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Daily Swatch: Pattern Types — One-Way
It’s a little trickier to find geometric one-way designs but I think I’ve done it. Although this print could be turned upside down or sideways and still work, it wouldn’t look exactly the same — the pink/orange/brown rainbows would be frowning and the yellow/black rainbows would be smiling. From Robotic Kid on Flickr.
Daily Swatch: Pattern Types — One-Way
Just because it’s one-way doesn’t mean everything has to sit straight up-and-down. This Americana print feedsack on eBay (ends in five hours! hurry!) has the feel and flow of a tossed print, even though you can only turn it one way. I’m thinking the designer intended this to be transformed into an apron.
E-Book: How to Enter The World of Textile Design, by Lizzy House
Lizzy House, designer of adorable fabric lines Lizzy Dish, Red Letter Day, and the upcoming Castle Peeps (all for Andover Fabrics), recently spilled about a book she’s written (well, an e-book, but a book’s a book in my book) called How To Enter The World Of Textile Design: For The Quilting Industry.
Since I started designing fabric, my inbox has been filled to the brim with questions from peeps who too want to design. It’s difficult to respond to every email, and difficult to respond in a way that is actually helpful, and not continually allusive. My thinking for the book was this: there are books that tell you how to get published, there are books that tell you how to get your work into galleries, there are books for everything under the sun; why shouldn’t there be a book for this tiny specific specialized market, that seems so hard to break into.
The book is available for purchase and download here for $25. There’s even a foreword by Amy Schimler of Redfishcircle. Should be a very interesting read for aspiring fabric designers.
Daily Swatch: Pattern Types – One-Way
Sometimes prints are layered, and one of the motifs or layers will have one direction and the other(s) will have another. Think of tossed flowers over a plaid background. The final determination, though, is based on the most restrictive directionality. In this print from the collection of mannagryn design on Flickr, the hearts are pointed in two directions but the windows, people, and everything is one-way. So, this would be considered a one-way design.
Daily Swatch: Pattern Types – One-Way
The Daily Swatch features a piece of vintage fabric (almost) every day. Themes change periodically. Please add your own examples of the theme to the True Up and/or Vintage Fabric Flickr pools.
In a continuing series on pattern types, this week the Daily Swatch will feature one-way prints. These are prints in which the motifs are all oriented in one direction. They are common for furnishing fabrics (especially drapery fabrics), but are also found in quilting cotton collections and apparel. When sewing clothing using one-way prints, you must be careful to orient and cut your sewing pattern pieces the same way. In patchwork projects, though, you can cut a portion of the pieces the “wrong” way and sprinkle them in with the right-way pieces so your quilt can lay or hang in more than one direction.
Above: A Waverly floral barkcloth from ingemnuity on Flickr.
Daily Swatch: Pattern Types – Tossed
I’m running low on motif-based theme ideas for the Daily Swatch, so I thought I’d take a breather for a while and turn my attention pattern types. You might remember this post on directionality that I wrote with the help of Michelle of Cicada Studio and now Cloud9 Fabrics. I’ll be devoting a week to each direction type, then I’ll move on to repeat types (square, half-drop, etc.) and other parameters. For each type I’ll do my best to find a variety of motif types and design styles.
We’ll start with tossed patterns. They are what the name implies — the motifs turn and tumble as if they were tossed onto the surface. The repeat itself can be square or dropped, and the motifs can be packed or spaced, spot (surrounded by background) or continuous (connected by other elements, e.g. vines or stems). I’m pretty sure this one should be classified as four-way rather than tossed — according to some of my books, the motifs in tossed prints should never be parallel or perpendicular to the edges of the fabric.
Although tossed patterns look random, the designer must pay careful attention to the placement and direction of the motifs to prevent tracking, or unintentional lines. The eye should flow around aimlessly rather than being forced in any one direction. Tossed patterns are most common in apparel — pieces can be cut out in any direction, translating to less waste — and the most versatile in a quilting collection.
