Distressed

 I've been down at La Vieille Bergerie, our special hideaway in la France profonde. My friend Ann showed me how to paint and distress crummy old bits of furniture and make them look great, and I am hooked! This cabinet was a hideous brown and had obviously been used to store paint in a garage. I picked it up for a few euros at a roadside sale. I sanded the worst off, and painted it. Used fine wire wool to distress it, and then rubbed on dark wax to give it a "French" colour. Buffing it up and seeing the lovely patina appear is the best bit.

This was an ugly old cupboard that someone was throwing out. After treating the woodworm I did the same paint and wax job.

But the inside was horrible - until I had the idea of lining it with toile de jouy, which I cut into panels, hemmed and tacked on. Very satisfying to make something from nothing. 

Poppies again

I needed another card, so made this small piece of felt.To make the poppy red I blended together some red and yellow wool.( I don't actually have carders, so use old dog brushes instead!)   I roughly needlefelted the background, with some red and blue blobs for poppies and cornflowers, then wet felted it gently. When dry, I used free motion machining to add stems, grasses and to define the flowers. 

Cherry blossom

I made this a while ago - my first attempt at a wall hanging. I lightly wet felted the background, then needle felted on the black Japanese-style tree silhouette. The cherry blossom flowers were cut out from a separate piece of wet felt - darker pink on the back side. I attached them with a cluster of seed pearls at the centres.

I am not really happy with the streaky background. 

Those are pearls ...

I made this watery piece a while ago. I was experimenting with layering strips of plastic resist in the wool before felting, and then cutting along those lines to reveal the middle layers of dark blue wool. I stitched pearls into the cut back sections, inspired by the beautiful poem in the Tempest:

Full fathoms five thy father lies

Of his bones are coral made
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell.

I thought I might hang it from a piece if driftwood I found on the Suffolk coast.

Idea: If that's "water" perhaps make a matching piece, "earth" in hot earthy colours - browns oranges, and make the cut out in a rough spriral shape. Decorate with brownish seed things - star anise etc. 

Imperfect poppies

The composition of this one does not work, so I count it as another learning experience! I'd wet felted in a few red blobs for poppies. Them I added some french knots, and finally some machine stitching. Quite like the wobbly stems to the poppies. Wondering if I could add something else into bring the 2 clumps of flowers together...golden grass stems over it all?

Instant golden cornfield added! A bit better.

Now with French knots

I liked the little card so much, I tried it again.

Here is the little piece of felt ... a bit boring...

...to which I added machine embroidery, and tried out some french knots. I had no idea how to do them, and couldn't follow written instructions, but found a little video which made all clear. They are quite addictive!
Do they look more like dandelion seed heads?

There - I'm on a roll - I've made three now. 

Cow Parsley Card

I wanted to try out "doodling" with free-motion machine embroidery, so started with this very simple outline, to add texture to a small piece of felt (merino, with wisps of silk). The sunset is a bit cliched, but somehow the naive wobbly stitching  seems to add charm.  I highlighted the flowers in silver. It looked a bit dead at the bottom, so I stitched a couple of green grassy clumps. 

I like the way the stitching gives a quilted depth to the texture. I stitched it onto a card, which I think I will send to my sister.