Julie Collings - Pretty Little Felts: Mixed-Media Crafts to Tickle Your Fancy

pretty little felts
mixed-media crafts to tickle your fancy

julie
collings

NORTH LIGHT BOOKS
CINCINNATI , OHIO
www.mycraftivity.com

pretty little felts. Copyright 2008 by Julie Collings. Manufactured in China. All rights reserved. It is permissible for the purchaser to make the projects contained herein solely for personal use. No other part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote a brief passage in review. Published by North Light Books, an imprint of F+W Publications, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236. (800) 289-0963. First edition.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Collings, Julie.
Pretty little felts : mixed-media crafts to tickle your fancy / by Julie Collings.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-1-60061-090-5 (alk. paper)
eISBN: 978-1-4403-1560-2
1. Felt work. I. Title.
TT849.5.C62 2008
746.0463--dc22
2008010085

www.fwpublications.com

editor: JESSICA GORDON
designer: JENNIFER HOFFMAN
production coordinator: GREG NOCK
photo stylist: JAN NICKUM
photographers: CHRISTINE POLOMSKY, TIM GRONDIN & JOHN CARRICO, ADAM LEIGH-MANUELL, ADAM HENRY, ALIAS IMAGING, LLC

METRIC CONVERSION CHART

acknowledgments

Thank you to the many wonderful people who guided me along my way while I was working on this book:

To my editor, Jessica Gordon, for being able to put so beautifully on paper all my dreams of wool felt and for letting me cut up her pink skirt.

To Christine Polomsky for her amazing photographs and for making me feel so at home in her studio.

To everyone at North Light who showed such genuine support for my book, thank you all for your creative voices.

Thank you to my family for the many times you worked together to help me meet a deadline and write this book.

Matt, thank you for making me laugh every day.

Marina, thank you for sharing your creative energy.

Hannah, thank you for being such an amazing shopper.

Burke, thank you for letting me take over the computer.

Olivia, thank you for letting your favorite things be sent away to be photographed for this book.

i AdoRe yOu alL.

dedication

This book is dedicated to my mother, Joan,and my grandmother Eloise, who alwaysmade beautiful things with their hands.

table ofcontents

introduction

FROM THE TIME WE WERE LITTLE GIRLS, MY FOUR CREATIVE SISTERS AND I WERE ALWAYS MAKING THINGS. We sewed and painted, glued and baked, and cut and colored. Our endless creative messes were the beginning of my adventures in crafting, which have continued into adulthood. Over the years, I have learned to knit, dye and even spin my own yarns. I love working with wool so much I nearly bought a sheep, but my husband said our neighbors would object.

As a compromise to owning an actual sheep, I began gathering bits of wool left over from sewing projects and taking apart old wool clothing to use in my designs. I love working with wool feltit dyes beautifully, cuts and sews without fraying, and adds a soft organic feel to all my projects.

Throughout this book youll find unusual materials, such as metal screen from the hardware store and a vintage cardboard sewing kit, combined with wool felt (see the . Youll also find projects calling for unexpected elements, like a discarded book or a single vintage earring. Each found item adds a special touch. Look through your collection of quirky treasures and prized vintage finds and use them to create your own Pretty Little Felts.

materials

The basic materials for making the projects in this book are felt, fabric, paper and glue. Pretty ribbons, beads, trims and threads add a lovely decorative touch to your pieces, while a bit of glass glitter and mica adds a gorgeous sparkle. I have used some vintage items from my collection that you can substitute with anything you like. Look through the things you have been drawn to and find a new way to use the treasures you have gathered. The resource list beginning on will help you locate any additional materials you may need.

WOOL FELT is becoming readily available and can be purchased by the square or by the yard. You may also find some great pieces of wool by deconstructing old clothing. You can felt wool to make a denser fabric, or leave it unfelted if its woven tightly enough that it wont unravel when cut.

WOOL ROVING is a term used to describe wool fibers that have been washed and combed into a loose roll. Roving may be purchased dyed or undyed in bundles, hanks or by the foot.

PATTERNED COTTON FABRICS can be found at quilting or craft stores. Some vintage cotton pieces cut from old aprons or clothing have wonderful colors and retro designs and are a fun addition to your projects.