Hi Karen, Thanks for your comment on the winter tree- I'm glad you like the work. I use felt painted with very dilute acrylic paints, which I then stitch on, layering threads - of which I have a major collection!! I also do some applique.I buy the felt from Whaleys of Bradford. Cheers, Linda

Hi
Yes I did use toilet paper in layers and also a stiffening agent to bind it and give it strength.
Your photos have just finished showing as I write this , stopping on the dandelion head - it is so effective - love it. It looks like a lot of painstaking work went into it.
Cheers
Shirley

Hi
Thanks for the comment about two of my pieces.
The feather on the copper girl is stitched. Felt over-laid with two different Angelina fibres, over-laid with a metallic fabric then free machined. The veins and edges are satin stitch over some twisted threads to give raised surface.

The purple pergola is silk painted and dyed satin ( a recycled wedding dress) overlaid with a black nylon chiffon then quilted. The quilt design was the wrought iron dome on a pergola in an arboretum not far from me. I did toy with blasting it with a heat gun but played safe.
You can read more about the pieces on my blog - several blogs back now.
Cheers
Shirley

Yes, I love what you have done to the trees. I can't wait to see what you will do with your new machine. I love fiberarts. My images are 2 d , but I love to add layers and will do more during my 48 hour days. Smiles, Diana

Hi Karen, great to hear from you! The bag is made of fibers that went through the needle bonding machine, sort of felt. I was lucky enough to use that machine at University, being a huge industrial machine someone else had to operate it. I decided how the fibers were laid, with a particular attention to colours. The actual octopus was "half" felted and I then stitched on top to create features and texture.
Many thanks for your kind comments about my photos! My photographs are a great source of inspiration.
Keep up the good work, all the best, Paola