wool-blend felt

  • Color-Yum

    FeltforSale_HeatherBailey

    Some color-yum for you.

    It's not often I get to help out with orders. But, every once in a while, I sneak my way into the warehouse and join in on prepping fabric, assembling felt and gathering stationery and other goodies for you, our awesome customers.

    My favorite is gathering up your selected felts and rolling them
    together. I love to see the resulting color palettes. Often, they are
    truly unexpected and transfixing. Sometimes they remind me of a familiar
    era or theme. Take this roll here, it makes me think of Sky King Tricycles, Radio Flyer Wagons
    and other classic American toys. These colors make me want to sew up
    some felt cars and trucks or something. They get my wheels spinning.

    I'm often tempted to pin on a note that reads, "Ooo, wow!" or "So
    delicious!" or "Please send me pictures of your finished project!" It
    drives me crazy not to know what folks are making with these varying
    color palettes. Same goes for fabric, really. Hm, what about including a
    text-field at the end of ordering that lets the merciful 'tell Heather'
    what they are planning to make. Or I can just resist hanging out in the
    warehouse, right?

    I do try.

  • Announcing Heather Bailey Felt

    FeltFlowers

    FeltTile

    FeltRolled
    This photo could seriously be a poster.  I may have to print it out
    onto canvas and hang it over my couch. Oh the many uses of felt.

    If you haven't stopped by my shop for a while, you may want to take a look through the all-new Designer Felt section.
    I know how hard it can be to find high-quality felt in good colors. 
    Most chains only carry the nasty, polyester variety or a handful of
    muddy colors in wool-blend. I needed a source for great felt and
    figured you must need a source as well.

    Packaged2

    I'll be stocking a custom palette of over 3 dozen wool-blend and
    bamboo felts at the Heather Bailey Store.  I love to embellish projects
    with felt flowers or use felt to make pincushions and ornaments. These
    are the felts I use for the leaves & stems in my Fresh Picked
    Pincushions
    , in La Fleur Debris scrap flowers and in
    several upcoming patterns (getting so close now!).

    I
    recommend stocking up on a variety of colors & neutrals to have on
    hand — like a box of crayons.  You'll be surprised how many flowers,
    leaves, stems & whatnots you can make from a small stack of felt.

    RollHoriz2
    We'll be changing out the colors occasionally, so check back often to
    see if there is anything new.  Did I mention how excited I am about
    this felt?  No more hunting.  And they're nice to look at.

    FeltTile

  • Packing Flowers

    FlowerProject2

    Today I'm heading over to the NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City for a live interview & some crafty kibitzing on KSL's Studio 5 with hosts, Brooke & Darin. We're making fast, fabulous, fabric flowers. Fashionable too — and friendly.

    The
    spicy flower above turned out perfectly for the red & olive reverse
    of my red Marlo Bloom bag (shown on the cover of the Marlo Bloom sewing pattern). It takes my handbag right into Fall, all wooly & frayed, with felted houndstooth leaves and raw silk at the center.

    FlowerProject1

    I
    also played around with some of my favorite vintage buttons &
    millinery supplies, such as these green ceramic flower stamen. On the
    show, we're making medium-sized flowers, but as I couldn't stick to one
    size for the samples, I'm listing measurements for the large purse
    flower and the small, blue headband flower as well. Of course, make
    whatever size flower you wish & stitch it where you like.

    I say everywhere.

    FlowerProject4a

    Pop Garden Scrap Flower Tutorial

    Medium Flower

    1.  Tear a strip of printed cotton fabric 3" high by 20" wide. Pop Garden works.

    FlowerTute1

    2. 
    With wrong sides together, fold fabric strip in half, as shown. Stitch
    long, gathering stitch along matched torn edges, through both layers.
    (For a torn-edge flower, stitch along folded edge, through both layers.)

    FlowerTute2

    3. 
    Gently pull stitches as you sew, to gather fabric into a circle. Fasten
    fabric circle at center with a couple of stitches. Secure & trim
    thread.

    FlowerTute3a

    4. 
    Of felt, cut three tiered circles — 2" wide, 1.75" wide, and 1.5"
    wide. Notch edges of large & small circles. Remove all 'hanging
    chads' of felt — we'll have none of that. Stack felt circles as shown.

    FlowerTute4

    5. 
    Onto gathered fabric flower, layer stacked felt circles and a
    decorative button or brooch. Stitch layers together at center several
    times through button to secure. Conceal gathered edges at back of
    flower by whip-stitching a circle of scrap felt to the back of the
    flower. Then, attach a sew-on pin-back, hair clip, ponytail elastic, TT
    headband
    , bobbypin or barrette. And that's it. Easy-peasy.

    FlowerTute5

    For
    your reference, the following chart shows the measurements used for the
    other flowers featured in the photos above. The large flower is made by
    stacking a folded piece of silk on top of the folded cotton print with
    folds aligned. Gathering stitches are sewn through all layers, near the
    fold. And the large flower spirals into several layers, unlike the
    other two shown.

    FlowerTute6a

    I'm looking forward to meeting many of you at Friday's Start-up Princess event. If you're interested in last-minute registration, I've got a present for you — use code STUDIO5 for $10 off the registration fee. Or tune in to the show today, as two viewers will receive free tickets on air, valued at $99 each.

    Also, there is an all-new category at The Heather Bailey Store.
    See if you can spot it. I'm eager to post more, but need to rush off to
    the station. Let's just say the new category ties in perfectly with
    this tutorial and with more projects to come. I'll spill the beans in
    my next post.