ON A ROLL

A CORINNE LAPIERRE KIT

from French Needle or Loop London

I just couldn't resist this delightful felt embroidery kit from Corinne's collection.

I liked it so much that I also purchased another smaller one,

 possibly even cuter,

 for one of my Tuesday Nite gals,

Aileen,

who has been with me now for 4 years.

She is still working on hers.

Back seam side

It came with wonderful color instructions,

and also encourages you to add your own touches which I did.

In fact,

 I pretty much changed up the entire top here and a couple goodies on the sides.

And recently I gifted it to Alyssa,

yes Molly's mommy,

when Alyssa brought Molly over to meet me.

And because Alyssa is very crafty,

 I wanted her to have a pair of bird scissors from the Gingher collection.

I also added the special heart & circular pins from Dritz on Amazon,

plus,

 of course,

 a variety of pre-threaded needles.

I FELT FOR YOU

3-D FELT CONSTRUCTIONS

BEGINNING 3-D ART

wool batting, colored wool rovings, perle cottons, wool handspun yarns, needles for dry felting,

hot plates & pans, and a washing machine

Teachers Beware!

This is an especially messy, soapy adventure but well worth the prep, effort and cleanup.

Also involved is the use of your home washing machine,

and lots of counter space both in your classroom and at your home.

I use the floor under the classroom cabinets,

 as well as on top of them for the various stages of storage.

This year will be really tough in that I have more students doing this at one time then ever,

45!

There are many YouTube videos showing how to make felt on a 2-D surface,

which is how we begin this project,

 and even more on Needle Felting.

When the felt is shrunk and dried,

 the kids are required to use their critical thinking skills to cut out pieces

 and reassemble them into a 3-D piece.

No glue is allowed,

only Needle Felting or stitching or both to assemble them.

The results are quite remarkable.

We start with 8th grader Annie Nguyen.

The color movement going thru her design is so lovely.

She figured out how to put in her own zipper using You Tube

 (I haven't put in a zipper since the 7th grade).

She also brought in a bit of embroidery as well.

And her mom allowed her to use her sewing machine to put in the diagonal quilting lines

which I feel add so much interest to the overall piece..

Next up is 8th grader Shivani Kedila.

She transformed her flat piece of felt into this intricate box with a woven top.

I was speechless when I saw her finished product.

These kids are really incredible!

You can see how her sides are hand stitched up

plus she added a bit of embroidery as well.

Check out the top below.

I loved that she brought weaving into this piece!

This amazing pillow was the work of senior Inna Sikar.

Occasionally the kids work their flat flt a bit too aggressively when they begin the felting process 

and end up with a few holes or see thru patches.

Inna had both.

So she critically thought out to inlay a bit of fabric under those openings

for a very cool effect.

And we all were so impressed with her embroidered toucan!

She invested a ton of hours in this piece  as you can see.

We all loved the flowers that 8th grader Sophia Oporto needle felted on top of her purse form

along with her embroidered areas.

The colors flow so well together!

We totally didn't expect this clever solution.

Junior Rachel Tibayan knocked this assignment out of the park with her unique idea,

a complete outfit for her bear.

I just adore it all!

So well fitted and embellished.

Bravo young woman!!

And sweet 8th grader Yusuf Karan

 made this adorable kitty face pillow using his own handspun yarn for the whiskers.

Wonderful job Yusuf!

But it was senior Sophie Yang

 who really blew us out of the water with this elegant crafted pillow form.

Her 2-d felt piece was gorgeous from the get go,

then she cut it and inlaid the white wool felt.

The embroidery finished it off so beautifully.

And we loved how she alternated the design on each side.

Another brilliant piece to share with all.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

 3-D FELT CONSTRUCTIONS - PART III

BEGINNING 3-D ART

Oh my,

I just found this brilliant piece by coach Milan.

Coach was the paraeducator that helped out in this class last year,

who also participated in the projects.

Turns out he was one of the finest artists in the class.

A natural designer and craftsman.

He felted, designed and constructed this fabulous purse for his girlfriend,

ex-art student of mine,

Alumni Sabrina Lopez.

Lucky woman!

And look at the magic when you open the flap.

You outdid yourself Milan!

So happy you could join us last school year.

A WHOLE LOT OF FIBER ART GOING ON

HAND FELTED 3-D CONSTRUCTIONS - PART II

BEGINNING 3-D ART

hand dyed wool rovings, hot water, soap, washing machine, perle cottons,

buttons, feathers, beads, leather, & needle felting SUPPLIES

This assignment is always a massive undertaking,

 in the preparation of gathering and ordering materials,

but so worth the effort involved

It also creates a big soapy mess,

so not for the weak of heart.

Weeks before I begin this project

 I place an order at The Woolery for washed and carded wool batts in all their neutral colorways.

They come to me in huge pieces that I gently pull not cut apart

 to make student sized pieces for their foundation

(approximately 13" by 18").

