poppy – Angela Barrow

Poppy bag workshop

November 16, 2016

So many poppies made in the last month and not just by me. Take a look at the beautiful poppy bags made on Saturday.

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The majority of people had little or no felting experience so it’s a double achievement to have made such splendid pictorial bags.

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Carol isn’t a bag person so chose instead to create two pictures onto which she will later stitch.

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The poppies just glow don’t they. Mandy was at the workshop and happened to mention she’d been working on a needle felted nativity scene since September, aw, lovely we thought. Once we discovered she actually had it with her we insisted on an impromptu show and tell.

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It’s still a work in progress and there are one or two more characters / animals to make an appearance but aren’t they just lovely? And so well felted. As in the Shrek film, it was the donkey that stole the show.

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Thank you Mandy Gordon for sharing these with us.

Poppy display

November 8, 2016November 3, 2016

It was a bit of a rush but I did complete my poppy display in time for the Bakewell Wool Gatghering where it was much admired.

The terracotta pot we inherited when we purchased the house over twenty years ago. I bought a polystyrene cone and by chopping off both top and bottom, it fitted the plant pot perfectly. I then painted it with brown paint and glued Wemsleydale curls on top to act as soil and I think it looks rather effective.

All the poppies (38) are glued onto wire which comes as bailing twine on some of our wool deliveries. I was really chuffed to be able to find a new use for it. I was creating it to use as part of our display at work to highlight the poppy brooch kit and poppy picture kit.

Once it had been used at the show it was taken back to work and dumped unceremoniously on a table awaiting time for me to create a display. With so many back to back shows that just wasn’t happening but we had the good sense to inveigle a very creative friend into doing some work for us and I think you’ll like what she did with the display.

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You can see now where the other six larger poppies were used. The poppy picture felts were samples from when I taught a workshop at Wharfe Wool Fair earlier in the year. I very cleverly left just the right colour scarf at work and it wasn’t an accident at all (much!)

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Thank you Kate for a very creative and eye catching display, it wouldn’t have happened without you. The row of poppies is a display I’ve been using for 2 or 3 years now so I didn’t need anything new I just wanted it. There’s already plans in my head for what comes next year! The boxed kit is the picture kit I designed.

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The picture has been very well received and is flying off the shelf. It’s a wet felted kit which you can purchase here.

44 Poppies

November 3, 2016

I’ve made a lot of poppies recently, just the 44 to be exact. When we visited the Dumfries and Galloway Guild earlier this month I used any spare monents to make them. I then spent some time on Tuesday beading them all. It’s all in aid of a new display that I’m making for work, I do so hope it works out. It looks delightful in my head but who knows what it’ll be when finished.

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Multiples have such a visual impact don’t they?

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Hopefully, by the next time you see them they’ll have been made into an eye catching display. Wish me luck.

Purple poppies

January 26, 2015January 19, 2015

Absolutely ages ago I started a notebook cover of purple poppies on a background of grey carded BFL using standard A5 sizing. What better time than the start of a new year to finish it.

Above is the view of both front and back of the notebook. I forgot to take photos during felting but the finished book is below.

It’s finished in black blanket edge stitch and embellised with french knots in the centre of the flowers.

There’s also a little fine running stitch on the black stalks, black running stitch on the black centres and some lilac running stitch on the lighter areas of the flowers.

I enjoyed making the poppies in traditional colours but if anything I think I’ve enjoyed the purple ones more. The notebook is now for sale at £28 including postage, just email me if you’d like to buy.

Remembering 2

November 10, 2014November 10, 2014

It was my intention to put these photos of my poppy table runner up on Remembrance Sunday but only just managed to finish the photos this morning. Sadly it’s grey flat light but I wanted to share so am posting them anyway. Before we start, my apologies, they are rather numerous. A quick reminder of where we were up to on the last post

The finished item.

I wish these outside shots were taken in better light so you could see the colours glow. I hope you’ve not seen enough because Hubby went to a lot of trouble dressing it on our table for which it is a perfect length. He did a brilliant job and it looks splendid.

