Rose Mille

Pin Cushion with Simplicity's Felting Machine

I am a natural fiber snob. Some people have annoyingly called me a purist. Ninety nine percent of the time I am using cotton, silk, wool or linen. I prefer stitching over gluing, and I have a hard time with printed fabric trying to look as if it were woven.

I recently discovered a machine that works with wool's natural ability of "felting" to itself. Since I love to work with wool felt in hat making; steaming, stretching and smoothing the fibers into shape is quite gratifying. Wool blankets as felt material is also a lot of fun for me. Hence my wool flower pins and kit. So when I first saw this machine that actually uses just the needles action, without thread or glue, I was intrigued so say the least. 

My first project, (that I am going to actually write about) is making a pin cushion out of wool blankets that have already been "felted" and an old canning jar lid.

First I cut out a circle, 5 leaf shapes and a 5 petal flower out of blankets.

Without pinning, the leaves are "felted" onto the blue circle. There are 12 needles poking through all layers, causing the wool fibers to "felt" together.

All the leaves are now attached to the circle.

This is what it looks like on the back, see the green fibers coming through!  This gives me an idea.

But first, I attached the white flower, but "felting" only the center. I want the petals to be loose.

Great, it worked!

Now back to that idea; I flipped the circle over and felted the leaves from the back side and look what happens!

{so exciting!}

Darn, I wish I would have done the back felting before I attached the flower, but I worked around it and it came out great. 

I wonder..........

Wow!  Look what happened when I felted the flower from the back.  A blue center! Next time I will take pictures while felting the back , yes - I have three hands.

{so easily amused}

Now, make a running stitch all around the edge of the circle with strong thread, gather up, stuff and stitch closed. Grab the canning jar lid and apply some Fabri-Tac, by Beacon and insert into the lid.

Stitch on a pearl button, tie a bow with some of the french ribbon you have laying around and poke in some corsage pins. Wala!!

I'm thinking about putting some embellishments on some sweaters with this nifty machine.

xo

mi

 

CHA and "Art of Craft" Events Review

The weather was amazing, the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) trade show was super and French General's "Art-of-Craft" was inspiring. Even the side stops, and impromptu hat workshop proved to be just what we needed, in the middle of a whirlwind 10 days in LA.

{But it is soooo nice to be back home!}

Truffle Box (with a view) Workshop at "Art of Craft"

{Hi Jackie!}

A view in our pared down booth at CHA.

My view while lounging at Laguna Beach.

Love this floor lamp viewed in the window at "Gilding the Lily" in Fullerton.

{Heart}

Antiques shopping in Orange, one of my favorite shops, "Down Home Antiques".

{couldn't work in the word "view"}

 

Blocked hats drying in the sun at French General.

{Someone please take the chair!}

 

So now what?

xo

mi

 

 

A Change of Venue for the Hat Workshop

Breaking News!!!

I am teaching the straw hat workshop on Saturday, February 4th from 1:00 to 4:00 at French General, in Los Angeles, California!

If you are in the area, and want to sign up, go to frenchgeneral.com or call (323) 668-0488

Do it now!

Run!

xo
mi

Pretty Straw Hat Workshop!

Spring always comes early in California, so my first hat workshop of the year is going to be held at my dear friend Cathy Mogull's casa in Carpenteria,  Summerland Mercantile. February 4th, 2012.

This is my uber popular, basic blocking millinery class for everyone. We will block the crown on a mold that fits your head, stitch in an inner ribbon to keep the size, slip a wire in the brim and trim with ribbon and vintage flowers. Everything is included in the class price to finish your hat.

I've heard rumors we may have some surprise students showing up....

Please join us!

xo

mi

 

French General's "Art of Craft"

California here I come! It's been too too long since I have been in the Golden State where I grew up, but in January I will be visiting the Los Angeles area, showing at the CHA (Craft and Hobby trade show) with our business Rose & Meyer. While I am there I have been invited to teach a really fun workshop at Kaari Meng's "Art of Craft" event at her shop "French General"!

Bob is busy in his workshop making custom boxes to cover with your choice of vintage wallpaper, or maybe some of Kaari's new French General line of papers.

We will be making a shadow box of the lid, where you will assemble a collage with vintage Millinery flowers, buttons, charms, old photo's, and other ephemera. Freeze it in time behind a sheet of glass trimmed with German paper Dresden borders.   A box to fill with truffles, or anything your heart desires, just in time for Valentines day.