Above, a novelty vintage kitchen fabric from the collection of Chrystelle 2of9 on Flickr. I have it in green!
By the way, I’m all self-taught in this, so if you have professional experience in textile design, please feel free to correct me or add information. There are a couple patterns I’ve come across that I have some questions about.
An Amazing Fabric Diary
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
A British reverend’s daughter named Barbara Johnson (1738-1825) kept a meticulous diary throughout most of her life (from age 8 to well into her 80s) of the fabrics she used and details of the garments she made with them. What an amazing personal and historical document. Doesn’t it inspire you to do the same?
The original diary is now a part of the Victoria & Albert Museum’s collection. It was reproduced in the 1980s and published under the title A Lady of Fashion: Barbara Johnson’s Album of Styles and Fabrics — the now out-of-print book goes for $200-$450 on Amazon
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
More on Barbara Johnson on the blogs Le Divan Fumoir Bohémien (in French) and Two Teens in the Time of Austen. Thanks very much to Rosa Pomar for the introduction!
Laminated Cotton vs. Oilcloth
On the Pink Chalk Studio blog, Kathy has the lowdown on the differences between the new laminated cottons (from Westminster Fabrics in particular) and oilcloth. They are quite different creatures, it turns out. Kathy includes thorough care and sewing instructions for the laminated cottons — and be on the lookout for some projects tomorrow.
Felt Week: Felt Craft Book Roundup Part II
Welcome to Part Two of the Felt Craft Book Roundup: the cute, the zakka, the Japanese. (Part One is here.)
Kata Golda’s Hand-Stitched Felt: 25 Whimsical Sewing Projects, by Kata Golda, STC Craft, 2009. Cute simple sweet projects, for kids, home and self. Get the full True Up review here.
Did someone say cute? I think this is the definitive work. Aranzi Aronzo: Cute Book, Vertical, 2007. 19 cute (duh) felt mascots. White Rabbit and Brown Bunny know you can do it!
My Favorite Felt Sweets, by Joie Staff, Japan Publications Trading, 2008. This book is full of insanely realistic felt treats and instructions to make same. It’s a translation of a Japanese craft book; if you’re a purist, you can find the original on Etsy or eBay or the regular Japanese craft book sources.
And sure, you can start with dessert, but make sure you get your veggies: Try Cute Felt Fruit and Vegetables, available in Feltorama’s shop. I think “cute” is an understatement here. (I mean seriously. Tiny felt garlic! Come on!)
Softies Only a Mother Could Love: Lovable Friends for You to Sew, Knit, or Crochet, Jess Redman and Meg Leder, editors, Perigee Trade, 2009. At least a few felt buddies in this one. Look for a second volume of this series coming out in February, too.
Speaking of softies, this is a classic. Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals, by Therese Laskey, Chronicle Books, 2007.
If you’re a beginner, you may prefer the Softies Kit, which has 10 new patterns plus five from the book. It also includes materials to make the Party Cake: felt, floss, batting and a pompom.
Also from Therese Laskey, the woman who brought you Softies, comes the adorable English language guide to Zakka Sewing: 25 Japanese Projects for the Household, STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book, 2008. This book only has couple felt projects in it, but that squirrel makes it worth the inclusion, don’t you think?
We’ve hit the highlights — is there anything we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments! And remember to check out Part One here!
Felt Week: Felt Craft Book Roundup Part I
What to do with all that felt, you ask? Make something! (Or, if you’re like me, READ about making something! That is almost as good.)
These selections feature sweet and sophisticated projects for home and accessories. Stay tuned for our recommendations on cute, zakka, Japanese and softies.
Fabricate: 17 Innovative Sewing Projects that Make Fabric the Star, by Susan Wasinger, Interweave Press, 2009 (watch for a True Up review soon!). There are a handful of felt projects in here; one of our favorites is the fused felt laptop sleeve.
