Felted Frame

Finally I get the chance to share with you another "experiment".  Knowing that Eileen's Scoreboard Dies will cut out mat board beautifully, I just needed to experiment with other materials to see how to expand their use.  That immediately made me think of fabric and felt, two of my favorites to work with.

This little project was a "learning experience".  I will be creating a couple of others using similar techniques to share with you, along with tips.

I used a piece of wool felt for the base of the frame that was slightly large then the pattern of the frame itself.  A good way to judge the size needed would be to cut the felt the same size of the whole die.  Felting will cause the bottom sheet of felt to shrink slightly.  I pulled out several balls of roving and some colorful yarns and small snips of organza with some sparkles on it.  Pull off small amounts of roving from each shank in any colors you may like.  Place them randomly onto the felt.  You can start with just one color and then continue to layer colors into the open areas.  I cut snippets of organza and placed them in random areas.  It's OK if the edges fray, it adds interest and texture.  Yarns can be felted on in any desired pattern.  Once the felting is complete, the piece can be run through the Big Shot and die cut.

The felted piece is fairly thick (comparable to mat-board), but not quite as stiff.  To help it hold its shape, I cut a piece of card stock with the same die, then glued the felted piece to the card stock.  A picture can be fastened to the frame on the inside with glue or tape.  Here again I needed to add something different.  I cut acrylic plastic sheets to make a pocket to fit the photo and then use thin strips of double-faced tape to hold it to the backside of the frame.  Cut a photo to size and insert.

I embellished the edges of the frame with some braided jute cording.  Used the Sizzix 3-D flower die to cut Lutradur.  Painted them with acrylic paint dabbers, using colors similar.  Formed the flowers and glued them to the frame.

Let me know what you think!