Wool Felted Brooches

I have not perfected them by any means, but my first attempts were enjoyable. I have had lots of interest in brooches, so I will keep experimenting til I arrive at somewhere that makes me smile.
If I do birds, someone asks for flowers, if I do flowers someone asks for birds, so I do what the wool says.

These brooches can have a pin back or a velcro back or can be thread tacked to a purse, hat, sweater, scarf, almost anything. Check out the purple purse on Etsy. It has a brooch attached. The brooch is made of cottons mostly, but is certainly funky.

This style has been the most popular so far.

The birds are migrating....

...so spring is soon to arrive. I've perfected my birds. I definitely had an aha moment. I've been using a single needle as I needlefelt. I have poked in from the sides to provide a cleaner line, and to add lots of depth that wasn't there before! It's hard to show in a picture, but the actual bird looks so much better. Some even have a wing that is only partly attached, so it is 3-dimensional.

I am going to rework a lot of my needlefelted birds that I plan to take to the upcoming shows.

Still spreading my wings!

This little bird is the first of many I hope. Like all the things I make, he is made from repurposed wool and cotton (and wire, old rusty wire!). My husband made a template ( a board with nails for me to wrap the wire around), so the feet are all somewhat the same size. I have been getting great reaction to this little guy.

I'll be with my friends at the Green With Indie sale at Webster University on March 21 and 22. We'll have lots of new items all made from repurposed materials. Check out the Green With Indie Website. They will be featuring an artist each week. There will be demonstrations and food and much more.

http://www.greenwithindiecraftshow.com/

We will also be in Columbia at Earth Day on April 19th with the Missouri Etsy-Centrics group.

http://www.columbiaearthday.org/photos.html

Lots of Birds

This morning is very cool after three warmish days. The birds are as sensitive to the weather as I am. They showed up in multitudes today. My new heated birdbath draws in the bluebirds. So this morning I sat at the breakfast table watching the birds and drawing small designs that I could turn into appliques to put onto bags. I have so many small scraps of wool, I never throw away a wool fiber....I grabbed wire and wire cutters and started shaping legs to make three dimensional birds. I will try antique lace for wings for the spring birds made of light yellow. They will look a little like chicks. I will post a picture as soon as I "hatch" one. In the meantime I am posting a picture of my first needle felted three dimensional bird, a bluebird of course.

A Snowy Day

Snowy days are perfect for starting new projects as well as finishing old ones, there's time to reflect, and still.... time to watch the birds that flock to my birdfeeders on a day like this. My husband knows to ask: Any new birds sighted today? when he walks in the door. I always wanted a huge aviary, like the one at the zoo. I finally figured it out, the whole outdoors is an aviary. I'm in the box, but it's fine with me. The birds own my trees and yard and deck. You never know who will show up.