Felted Soap Bars fun and easy project

 Buellwood Weavers and Fiber Artist Guild met on Saturday January 21 at the Fiber Studio room 105 in the Jutila building in Hancock MI . Our meeting time is 1:00 pm now and at 12:45 I thought I was the only one to show. But then they started pouring in. There must have been 15-20 members and visitors .

Show and Tell is first after the short Buellwood Guild meeting

Mary found this cute material and made a reversible apron 

She enjoyed our coiling demo at the retreat in September and created this covered vessel.

Kathie finished a few coiled vessels to share. She wove some farmhouse napkins with linen yarn warp and weft that gave her some real issues with breakage on the loom.

Farmhouse linen napkins

Sue Ellen makes a trip to Guatemala every year to volunteer. She brings back many treasures and as it is apparent, she likes the red textiles. The various patterns in the weavings indicate the region of Guatemala they come from. The black ikat stripes in her vest are from Solana. She learned to weave on an inkle loom using many colors and designs and pick up technique to make these beautiful woven bands. Below is a pile of her samples and a picture of her wearing a Huipil. Which is worn with one of these bands around the waist.

Sue Ellen with Huipil

Sue Ellen’s woven bands

Close up of bands 

Susan a visitor today, took the inkle loom and made this green and yellow band.

Melissa had a warp on a loom she bought and wove many yards of a Swedish pattern she wants to make into a garment. (Below)

She also shared a woven wool piece made by an elderly relative with his handspun yarn.

(Left)

Melissa with her white Swedish yardage

Mary was knitting this hat at our meeting 

Mary sent me a picture of her finished hat and the felted soap bars she made at our guild meeting.

Mary’s hat and felted bars.

Karen  has been busy making beautiful baskets. But took time to knit a blue poncho for her new grandson.

 Her new basket was inspired by a shoulder basket she saw in the movie Frozen II she is considering a leather lining, if she can find a sewing machine to sew on leather.

She created this little turtle which she would like to do a workshop in the future.

 I hope it will be with our guild.

Last of all Karen completed a basket out of ‘Red Bark’ with a beautiful leather rim and strap.

Donna knit and felted this wool cap with added leather trim. She also brought us some handmade goat milk soap from a class she took at the wool and sheep festival in Jefferson WI. 

 

David has been busy dyeing and weaving various items. Here are a few of his projects.

Indigo dyed quilt cover.

David’s multi color rag rug made with a Tshirt weft

Phyllis used her inkle loom to weave some patterned bookmarks.

Note the pattern reverses on the back side.

Jimalee agreed to bring in her handmade soap and felted bars she makes as gifts. But she also is an avid knitter. She has made many of these darling sweaters for the little ones I her life.

These knit and felted slippers even have a built in arch. 

Thanks all,  for your making our meeting so interesting.

Our felted soap project was popular and almost everyone went home with at least one bar.

Check out our monthly topics on the top of the Buellwood Blog page under ‘topics for guild meetings’