I can never resist making something in hot pink, teal and purple. A scrap from a felted boiled wool jacket -- a few scraps of wool roving, and presto -- a button. But I really like the other side better (on the left). So that's what I'll use. Think how cool some round ones would be!!!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love making landscapes in any form. Yesterday I was testing the foot pedal (the third one) with my felting machine and after making certain it worked, I decided to try my first dry felted landscape. (Hint, don't trim before you choose your frame LOL). I had bought an Austrian white boiled wool jacket at Goodwill to play around with. As you may know, boiled wool is already felted to resist cold and wind. However, I washed it in hot water and soap and dried it in the dryer anyway and it became a miniature boiled wool jacket -- a little over 1/4" thick! This would put the felter through it's paces. I used some of Amanda's wonderful wool roving and felted it directly to a piece of the jacket. I broke 4 needles (but hey, I've used the machine a lot and hadn't broken any so felt I was due!). Of course they broke one at a time!! But this is the finished product and after trimming came out more square then landscape shape but I still like it. It's fun to twist and turn the roving for mountain texture or leave it fluffy for sky.

I've been playing with my felting machine again and while I started with a definite idea about what I wanted to create, this piece took on a life of its own. It was intended to be another sky piece but several layers later, it became Clouds. I've always loved watching clouds, the sky, and especially sunsets (and the occasional sunrise but I am no longer a morning person and was never a "sunrise early morning person!") As I was adding layer after layer, I couldn't stop thinking of one of my favorite songs: Both Sides Now by Judy Collins:

Rows and flows of angel hair
and ice cream castles in the air
and feather canyons ev'rywhere
I've looked at clouds that way.....

I've looked at clouds from both sides now
from up and down, and still somehow
it's clouds illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all.

Now that it's delivered (late) I can show this felted postcard I made for Claire's birthday. I started with a piece of felted navy wool and a used dryer sheet. I machine felted on both sides until I had a cloud-like look to the front. Then I added a small piece of cotton orange and yellow sky fabric and felted it front and back. Then I added fine shreds of wool roving and felted lightly on top only (using pale pink, pale blue and yellow. Finally added the purchased fabric butterfly then zigzagged around the edges with variegated threads.

This is my first felting attempt with the Pfaff 350. I started with a very dark red and green wool plain, matching solid red and solid green, yellow polyester felt, and then added bits of fibers. With the 90-100 degree days we've been having this month, I call this: Pining for Fall! I trimmed it to postcard size but will just put this in a book of samples. I had a tough time adjusting to using a slow speed with my hands and a faster speed with my foot pedal!!! This fabric art is going to be LOTS of fun.