Funny Experiments, Or Experiments Gone Wrong

The last time I blogged I mentioned getting down on the floor to make a large piece of nuno felt. That piece of felt fills most of the back of this poncho. I got so tired after being on the floor that I became uninspired and decided to put the poncho together using what I had made and some leftover pieces that had similar colors. The poncho is for me to take to the mountains when it is cold, and as our little house gets pretty cold,  this will make a nice cover to use before the house warms up. It is hanging on a door because I still have to do some work on it.

I made another experiment that I think turned out pretty funny. I call it my "turtle poncho." I tried to make this poncho from a picture, and it actually looked similar to the one in the picture, but my felt was way too heavy. That's part of the reason for the "turtle look", and the other reason is my weight. (This many extra pounds don't come off in a few weeks of Weight Watchers-oh I wish they did!)

I think that the poncho is so funny, and I think that it will get torn apart today and made into something else. (Don't we all have to laugh at ourselves, we are such funny critters, us humans.) The fabric in the poncho actually turned out quite pretty, one piece of good news, though it doesn't show up in this picture.



Remember the garment below, a long "jackety shawl" that I made out of nuno felt and burnout silk? I decided to donate it as an auction prize for our city Art Department, if they decide they want it. If they do want it, I will be able to attend an affair called the "Clay Ball." This is evidently an occasion during which artists dress up very "artistically" to attend and have a great time.













First, I have no idea whether my garment will be accepted as an auction prize, but I have already made most of my "artistic outfit" for the ball. Talk about being a little nutty. I just wanted to put something fun together out of all the great fabrics that I had. The colors in the garment for the ball are a lot like the colors in the garment that I am donating.


 This is the "coat of many colors" that will be worn with black pants and a black blouse under it. I hope that I get to wear it. It is felted on top and has alternating reverse triangles of silk, black lace and felt on the bottom. The felt on the top has been over-stitched with black and patterned silk triangles. I know, hard to tell from the picture. It does look pretty good, though not finished yet. But I don't even know if I'll be going yet!!!

Sisterly Love and More Vests

Last weekend I got together with my sister from Los Angeles and her daughter. They came to Portland to see my parents and our siblings. During the visit I gave my sister her frog skin designer purse (Fendi.) She enjoyed the whole story behind the purse, and plans to use it, but her daughter felt sorry for the frogs. I asked my niece to model one of my vests. She is so beautiful, as is her mother.

 

My sister and I went shopping for silk at my favorite place to get the best variety I have yet found. Fabric Depot has more beautiful silk fabrics than I have found in any store or on line. The problem is that I never have enough money to buy all that I want. This time they were 35% off, what a deal! I was looking for silk for a "holiday jacket." This is one of the jackets that I made. It also has a hood in the back.

I have also continued to make several of the vests with hoods. They are a great way to combine the wool with the beautiful silks I have found.

I am now working on a large poncho, but don't have the table or counter                         space to lay it out, so I was down on the floor with this large piece of nuno felt. I am too old for that. It is no way to felt. I am going to have to figure out something else for larger projects. More on this later.

Small Critters and Designer Purses

Frog

 My sister loves designer purses, but she never pays the full price for them. She lives in L.A. where she can access a great store that sells them for good prices. Every time I see her she has a great looking bag. So here's my story...

I love to watch "Live Auctions," especially when there are vintage things for sale. I couldn't believe it when I saw this Fendi purse for sale. It wasn't the name at all that attracted me. Sure it's a great brand name, but what I couldn't believe was that the purse was made of frog skin. What a perfect gift for my sister. Yes, it is a joke, and no, I am not mean. What a conversation piece for a woman who loves designer purses!

Snake

My husband doesn't believe that it is frog skin, but it is. You can see the
bumps of the frog, just look. Also, you can't lie about something like
this in an auction.

I also got a snake skin purse and a lizard purse. Normally, I don't buy things like this that are little animal hides, but I justified it to myself by saying that they were "vintage." I don't think that this made much difference to the critters, but they were long dead.

Lizard

I do plan on using the purses, so I guess that makes it a little better. I hope that my sister likes hers.

A Beautiful Boutique, And a Barbershop Quartet

I

Last night I had a sale of my felted apparel at a beautiful little boutique, Ma Valise, owned by Janet. My friend Tass came to model my vests, jackets and scarves, and she did a fantastic job!!! She is very outgoing, and had purchased some great outfits from the store that Monday to wear with my apparel. She turned out to be my best customer.

 Before the first customers came in we were serenaded by a barber shop quartet. They were very good, and sang a song for us that they sang to get into the Nationals.

Janet had set up a wonderful spot for me as her quest artist with two racks for clothing, a couch, and table. Her shop is charming, and already dressed up for the holidays.

 My husband planned a real treat for me. He had called my daughter and granddaughter and told them about the event. I was so tickled when they walked into the store. They both have school and work the next day and live in another city down the freeway, so I didn't expect them. What a treat!!! And, of course, I had to take advantage of my granddaughter's presence by getting a picture of her in one of my garments.
Thank you girls and Hubby.

It was so wonderful of Janet to give me an opportunity to meet more people and to give my work more exposure. She is very supportive of local artists and has given me many good ideas. She is also a fun person to be with, a very quality person. Thank you Janet. And thank you Tass for modeling for me.

What a fun evening!!!