{hey where are the truffles?}

But check it out, I think it's worth the trip to Cali right in the middle of the bitter winter. Especially coming from  Stillwater. I cannot think of anything I would rather do.

{well, except for the chateau in France}

Kaari has a three day weekend in store, topped off with a Soiree with visiting creative Diva; Jo Packham. I can't wait to catch up with Anna Corba, Charlotte Lyons, Pam Garrison, and Molly Meng who are teaching workshops as well as Kaari herself!

For more information and to sign up, click on the "Art of Craft" picture above and read on!

xo

mi

 

Finding Yarna

Was I 5 or 6 when I made Yarna? I cannot remember. But I do remember seeing other little girls with dolls made out of yarn, and I do remember thinking "I could make that". Even at a very early age, I had the idea that I could make it, instead of bugging my parents for the money to buy it.

Apparently my color options were limited, obviously that was not my concern here. I was more interested in the technique, which, as you can see, I improved upon as I went.

From what I remember, Yarna even had furniture made from cut up shoe boxes and scotch tape, which did not hold up as well as she did over the years. Hmmm....evident in how well we survive natural disasters better that houses and furniture sometimes, because we are more flexible? But of course under normal circumstances, usually houses and furniture out-last us.

Last year, when my sister's visited me they wanted to know if I still had Yarna, which began a year long search. But alas....she is found and captured in film no less.

{okay electrons}

 

xo

 

mi

 

Happy Happy Day!

{September 5}

My day started out with taking a chance on the scale and winning! By making some easy changes the pounds are slowly falling off.

Then a surprise brunch guest bearing gifts stopped by, it was great to visit with Megan, especially now that she spends her days else ware........

:-(( 

After we dined on the amazing omelet that Bob made for us, I got to do my favorite thing. . .

{create in my studio}

But only for an hour before I dashed downtown to Rose Mille, bringing in my latest creations.

 



Only to return home for BBQ Salmon, and chocolate cake.

{yum}

This morning, (not my birthday) started out a little different. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But in my case "sometimes you lose, sometimes you ...

{GAIN}

It was worth it Mom - great chocolate cake and ice cream!

xo

mi

 

Lauren Laliberte - Artist

Lauren Laliberte has been frequenting Rose Mille for some years now and every time she comes in she brings her gracious spirit and generosity. She usually finds something that inspires her to create. On one such trip she found feathers and flowers, and created this adorable fasinator headband.

She also replaced the fabric of a tattered Victorian purse with some vintage and new upholstery fabrics she found in our stashes. I have personally used both of these fabrics in projects, and it is really fun to see them in a new way.

 It's amazing what can be done with pieces of this and that.

{My dining room chairs are covered with the green fabric.}

 

xo

mi

 

 

Shasta Feltman - Artist

It has come to my attention that there are artists making amazing things with materials they purchased from Rose Mille. Yes, I suspected that this was going on many times as I measured out yards and yards of silk ribbons and vintage trims, I might even ask;"So what are you making?". With oooh's and aaaah's and a promise to share pictures, it is rare that I actually get to see these works of art.

{Until now}

One such conversation was with an adorable artist; Shasta Feltman, who has a wonderful blog called the Traveling Cabinet. You see she often goes to amazing places, that I haven't even dreamed of going to and she writes about it. Some are near and some are far.

{One thing I noticed about Minnesotans is that they travel.}

And while she is at home, she makes things.

{Of course}

She makes simple yet elegant vintage inspired clutch bags with a light modern touch.

Shasta often uses materials and trims she gets from my shop Rose Mille, such as a vintage hankie, a length of grosgrain ribbon, millinery flower or button.

{LOVE it}

To read more about Shasta visit her blog; The Traveling Cabinet, and purchase a clutch or two at her Etsy shop.

xo

mi

 

The Straw Hat Workshop - Bloom 2

Such talent, such skill! Watch out world a new batch of Milliners is upon you.

A dozen women spent a perfect Saturday afternoon making hats, while the sky's were raining out-doors. But as they made their way home, the sun shone on their new chapeaus.

We sprayed, we shaped, we stitched and we trimmed. Everyone started out making the same hat, but no two were alike in the end.

 

 

 

I love it when women get together to create, (men are welcome too)! I have found that no matter where you go in this small world, that when we get together to create, we are all at our best and everything is right in the world.

For a few hours anyway. 

And we all lived to see the sun rise another day.

{Yes, I am looking at the calendar to schedule another workshop, stay tuned.}

xo

mi