I just finished the outside of this needle-felted bag. I took a thin layer of a silk hankie, and felted it down before adding swirls of beautiful varigated wool yarn. I bought the bag from the Artgirlz about a year ago, and now I don’t see this particular style still available. Then I stitched it with some spectacular hand-dyed cotton embroidery thread called “Painter’s Threads” by Tentakulum. They are distributed in the U.S. through YLI. This color is called Rousseau.
If you’ve never done needlefelting, here’s a little information about it: You work with a very heavy-duty felting needle, which is extremely sharp and has little barbs on it. You place a piece of heavy foam (like the kind for seat cushions) underneath, and repeatedly stab it until the fibers mesh together. You can use wool roving or yarn, or silk hankies (thin layers of silk roving) to create your designs.
I also stitched and attached some Artgirlz felt balls to the top.
I don’t own an embellishing machine, which allows you to needlefelt much more quickly. (A machine like this has been on my wishlist for more than a year!) I did this project with a single felting needle. It took a long time, but it is very fun and relaxing, as long as you avoid stabbing yourself with the needle.
Next I’m going to make a lining with some interior pockets.
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