Feltique: Techniques and Projects for Wet Felting, Needle Felting, Fulling, and Working with Commercial Felt, by Nikola Davidson, Potter Craft, 2009. For when you’re ready to learn about more than just store-bought sheets.
Felt Furnishings: 25 Accessories for Contemporary Homes, by Anne Kyyrö Quinn, Potter Craft, 2009. Look familiar? The pillow pictured above is also included with instructions in the Fall 2009 issue of Stitch magazine, published out by Interweave Press.
Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials, Betz White, STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book, 2009. See our interview with Betz here. Betz is super well known for creating beautiful things out of old felted sweaters.
… speaking of felted sweaters, this is Betz White’s earlier book, Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects.
Sew Darn Cute, by Jenny Ryan, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2009. There are a couple felt goodies in this one.
Pretty Little Pincushions, Lark Books, 2007. Since it often comes in small sheets, felt is perfect for small projects like this.
Fresh Felt Flowers: 17 Stunning Flowers to Sew & Display, by Lynne Farris, C&T Publishing, 2007. Flowers you don’t need to water! Loves.
And finally, the sweet work of Alicia Paulson in Stitched In Time: Memory-Keeping Projects to Sew and Share From the Creator of Posy Gets Cozy.
That wraps up the home and accessories portion of our broadcast. Stay tuned for Part Two of this post: cute, cuter and cutest.
Felt Week: Felt Cafe Japan
I discovered Liz at Felt Cafe Japan when I bought Ed Emberley fabric from her earlier this year. So she sells more than just felt and felt-centered books in her Etsy shop (in addition to cotton fabric, she also carries that printed masking tape that is becoming so popular around the crafty blogland lately). Her blog has tons of wonderful felt craft tutorials and inspiration, and her .com is “a resource for people looking for information about crafting in Japan, Japanese crafts, and craft resources for those visiting Japan.” So there’s tons of great information there, not limited to her want-inducing guide to Japanese sewn felt books.
I didn’t get into needle felting and wet felting techniques much this week, but if you’re interested, check out her tutorials here and book guides here and here.
Felt Week: Interview With April of Felt-o-rama
Editor’s note, 11/13/09: In some very unfortunate timing on my part, April temporarily shut down Felt-o-rama yesterday for maternity leave. This interview took place some time ago and I hadn’t communicated recently with her re: my publishing timetable, so my sincere apologies to April and to those of you excited about checking out her shop (may I direct you to her blog and its enormous list of felt tutorials?). I will let you know the second she re-opens. Big huge congratulations and best wishes to April on her new addition!
I don’t know about you, but I used to find the felt world particularly confusing. There’s the terminology (the olde felted vs. fulled issue), different fiber types and blends, different thicknesses — then there’s the intersection with wet felting and needle felting and knitting. Then all the felt craft books I’m drawn to seem to be in Japanese, adding to the general air of inaccessibility and intrigue.
That was until I found April and her wonderful shop Felt-o-rama. There it all is (four types of felt; roving for needle felting and associated supplies; felt balls, beads, shapes, and ribbons; patterns and kits; all the current felt-centered books), all clearly organized and explained so I don’t feel stupid anymore. I also adore April’s blog, where she interviews felt crafters, discusses working with felt, and links to just about every single felt craft tutorial that’s out there on the internet.
And April is the guest star here on True Up today. I asked these questions back when I was still in that confused state, so in case you’re still there, she clears up all that messy terminology and explains the kind of projects for which each type of felt is suited.
Where is Felt-o-rama based? How long have you been in business?
Felt-o-rama is based out of Charlotte, NC. After many long months of planning and creating the online store, I launched the business in August of 2008. In addition to my online store, I also have an Etsy shop with a smaller selection of items. My company has one employee – me! I’m responsible for web development, photography, cutting yards and yards of felt, shipping, marketing, accounting, and everything in between.
felt trees created by April (instructions here)– aren’t they so perfectly retro?