I also order dyed wool roving from Gleason Ranch

and Capistrano Fiber Arts so I have a wonderful,

 colorful selection for the children. 

And then there are the leftover bags of wool scrap roving

and pre-felted wool cut-off pieces

 that I've saved from previous years that the kids can use as well.

Since they are pre-felted,

they can cut out specific shapes to place a top their foundations.

And believe it or not

 I have another bag of fiber goodies that I collect off the floor;

things like bits of laces, ribbons, yarns, old doilies

 that are also available for their use

 to add small bits of texture and bas-relief to their colored foundations.

So let's take a peek at their work.

These two pixs above and below are a take on Starry Night 

and were done by junior Jillian Morris.

The pix above was just after she had finished pre-felting it in my classroom 

with lots of hot soapy water and a lot of elbow grease.

Below is it's shrunken fulled self after I bullied it in my washing machine.

(too much lighting below, true color above)

Bullied refers to how hard I washed it in my machine.

Hot soapy water on wildest speed with old shoes and towels thrown in for good measure.

And here it is in it's finished 3-D form 

along with junior Britney Hong's gorgeous clutch above.

Jillian turned hers into a pillow with terrific embellishment

which really enhanced her Starry Night.

And Britney's clutch had the most glorious movement in color from light to dark.

These next two cuties were designed and made by junior Samantha Tan.

Adorable but difficult to pull off in this 3-dimensional state.

And not to be outdone by Sam is 8th grader James Lara.

He has truly remarkable critical thinking skills,

and designed his own pattern for this hat,

cut up his one slab of felt into all the necessary parts,

and needle felted it together.

And James being James,

the cherry on top is the cute little bear he needle felted below.

The older kids were awed by this remarkable construction,

as was I.

a

Front

Junior Rachel Kannampuzha pulled off an epic work with this purse.

Everyone loved her pre-felt and couldn't wait to see what she was going to create.

Again,

 the critical skills needed to pull this off are incredible because of it's dimensional form.

Back

These children have no experience with pattern making,

but they truly give me their all as they push themselves into scary terrain.

Side

And then were did she find the leather?

Too expensive for me to afford to give the kids.

Although now that I think about it,

perhaps I should thrift some old purses that the kids can break down for parts next year.

I'm really loving the use of feathers on the top piece above by senior Hannah Park.

My neighbor friend and I collect feathers all year long up on the mountain 

so I can share them with my students.

And what a beautifully crafted clutch senior Crystal Lai-Ton-Nu has made above.

Those 3 strands of boucle' yarn really add a nice linear element to the elongated form.

And then we have overachiever,

English teacher Donna Hall.

Only kidding Donna, 

we are all just so jealous of the time and effort you are able to give each of your pieces.

Above is her pre-felt,

before it went into the washing machine.

Amazing right?

Below is her 3-D opened journal cover she made her felt piece into.

Donna's attention to detail is remarkable,

veins embroidered into every leaf, 

as well as the layering of all the fall colorways into her landscape.

And do you see the sweet little bird she sewed on,

and it's nest with blue egg she needle felted on?

A brilliant art piece Donna!

We are so proud of you and this remarkable work!

Next we have super star junior Lynette Lee.

I have shown off her work for almost every assignment.

She truly has so much innate design skill going on inside her,

and it's always a treat to she what she will create next.

Above is the backside of her 3-D felted journal.

She needled felted the deer head onto her foundation after I ran her felt piece thru the washer.

Everyone was astounded by the amount of effort she put into this journal.

Then check out the front side below.

She cut up a pair of recycled jeans and lined her journal with the fabric,

then allowed a bit of it to peek out.

The first time I saw the finished piece,

 I was flabbergasted with the critical thinking used to pull this lining off.

The gorgeous color scheme used in this next one by junior Juliana Oliveira had us all swooning.

So very sensory.

The prefelt above and the washed fulled piece below. 

And what did she make with it?

This artful purse below.

Love how she used the cut off edge bits and pieces as bas relief elements.

It adds even more interest as she spirals them around the backside below.

This is her front with the blanketed perle cotton edging and the braided strap.

Wonderful Juliana!

Another super star,

8th grader Loren Kim,

 created this next clutch purse.

She needle felted all the edging and the leaf.

The contrast she achieved between the lighter marbled foundation and the leaf is breathtaking.

Senior SarahWoo thought of a clever way to pull extra color into her construction.  

She used up several different scrap pieces and did a bit of quilting with the felt.

Almost feels like she is log cabining around her foundation.

She turned her felt into a wallet that had several compartments.

I wish I had thought to take a pix of the inside.

Dang!

We end with senior Vicky Hur's pencil case she built.

The form was really cool.

She curved the side pieces so that the top rounded as she pulled the cover overtop.

And if you look closely she found some fun embellishments to either sew or pin on.

I am so proud to share all these amazing pieces.

