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Daily Swatch: Wool
Some of my Granda’s tweed, from gumba on Flickr. Which I gather is a reference book from his grandfather’s tweed weaving mill in Donegal, Ireland. Lovely.
Daily Swatch: Wool
Vintage Welsh blanket from flymissy on Flickr.
Felt Week: Interview With Hillary Lang
Bunny, Kitty, and Bear by Hillary Lang from her Put-Together Book #1
Hillary Lang and her blog Wee Wonderfuls need no introduction — I’m sure she’s responsible for at least one of your needlework or crafting addictions. Her unique and original point of view is evident in everything she creates, from quilts to kids clothing to to embroideries to zakka. But we’re here today of course to discuss her work with wool felt — she has created scores of dolls, animals and other creatures using felt as her primary medium. Several of these are available as sewing patterns, and we can look forward to her first book in the latter half of 2010. She has written specifically on working with wool felt and where she gets it, but I had my own questions for her about it — and felt week wouldn’t be complete without her!
How did you get started with wool felt? What was your first project — how did it turn out?
That seems like forever ago now. I think it was this robot. I wanted to stitch up a robot for Tim’s desk at work and that’s when I discovered hand sewing with wool felt. It worked like a dream! I really enjoy working without seam allowances. It’s so freeing. I can sort of cut the pieces out as I go. It’s got a much different vibe than regular sewing.
Bonneted Babies by Hillary Lang
Most of your soft toy patterns use wool felt. What sources do you recommend?
Online, I order it from Child’s Dream Come True and in real life I always try to pick up a few colors when I’m at a quilt store. It’s not something you can really run out and get at the last minute so it’s good to try to have a supply on hand.
Are there any artists/crafters who work with wool felt whose work you especially admire?
I very much love Alicia Paulson’s Christmas ornaments. They’re so retro. I love the sequins.
What kind of wool felt is your favorite? Is the wool-rayon blend OK to work with, or will only 100% do? I know you also like to work with felted/fulled/whatever thifted sweaters. Have you ever tried woven wool?
Hillary’s felt stash
All my felt is mixed in together, the 100% wools and the blends comingling, and really, I don’t notice much of a difference. Yes, I use woven wool a lot too. I love it for stuffed animals and doll bodies. I like to hit the fabric store after Christmas when all the wool suitings are on sale. And I used to buy Moda wool bundles from eQuilter but they don’t seem to carry them anymore. I loved those. Also love Weeks Dye Works! Their herringbone and plaids are always on my wishlist.
Lots of your stuffed toy pattern are on my to-do list. I have made a couple of your Hand Sewing for Fun guys though … a turtle and a bird. I just love those patterns, and I can vouch for hand sewing being fun. But I’ve never machine-sewed with wool felt. Does it take any special handling? What kind of thread and needle?
Oh dear, I’m the wrong person to ask. I just about always use the same needle and thread no matter what I’m sewing. I haven’t had any trouble though. The only tricky part for me with machine sewing felt is turning out teeny tiny doll arms that have been sewn in thick felt. That drives me bananas but it’s my own fault for being overambitious. That’s why I tend to save the thicker felt for the hand sewing projects.
Hand Sewing for Fun Bunny by Hillary Lang
You just finished writing a book — congratulations! Are you allowed to say anything about its contents yet? Will there be lots of wool felt goodness to look forward to?
Thanks! It’s a book of toys — stuffed animals and dolls. And yes, lots of wool felt goodness, both on the machine and sewn by hand. One of the best parts of writing the book was having an excuse to shop. I was a very happy girl when a rainbow of wool felt came in the mail. I think of all new supplies, wool felt might be the most satisfying. Thanks for featuring it, such a fun idea! Just another reason to love True Up!
Aww shucks, Hillary. Thank YOU!
Daily Swatch: Wool
1940s wool crepe dress fabric, from Donna Flower.
Felt Week: Kata Golda’s Handstitched Felt
Kata Golda’s Hand-Stitched Felt: 25 Whimsical Sewing Projects, by Kata Golda, with photography by Frank White, published by STC Craft, October 2009, 128 pages.
Some people have comfort food. Me, I have comfort reading. So Kata Goldman’s Hand-Stitched Felt is like mashed potatoes in craft book form, a book I’d like to crawl into on a cold and stormy day or after a fight. Her wee felt creatures — mice, bunnies, bears — are so obviously and gloriously made with tender care, each stitch shining from the fabric. Their little faces make me smile. And the photography is like whoa; were I writing this from the local coffee shop, the patrons would be giving me funky looks for trying to pet the book I’m reviewing.
