Green Felt Bag

A month or so ago I posted a photo of a piece of felt I made using a combination of wet and needle felting.  I turned that into the green bag above, with a wet-felted, wool rope handle.  The interior of the bag is lined with linen and it is stitched together with DMC cotton floss using a blanket stitch.  The little bag above it is a "wallet" or eyeglass case, made of contrasting colors and a few accent colors echoing the larger bag.  I will be embarking on another similar project soon, and will post step-by-step photos and instructions.  Oh, the bag still needs a button closure, and I will be working on that too.

Felt Painting with Update

     I have been working with a combination of wet and needle felting that, for want of a better term, I have been calling "felt painting."  Above is an example of a decorative wall hanging. I wet felted the base, using prefelt (a pre-made, first layer of wool) and arranging a variety of greens and a few yellows on it.  I used dyed curly locks that I purchased at a fiber festival.  After wet felting and allowing the base to dry, I individually needle felted the pink roses and small purple flowers, attaching them to the base with a felting needle.  I will begin working on the rose leaves, though I don't want to put on so many that it obscures the cool background.

     The piece above is the base for a tri-fold bag.  The first fold will be where you see the greater concentration of bluish wool.  Then I will fold over a smaller length on the left side to make a flap. stitching together each side.  I will needle felt the floral design before folding (it is easier to do this on a flat surface than on a "pocket"), make a felted rope handle and piping and embellish with beads and embroidery.  Keep posted!

Update:  The felt piece is now dry and I folded it the way it will be when I make it into a bag:

It looks a little crooked, but won't be when it is done!
Happy felting!