Have I told you lately how much I love, love, love my job?

Probably,

ha ha

29 KIDS IN 55 MINUTES

3-D HAND FELTED CONSTRUCTIONS - PART I 

BEGINNING 3-D ART

hand dyed wool roving, soap & water

One of the most challenging parts of my day is switching from one prep to the next 

with 5 minutes between periods.

Last school year the admin. gave me 29 kids in the Beginning 3-D class,

(this year 34 kids),

a large number for any lab class.

So that when we do a large assignment like feltmaking here,

it's an extreme challenge to figure out where to put everyone,

and to be ready for them before they even arrive.

Now keep in mind, 

the period before these young ones came in I had 35 kids working in my Beginning 2-D class.

Check out and set up for something on this scale like feltmaking 

takes at least 15 minutes for each child,

clean up at least 10 minutes.

So in a 55 minute class the kids actually only get to work for a total of 30 minutes.

When I yell clean up,

there is a big collective groan because the kids are just starting to get into what they are doing,

and it's really hard for them to stop and put things away.

Even worst,

this school year we only have Mondays and Thursdays that are regular 55 minute classes.

Tuesdays are only 45 minutes long so that teachers can collaborate the last hour of the day,

and Wednesdays and Fridays are 50 minutes long 

so that every teacher can be in their room for half an hour after lunch 

to give personalized help for kids who are struggling.

We get a 10 minute snack and a 30 minute lunch,

barely enough time,

 with not enough restrooms,

 for the entire school to eat and take care of business.

The other day I had my Fitbit on 

and I walked 5 1/2 miles and took 12 thousand steps from 7:30 a.m.to 2:55 p.m.

between my classroom, the office and the restroom.

I told my husband recently I feel like a chicken with my head cut off,

almost running from place to place to be ready for these children,

to get all the prep work done,

and then to teach them each step of the way.

And at the end of each day,

to pick up all the still useable tidbits off the floor,

to put up the stools and chairs that were forgotten to be put up, 

to straighten up the checkout counters & my desks,

to double check that all outlets are unplugged from irons, potters wheels, etc.,

the list is so long.

So you wonder,

how many calories did I burn that one day?

2100 ish.

Not enough ha ha,

I still have to hit the gym.

YUCK!

I just want to get out of my car when I get home from work and lay down and take a nap.

But oh no,

I have to make at least 2 stops everyday on my way home 

for art supplies for the next day's lessons.

Almost everything we use is consumable or breaks or gets lost

and has to be replaced.

But then I just look at those sweet faces,

the extreme concentration,

the beautiful results and creative energy going on,

and it renews me EVERY SINGLE DAY!

DAMN I LOVE MY JOB!!!!!!

WAY TOO MUCH FUN

3-D HANDMADE FELT CONSTRUCTIONS

BEGINNING 3-D ART

dyed wool rovings, warm soapy water, bits & pieces of this and that, embroidery w/ perle cottons

 & misc. embellishments

Oh my, 

this is a super fun unit.

Lots of barnyard smells going on as the kids learn the age old technique of feltmaking.

The prep before the actual felting was a glorious riot of colors.

And then there was the actual felting experience.

The kids got soaking wet as they worked the warm soapy water into the wool.

We do this outside because of the bubbly wet mess it makes everywhere.

hee hee

Here are a few of the felted pieces before I put them into my washing machine 

to shrink them down even further.

Some close-ups.

And now onto the finished products.

I'm starting with senior Karen Long who made these adorable children's shoes.

These were a class favorite.

I always have thrift-ed antique laces & dollies for the kids to incorporate into their projects.

If you look closely at their felts you will see some that are embedded within the layers of wool.

Next we have was this little cutie by 8th grader Elliana Lee,

another class favorite.

Is it a whale/mouse?

I just want to pet it. 

 So tactile and sweet..

Several of the young ones made their pieces into journals.

Here we have 8th grader Malia Pulido above 

&

below,

junior Insha Khan.

Beautiful pieces girls with a lot of effort being put into the embroidery!!

And here's another sweet one by junior Helen Park.

Have you noticed that all these students have learned about visual flow?

Every embellishment they add should flow with their colors they chose to put into the wool.

They are graded on this for every assignment.

From above to below for Ms. Deliana Park,

English teacher.

She created a pouch from her very pretty piece of felt.

(note Ms. Hall how Deliana likes the same colorways you do)

One of my favs was this stuffed star by senior Charity Lizardo.

Just really loved how the colors came together in the felt (a lot of cool swirling going on),

how she allowed her seams to show 

& of course the cute buttons at the end of each ray.

Delightful!

And 8th grader Sydney Eng made this very elegant & sophisticated clutch.

And then another of my favorites was this journal by senior Hapshiba Kwon.

I hope you took your journal with you to college Hap,

and are writing your heart out inside it.

Love to all of you,

I miss you guys.