I have very little experience with felt in general and wool felt in particular, so this book was my first introduction to Kata Golda’s work. I hope to amend the situation toute-suite, of course; a few sheets of felt and my hand-sewing kit would yield a beautiful project, if her notes are anything to go by. Kata includes 25 projects in this book — more if you count her suggestions for customizing or using alternate design templates.
For those of us new to hand-sewing (or just a bit rusty) she includes a brief section on the tools needed (just a few: felt, needle, floss) and the main embroidery stitches which, in conjunction with the embroidery floss, make up the soul and character of the projects. She also gives a technique for transferring pattern designs using paper.
The projects themselves are refreshingly simple. The beauty comes from the careful planning of colors and motifs and especially the care taken in forming the stitches. Though they are supposed to look handmade, these projects don’t look sloppy or hastily done, which can be a real danger when taking large stitches on a more elemental fabric such as felt. Instead they look accessible and soft and relaxed. My kind of attitude.
The projects include not just baby and children’s items, which I would expect in a book about wool felt, but also accessories for your person, home and office. I think even someone totally new to hand-sewing should be able to master the stitches with the aid of her instructions.
Kata lives in Port Townsend, WA, where she lives and works and seems to have it going on. (“Nestled snugly amongst the comings and goings of friends and family in a small, mossy seaside town, Kata Golda has grown into a flourishing business and creative space while allowing me to stay true to what I love to do.” That’s the life.)
For a little more about Kata’s take on felt and color, see her interview on The Purl Bee (she used to be a professional quilter!). And if you’re eager to get stitchin’, her eyeglasses case project from the book is available in full at Design*Sponge.
For more Kata Golda, check out her blog, with links to news and appearances, or follow her on Twitter or Facebook. And if you want to see some adorable felt mice drinking coffee and dancing, you better check out this video.
Daily Swatch: Wool
Vintage Japanese woven wool, from orime on Flickr. Orime sells (amazing) new and vintage Japanese fabrics on Etsy.
Daily Swatch: Wool
It’s wool felt week here on True Up! So the Daily Swatch is back from vacation with a wool theme (not sure photos of vintage wool felt would do anything for you, so I’m opening it up to wool in general). Pictured here: Welsh wool collection from H is for Home on Flickr. More of these beauties in the Welsh Wool Tapestry Photos Flickr group. (Yes, there is a group for everything now.)
The Quilt Guild Sale, This Year
My first quilt guild sale two years ago was a bonanza. My second (last year), it was about three weeks after giving birth and the first significant time out of the house by myself. It was pouring rain, I was still delerious, so my memories of it are weird but good. No fabric, but I did get a serger. I looked all over for the lady who sold the fabric the year before, but couldn’t find her.
She was there this year, but only selling pre-cut feedsack squares for fair, un-bargain prices. Overall I didn’t find any fabric at the sale that I couldn’t live without. But I did score these books, all three about fabric terminology and technical aspects of fabric.
All About Silk: A Fabric Dictionary & Swatchbook (Fabric Reference Series, Vol. 1) by Julie Parker (Amazon store link)
All About Cotton: A Fabric Dictionary & Swatchbook (Fabric Reference Series, Vol. 2) by Julie Parker (Amazon store link)
These two books are still in print, though they are both currently “out of stock” at Amazon (but available used from other sellers, or directly from the publisher). The third in the series is All About Wool … even though the books are an investment, I think it’s definitely worthwhile for any sewist or textile designer. I got the cotton and silk volumes for a song, so I can justify the wool book, right?!
These books provide a general overview of the fabrics’ production (from plant/worm/sheep to printing and finishing), history, and shopping and care information. Then there is a two-page spread devoted to each subtype of the fabric with more specific information, sub-sub-types you might come across, and then a checklist with difficulty rating, suggested fit and styles, what to expect when sewing, cost per yard, wearability, suggested care, and where you can find it. Most importantly, there is an actual swatch of every fabric type, so you can touch it, examine the weave or knit up-close, see its opacity, and so on.
See example pages on the Rain City Publishing site.
From Fiber to Fabric: The Essential Guide to Quiltmaking Textiles (Amazon link)
by Harriet Hargrave
This book is an in-depth treatment of quilting cotton. It covers some of the same technical fabric production territory as All About Cotton but with more depth and photography of production steps. It also covers batting and thread.
I will absolutely be synthesizing what I learn from these books and reporting back to you here. I’m so happy to now know the difference between cotton poplin, broadcloth, and twill.
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