sinterklaas has left for spain again, so that means christmas is just around the corner! oromono has some suitable seasonal gifts. i know that egg mercantile in amsterdam sells oromono, but i'm not sure if they have the christmas range available. isn't it just a nice idea to spruce up a scarf like this?
loads of sites i come across have giftguides on now and whenever i see something nice on them made of felt it seems to be from branch! branch is all about sustainable living and of course fits right in that category. i love the felt pebbles and i think i'm going to try to make them myself. when i did my felt workshop there was a lady who said she had made felted pebbles using an actual pebble which she cleaned and then covered in wool roving. the rest of the felting process was pretty much as usual: use warm water and a fatty (olive) soap and rub till all the fibers merge.
i was hunting the internet for christmas and hanukkah gifts this evening, since i'm always panicking at the last moment and i thought i'd get a head start this year. i decided to start with etsy, because it's a wonderful place for unique presents. anyway, it was there that i came across the seriously cool products by working class heroes. they make pouches made of felt and leather for laptops, ipods, sun glasses and more. and they'll even do custom sleeves if you send them the dimensions of your laptop.
it took me a while, but after a long absense i'm back again! i've not been sitting still, i've been sewing and i've done a felt workshop a couple of weeks ago. i can really recommend making your own felt, it's as much a therapeutic as creative thing to do. in februari there will be a follow up where we'll be making a seamless bag. i'll keep you posted on it. for other people who live in the rotterdam area: you might want to check out atelier het narrenschip yourself.
ok, back to the actual post: these poufs by flocks have done the rounds on the blog circuit, but i found them to good to pass up on. they're the brainchild of christien meindertsma and made from hand felted yarn from kyrgyzstan. together with a knitter, spinners and a graphic designer she uses these beautiful yarns to create poufs, knitted rugs and cute cardigans.
this is one of the funniest things i've seen in a while, knitted softies that are sure to make any kid cry! i was sent the link to this off the slightly warped website, but there is no mention on who made these and why. all i know is that i would love to have the bunny!
as i was browsing through the archives of one of my new favourite blogs six and a half stitches i came across a link for praha, a japanese company who make hand-made felt products. lovely designed flower corsages, hair pins, bookmarks, bags, purses and they even make a cute little mini bowling set. fuck it dude, let's go bowling...
another wonderful example of designers doing cool things with felt are these products from studio nynker based in soest in the netherlands. all the products (cap, bottle cooler, bag and tea cozy) are made from flat pieces of felt and by clever pattern making and sewing it together it gets its shape. speaking of sewing: i finished my skirt! it will make its premiere this thursday when i'll be wearing it to my sewing class. i'm really pleased with how it turned out, i'll post some pictures soon. next project will be a jacket which i bought a black quilted fabric for with stitched circles in green and for the lining the same colour green as the stitching. get on a sewing machine, it's so much fun!
more proof that this crafting craze is becoming huge are these wonderful pillows marcel wanders made for b&b italia. reminds me i bought this cute japanese book about quilting with a sewing machine...
it's not often you are truly impressed with a new company. once in a while you'll see some that make cool stuff, sometimes they'll have a special philosophy, but bholu seems to have it all. the company was started by australian designer jodie fried who designs all the products herself, but she employs ladies from the western gujarat region in india to hand embroider them. not for cheap labor, but to support these women so they can gain (financial) independence. what is also quite cool is that the children's products were made with drawings gujarati children made. cute idea to begin with, but even more when you realise that these kids would normally be working and have little time for things like drawing. the result is beautiful things made out of wool felt and silk embroidery that have a soul. it doesn't get much better than that!
just came across these cuties from otchi-potchi on etsy. i think i've seen a japanese craft book that has patterns for fabric booties, but somehow they look difficult to make! if making them will not be an option i might have to buy a pair of these to wear on the colder days, when flip-flops are not an option. this from the girl who'll wear a pair of flip-flops with socks around the house...
i saw the link to emily eibel's stitched works of art on design*sponge this evening. i had wondered before if it would be possible to machine stitch pictures on a regular sewing machine, but it looks quite difficult. of course i don't know how emily makes her pictures, but that's how i imagine it would be done. a really cool use of this technique i think!
i suppose everybody knows the uglydolls, but did you also know they do 2 foot (±60 cm) versions? how cool is that? i remember the first time i was in new york with my sister, years and years ago, she picked one up and since then i must have seen them everywhere i've travelled to. you see loads of lookalikes nowadays, but they still stand their ground!
these amazing bunnies are the work of dawn, who's a self proclaimed plush-a-holic. i'm not sure if that's a condition you have to go to a support group for, but her plushies sure look dangerous. it must be the combination of the eyes, the graphic patterns of the fabric and the strong shape. she sells her gorgeous creatures in her etsy store and although there are always enough bunnies to buy i always seem to lust most after the ones that are already sold. i guess i'll have to look more often!
