27 May 2006

The Felting Frenzy Begins


So, I finally caught the felting bug. The first handbag I did was a bit of a disaster. I tried to do a vertical stripe in the round, and didn't think ahead. The stripe was too bulky, and after felting stuck out like a worm. Happily, I was able to just chop off the excess material, neaten up the edges and holes with a tapestry needle and extra yarn, felt it a little more, and it came out looking great. Except for the straps -I ran out of the main color, ending up with one strap in the main color and the other in the contrast color. The second bag, in red with purplish-pink stripes, worked out better. But I was unhappy with the way I attached the straps - this time I did it before felting, which works much better and seems stronger than sewing them on afterwards, but I still wasn't satisfied. So I tried the pattern from a book (I forget which one - I'll look it up) with the stripes going all the way around the bag and helping to support the bottom. Really nice bag (click on icon at left for better view), but it needs a magnetic clasp sewn in to really be convenient, and lining would be nice too. I liked the nifty adapted I-cord pattern to make the flat straps. It doesn't show after felting, but it's a nice pattern that I plan to use in other, unfelted projects.

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