Monday, January 31, 2011

Felted lap blanket










I figured I should post these photos of a lap blanket I am working on and not wait until it is done (when will that be???) . I was given the gift of wool for my birthday one year and had half of it made into wool batts (wool felt fabric) at a fiber mill. I made a vest out of one piece (that's another post) and decided to make a lap blanket with this batt. I backed the batt with an old white cotton sheet. I folded the batt into quarters so I could pin the center to mark the center of the design, then stitched a circle on it with needle and thread, after I came up with the idea of a wreathe design. The first part I tackled was the ribbon, and I had to reposition that a few times to get it right. Then I worked the tulip design in loosely (always needle loosely at first, so you can easily remove and reposition your wool without harming the base fabric). I then started working my way around the wreathe, parallelling the type of flowers I added (forget-me-nots, single petaled roses, wisteria, until I go to the off-center "top" of the wreathe where I worked in the sunflowers. Once the flower forms were worked in, I began to add leaves and detail. Lastly I added in the four corner sunflowers. Future plans include a vine border, then I will bind it off and use it!
Till the next time, I'll be needlin' around!