July Classes, Hand Spun Fabric Yarn & Hand Dyed Blueface Leicester Wool Roving

 July Classes at DunnSpunn, Crossville, TN

Paula Greene-Bowron, fiber artist

I will be teaching 'Beginner's Free Form Crochet' and 'Crocheting a Round Basket' on 07/27/2013, and I will also be available late Friday afternoon, 07/26/2013, for private lessons and/or a group lesson.

            SIGN UP TODAY! (931) 287-0594

Katelyn Dunn, fiber artist

 

Katelyn Dunn, fiber artist, will be teaching 'Birth of Art Yarn', 'Triangle Loom Weaving', 'Felted Clutch', and 'Felted Bauble Earrings'.

Sign up for these super fun fiber classes at DunnSpunn for July! 

(931)287-0594

Yesterday was a great day to stay inside and spin recycled fabric into rag yarn! Rag yarn can be used to make so many different things like rag rugs, crocheted baskets and bowls, jewelry, pillows, scarves, and so much more!

 

This is a crocheted necklace made from the rag yarn. Bright, colorful and so in style!! This one is SOLD, but I am busy making more! No two are alike so you won't meet yourself coming and going!

 

Yesterday was sooooo hot, it was also a good day to stay inside and practice microwave dyeing with food color and vinegar. The  Blueface Leicester wool roving is ready for felting or spinning. So soft! Some will be spun into art yarn, and I will wet felt some too.

 

Today is another hot and humid day, and a great day to stay inside and create something beautiful!

 

Perhaps I will finish my first in the series of 'Every Scrap Counts' designs. It's almost done and won't take very long to finish.

 Here is what it looks like right now. It will be put on canvas and become a wall hanging. I used all recycled 'scraps' from my ever growing stash of fabric, silk, wool, yarn, ribbons, lace, vintage trims & baubles. I also used fabric 'confetti' and found that it really makes a statement and gives such a wonderful texture to the design.

 

Stay cool and have a wonderful, creative day!

 

 

 

 

Recycled, Hand-Spun Fabric Rag Yarn

Nothing like a fresh bunch of hand spun, recycled fabric yarn to get the creative juices flowing! I spun these late last night and couldn't sleep with all the ideas running through my head of what I could make with them! I have huge piles of fabric strips, so I just chose the strips that stood out and were begging to be spun, and poof! here they are!

I used 1" strips and a ball of leftover acrylic yarn for the core. This is fun and relaxing and it saves the beautiful fabric scraps from ending up in the landfill. What a waste it would be! I recycle and then upcycle cotton and cotton blend fabric that I find at thrift shops and yard sales. Bed sheets are really good for this, but any fabric will work including those old blue jeans you have in the back of your closet. This is a necklace I crocheted using fabric yarn from a recycled dress that I didn't wear anymore. The fabric was a stretch knit in pink and black. I added a silver chain piece, and some beads and baubles that I had in my stash to accent the necklace.

How to make the fabric strips.

First, I machine wash and dry the fabric to help make sure the fabric will not shrink any more, and no dirt etc. in left in the fabric.

Then I use a rotary cutter to cut the fabric into 1/2-1" strips.

Next, I sew the ends together to get one continuous strip, and roll it into a loose ball.

After the strip is ready, I find a leftover acrylic or cotton yarn to use as a core, and start spinning! The core yarn gives the yarn body and also extra strength. When I am done spinning, I remove the yarn onto my niddy noddy, count the yards, tie and twist into a skein.

I use a large drop spindle that my talented brother made for me. All of the materials used were recycled from his workshop. 

Hope you give this a try. Let me know and I would love to see photos of your yarn creations! Just send me the photos with a little info about them and you, and perhaps I will post them on my blog!!!!

Have an awesome, creative day!

 

 

What To Make With All Those Wool Scraps Leftover from Felted Sweaters

I have huge amounts of wool scraps left over from upcycled felted sweaters that I can't bear to throw away, so I decided to sit down at my sewing machine and just start randomly sewing the scraps together. I tried not to worry about a pattern evolving or colors matching and I really enjoyed the freedom that doing free form brings to the psyche.

Every Scrap Matters

 

This is just a small pile of wool scraps in my vast collection of scraps! I used this basket of scraps for the pillow top I made.

 

I began changing thread colors and adding fancy stitch designs and just had fun. I also needle felted some beautiful wool roving and added wool hand spun and dyed wool yarn. I had bits of trims and a few bobbles that I also added. Here is how it turned out.

 

 

I made the back panel from a piece of cashmere from a felted sweater, and inserted a 14" pillow form. I still have to hand stitch the opening and it will be done!

 

I believe it is important to remember that just because they are called 'scraps', they are still very useful and beautiful and can be used to make amazing things! Making our world a little greener one scrap at a time.

 

Recycle - Repurpose - Re-Create - Upcycle - ReUse

 

I hope this gives you some inspiration on what to do with all of those little scraps laying around. Gather them together and make something awesome!

 

On The Road Again to Nashville and Crossville, TN. - Golf, then teaching a class on crocheting in the round!

My husband and I left Lexington early yesterday morning for Nashville, TN, our first stop on this journey. The weather was perfect, with bright blue skies and big white puffy clouds. On the way, I crocheted 2 new headbands with big dimensional flowers.

We arrived at our hotel, Four Points Sheraton, Brentwood, about 1:30pm. It is a beautiful hotel and the staff is exceptional. We felt right at home in no time. We ate lunch in the hotel restaurant and the food was amazing! I had the chicken, spinach wrap, and it was the best I have ever had. My husband had the burger with sauteed onions, mushroom and red bell peppers with french fries, and he also said it was the best burger he has ever had. The french fries were hand cut and the presentation was very pleasing. We met the executive chef and praised him for his flavorings. Dinner was also wonderful and they had a local musician playing and singing with his acoustic guitar. Very pleasant and an enjoyable evening. I highly recommend this hotel & restaurant if you are ever traveling to Nashville.

