EVEE'S FELT JOURNAL

FELTED JOURNALS

Beginning 3-D Art

dyed wool roving, hot soapy water, thread and yarn scraps, hardware findings

I recently found these old pictures that I think are anywhere 

from the 2012-2013 school year up to possibly the  2015-2016  school year.

I haven't shared these yet, 

and it's been so long since I did a post from my teaching years, 

that I thought I'd give it a try again.

I have to admit that remembering this old format is somewhat challenging,

but so good for this older brain.

Amazing how it comes back!

 One of my favorite projects to demonstrate was Feltmaking 

because the kids loved seeing me surrounded and covered in hot soapy water which was dripping all over me and the floor.

Can't remember why I chose this colorway,

but knowing me I wanted to use up some leftover pieces of dyed wool roving 

from previous year's scraps.

These next 3 shots are after I had wet felted the piece.

I wanted to show the kids they could embed other materials into their felt

before the wet felting begins.

Didn't get a shot of that, only after I wet felted it.

Like this saved ribbon tag from my son's best friend's wedding (above),

along with a small piece of felt I had demonstrated beading (below).

I also sprinkled on a variety of yarns and threads from other projects I'd saved.

I was fairly pleased with how this concoction turned out.

The next step was felting it down even more in the washing machine 

with hot soapy water and some serious agitation,

and then it was on to turning it into a Journal below to demo for the students.

A picture of the finished Journal closed up in a 3 way fold

Not sure why these next 4 photos of the finished Journal are looking so bright,

but it will mellow out in the last couple of pix.

A few things to point out in the finished piece

 is first of all the name embroidered with handspun yarn on the front cover,

Evee.

Evee is the first born daughter of the couple who the wedding tag belonged to.

But note how much different the ribbon tag looks from the photo way above.

That's the washing machine doing it's shrinking magic.

Sadly though the date on the fabric disappeared.

Perle cottons were used with a running stitch to meander around negative spaces and to highlight certain areas.

And knowing the father of Evee well,

 since Kindergarten actually,

and how much he and his wife love to travel,

a fun ribbon with text was found,

cut up, fringed and tacked down.

Because my brain is in right mode most of the time while I work, 

I didn't realize that I had designed the Journal to open backwards.

Oops and oh well.

I really enjoyed using the wire clamp I found on a dog walk for the closure

along with a spring I scavenged from my husbands  hardware findings,

below.

Then it was on to the interior.

If I remember correctly I gave the students a choice between fabric or leather

 to line the insides of Journal with.

Turning the edges under and sewing fabric on worked for me.

And then another fun part is teaching the kids how to do a Long Stitch Binding,

and I believe there was also another choice, 

a Coptic Binding.

And then the choice of  papers to use.

I did a combo so show you could do more then one kind;

construction & drawing paper, and a map of the big Island of Hawaii

because I knew it was Evee's first plane ride to my son's wedding.

I also gave the students a choice to cut or deckle the edges of their papers.

I chose deckling for a softer look.

I know it's hard to see the center page of the Journal below

but it is the part of the island we had the wedding at 

on the Kona Coast plus other areas we explored.

Close-ups of some of the details and shrinkage.

I think dear Evee is now at least 4-5 years old with a little sister

 who is probably around 2.

When did I finally get around to finishing this book and photos?

Well,

I'm embarrassed to say last year or maybe the year before.

I know,

I'm terrible about keeping track of these sorts of things.

And will I make one for little sister,

probably not knowing me.

Have I given the Journal to Evee and her parentals yet,

gulp,

nope.

My excuse,

Covid of course!

Haven't seen them in over two years.

But now that I've posted this it will force me to get it to them.

Do they live far away?

Sort of.

But I'll figure it out.

Her parents live up in our cabin community of Crestline.

So yeah.

To see my students journals go here then scroll down PAST this one

 to all the others below it.