Felted wool purse, first try!

Felted wool purse, first try!, originally uploaded by antfiresbetter.

At Kwanzaa, we give handmade gifts. For some reason my kids think that if I give them something I made from pottery that I am cheating, so I try to make Kwanzaa an excuse for learning some new craft. This year, I tried felting sweaters bought at a thrift store to make purses. I love the idea of recycling, and that what I make is useful!

These purses are my gifts for this year. I think they turned out pretty well for my first tries!

I bought the sweaters, and washed and dried them three times on the hottest wash and the hottest dry setting. Then I cut out the bags just by eyeballing what I wanted the finished product to look like.

Danny has been home from the hospital for about a week now*, and wanted to help. Thank goodness he was well enough to sew them for me - I was not looking forward to learning his sewing machine. I haven't sewn since junior high, which was so long ago it was before the world was in color! I pinned them, and he did the seams.

I am very happy with how they look, and I am thinking about making more!

* Danny has been in and out of the hospital for the last 9 months due to complications from an old injury. He is weak, and still unable to work with clay. I completely enjoyed his help with these. I have missed working with him. Having Danny well has been my favorite gift this holiday season!!