Dirty Felt Heart

[microjivvy]

I've been thinking a lot about felt. It's truly fun to work with and there's something strangely meditative about the blanket stitch, but...

Tonight I sat staring at the pile of beautiful wool blend felt that I purchased from etsy seller Sweet Emma Jean (who appears to have ESP because I swear she ships almost before you finish placing your order).

I stared and stared and you know what happened?

Nothing. Not one iota of inspiration.... and then it hit me.  As much as I admire the lovely clean tight work so many felt artists produce, it's not me.

I realized what was missing. Dirt. Messiness. Age. So I got out my Minwax wood stain pens, my Stazon ink pads, and I went to work.



I think I went overboard with the "dirt" factor (it looks dirtier in real life than in the photo), but this feels like me. And it was still fun.  And the blanket stitch was still meditative.

Ohm.

UPDATE: The heart has already found a home. If you like this 2.5" heart, I'm giving it away -- you can see the details on my blog post, here: MicroJivvy

[Smmarrt]

"Every act of creation is first an act of destruction."
Pablo Picasso

Love it.

[jillybeans]

Oh wow, microjivvy!  That is lovely!  I so would have never thought about using stain pens and ink pads on the felt to give it some distress!  I absolutely adore your style!

[Taramor]

I really like it. My heart is dirty, too - maybe that is why...

[BirdBones]

Oh my, this is lovely! I'm usually a fan of clear colors, but I adore you dirty-ish version, because all our hearts tend to be tainted with some form of pain or the other...

[luvmynfboys]

wow this is just awesome! I have been making 2012 a year of felt. Oh the felt creations I have made/sold/cherished......

I got some wool felt from an etsy seller also like a month ago and have yet to cut into it. It was a big splurge for me and I am just not getting any inspiration!

How did you use the ink pads on the felt?

I also  like the blanket stitch and have gotten pretty good at it!!!

Thank you so much for sharing. It made my own heart happy today!

[microjivvy]

How did you use the ink pads on the felt?

I rubbed the already cut pieces on the ink pad -- some very lightly, some with more force. I'm designing another piece right now where I'm going to try a more "focused" application of stamp pad ink... my first thought is to use a standard pencil eraser, but I haven't tried it, yet.

[luvmynfboys]

How did you use the ink pads on the felt?

I rubbed the already cut pieces on the ink pad -- some very lightly, some with more force. I'm designing another piece right now where I'm going to try a more "focused" application of stamp pad ink... my first thought is to use a standard pencil eraser, but I haven't tried it, yet.

Lovely! Thank you for the help. Cant wait to see what your "focused" work with look like.