Start at the first link and work your way through,
or skip around to find what interests you most!
Needle Felting on a Budget! Part 1 – The Base
Needle Felting on a Budget! Part 2 – The Color
Needle Felting on a Budget! Part 3 – The Tools
Needle Felting on a Budget! Part 4 – The Face
Needle Felting on a Budget! Part 5 – Final Details
Posted by wildlandpixie on July 28, 2016
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/felting/
Making Horns and Claws is the final piece to making a dragon, or any fierce creature. After quite a bit of Pinterest research, I luckily noticed a photo from the blog Desert Mountain Bear about making Bear Claws. This was exactly the spark I needed to send me out with a coupon for Sculpty Clay to bake into horns & claws!
The wings for these dragons have caused me no end of trouble. I’ve tried beading wire, sewn fabric wings, glued fabric wings, purchased sheets of felt, wet felted flat pieces, dry felting flat pieces. In the end it was felting my own flat pieces in the coordinating color that worked the best. I roll some fluffing up and CAREFULLY begin felting it into itself. When I’ve got a shape that will fit into the wing, I felted the piece into the wing, along the edge of the already felted chenille stem base. This is where I still hurt myself with sharp barbed felting needles, but what is a dragon with no wings? The sacrifice is worth it!
One of the dragons I’ve made, for more photos click here: Drogon
Posted by wildlandpixie on June 24, 2016
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2016/06/24/needle-felting-on-a-budget-part-5-final-details/
Felted eyes can be gorgeous, but sadly I don’t have that skill. On a happier note, I adore the look of basic black doll eyes! I order them from amazon in a mixed set of 2mm, 3mm, and 4mm. I also use black glass 5mm eyes. The important thing to have when using these types of eyes is a good awl, I use a nice comfortable rubber awl. Simple craft glue is enough to hold these eyes into place.
I also love the detail which can be achieved using glass eyes. I’ve tried a range of sizes and thickness when it comes to glass eyes, most have been frustrating to work with. I finally discovered LOW Domed 10mm Glass Cabochons, they ship from Malaysia, but they are worth the wait! For the design of the eye simply print out anything on photo paper and put it behind the cabochon! For these eyes I use craft glue to adhere the photo to glass, then Goop to attach the eyes to the dragon.
I had the amusing idea to add eyelashes to some of my dragons. Rich in time, but low in cash I searched through the reviews of amazon’s cheapest fake eyelashes, and discovered this gem: Natural Long and Thick False Eyelashes. I cut them into shape. For a large dragon, I just cut them in half, using one half for each eye. On a crazy whim I also bought these Mini Lashes (found them cheaper at Walgreens), which are just the right size for small dragons! I use a tiny amount of craft glue behind the eyes to hold them in place.
After choosing eyes and getting them glued in the right locations, the mouth and nose are simple by comparison. Use a “Fine” needle, a size 36 or up, to shape a mouth and nose wherever suits your fancy!
One of the dragons I’ve made, for more photos click here: Vixen
Posted by wildlandpixie on June 23, 2016
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2016/06/23/needle-felting-on-a-budget-part-4-the-face/
There are many sizes of needles, and they each have different uses. I’ll leave it to my fellow WordPress blogger over at The Felting Shoe to explain the specifics: Felting Needles 101
My favorites are a “Coarse” needle, sized 34, for making the body and applying the color. Then I go over the whole thing with a “Fine” needle, sized 36 or 38. I started with a basic set of Fine & Course felting needles from Michaels. I wrapped masking tape around the top tip of the coarse needles to keep them distinct from the fine needles. Eventually I invested in a set of Specialty Needles, but most often I still use the needles from my first pack of basics.
IMPORTANT NOTE! When I first started felting I attempted to use two or three needles at a time, in the misguided theory that would get the project done quicker. Don’t go down this road! It’s painful!! All I ended up doing was stabbing myself bloody. When you use a single needle you have more control, and you can stab deeper into the form of the project, which is actually what gets the project done quicker. Also I don’t use a handle, those seem to be meant for flat wet felting, not 3D sculptures.
On the discussion of felting mats, I don’t use one. Some people buy premade mats. Some people use foam of various thickness. Sometime people fill simple cotton bags with rice to use on a table. I’ve tried foam, I’ve tried the rice bag, and I find it’s really mush simpler to hold your project. True, you may get jabbed more this way, but only until your muscle memory kicks in, after which it quite rare to pierce yourself too hard.
One of the dragons I’ve made, for more photos click here: Morgan
Posted by wildlandpixie on June 22, 2016
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2016/06/22/needle-felting-on-a-budget-part-3-the-tools/
When I started needle felting I tried all kinds of fiber! I bought craft wool from Michael’s, I bought dyed wool roving from Etsy, I tried ordering it cheaper through Amazon, I even attempted to use real Alpaca. It was all difficult to work with, and ridiculously expensive. I was never going to be able to make this a permanent hobby with these prices!
