!

It was so fast and easy to make.

I used the pattern for the basic body shape but filled out his body a bit more with stuffing and made my own face, ears and tail to make him more puggy.

Here he is coming to life as I sewed him up!

Ta Da!

What do you think?

I loved sewing with the upcycled, felted sweater materials!

They were soft and so FUN to stuff and shape!

What things are you working on now?

Please leave us a note and let us know!

We cannot wait to hear all about it!

xoxoxoxo

Melissa & R-Chee

Friday Funnies ~ Fuzzy Wuzzy Friday!

Happy Friday everyone!

It is me... Gilbert!

I am so excited!

R-Chee let me and my cousin Ollie post the Friday Funnies today!

How FUN is that?!

We are two happy parrotlets hanging out together on a beautiful Fall day!

Ollie's mom, my Aunty Melanie, just made these fabulous Fuzzy Wuzzy Pom Poms for a craft fair she is going to be a vendor at in a couple of weeks and my mom giggled when she saw them!

They remind her of...

US!

Hmmmm!

I would have to agree!

They are bright, happy, soft and make people smile!

Here is a photo my momma just took of me in my snuggle hut she made for me to prove her point!

What a great way to spend a Friday afternoon!

Ollie is in his red snuggle hut and we are spending it together dreaming of all the FUN things we will do together this weekend!

What are you doing this weekend?

Please leave us a note and let us know!

We cannot wait to hear all about it!

xoxoxo

Gilbert & Ollie

Sewing a Village ~ New Felted Wool House

Happy Wednesday everyone!

R-Chee & I are so excited to show you the new house we just made to add to our growing up-cycled wool village!

Ta Da!

It even has a shingled roof made from scraps of leather from my slipper redo stash!

I just love how it turned out complete with a pug on the front waiting to greet us at the door!

Melanie and I are working on these new houses every time we craft together!

We made them at the craft retreat we just went on to her little house in the mountains in July!

Here is the one Melly made!

I just adore it!

The roof was created from the actual design on the wool sweater she upcycled!

See... those terrible holiday sweaters that always get teased about at holiday parties are not ugly!

We are hunting for them at every thrift store we visit!

Tee Hee!

I just cut out a few more from my pattern so I will be able to show you new ones again soon!

xoxoxo

Melissa & R-Chee

Twin Sister's Art Retreat - June 2013 - Felted Houses!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Oh what a magical art retreat Melanie and I had together this weekend in the mountains!

I cannot wait to show you all the things we made!

I will break the projects up into a few posts so that I can show you everything!

We arrived to Melly's little mountain cabin on Friday afternoon and did not stop crafting until Sunday!

It was non-stop FUN!

The 1st project we created were these little hand sewn wool felted houses that we made from wool felted sweaters and scrap pieces.

We made a whole village!

We got the pattern from a wonderful tutorial & pattern on Craftsy.com, called Fab Felt Holiday Crafts!

They are so fast and easy to make!

We cut out the pieces on Friday night and started sewing them before bed.

We woke up with excitement on Saturday morning to start stuffing and decorating them!

Here are our houses in progress after starting to embellish them!

... and here are the 3 that Melanie made!

These are the 2 that I created!

Then on the way home to Boulder, we even stopped at Joann's Fabrics  to pick up some trim to put on some finishing touches!

See my owl peeking out of the back window? :)

Ta Da!

That was soooo much FUN that we are going to make a whole village!

The houses were just the first project we made!

I cannot wait to show you more this week!

How was your weekend?

Please leave me a note and let me know!

R-Chee & I cannot wait to hear all about it!

xoxoxo

Melissa & R-Chee