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Fiber Art Book A tribute to the many varities of needle arts, this book is a work of art in itself. From "Uncommon Threads" episode DUCT-212

The ladies of Wild Fibers make a fiber art book, each member contributing to the book by making a page using her own needle-arts specialty. Scrapbooking gone abstract, these art books are becoming a more and more popular means of creative expression -- a way of turning freeform journaling into an artful keepsake.

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Needle-Felted Page

Carolann Tebbetts creates a beautiful dragonfly page. For a "bling" factor she uses ribbon, roving, yarn and sheer creativity.

Fiber Art Book

Materials:

wool fiber in various colors
wool-blend felt
metal letter charms
seed beads
accent beads
variety ribbons and yarns
silver embroidery floss
backing fabric
fusible interfacing
beading thread and needle
felting needles
foam pad
fabric glue

1. Using a quilting marker or fabric pencil, mark the size of the page on the piece of felt. (For this project the size is 8"x8", measured from the lower left corner of a 9"x12" piece of felt.)

2. Sketch out an idea before felting.

Tip: If you don't draw confidently, take the embellishments and fibers you intend to use and place on the felt base before felting. This allows you to organize materials and order the steps. Lay out letter charms and mark the spots where they will be placed.

3. If any ribbons are going to be under felted areas, attach these to the base felt first with fabric glue.

	Figure A
	Figure B

4. Begin by needle-felting the large areas (figure A).

Note: Make sure to work on a foam pad intended for needle felting. Felt around the edges of the images and work your way in, making sure all the fiber is secure before felting another area.

5. Yarns of any sort can also be needle-felted to the base. Fuzzy or eyelash yarns will loose their uniqueness, however, so these yarns should be couched with a small running stitch that overlaps the fiber in order to secure it (figure B).

6. Add embroidered detail using silver embroidery floss.

Tip: A backstitch worked with all 6 strands of floss creates a nice line.

Embellishments

	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

The creativity continues as beading and letters are added to the needle-felted page.

1. Beads and other embellishments can be added now that the felting is complete. Use a variety of techniques to sew these beads and charms on: Use a random stitch for beads that are spaced out. Try a backstitch for lines of beads, or a stacked stitch for beads and sequins together.

2. Place the letter charms on the page; either hand-sew the charms on or use a stacked-bead stitch to secure them (figure C) (figure D).

Tip: Colored brads are another terrific alternative to letter charms.

3. Finish up by cutting a piece of backing felt the same size as the base. Attach using fusible interfacing that has adhesive on both sides.

4. Use a whipstitch for a finished edge (figure E). To achieve an even whipstitch, use a ruler to mark a dot on each centimeter and insert the needle into the each dot. Secure the end by tucking under the two layers of fabric.

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