Bridaliscious... My efforts at the Gumps' Bridal Event

The main floor...letting the future brides in...oooooh ahhhhh...cakes and flowers oh my

This is my tribute to the Turks & Caicos...

think of the Caribbean sea, and places where the super rich hide their money. Orchids just tumbling down from the sky, papayas grow naturally sliced, and life is oh so good

And here, we find ourselves in the Hudson River Valley, enjoying a feast of bread, eggs and grapes.

lots to drink at this party...

Then after having changed our outfits, we stroll on over to Knightsbridge, where we come across 4 very stylish gentlemen having drinks and something quite elegant in their yellow bowls...hmmmm

with fabulous framed place cards, so the four gentlemen know where to sit, and those versatile bow ties

 

that can wrap both your neck and your napkin

Another color swatch.... beautiful spring tones

great morning stroll along the marshes in Sonoma County

Color Swatch...

A preliminary set up for a window installation...love love love the colors. Add teal, and fuchsia silk pillows...
A Bollywood moment catches a dusting of Downton Abbey...lol

spring is sprung. the grass is riz...I wonder where the birdies is? Some say the bird is on the wing, but that's absurd, the wing is on the bird

A little feltie fun

Felt...so versatile, and fashionable

test piece...kinda love it

another tester...

Design Lab: Kitchen Felting (part 2) Randi's Experiment

Taking the wool...
(when in this form is called 'roving'
...not wandering but roving)

 and dividing it....

...divide and separate

... and again

now it's just right for pulling what is called a staple ( 2" piece ) a cluster of wool fibers

these are little 'pre felts'

..that are wool fibers rubbed together, and can be cut into shapes. These will become dots

Here the layering begins..the pulling of the Staple.
Spot the dot

Note the fluffy loft

Layers...not a dot in sight...they will appear on the underside...

Addition of a yarn...so experimental...thats why it is a Design Lab ;)

Detail...sooooo fluffy

more layers

More layers, then the addition of a 'Resist'
which will prevent the felting of some layers
to create a pocket within the felt

the Resist is covered and more layers are added,
with some accent wool added for detail

Adding the layer of mesh, to hold the fibers in place,
while the felting process begins due to the addition of hot water and a soapy solution...
(more details of these felting steps can be seen in the entry 'Kitchen Felting part 1')

and here we have a open handbag.
Note the pocket, where the resist prevented the two layers to felt together

back of handbag closed. Note the fringe...remember all those pieces of yarn?

Front of Handbag... traces of the dots appear.
Lovely... another Design Lab Experiment.

Design Lab: Kitchen Felting (Part 1- Ginger's Experiment)

The un spun wool that we start with...

Pulled, and coiled

Layers added, colors varied, and kitchen twine added ... very experimental in the Design Lab ;)

Side view ...to show loft

More layers

More layers added, the fine mesh layered over,  then splashed with hot water and a diluted soap mixture...to start the felting process. The mesh holds the wool fibers in place until they start merging with each other

Side view...showing the water and soap soaking into the wool

Gently pressing down with a plastic bag, to facilitate the water and soap mixing with the wool.
Look how much it has flattened out. The felting process has begun...

After quite a bit of pressing and adding hot water, we peel back the mesh before the wool fibers start felting that layer...not a good thing

Pancake...fluffy gone away

Pancake wrapped up in plastic, and rolled and kneaded to facilitate the felting process

Soaked and squeezed and kneaded...such a rough life for a bunch of fibers

Squeezed, and shrunk (?) until it is a piece of wet felt

Ehhhhh Voila...a funky or rather an Artful bowl...and yes, it is intentionally angled

...with lots of personality.
Episode One from the Design Lab...
Episode Two...following shortly...gotta go take a nap, all that merging of fibers just plain ol' wore me out ;)