Make your own needle felted nest pin or magnet. These are one of the best sellers in my shop and make great small gifts.
Supplies you will need:
* Small amount of brown wool (or other desired color)
* One felting needle (I prefer medium star)
* Three pearls or egg-shaped beads 5-7mm (you could use other beads, of course)
* Beading needle – very thin
* Thread to match your wool
* Tie Tack, bar pin or small magnet
* Foam to felt on
Download the pdf – Needle Felted Nest Instructions.
Sounds pretty ambitious, doesn’t it? Well, it is. It’s also attainable in my opinion. (Not something to be undertaken solo, however!) Check out this video from Tara Gentile and Megan Auman.
If you would like to join in their adventure, you can sign up for email updates at Scoutie Girl.
They look really young. LOL I only wish that I had been so squared away at their age! I was pretty desperate for some kind of creative, money-making outlet back when I was the stay-at-home mom with a little one. Things are different now… more complicated.
Of course, the internet was also in its infancy then. There are so many more opportunities available these days. Thankfully, it’s never too late!
Most of you have probably heard of Donna Dewberry’s One Stroke Painting techniques. Did you know there are hundreds of certified One Stroke teachers in the US? One of them is my friend, Betty Minnick. She offers classes in her home studio, in-home (or clubhouse, etc.) painting parties and private lessons. Not only is she a terrific One Stroke artist, she’s an absolutely delightful and charming person.
Many of the student projects make wonderful gifts. If you are in the Tucson, AZ area and are interested in One Stroke painting, check out the classes page on Betty’s website.
It’s Monday (again) and there’s not much to talk about as everyone is busy preparing for and/or celebrating the holidays. Why are they ALL at the same time of year? Anyway, my new toy arrived over the weekend and all of you needle felters out there need to know how great it is. 
Last week I ordered one of these pretty little wood needle holders from GOTWOOL ($13.50). Sure, you could get the plastic single needle tool from Clover but wouldn’t you rather have a pretty, handmade walnut one? Honestly, not only is it more attractive, this one is much more comfortable to use, too. I didn’t even realize how badly I needed one until I used it. It felt more natural than struggling to keep a grip on a bare needle. Also, it’s a little less expensive than the plastic ones. What more could you want? If you needle felt regularly, you need one of these.
Oh, wouldn’t it make a lovely gift for the felter in your life? Yes. Yes it would!
(I do recommend the Clover Needle Felting Mat instead of foam for several reasons but bigger and cheaper would be better. If anyone has a suitable alternative, please let us know.)
The extremely popular snail pins are back in a new colorway: Wild Berry. My original snail pins, in peach and taupe, didn’t last long and ended up with their picture in a national magazine. As with the first generation, there will only be 25 Wild Berry snails made.
In other news, I managed to escape unharmed from last night’s soldering experiment. If you know me, you’ll understand why this is so shocking. Lets just say the “potential for personal injury” gene is strong in my family. What was I soldering? Buttons. Yes, buttons. How? Wrap them in copper foil like pieces of stained glass and carefully apply the solder to the tiny things. J & J (my husband and daughter) expressed concern that the buttons might melt but I had thought of that – they were natural shell buttons. There was one discovery made. Apparently, heat can destroy the dyes used to tint the buttons. Dang… Only had one in blue! At least I got my soldered button pendant. Will post a photo when it’s all cleaned up.
Life has finally settled to the point that I am able to do the shop owner thang again. Between getting married in June, adding my sweetheart to our little household, dealing with his immigration paperwork (gotta love government entities), having a teenager/new driver in the house, losing my little Neon to an unfortunate 
incident – electrical fire, etc., etc… It’s been a wild ride to say the least.
I’ve just made a Facebook fan page and am cleaning up the clutter on the ol’ blog here, restocking the store and making some new items which will be posted soon. No classes, though. It’s a bit too much for now.
There are a lot of exciting goodies from other sellers that I’m dying to show you and do the gift guides again. Fun, fun!
Back to the grindstone. ; )
If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ve no doubt heard of Kathy Withers. She and our friend Holly are, in my little world, the Fiber Mavens – my teachers and friends. Their styles are about as different as they can possibly be but they are both very talented at spinning, knitting, crochet and probably anything else having to do with yarn from fleece to finished product.
Kathy is sort of our hub. She has more energy than two average humans and is one of the most generous people I know. She owns and runs a working fiber ranch with a variety of sheep, goats, llama, alpaca and angora rabbits. There are even a few chickens, ducks and geese around. Her property is also home to Unique Designs by Kathy, a wonderful fiber and yarn shop and studio (this is where my needle felting workshops are held). Kathy’s style is what the art world refers to as “loose”. It is fun, free and fabulously random. If she was a painter, her work would be compared to the impressionists. 
I try not to go to Kathy’s place too often because it is so lovely and peaceful that I have a really hard time leaving. Most people seem to have the same problem. If you visit UDK to check out her yarns, you will probably be offered a tour (call ahead if this is your plan) and end up seeing the entire process from animal to yarn to felted landscape or freeform shawl. Her ranch is also home to the Tucson Wool Festival which will take place October 25th this year. Nearly every Saturday, groups are there to learn wet felting, free form knit & crochet, or to just hang out and spin.
Kathy’s yarns are unique, indeed. Her favorites, coiled and embellished, are like none I’ve ever seen. If you can’t make it to the ranch, a small assortment of Kathy’s yarns are available in her online shop. I’m sure if you contact her looking for something special, she would be happy to send you photos of a few of her yarns that may meet your needs.
I met Holly, a recent transplant from Illinois, at Kathy’s ranch. Holly is a beautiful, gentle and sweet woman whose talent is probably deeper than she knows. She is very grounded and intelligent and exudes calm. Could be all the yoga… 
Her work is what I think of as “tight” – it is very precise. If she were a painter, her work would be among the great realists.
Holly is an admitted fiber addict. She has a tendency to buy entire fleeces and spend hours picking, dyeing, carding (and I suspect fondling) her fiber stash. She then goes to her spinning wheel and lovingly spins thin, consistent yarns for her knitting. Some of her yarns and batts are available in her online shop. Perhaps most impressive to me, she designs her own knitting patterns (for her friend Leslie at Samson Angoras)! Recently, we’ve gotten to watch the process as she creates a stunning, lacy cowl. She is also a very accomplished quilter and is finishing a degree in computer science. What a woman!
To learn more about these amazing ladies, check out their sites and blogs:
Etsy Project Embrace Donation Page:
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