How did you get interested in felt?
I’ve been crafty from the core for as long as I can remember! When I was growing up, my mother was always sewing or cross-stitching, so I just assumed that these activities were part of everyone’s daily life. She taught me how to sew at an early age (on my grandma’s antique treadle machine) and I’ve dabbled in so many other crafts – knitting, jewelry making, paper crafts, embroidery, etc. However, I simply cannot resist textiles. A couple of years ago, I wanted to create appliquéd clothing for little ones. I did not care for the poor-quality felt in local craft stores, so I began to search for felt online. I was surprised to find that I could not find a one-stop source for a variety of different types of felt and a wide range of fun, vibrant colors. I knew that there must be other crafters out there with the same need for felt and Felt-o-rama was born!
For those readers who have never experienced felt other than the cheap craft-store acrylic stuff, please talk a bit about how the felt you sell is different.
Cheap craft-store acrylic stuff gives felt a bad name! So many customers tell me that they can’t find the “good stuff” in their local stores.
Cheap acrylic felt shreds easily, does not wash well, and can be too thin to hold up to many projects. Most of this poorly manufactured felt is imported from China and India. I’m very proud that all of the high-quality felt fabric sold by Felt-o-rama is manufactured in Canada, the United States, and Germany.
What are the differences between the fibers you sell? I’ve worked with 100% wool felt and loved it, and I’m curious about the blends and the polyester eco-felt, but is the quality comparable? My biggest concern is fraying. And what about the different thicknesses? Is the 3mm felt unusually thick? What kind of projects would that be suited for?
I currently sell four varieties of felt. I highly recommend that customers purchase samples to experience the various textures and colors first-hand.
Here is an overview of the unique qualities of each type of felt:
Woven Felted Wool: This fabric begins as 100% woven wool. The woven wool then undergoes a fulling process, which results in a soft and fuzzy felted fabric. The fulling process is very similar to what happens when you accidentally machine wash a wool sweater. The fibers shrink and compress and the texture of the fabric changes completely.
The woven felted wool is hand-dyed, which results in a beautiful mottled effect. In other words, darker and lighter shades of the same color may be apparent in a single piece of fabric, kind of like a subtle tie-dye. The mottling effect surprises some customers, but it is a natural result of the hand-dying process. All dyes used for the woven felted wool are organic, environmentally safe, lead-free, and formaldehyde-free. For those of you who create items for children, it is CPSIA compliant! As an added bonus, is completely machine-washable.
Woven felted wool is best suited for special heirloom projects, such as a stuffed toy, wearable accessories, or even a small quilt. The edges may fray ever-so-slightly since it began as a woven fabric. It is the most expensive felt I carry, but it is worth every penny. Speaking of, the thickness of this felt is about that of a penny.
Wool Blend Felt: The wool blend felt is produced from a blend of 30% wool and 70% rayon. Many customers ask how the texture of this felt compares to the recycled eco-felt. Though the thicknesses are about the same, I’d describe the wool blend felt as having a more natural texture than the recycled eco-felt, which has a synthetic texture. Some customers have shared that the wool blend felt from Felt-o-rama is very similar to more costly pure wool felt that they have purchased elsewhere.
Wool blend felt is very versatile, does not fray, and is about the thickness of a penny. I recommend it for virtually any item that does not require machine-washing. The manufacturer recommends dry cleaning this wool blend felt, but you can machine wash it — as long as you like the ‘pebbly’ texture and the felt material is pre-washed before cutting and sewing. You can see before and after photos here.
Recycled Eco-Felt: This is my most popular felt! The felt is made of Eco-fi, which is manufactured from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. In addition to being environmentally friendly, it’s also machine washable, very affordable, and CPSIA compliant. The recycled eco-felt bundles, which consist of a sheet of 29 various colors, are a great introduction to this fun felt.