 

This is a gorgeous view from our 6th floor suite.

 

Today, I stayed at the hotel while Brian went to meet his caddie and play a practice round before the Senior Open Qualifier tournament tomorrow. His tee time is 8:40am, so we will be out of here very early. Fortunately, the hotel has a complete breakfast buffet every morning, so we fill up before we go.

 

I made 5 more headbands today, and also a few coffee cup sleeves. There is a very large picture window in our suite, and I have been sitting by it and enjoying the beautiful scenery as I crocheted. Here are some that I have made since leaving home yesterday.

 

 

Tomorrow will be spent at the golf course, and then we will continue our journey to Crossville, TN, where I will be demonstrating extreme knitting, and teaching a class Saturday afternoon  on crocheting in the round. We will be making a chair pad with fabric strips and an extreme crochet hook. Everyone in the class gets a free pattern, and a 15% coupon good on the hand crafted wood crochet hooks. It will be lots of fun! There is still time to sign up for the class.

This is where I will be teaching Saturday: Dunn-Again Shabby Chic, 1771 Peavine Road, Crossville, TN. (931)287-0594

Check out this headband on KnitnHook Studio on Artfire!

How To Keep A Rug Flat when Crocheting in the Round

I finished this large crocheted rag rug today so I could get it listed in my eBay store, The Fiber Queen. The rug is almost 4 foot across and is done in neutral colors with highlights of green, reds, blues, and yellows.

This rug lays perfectly flat. The secret to keeping it flat is to lay it on a table or floor, and as you crochet you will be able to see if it starts to get wavy or starts turning into a bowl shape.

If it starts to get wavy, do only one crochet per stitch. If it starts to turn up and into a bowl shape, it means that you will need to increase stitches (2 half double crochets in each stitch). With a little practice you will learn this process and be able to keep your rugs flat.

 

 

I purchase new and gently used fabrics and sheets, wash them, and then rip them into 1-1 1/2" strips. Oh, if you try this, please cut off the hems of the sheets first before ripping the strips. Save them for another project.

 

I used a big, size P crochet hook, and worked a half double crochet throughout. You can also use single and double crochet depending on how dense you want the rug to be.

 

 

They are so much fun to make and they can be used in any room in the home. You can make them in any colors you like and in any size. When the rug gets as big as the space you want to use it in, just finish the round you are working on and tie off and weave in the ends.

 

 

I hope you give this rag rug a try. You can change the look of the room with colorful throw rugs.

 

P.S. Pets love these too!

 

If you have any questions, please let me know.

 

Happy hooking!

Notes From A Fiber Artist-Spinning-Crochet-Art Batts & more!

Art Yarn Batts by Katelyn Dunn, fiber artist.
She adds a little Bamboo, Silk, curls & of course a little sparkle!
This makes her batts very unique!

Happy Friday and YEAH! for the coming weekend!!! What are your plans for the weekend? I will be spinning and crocheting all weekend....except for the trip to the grocery store, yarn store, and you know, any other store I may stop at. :)

Today I want to tell you what I have been working on this week. On our way back from TN on Tuesday, I stopped at 3 thrift shops and bought 20 wool, acrylic, and cotton sweaters to take apart for the yarn. To me this is a very relaxing project to do in the evening when watching my favorite show or movie. I will be offering the yarn for sale on eBay, and of course I will keep some for myself. I use this yarn for my free-form crochet projects.

I bought quite a few art batts from my favorite fiber artist, Katelyn Dunn, from Dunn-Again,  in Crossville, TN, and I can't wait to get them all spun into bulky yarn. She makes the most beautiful, colorful, fun batts that I have ever seen, and I always stock up when I'm there. While I was there, Katelyn taught me to Navajo spin, and I have been having fun with that.

Katelyn Dunn, fiber artist, demonstrating plying on the spinning wheel. This show was held Memorial Day weekend at Fairfield Glade, TN.

On Sunday, I demonstrated extreme knitting with my 2" in diameter and 4 foot long Poplar knitting needles, hand crafted by Steven 'Rusty' Hart.

I have also been making rag rugs from fabric strips. I love making these, and they are all over my house, and my cat loves them too! They are strong and durable and will last for years with the proper care. Just toss them into the washer and wash as you would a sheet, and machine dry. Easy care!

I am making the rag rug in the photo about 5 foot in diameter and it will go in my kitchen. It will really add a splash of color!

I will be doing tutorials on finding, and preparing fabric for crocheting in the near future. Also, on crocheting in the round.

I will be teaching a class at Dunn Again on making a round chair pad that can be increased to a rug size. We will be using a hand crafted, 1" in diameter extreme crochet hook.

The class is Saturday, June 22, 2013, at 2:00. It is a one hour class and enough fabric yarn will be included to make one chair pad. I will also have the 1" crochet hooks available to use in the class. The class will be 1 hour and the fee is $45.00.

Contact me if you are interested, and I will add you to the class list. There is a limit of 10 spaces, so sign up early as they fill up fast! You can contact me at love2workathomewife@gmail.com , or you can call the store, Dunn-Again, at (931)-287-0594. Kelley or Katelyn will be happy to add you to the class and give directions if needed.

Have a great weekend! If you have any questions, please let me know! You can contact me anytime at love2workathomewife@gmail.com.

Fiber hugs!
Paula