Quick Stitch - Glitzy Wool Baubles

I so enjoy a touch of winter sparkle - it's for very much more than for Christmas in my book!  Metalic textiles can be a troublesome twinkling option though, with endless hand stitching tangles and thread breaks on a sewing machine that can drive you bonkers and swear never to use a metalic thread ever again!  

As I will go on to share, I have thankfully found a simple answer to  allow for easy working with metalic threads and I was therefore happy to use to good effect in my latest  decorative winter offering - Glitzy Wool Baubles

As for this wonderous thread epiphany, in a nutshell it is ALWAYS avoid cheap and cheerful metalic threads!  This may seen counter intuitive for a thread that you may use infrequently, but trust me that this is the only way unless you are aiming to create glittery bird nests!  Be it for working by hand or machine, my metalic thread of choice is always Maderia.  A German company that has been producing embroidery threads for over 100 years, the quality of all that they produce is second to none.

In a year that has again been filled will wool, it was a given that this would be my material of choice for the base of my decorative winter offering.  My first challenge was to determine how to make a felted wool ball that avoided hours of soggy and labourious hand felting.  Most thankfully super creative Mirjam Textiles came to the rescue with her instructions on how to easily felt fibre into balls in the washing machine using pop socks - what a revelation this was!  I have long been an advocate of Mirjam's funky and fabulous creations with wool and organic embroidery and I highly recommend that you check her out and try this and other of her processes for herself.  Here is my first felted ball made with Herdwick fibre that I sourced in Cumbria last summer - I embellished with some hand dyed silk threads using Mirjam's clever hexagonal hand stitch.

This success inspired me to work through my fibre basket and try out various fibre types to see which ones would felt in the washing machine the best.  It was an interesting experiement and I ended up with felted creations in all shapes and sizes.  I quickly realised that the way to go was to use fibres that are reasonably long with a bit of a crimp, as these created a nice dense ball with a smooth outside. I opted to use some delicious Ashford Corriedale for my final creations this winter and after just a few evenings work, I had achieved this luxurious selection :)

An so to the relaxing bit, hand embellishment with Madeira metallic hand threads - they come in various thicknesses.  As for the stitches to use, my post on basic hand embroidery stitches gives a useful starter for ten.  The wonderful thing with this type of project is that there are no rules and using a mix of stitches, and making up some new ones, is most enjoyable. 

Even better for me, was that embellishing these tactile wool creations was equally enjoyable for my December students.  Here is student Jo's first glitzy wool bauble in the making - she and others found the hand stitching and chatting a perfect antidote to a cold wintery day and looming seasonal pressures!  

For all that my desire to create with textiles by machines will endure, it is slow rythmic working with my hands that most captivated me throughout 2022.  Here are a few of my most favoured creations with a mix of both approaches and also my passion for repurposing textiles and working with natural materials.  

To create in these ways brought me immense pleasure and satisfaction throughout the year and I hope for my students too.  I wish all a happy, harmonious and creative 2023 - my lifeblood and for many others I am sure.