Recycled Eco-Felt is also very versatile. I recommend it for children’s items that require machine-washing. It’s also a perfect choice for costumes, pillows, appliqué, and just about anything! Even though this felt is economical, it is a completely different animal than cheap acrylic felt. In my experience, it does not shred, fray, or pill. The thickness is about that of a penny.
3mm Wool Felt: This pure wool felt is an industrial 3mm thickness (equivalent to about 2 stacked pennies) and does not fray. It is a perfect choice for household items, such as placemats and coasters. I think this felt also has a great potential for creative sculptural jewelry. It’s also great for very sturdy handbags. In fact, one of my customers created this bag tutorial using the 3mm felt and recycled leather.
The manufacturer recommends dry cleaning, but I’ve personally had good luck machine-washing the 3mm Wool Felt: see here.
I highly recommend using rotary cutters with the 3mm wool felt. You may find it difficult to cut precise shapes with regular scissors. It also works great with the Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutter!
Your felt beads are irresistible — any inspirational projects for those?
I just can’t get enough of the felt beads! There are so many projects that come to mind -– hand-strung garland, mobiles, simple necklaces and bracelets, earrings, adding 3-D elements to appliqué, finishing touches for felt food (like cherries on cupcakes!), and ornaments. Large felt beads also make a great base for needle felting.
You have an *amazing* list of felt projects and tutorials on your blog. Do you have any absolute favorites? What are your favorite projects for absolute beginners?
There are so many inspirational craft blogs out there and I have so much fun searching out links to new felt projects! I truly have too many favorite tutorials to list, but I think my favorite category is Felt Food. The detail captured by some of these tutorials with felt is amazing! Since felt is so forgiving and easy to work with, I think the majority of the tutorials collected on the Felt-o-rama blog are ideal for beginners as well as experienced crafters. Here are a couple of well-written tutorials that may appeal to the absolute beginner: Felt tea bags, and Felt-covered clip barrettes.
I have to admit, I’ve never tried needle felting — it looks like a whole lot of effort for not a lot of return. Please take this opportunity to convince me otherwise.
I think that is a very common perception when it comes needle felting. I was also timid of needle felting until I tried a Woolpets kit by Laurie [penguin pictured above]. Laurie’s kits take the confusion and guesswork out of needle felting, since each kit contains precisely what you need to complete a project and includes very clear photo instructions. I was amazed at how quickly I could create such cute little dimensional creatures! I highly recommend them for the curious beginning needle felter.
Do you do much sewing with other kinds of fabric?
Oh my, yes! I love to sew, and with a baby on the way, I have a mountain of projects that I want to accomplish before he arrives this Thanksgiving. I’m lucky enough to live near the mecca of all fabric stores, Mary Jo’s, but I purchase a majority of fabric online. True Up is my go-to source for discovering new online fabric stores! My favorite prints are usually retro-inspired, like those by American Jane, and I also can’t get enough of Anna Maria Horner’s designs.
felt cloche made by April from a vintage pattern
What’s next for Feltorama?
I’ll be added a much anticipated bamboo felt to the shop in the coming weeks. This felt is incredibly soft and available in eight fabulous colors. Bamboo felt is manufactured from 50% bamboo fibers and 50% rayon. It’s another eco-friendly felt option since bamboo is sustainable and grown without pesticides.
I also have daydreams of creating my own Felt-o-rama patterns and pattern kits containing all of the required materials. Online workshops would also be fun, since one of my favorite aspects of the business is interacting with customers!
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Thank you so much, April! Wishing you much success with the baby and the shop.
Felt Week: Sunfelt (With Giveaway!)
