My DH bought me a Baby Lock 7-needle embellishing machine for Christmas, which I had asked for, but after I got it, I said, now what do I DO with it? I got it out last night and started playing with it and discovered that the things I can do with it are limited only by my imagination! First I put a piece of brown felt and a piece of red felt together and got out some shimmering Angelina fibers. I felted gold Angelina fiber onto the red side of the felt piece, then added some blue fibers and felted them in. I continue felting until the fibers began to show on the back side. Then I took some pieces of yarn and felted them onto the piece. At this point I had no idea what it would be -- I was just playing. Then I laid a piece of parchment paper on top and pressed an iron down on it to heat the Angelina fibers to make them bond. After that, I felted more yarn around the bonded fibers. I started to notice that my piece was resembling a heart! I took a section of burgundy felt and put pieces of gold Angelina fibers on each end of it, then used my embossing heat tool to make the fibers blend (but not press down and melt together TOO much like they tend to do with an iron). I then felted the "heart" to the burgundy piece, between the gold Angelina fibers, and when it was all done, it resembled a heart with wings! -- well, kinda.
A word about Angelina fibers: They come in an assortment of colors that create an iridescent effect when you move them around, depending on their angle from the light. You melt them together to make all kinds of things, including flat "fabric," and you can shape them into the form of bowls and other items.
I'm excited about this piece because it is my first and because I know that even if I don't have a clue as to what I'm making, by using different materials and techniques, I may be pleasantly surprised at what will turn out! I found a great tutorial on line for MAKING FELT!. with the embellishing machine. As soon as I get the supplies that I need, I'll be trying my hand at it!
