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Felt flower how-to

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Finally got started on some crafting with the felt I purchased from Giant Dwarf. I can't decide yet if it's going to be a barette or a brooch. It's been quite a while since I've handled a needle and thread, so I'm definitely going to need more practice to keep my stitches more uniform. Here's the breakdown of the steps:

1. Cut your "petal" shape out of paper and trace onto your fabric. I'm using 5 petals, but I think 6 would be cute as well.

2. Pinch the ends together and stich straight through both sides.

3. Repeat with all remaining "petals" until they are all strung together.

4. Tightly pull thread and sew stitch through layers to finish off the flower.5. Optional -- cut some leaf shapes and stich edges with a straight stitch for visual interest.

6. Sew the flower to your leaves and Voila! Now pin back or barette?

Fabulous Felt

I love working with felt. My first experience with this material was in college when our textiles instructor had us make it from scratch from wool through a process of hot water and stomping which looked a lot like a grape harvest, but that's another story. One of my favorite felt artisans is Giant Dwarf. Her designs are lovely as well as being eco-friendly by using recycled and sustainable materials. I first saw Sue's work last year when I styled a Fall Hats photo shoot for a magazine I freelance for. The photo below shows her Rosette Fascinator which is near the top center of the image.

© Mark Wagoner Productions

© Giant DwarfHere's a closeup of the fascinator. It also comes in several other color combinations. In addition to selling beautifully designed headgear, Giant Dwarf also sells Fancy Felt. You can pick individual 9 x 12 pieces or a batch of felt that's been coordinated into color themes. Mine came today and I'm ready to get started on some Christmas crafting. I purchase the "Candy Land Collection" which does look rather tasty.

image by charming ink

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Steampunk Costume Divas

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If you haven't heard of steampunk yet you're missing out. It's origins started out as sub-genre of science fiction and it's moved it's way over to fashion. Think of it as an edgy mix of Victorian romance, goth, gypsy with an industrial age nod.

The fusion belly dance troupe Torque recently unveiled a new choreography with costumes to match. These ladies make every bit of their costuming by hand! We're talking pleats, ruching, fringe and more—literally hours of sewing goes into each costume. Here are few detail photos of some of their handiwork.

Color inspiration at the zoo

Earlier in the summer I was lucky enough to go to the San Diego zoo and see some wildlife up close. This particular peacock seemed to be putting on show for we humans rather than the other lady peahens. His gorgeous display of feathers is today's color palette inspiration. Here are the web safe and cmyk color breakdowns:

Turquoise: 0CF0F8  |  C:57  M:0  Y:12  K:0

Peridot: 87CF32  |  C:52  M:0  Y:100  K:0

Cobalt: 234493  |  C:100  M:86  Y:7  K:0