I have another great idea in my head now I just need time to do the creating. There are a couple of spaces on the table runner workshop being held at Clifton Village Hall, Otley on Saturday 6th December

School poppy making

November 8, 2014November 7, 2014

This local primary school has invited me in several times over the years and it’s always been a pleasure to work with them. Last time we worked on landscapes, landscapes full of sheep. Look what greeted me on my return.

They were so delighted with them that they’ve kept the felt in school. This time we were working on poppies for Rememberance Day and I think they may well want to keep this felt too.

It wasn’t only the children that enjoyed the sessions, I did too and I think the results are brilliant.

Remembering

November 7, 2014

I think it’s wonderful that so many people are actively remembering in this centenary year of the First World War. Today I’ve been teaching children felt making based on poppies which I’ll show you tomorrow but first I wanted to show you what I’ve been working on.

It’s a table runner. My initial thoughts were to have large poppies but when I drew it out I went right off it. Instead I’ve gone for lots of smaller ones and I began by laying out the background.

Two layers of Olive Green followed by a smattering of dark leaf along the edges.

In the centre is a carded mixture of Old Gold, Saffron and Olive Green with a tiny touch of Lime. The two sides are carded Navy, Maroon, Forest Green and more Dark Leaf.

Beginning the laying out of the flowers.

The more I added the better I thought it looked.

Midi thought he should come and supervise proceedings and wasn’t very happy to let go of the wool.

Maroon(wrested from Midis’ paws) followed by black in the centre.

Little highlights of Old Gold on the black plus some Bright Orange and Bright Pink on the petals to give them a little lift.

Lots of rubbing and rolling and finishing off with my wonderful Palm Washboard. Now I should be ready for the big reveal but it’s dark! I so want to show you this as I’m really pleased with how it’s worked out, but the weather has been grey and wet with terrible light and now it’s too dark. As soon as I’m able I’ll show you the rest.

In the meantime, if you want to create this at home, all the colours mentioned are available from Adelaide Walker which also sells the palm Washboards. If you’d like to come along to a workshop and make this or another design there’s still spaces on the table runner workshop on 6th December at Otley. You can book online here.

Teaching the teachers

September 18, 2014March 28, 2019

On Wednesday afternoon I found myself at Holy Trinity Primary School in Ossett teaching the teachers how to make felt. One teacher had made a piece some 4 years previous but other than that they were all novices.

As usual, it’s amazing the variety of work that people come up with from the one set of resources.

The school is aiming to have every one of their 400+ pupils make a piece of felt by half term and the theme will be poppies for Remembrance Day.

I did try to take a photo of all the finished poppies, there were quite a few, but sadly that photo was too blurred to use. To my great delight, I do believe at least 1 and possibly 2 teachers will be pursuing the fascinating craft of felt making in their own time 🙂

Poppy book cover

February 9, 2014February 8, 2014

You’ve all loved poppies so much this last year that I felt inspired to transcribe them onto a book cover. Lots of lovely carded green Merino for the background, then some fabric to give a little texture.

You can see some of the texture in this shot. I added a lot of the background stitch at the pre-felt stage.

Of course I’ve decorated the back too but I try to keep it lower profile so that it doesn’t affect the user when they write in the book.

The large poppy has red crystal organza for the petals and black silk chiffon for the centre. Chartreuse centre stitch added at the end using french knots.

Spaces on Fridays workshop if you feel inspired to come and make one of your own.

Poppy bag workshop

September 26, 2013

Just for a change, the delay in showing you these photos hasn’t been down to me. My Daughter took the card from the camera for a school project, took it to school and left it there! All’s well that ends well though and I thought I’d begin by showing you the bags during the laying out process.

Each bag has an internal pocket and a separate handle. After laying out the base layers of green we carded greens to give extra interest to the background and then laid out areas to create dark and light. After that it was onto the laying out of the poppies using different sizes to give perspective to the work. The larger poppies then had extra detailing added and I think you’ll agree that the finished bags are stunners.

These are the backs of the bags and from left to right were created by; Jane, Sue and Susan.

I’ve never taught a bag class like this before. Usually, everyone has made a bag but with completely individual colours and patterns. There was still opportunity for people to choose their own poppy layout and addition of other colours for highlighting but otherwise, it was as instructed. It’s worked out very well and I think I may repeat this in the spring. Anne didn’t make it on the day due to a family accident but she was in our thoughts and I hope everything is now well.