I spent a couple hours 
researching different types of fiber people use for felting, yet it always came back to wool. Luckily right near the moment I was going to give up, I ran across a video of girl using a cat scratcher to shred regular yarn for use in needle felting. It was a eureka moment! I have boxes of yarn! I tried the method, and… it worked!! You really need to really put force into it, but I only use yarn now, because it has worked better than wool for every project I wanted to make. You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ILcYAXf_bg
On a side note: When my girls were young they misheard me when I was using pillow stuffing, so from then until now they call it “fluffing” and I can’t bring myself to correct them. In fact, the yarn shredded into acrylic fiber is so soft and fluffy, I’ve ended up calling it fluffing as well!
One of the dragons I’ve made, for more photos click here: Teagan
Posted by wildlandpixie on June 21, 2016
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2016/06/21/needle-felting-on-a-budget-part-2-the-color/
I read a lot of blogs and books about felting, and the base seems to be a much debated topic. Some say the base needs to be wool, other say you can use doll stuffing. Some say they use wire armature, other’s say wire is not required at all. Here is what I do, penny pinching the whole way…
Step 1.
Start with chenille stems, also known as pipe cleaners. I buy mine from any craft store that I can use a coupon to get them 40% off. It’s easier to cover them if the end color is similar. So for black or dark green creatures I use black stems, or for example if my finishing color is yellow I’ll use white stems. Really any color will do, because we plan to cover it up! Bend the fuzzy wire into the basic bones of any 3D sculpture you wish to create (it’s okay if it’s super flimsy), then move on to step two.
Step 2.
You can use original Poly-fil brand Fiber Fill, however I prefer the very slightly more expensive doll stuffing: Poly-fil brand, “Crafter’s Choice, Dry Polyester Packing”. A word of caution, if you get pillow stuffing that is too luxury it will NOT function at all as a core. Wrap some of the stuffing around your wire base, and start felting it into itself. This will work with any needle, but a single course needle, sized 36 or 36star, will perform best.
Step 3.
Use a sharpie to mark out patterns before you start, then adding colored fiber is as simple as shading in a coloring page!
OPTIONAL:
Magnets & Glue
I primarily make shoulder dragons, so I use Goop to glue two super strong Earth Magnets to the bottom of the dragon. I’ve tried several glue options, and Goop is the only one to hold up to actual use. For the wearable invisible shoulder base I sew a metal washer (from Home Depot), into a muslin cotton cover. To wear the dragon simply take the small cloth base and slip it just barely out of sight along the top of your shoulder under your clothing. Tighter clothing will hold the base in place better. Place the dragon on top of the base, the magnets will attach to the base. Play around with the placement of the base in a mirror until the dragon sits upright. When removing it’s best to slide it off, rather than pull.
One of the dragon styles I’ve made is below, for more photos click here: Toren
Posted by wildlandpixie on June 20, 2016
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/needle-felting-on-a-budget-part-1-the-base/
Of all my felted shoulder creatures, this butterfly is easily one of my very favorites!! The idea for it came through my very bright brother in law Ryan. He picked the colors orange & red for the wings, and I added the colors to the tail. What a wonderful collaboration project!!
You can buy one like it at my Etsy Shop here: Dragons From The Woodland Realm
Posted by wildlandpixie on January 8, 2016
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2016/01/08/felting-the-butterfly-dragon/
I prefer natural light in a bathroom, especially when in the shower. There is something soothing about showering with the bright lights off, and just a touch of natural light.
Since my new apartment doesn’t have natural light in the bathroom, I had the idea to hang led lights, but could not figure out where. I turned to Pinterest to see how other people had hung lights in their bathroom, but all I could find was someone had hung lights in the window behind their tub, along the curtain rod… and then I had an idea!
I got a string of regular white led lights, and looped them around the shower curtain rod, between the shower curtains to protect them from water. Then I hung the power pack from a robe hook outside the shower, high up on the wall, and use rechargeable batteries for it.
I’ve been enjoying my soothing ‘shower lights’ for months!
Posted by wildlandpixie on August 28, 2015
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2015/08/28/lights-in-the-shower/
Click to see details
Posted by wildlandpixie on August 27, 2015
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2015/08/27/tryptich-wall-art/
To make cloth napkins I went super simple.
One side flannel, cotton muslin on the other.
Sewed them together, leaving a hole to turn.
Turned them right sides out, ironed them all.
Sewed around the edges, including the hole.
Done!!
Posted by wildlandpixie on August 26, 2015
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2015/08/26/cloth-napkins/
I really really wanted a very small rug to protect the carpet in between the front door and the shoe rack. Since I had some leftover fabric from the placemats I decided to try a blog post I’d read a while ago on I am Momma Hear me Roar, and seemed super easy.
