WOYWW - wet felted backgrounds

Hello lovely reader! It's Wednesday once again, so time to share with you what's on my workdesk today.

Yesterday I was a very busy bee and wet felted several pieces of background felt for my larger 'dumflings' (that's needlefelted pictures for the uninitiated!)

This supply of wet felted backgrounds should be enough for ten pictures, which I'll probably free-machine embroider.

You can also see a peek of my large sheepy picture which I've been working on for several weeks now. Yesterday I free-machined the foreground and lightly felted some pinky purple detail to suggest foxgloves. I'm now at that dangerous stage where I may be tempted to add too much detail so I'm going to leave it for a while.

Here are some of the fabulous pieces of work that the lovely ladies of Teme Valley Embroidery Guild produced on my workshop at the weekend.

The Guild members gave me such a warm welcome and, with all their enthusiasm and skill, made the workshop a joy to run.

I've got a bit of a breather now until my next workshop on 25 June so I'm working on some new pieces. I'm stocking four shops now so I am totally out of stock! On Monday I set up my pitch at the latest outlet - The Bog Visitors Centre by the Stiperstones - a beautiful rugged landscape in south Shropshire.

Well that's all for today, I have a sleeping toddler so must make the most of the time and get cracking with these new background pieces.

Thanks for stopping by,

Happy crafting

Max x

WOYWW - keeping warm!

Hello all! It's a wild, wet and windy 'What's on your Workdesk Wednesday' today at Tilly Tea Dance Towers so we're keeping cosy in our living room. So today's workdesk photo is actually not the workdesk at all but my footstool!

So on my workdesk today you can see a small herd of 'dumflings', my little needle-felted and embroidered squares. I've had an order for a set of four so I've been busy making a good selection for my customer to choose from.

It's been a hectic week already and it's only Wednesday. I've been putting together the last bits and bobs for my workshop on Saturday where I'll get to share my love of needle felting and embroidery with eight lovely ladies. Will let you know how we all got on next WOYWW.

In between this I've been over to Connections in Pontesbury to set up my new display of my work. Connections has a lovely Local Artists department and I'm chuffed they wanted me to be part of it!

So that's it from me for this week. Thanks for stopping by my workdesk.

Happy crafting

Max x

WOYWW - Shropshire Hills

Hello and welcome to my weekly blog post, sharing an insight into what I'm currently working on, via 'What's on your workdesk Wednesday '.

This morning my desk is covered in goodies I purchased on a little day out yesterday with Twiglet and Ben.

You can also see a large pile of frames which are to mount all of those dumflings I made a few weeks ago.

I'm excited to say my work is about to go on sale at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, which has a fab exhibition space for local artists. I've been mounting work ready to display and making more sheepy pictures which really represent the Shropshire Hills theme.

I've also been busy this week preparing for my first workshop of 2016. Here's a shameless plug...

Finally I've been busy chasing a toddler round again now that Ben has had his plastercast taken off his leg. Other than a slight limp you'd never know he'd fractured it less than 3 weeks ago!

Thanks for stopping by to read my blog. If you've enjoyed reading about my workdesk, why not check out my gallery, workshops page and shop! And don't forget to hop on over to the Stamping Ground to meet dozens of other crafters busy at their workdesks!

Happy crafting x

WOYWW - The Shropshire hoard

Hello all and a warm 'happy December' to one and all this fine 'What's on your workdesk Wednesday'!

Firstly, forgive me for my absence last Wednesday. I took a sabatical to help mum (Twiglet) organise the sewing room following the arrival of new furniture and a huge hoard of craft stuff from storage. More about that later.

You're here to see my workdesk today aren't you? Here it is...

In the foreground are yet more little needle-felted backgrounds ready to work on, so there's lots to keep me busy on these long, cold winter evenings.

One day I'll get round to framing them all (but then I'll have nowhere to store them... note to self: must organise some exhibitions for 2016!) Did I just make a New Year's resolution already?!