Ha ha, you thought the Quilt Market posts were over, but I just had to withhold this one for felt week. Last year’s post about Sunfelt of Japan was a popular one, and I still get emails about where to find their products. (Short Answer: Superbuzzy and Lit’l Brown Bird!) Last year, there were all kinds of die-cut shapes, felt food, and ribbons to ogle over; this year, Sunfelt was promoting their new line called Punching Felt. These are sheets of felt with shapes punched out of them, creating a patterned surface. They look great layered over solid felt or regular solid or patterned cottons. There are hearts, circles, flowers, and donuts, each available in a rainbow of colors. I’m not sure when this will be available, but a cursory Google search tells me that no one has it yet. Thanks to reader fujiapple, I now know it’s 100% polyester — but leave it to the Japanese to create a synthetic felt that you’d never know was synthetic. It looks like wool and seems much sturdier than cheap acrylic felt.
And, why, yes, I did bring you home a roll for you! This is the donut pattern in a gorgeous peacock blue, 450×350mm (a little under 14×17 inches). To be eligible to win, leave a comment with an idea of how to use this insanely awesome felt. I will draw a winner next week, Wednesday, November 18, around 2pm Central U.S. time.
Welcome to Wool Felt Week
This week on True Up is dedicated to wonderful wool felt. We have interviews, a source list, book reviews and roundups, and of course, a giveaway. But first off, let me introduce you to this fabric in case you’re not already acquainted, and demystify some terminology.
What is felt? Felt is a nonwoven, non-knitted textile, produced by mushing loose fibers together. It can be made from animal fibers (usually sheep’s wool), a blend of animal and other fibers (usually rayon), or 100% acrylic. Wool fibers felt because they are covered with microscopic scales that tangle and interlock when that magic combination of heat, pressure, moisture, and friction is applied. Wikipedia compares the structure of wool fibers to pinecones, which was helpful in helping me understand how the fibers become permanently interlocked.
I’m not quite sure how the acrylic fibers stick together. If you’ve ever had an acrylic felt project fall apart, you might argue that they don’t stick together!
What’s up with “fulling” vs. “felting”? Especially if you’re from the knitting world, you’ve probably heard people getting uppity about usage of the terms “fulled” and “felted.” The difference is simply this: fulled textiles start out life as woven or knitted fabric, to which the matting process is then applied. Just think of weaves and knits having tiny spaces between the yarns, and the heat/moisture/friction combo causes those spaces to be filled. Since the process and end result is so similar, I grant you permission to use the terms interchangeably around here! Fuzzy Galore has a thorough account of fulling vs. felting here.
Several types of wool fabric are fulled: blanket cloth, boiled wool, coating, loden, and melton. These would all work for most projects calling for wool felt. They vary in thickness, drape, nap, and weave of the pre-fulled cloth, but are similar enough in texture and durability.
Wool felt is expensive, but so are all wool fabrics. But a little goes a long way, and once you try it you’ll never go back to the cheapo craft store stuff. It is soft, super sturdy, comes in tons of gorgeous colors, and is incredibly easy to cut and stitch. It doesn’t fray and there is no nap or wrong side. Since it is so pricey, most people use it for small things: stuffed toys, pincushions, and other crafts.
American Felt & Craft wrote up a great “felt smackdown” comparing acrylic and eco-felt, wool blend felt, and 100% wool felt on several factors. No shocker here, but wool felt wins, with wool-rayon blends coming in a close second.
Any questions? We’ll answer them by the end of the week!
Put This On Is Awesome.
Put This On, Episode 1: Denim from Put This On on Vimeo
I’m a big fan of fellow UCSC Banana Slug Jesse Thorn’s Sound of Young America and Jordan, Jesse, Go! podcasts, so I was really excited to hear about his newest project, Put This On, and knew it would sweep the nation. I remember him describing it as instructions for guys who want to dress less schlubbily. But as you can see from this first episode, it’s more than that — whether you’re a lady or a gent, and fancy textiles, fashion, or awesomeness, you will be hooked.
Episode 1 is about denim. I’ve written in to see if the featured shop, Rising Sun Denim, sells their old school fabric by the yard — I’ll let you know what I find out.
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