Monday, January 16, 2012

All "Fire'd" Up in Wool...My Textured Kindle Keeper



Welcome to my stop for the Nancy Zieman Tablet Keeper blog tour!  I'm so honored to be a part of this exciting opportunity to show different techniques and styles for the Clover Trace 'n Create Templates.  

My creation was constructed entirely from wool fabrics with a hand needle felting design on the cover, and I couldn't resist some bead bling sprinkled in.  Using wool does give the overall piece a bit more bulk; however it also provides a little added protection for my Kindle Fire. 






I began by creating a paper pattern of a randomly flowing floral and vine design.  The template helped me to determine placement of those areas that I wanted to really show off without being obscured by the strap.  After cutting out the pattern, the design was chalked onto the black wool base.  

I needle felted the design, blending the tones to achieve gradual shading.  Then it was time to sew on lots of colorful seed beads to the larger flower centers and finally finish the cover with some beautiful square black beads scattered about.  Even though this step took some time, the result was just what I was looking to achieve.  

The interior was created with scraps of hand dyed wool fabrics fused to the interfacing in a crazy patch style, and then I feather stitched the edges with heavy black thread (perle #3) for more impact. Once the fusible interfacing is applied to the cover and lining, the wool fabric won't stretch out of shape, making it just as easy to work with as cotton for this project.  Using wool fabric inside also helps to wick away dust from the e-reader...another plus!



The wool strap was embellished with purple eyelash yarn and matching beads.  I used the perforation markings from the Clover Create a Strap to keep my yarn's spacing even without even having to get out my tape measure!

The binding was also done with wool, although I did cut it at only 2" wide and sewed it as a single fold binding to further keep the bulk down.


And one last tip...To make the Kindle Fire fit a little better, I moved the elastic in further, just past the template's markings.  This proved to be an easier work around, rather than altering the keeper's overall size.  I'm very pleased with the end result!




There are limitless ways to personalize these...think about the timeless beauty of hand embroidery and applique on wool as other ideas if you're not a needle felter.  As you can see, quilter's cotton doesn't have to be your only fabric choice...be creative and it will turn out beautiful!

Thank you for stopping by today to see my creation!  For more ideas and inspiration, I invite you to become a follower of my blog.  A big Thank You to Clover for providing the templates, shapers and hardware to construct this project!  And don't forget to enter HERE for Nancy's drawing to win these great products from Clover:




23 comments:

  1. Impressive! Very pretty, I love the way you worked the wool into flowers. Nicely done sweetie, I love your version :o)
    Hugs~Carol

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  2. Your work is so beautiful. First time I've read your blog and I've joined as a follower. Very interested to see more of your work.

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  3. OMGosh, Ilene, this is beautiful!! Such lovely workmanship! Really super nice!
    }}Hugs{{
    Vicky

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  4. WOW Ilene this is so Beautiful. Love what you did
    Amazing
    Brenda

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  5. Beautiful keeper, Ilene. I love it!

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  6. I have been following the tour. I find yours amazing. I love the way you designed the outside and scraped the inside makes it amazing.

    http://richardquilts.blogspot.com

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  7. Oh that's so pretty! Very nice work!!

    Deena Davis

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  8. This is gorgeous! I want one with the patchwork design on the inside and out!! Love it! Thanks for sharing your techniques!

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  9. That is beautiful! Congrats on the feature, you deserve it!!
    Kim

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  10. It's lovely! I'm glad I found your blog. Thanks for sharing - now I'm off to have a look around.

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  11. Oh my gosh! That is beautiful!!! You put a lot of time in it and it shows! You are very talented, Valerie

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  12. Congrats on your feature! This piece is just beautiful.

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  13. I love the mix of crazy quilting and felting, beautiful piece.

    Debbie

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  14. Oh, this is so pretty. Love the wool and all the embellishment that you have done. Very different, very beautiful. This is my first time to your Blog, but you are in my favorites now.

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  15. Enjoyed this walkthrough of your colorful cover/case !
    Hugs
    Susan
    KeepSakeKorner

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  16. WOW!! Beautiful work - and so talented. Thanks.

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  17. Thank you everyone for your kind comments! This has been such a fun experience sharing this project with all of you!!!

    Ilene

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  18. I love the colors you used & the crazy patch design on the inside. I'm wondering tho - is the wool scratchy enough to scratch the glass on the kindle? I'm thinking about purchasing a Fire with my tax money and looking for a great looking design to do. I really like yours the best so far.

    Thanks! Tina 'the book lady'
    wswpub (at) gmail

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    1. Hi Tina! Thank you for your kind comments! The wool is not at all scratchy to the kindle. I use only felted wool (which means it's been washed/dryed in hot water), and this tightens up the weave and adds a supple texture that is wonderful to sew with (your needle will slide right through it like butter!). If you're near a quilt store that carries hand dyed wool, check it out and you'll see just how soft it is. I would suggest only 100% wool for this project for the most softest result. Don't use flax wool, which does have the texture of burlap.

      My 11 year old uses this Kindle daily in the keeper I made and it looks as good as new. Plus the wool on the inside helps to keep the dust off of the front. Hope that helps! I'd love to see a picture when you get yours done!

      Ilene

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  19. That looks great! I've sent it on to a friend who has been asking about ideas for a cover, too. Even just doing the crazy quilted part would look great.

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