To the right is a top secret project - a customer Christmas order- so I haven't been able to share it with you in full just yet. But here's a quick peek...

...or perhaps I should have said a quick squeak!

Now I explained earlier that I'd been helping sort Twiglet's sewing room last week. 'Can it really take a week?' I hear a few of you say. 'Can it only take a week?' I hear others chortle. Well it has...there was quite a hoard. I certainly owed Twiglet some help as much of my sewing time is spent there and a good portion of the crafting hoard that has been amassed is actually mine! The full horror of the task would be too grim to share with you, dear reader, so here's the edited highlights!

Needless to say, neither of us need any more crafting bits and bobs and we could both craft every day next year and barely make a dent in it! Did I just make another New Year's resolution there?!

That's all for today, thanks for stopping by. I'll swing by some WOYWW desks later on today and see what other WOYWWers have been up to.

Happy crafting x

WOYWW - Thank you!

Morning all, welcome to my regular Wednesday post.

I've been a busy bee this week, not just with sewing but also with building up my social media presence. More about that in a moment.

Here's my desk this morning...

A few more dumflings waiting to be beaded and mounted. Thanks for all your suggestions received last week for the ideal collective noun for dumflings. I do particularly like a 'snuggle' of dumflings!

Also on my desk is my latest hand embroidered card.

I will probably make a few more of these 'thank you' cards to send and sell but my main reason for making it was to say a big 'thank you' for all my new Twitter followers and Facebook likers/sharers! I know this includes some of you, dear readers - probably via Twiglet and Wipso who kindly liked and shared my Facebook page. I'm thrilled to say I've already taken some orders on the back of my Facebook page so I'll be busy making up these orders in time for Christmas!

Anyone interested in finding me on social media I am @tillyteadance on Twitter and my Facebook page is https://m.facebook.com/Tillyteadance or click here

My other little shares for today are a couple of photos I took of Shrewsbury this week, just before the wild and windy weather blew virtually all the leaves from the trees.

We're really lucky to have chosen to live in this town - these photos are taken from a bridge near my home which I cross every time I walk into town. Currently a family of swans and several goosanders spend much of their time under the bridge waiting for the town folk to feed them - something Benjamin enjoys to watch.

That's all for today, I've got lots of jobs to squeeze in today as the Husband and I will be spending our evening at a wine tasting event at Tanners, our local wine merchant! Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to swinging by lots of other WOYWWers desks later today.

Happy crafting x

WOYWW - Robins and dumflings!

Happy WOYWW to one and all! Thanks for visiting my regular blog about my needle-felting and embroidery activities.

Here's my workdesk this morning...

Did someone say Christmas is just round the corner? Well in that case it's a good job I am in the throws of making my Christmas cards this morning. I'm continuing on my mixed hand/free-machine embroidered theme with these cheeky robins...

This week I had a visit from a lovely customer looking for presents for some special people in her life. As regular visitors to my blog will know, I have been busy recently replenishing my dumfling stocks so I had plenty to show her! Fresh from a visit to Ikea for frames I mounted all my latest dumflings and set them out on display...

As you can see from my workdesk, I've still got loads of little dumflings to finish off (and a little man to entertain) so I'd best get cracking!

Thanks for visiting my workdesk, hop on over to Julia's Stamping Ground to meet dozens of other crafters busy at their workdesks!

Happy crafting x

WOYWW - new home celebrations

Hello all, welcome to my 'What's on your workdesk Wednesday' post. Bit late in the day as I've been for a long overdue hair cut!

I've had a busy week with several different textile projects on the go.

I've produced more needle-felted pictures (dumflings) as I have the exciting prospect of supplying a few shops in the coming months! These are all ready to bead and mount...

I've also taken time to dabble with some new ideas this week. A number of my friends have moved house recently, or are due to soon, so I have made a few embroidered 'new home' cards. These have been both free-machine embroidered and hand embroidered.

