{Needle Felting} Gigi the Giraffe

Meet Gigi the Giraffe! He stands about 7 inches tall and was a labor of love! :) Once again, this little critter was inspired by Jackie Huang's Woolbuddies.

His legs have wire in them so that they are bendable and it helps keep him stable so that he can stand on his own. Love this little guy so much - I may have to make him a friend!! <3 br="">

Thanks for looking!!

--Jules

I {heart} Needle Felting!

A girl can never have enough hobbies, can she?! Along with crochet, scrapbooking, jewelry making and my many other loves, needle felting is at the top of my list. I was originally inspired to needle felt thanks to the very talented author and illustrator (who happens to be a good friend of my sisters), Ashley Spires (check out her amazing books here)!! Ashley was a vendor at our local Flock and Gather Handmade Market (possibly the best handmade market EVER) and aside from showcasing her amazing books and original artwork, she had little needle felted finger puppets that were just to die for!! Being the crafty person that I am, I couldn't resist and asked her "How did you make these adorable things?" and being the crafty woman she is, she pulled out her raw wool and her barbed needle and gave me a 2-minute tutorial! Once I saw the process, I had to try it, so off to my local Wool Emporium I went and I have never looked back! 

This is Suki. His character was inspired by Jackie Huang's Woolbuddies Sea Turtle.

Some of my first creations were a little crude, but the great thing about needle felting is that you can keep poking until your creation takes the shape you want. And you can always add a little more wool. :) Also, you need no pattern - just an idea or picture in your head and you just poke until you get the results you desire! It is also a great way to get out any pent up frustration (nothing like repeatedly stabbing raw wool to form shapes)! Note: the special barbed needled for felting are VERY, VERY sharp. I cannot tell you how many times I have poked myself a good one!! Won't stop me though...

These are a few of my felting needles (the holder is quite handy) and what the wool looks like before you poke it into shape.

When I had my bunion surgery last October, my sister (always nurturing my creative side) brought me the most fantastic book - Jackie Huang's Woolbuddies.  I have made many of the amazing little critters in this book (including Simon & Fredric) and cannot wait to make more. :) If you are new to felting, or want to try it out, I would highly recommend this book as it not only showcases some of the cutest critters around, but there are lots of great tips and techniques outlined within.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments!  And happy crafting!!

--Julie

Chunky Crochet Baskets

I always need baskets/containers to tote things around and when I saw this pattern on Pinterest, I HAD to make one (or three...)! I made a few modifications to the pattern - found here.

You can use any kind of chunky yarn - I used the roving wool from Martha Stewart Crafts. It has a rating of 5 - Bulky, but to make the baskets a little thicker/sturdier, I used two strands at a time. I also used an 11.50mm hook, as I crochet quite tight. Gauge is not important here, so do what works for you. :)

Also, instead of working in the back loop only on rows 9 & 13, I continued working through both as I normally would and changed up my color as I felt like it. On my Navy/Purple and Aqua/Gray baskets, I did the recommended 6 rounds on the bottom. On the Coral/Mint basket, I did 8 rounds. It doesn't hold its shape quite as well as the smaller ones, but it sure does hold a lot of yarn!!

Can't wait to make a few more!

Thanks for stopping by,
Julie

 

 

Time for a change!

Hello friends! It has been a LOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGGG time since I have paid much attention to this little blog of mine! Between my photography blog - Photo Jules, facebook and Pinterest, I haven't got around to posting much about my crafting. I used this blog primarily for scrapbooking in the past, but that is all about to change (for better or worse)! I still LOVE to spend time paper crafting, but my other crafty loves deserve some attention too! So, I will *try* to post pics and patterns of my crochet projects, some pictures of my felting and maybe a little Rainbow Loom and other crafts now and then. I am very excited to share some of my other passions here and I hope that you will enjoy it too!

Thanks for following me!
--Jules