Playing yet another Name Game,

It would seem I am possessed this year with this whole “what’s in a name thing”

But I really prefer when correct names are used unless one is intending to be Entertaining (i.e., I call my blog entries, Blog-A-Mentaries and fellow Blog writers, Blog-A-Venturers, cause you never know what is going to happen.

So, while the introduction over the last few years of attachments and machines – has been great

EXCEPT the almost epidemic of misuse of the functions served by these tools, it is just making me somewhat crazy

Felting is the process by which the follicles found on WOOL (from many animal/protein fibers, but most easily Sheep) are somehow encouraged to wrap around each other.

For WET Felting, there are basically three things needed.
1. A Solution (soapy water works best, but you can do it with even Tap Water) so that the fibers can be encouraged to expand making the follicles “stand out” a bit.
2. Agitation, so they can be encouraged to wrap around each other.
3. Finally Temperature Change, so those expanded follicles not only go back to their original “closed”, but are “set” in their new twisted, meshed, compacted configuration.

DRY Felting, although much less messy and requiring a fair bit more work, essentially tries to do the same thing, but without water/solutions.

Dry Felting is accomplished by the pushing and PULLING of those follicles by the tiny barbs on “felting needles” – creating tangling so that the necessary twisting, meshing and as a result, compacting of the fiber into some form of fabric or 3D shape like my little friend Piccolo pictured here.

Now I know it has become “politically correct” to refer to thread as Fibers, but I do not. WHY because Fibers are really what makes up a yarn or thread or FELT fabric before it undergoes any sort of spinning process to create yarn and threads.

Bottom line …

without that twisting/tangling/meshing compacting you are not making Felt,
you are not Needle FELTING

So what are you doing? Felting, Punching or A Combination, better called

Embellishing & XPressing yourself

Check back in a day or two.

What’s in a name …
and would it really smell so sweet by any other name …

I don’t think so, although it is kinda cool to refer to ourselves as designers, more and more lately I have been questioning that self-designation.

If there is one particular black hole (did I ever mention my life long fascination with all things cosmic?)
in cyberspace where I can easily get lost for hours, it would be Style.com’s fashion show collections

I always emerge wondering, not only am I really qualified to claim the title, and what about all the submission that cross my desk?

So what is design? Design, according to Wikipedia,

is usually considered in the context of the applied arts, engineering, architecture, and other such creative endeavours, is used as both a noun and a verb. As a verb, “to design” refers to the process of originating and developing a plan for a product, structure, or component.

and then goes on to say:

As a noun, “a design” is used for both the final (solution) plan (e.g. proposal, drawing, model, description) or the result of implementing that plan (e.g. object produced, result of the process). …

Wikipedia defines Designer as
a broad term for a person who designs any of a variety of things. That usually implies the task of creating or of being creative in a particular area of expertise. It is frequently used to reference someone who draws or in some ways uses visual cues to organize their work. Designers are usually responsible for making a model that takes into consideration each step in a product’s development, including not only how a product will be used but also how it will be made.

Which leads to the final paragraph under Designer:

Designing normally requires a designer considering aesthetic, functional, and many other aspects of an object or process, which usually requires considerable research, thought, modeling, interactive adjustment, and re-design.

Which now has me asking, almost daily and sometimes hourly, not only of every piece I do “for me” but of any that “will be published”

It that pattern or project the work of a Designer or an Alteration Specialist?

Or something else?

Just something to think about – I certainly will be – and who knows, maybe writing more about it.

Wheat

P.S. Am I the only one who thinks the folks at Alexander McQueen may have over reacted just a bit to either Phantom of the Opera, or the current controversy over the responsiblity of the Fashion Designers to discourage eating disorders. I mean several of those dresses are perfect examples of why I don’t wear dancercise clothes out side my own home or backyard (and not very often in the back yard either)

Sorry for an inconvenience, but our theme seems to dislike Internet Exploder users and they are complaining they can’t comment. So I will be “working on fixing this” over the next few days
–
If you have a moment to leave a comment and let me know what browser and version you used that would be very helpful.

Thanks

Wheat

It is always fun to be the one who gets to tell someone they won a prize and so I am having a good week –
contacting the Retailers who visited the

TNNA Designers and Teachers PreView Promenade activitiy at TNNA’s Winter Show Last week.

It is even nicer when you get to tell someone whose shop you have had a chance to visit, (remember I lived in the NY Metro area from birth to … well for a long time) YOU WON !!!!

That is why I am so enjoying sharing with you about to Eileen Aird of Ridgewood Needlepoint Her shop is located downtown at 6 South Maple Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450 over in Bergen County – just outside on New York City.

You can find out more about her shop by visiting the store (tell’em you read about it here)
After getting a close look at the models for Janet Perry’s Stitch Guides – I may have to give Eileen a call about The Christmas Sweets. After all, Mother’s Day is coming, my Mom loves Christmas, and she should not be eating candy, so this just might make a GREAT Mom’s day gift.

So much at the show has me itching to get stitching – girl hardly knows where to start.

Wheat

Few Independent Designers can afford the high cost of professional photography.

Thanks to the wonders of today’s digital photography, and a bit of ingenuity, it may well not be completely necessary –

Lightboxes like the EZ Cube have always been on my wish list.

But if you are “handy” and your products are small, there is no reason why you cannot construct a “usable” light boxes. Here is the link I am sending to TH so he can build some for me to use.
http://www.studiolighting.net/homemade-light-box-for-product-photography/ Be sure to read the comments as many great suggestions have been made.

Meanwhile, as we are experimenting with some other options for “larger” items – I’ll let you know of any “improvements” that “work for wheat”