Although, I simplified it even more. I sprayed the fabric with the last of the “Thompson’s WaterSeal FabricSeal”, let it air out a good two weeks, then duc taped it to the rubber mat we’d bought by the foot at Home Depot. Done! Easy! No spray adhesive, no Polyurethane, and it seems to be working just fine!
Posted by wildlandpixie on August 25, 2015
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2015/08/25/hall-rug/
I was torn on if I wanted placemats, they are a fun way to add color to room, but they get messy so quickly. After the table was refinished I knew I wanted them to protect the table, and had the great idea to make cloth ones so I could easily wash them when they got too gross! I picked out a fabric with a gorgeous pattern, got it home, and then noticed that it says “Dry Clean Only” on the side! Sad! I’d read about something called “Thompson’s WaterSeal FabricSeal” to make fabric water resistant, so I decided to go ahead with using them, and just hope for the best. If they got dirty we could wipe them clean, in theory.
I cut out the shape I wanted, guided by the pattern of the fabric, and while watching a VERY funny British comedy called Miranda I folded the edge over and ironed it down with “Heat’n Bond Iron-On Adhesive” tape. LOVE that stuff! They turned out nice, let’s see how long they last….
Posted by wildlandpixie on August 20, 2015
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2015/08/20/placemats/
I knew I wanted to make my seat cushions, but all the patterns I found looked complex, so I decided to wing it. I bought chair cushion foam while it was on sale half off, whew for sales! Got the fabric I was most attracted to in the upholstery section, already knowing that I wanted black and white. Then discovered after some measuring tape work and math that… I didn’t have enough fabric to cover the whole seat cushion, only enough to cover the top and sides! Oops, but never fear, I was already winging this, so I added some leftover cream flannel to the project and voila! I was back on track! I didn’t write measurements and notes like I usually I do, so here is the best I can remember:
-Cut the seat fabric into four even pieces
-Measured to see how much I was missing
-Cut the flannel to cover the gap
-Sew the two pieces into a tub of sorts, insert the foam
-Fold the edge up like wrapping a christmas gift
-Hand sew it closed, think I just used a whip stitch
-Repeat three more times!
Then we tried a tip we’d seen on pintrest about using Velcro to keep the cushion in place, some failed after only a week, so now they slide around slightly, but most of the Velcro worked, so they stay in place without ties! Yippee!!
Oh! And one more note, we sprayed the cushion fabric with “Thompson’s WaterSeal FabricSeal” to make them water resistant, and it had a horrible chemical smell that lingered for over a week. So next time I don’t think I would use the spray at all.
Posted by wildlandpixie on August 18, 2015
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2015/08/18/chair-cushions/
My hubby has got into the fun hobby of refinishing and painting furniture! He started with our dining room table. Sanding the top and re-staining it with a grey tinted stain, I didn’t know tinted stain existed! I thought it only came in shades of wood brown!
After he did the table he was hooked, he bought me a filing cabinet to double as a side table…
We dragged this ginormous dresser home, and after a magical coat of paint it looks fabulous as a TV stand! The new curtains I made also help the transformation sparkle ;)
He even painted his tiny laptop foldout table, and he painted it to match the big table! Cute!!
Quick tip for re-staining furniture:
Don’t get an electric sander, they are expensive, hard to use, and leave little circles in your wood. Go for the rhythmic zen experience and hand sand.
Quick tip for re-painting furniture:
Instead of sanding, use a primer that adheres to just about anything, it’s called “Cover Stain”, then you can paint right over it!
You can find EVERYTHING else you might ever need to know on Pinterest, but here are a few great tutorials to get started, these are the ones that influenced us the most…
Sweetie Pie Style – staining a kitchen table
Two Twenty One – turning a dresser into a tv stand
Kicking Ass and Crafting – repainting a dresser
A Kitchen Table for Two – chevron stipe tutorial
Posted by wildlandpixie on August 17, 2015
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2015/08/17/our-new-dining-room-table/
I saw this AMAZINGLY CUTE and super easy free pattern for a celtic knot triangle at the blog Happy Berry Crochet, and knew I had to make one! And I knew just what to use it for! My daughters have my tiny hands, and they do a lot of the kitchen cleaning as part of their chores, I thought these would be perfect as little scrubbing pads for the counters, the table, the oven, you name it!
I ran out and bought some Sugar and Cream dish cloth yarn (with a coupon, of course), and proceeded to make a small army of these little celtic knots. They are way cuter than the square wash clothes I was making, and don’t take any extra amount of effort! YAY!
Posted by wildlandpixie on August 14, 2015
https://growsewhappy.wordpress.com/2015/08/14/celtic-triangles-crochet/
Grow Sew Happy 