Helter skelter vase

This felt wrapped vase reminds me of the helter-skelter rides I used to go on at the fair when I was a little girl. I can still feel the excitement of climbing up the dark interior and the prickly coconut mat they gave you at the top before you whooshed down the smooth metal slide.

I felted a thin layer of lilac wool directly onto the bottle, until it just started to hold together, then, still wet,  I wrapped a strip of Sellotape in a spiral around it all.  Over this I layered some white Icelandic wool, and felted it using my hands and bubble wrap.
When it has sufficiently shrunk around the bottle, I could feel where the sellotape resist was, and snipped along it with sharp scissors, and pulled it out. I pushed back the cut edged as it dried to reveal the lilac under felt.
It looked a bit plain, so I decorated with toning beads.

Miniatures

I am back in Belgium after a wonderful August in SW France.

I am thrilled and excited that a few people have started to follow this blog, and leave comments. I am beginning to realise that there is a whole community of felters around the world, many of whom blog, and we can all share and encourage each other.I've also joined http://feltingforum.com

Penny from Fibrefrolics suggested that I make some brooches based on the seedhead cards I did earlier  , so I did. I made some tiny sunset landscapes - about 4cm x 6cm,  

and then decorated them with machine embroidery, using black and metallic thread. 

I have also discovered that you can draw designs on watersoluble vilene, use that as a guide for free machine stitching,  then just dissolve it away - magic.

I think these are fun, and will sew brooch pins on the back.