Needle Felting Part 2

So, while I was gathering the supplies for the Falling Leaves project, I also ran across some supplies for another project and decided to go for it. I already had the needles and block kit (and by the way, the second needle is still in the bag, completely unused). I just LOVED the color of the pouch I was using and I too was in need of an I-Pod cozy. So, here it is: The Blomster I-Pod Cozy!

When I was imagining how to decorate my cozy to keep, I knew it would have a flower motif (which is why I selected the Norwegian word for flower as its name). I noticed that there were some pre-cut flowers that I could have selected, many of which were very cute, but ALL of which incorporated beading. While I love beads (duh!), I didn't think they were right for this project because I knew this cozy could easily wind up at the bottom of my work tote bag. It needed to be ready to take a beating, and I didn't think the beads would hold up.

So, I had to think outside the box. Luckily, the company that sells all the rest of the needle felting supplies expected that there would be some crafters who wanted to break the mold. I was able to by a sheet of "roving," which looks a lot like the felt you might imagine from your childhood crafts. It's thicker and less tightly compressed, so it's a little bit softer.

Here I am cutting out my petals. The white circle in the middle is the pattern I made. I was doing the project over my coffee table and I did not expect such a big mess. Dust buster to the rescue!

Okay, the petals are all set to go, now I just need to add the center. I had one bright green leaf left over from the falling leaves project, which I was able to turn into a circle to serve as my center.

All pinned and ready for felting action! Once the front side was felted, I was feeling like the back was kind of plain. I didn't really want to do another big flower. I considered smaller flowers, though I was having trouble cutting the pieces so that they would be small but still show enough detail to seem like a flower. I was then struck by an idea, the use of my favorite symbol that reminds me of my time in Norway!

Yep, five little hearts all in a row. I really like the stylized shape, though it was mostly driven by the shapes of my scraps. I love it and I think it's the perfect complement to the bold flower on the front.

So, here we have it: The Blomster I-Pod cozy is ready to head out on the town!

 A perfect pair!

While needle felting is maybe a bit more of a winter craft, given the woolly quality of the materials, I highly recommend it. It's easy and a lot of fun!