Finally, I've enjoyed watching my little man find his feed as he gets ever closer to walking by himself...

(Note: the vase is on the table, not balanced on Ben's head!)

Hope you've all had a good week too. I'll hopefully catch up on your news when I swing by a few desks after the little man has gone to bed.

Happy crafting x

WOYWW - Needle-felting fun and a peacock

Morning all! With the bank holiday I feel like I've lost a day and WOYWW has come round mighty quick this week.

I'm delighted to say I've been able to make time this week for a little light dumfing (a.k.a needle-felting). With all the busy book and sensory toy making it's been a few months since my last felting session. I guess it's like riding a bike...you never forget, but I have to say I felt a bit rusty as I prodded away with my dumfing tool.

So here's my workdesk. . .

I've managed to do a bit of everything but not managed to finish anything!

There are some hand-felted mini gardens which I got as far as hand embroidering and beading....

I'll be running workshops on these later this year and early next year so I'm keen to make a range of different flowers to demonstrate.

There's a selection of wet felted background pieces which I have worked on with the dumfing machine (the most satisfying crafting activity I know) ready to add foreground flowers. I've used three different colours to try and steer myself away from just doing poppies, which I love.

Finally there is a long strip of poppies which I have free machine embroidered but not yet beaded. The poppy picture in the foreground is a felters's answer to a crib sheet - one I made earlier!

My last little show and tell is not my work at all but a snap shot of Benjamin's work desk following a little (mess-free) painting activity we did this week.

He seemed somewhat puzzled as to why I was encouraging him to squelch and prod a plastic pouch selotaped to the floor but he stuck with it. Here's his finished piece. Though the poster paint has cracked on the canvas, I think you will all agree it is clearly a peacock in motion!!

Thanks for dropping by. I look forward to visiting a few workdesks today via Julia's Stamping Ground

Happy crafting x

Tiny needle-felted collage cards

I have decided to put my tiny "dumfling" cards - (needle-felted collages) into my Tilly Tea Dance Etsy shop.

I only have a few left, so pop over and browse, if you think you would like one.

They are mounted on cream or white 5" square cards and have an envelope - packaged in a cellophane bag.
They make lovely cards for any occasion but could also be framed and therefore would make a really inexpensive gift.

They are all original - no two the same!





This is a close up of the little dumfling. It is a tiny landscape with flowers and foliage which have been embellished with hand embroidery and beads.

If you just want to find out more from me then email me or Twiglet.
twiglet517@hotmail.co.uk

Thanks for looking
Max.

WOYWW

I've cleared the kitchen table to make room for a dumfing session. I've had several ideas on the go so I've dedicated the day just to dumfing bits and bobs that can be free-machine embroidered or hand-stitched at a later date.

My first dumfing task is to work on a piece of countryside-ish felt.

Eventually this piece will be cut up to make one large picture and three or four smaller dumflings. They will be free-machine embroidered and beaded by hand to create the poppies and foliage.

Next I've produced a piece of cream/ivory dumfing. This is wedding season so I'm producing enough bits to make cards for all my friends and family who are getting married in the next few months. Any surplus will get made into wedding congratulations/thank you/invitation cards to go into my etsy shop or saved for christmas when I'll pimp them up with twinkly bits, star sequins etc for the festive season.

I use snippets of silk, chiffon and vintage lace

 Each snippet is needle-felted to a piece of felt.

I try to create an all-over textured surface with a few more detailed areas using the lace. These can be further embellished with free-machine embroidery at a later stage.

Finally I've made a start on a new batch of pink dumfling babies. I was really cheered on by everyone who liked these miniature whisps of felt, chiffon and silk so I thought I'd get a few more pieces ready to hand-stitch on an evening when the TV is not so good.

Hope you've enjoyed visiting my work desk today. Looks like it's mealtime so best pack away the work desk for now! I really need to get a permanent crafting space sorted don't I?!