Saturday, September 22, 2012

Felted Rope with Heart Necklace

hand-felted necklace with heart bead
hand-felted heart bead necklace
Design and handcrafted by Kim Buchheit; © 2012
Today is the Autumnal Equinox — the first day of autumn... yippee! I consider this time of year my heart season, as it's the time when I reflect more deeply on all of life's gifts and my heart nearly bursts in gratitude. With a cool breeze rolling in, I'm drawn to wool and to working in the studio designing gifts for the upcoming holiday season. My new design is a simple felted rope that ties in the back and showcases a spatter-glazed porcelain heart bead. I picked up several of these sweet beads while in Sedona, AZ last week... some barn red and some turquoise blue. And since they are exclusive to this particular bead shop, I think I'll be making a trip back to Sedona real soon.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Birthday Scarves


Design and handcrafted by Kim Buchheit; © 2012 
Five dear friends celebrated their respective birthdays this past month and I wanted to make each one of them a special, handmade gift. I decided to make architecturally-inspired, woolly windowpane scarves in their favorite colors. I did end up making an extra one too (above)... for me, perhaps? Or, should I add it to my Etsy shop? Decisions, decisions. 

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Felting Workshop at the Grand Canyon

October 13-14, 2012
Wool Workshop at the Grand Canyon
Learn to nuno felt in the sublime wildness of Grand Canyon National Park! Join me and fellow fiber artist/art educator, Jen Marshall, for a wonderful wool workshop in one of the most inspiring venues anywhere! Enjoy sunrise discussions on the rim and classroom instruction on felting with wool and silk (other techniques will be taught as time permits). Sign up now for this 2-day workshop hosted by the Grand Canyon Field Institute. Space is limited. Course fee: $195 (includes all supplies). For details or to enroll, go to: here
or, call 866-471-4435

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Woolly Woven Boho Bowls

Designed and handcrafted by Kim Buchheit © 2011 and 2012
This summer I was able to complete two more woven boho bowls to add to the collection (the two on the right in above photo). I recently purchased some more strong, course, hand-dyed and handspun Navajo churro from local artisans Loretta Flatrock, Betsy Miller, and Zuni Ishikawa (Wanowa Studios in Flagstaff, AZ) — and, it's these strong fibers which form the firm architecture of the bowls by way of the warp and the edge treatments.

Each bowls is actually two bowls in one: an inner tapestry made on a handcrafted loom with churro, merino, and other wool fiber along with jute, raffia, and some cotton/poly pompom accents; and an outer shell crocheted in wool fiber and custom fitted to the woven work. While it does take quite awhile to create each piece, I love making them. Each vessel is unique and defiantly refuses to adhere to any pattern, no matter how hard I try. Some of my pieces have sold in galleries and some directly to customers via my Etsy shop. If you are interested in a commissioned piece, feel free to contact me by email. Thanks.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

2012 Flagstaff Fiber Festival

Burying hand-dyed, handspun Churro wool yarn from artisan Loretta Flatrock.
Gorgeous Churro sheep.
Gently sheering an alpaca.
Local smiley spinners (right: Kari Usher, Dancing Weaver).
Photos © Mike Buchheit
Had a fabulous time at the Fiber Festival in Flagstaff, AZ yesterday! Bought some scrumptious Churro yarn from some talented ladies including Betsy Miller, Loretta Flatrock, and Zuni Ishikawa (Wanowa Studio, Flagstaff, AZ). My husband and I so enjoy talking with the interesting people that participate in this annual event — we learn so much and are so grateful to them. The festival ends today at 4 pm so get on over there if you're in the neighborhood (learn more).

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Felted Pom-Pom Purse in Lemon Meringue

Available here
Designed and handcrafted by Kim Buchheit © 2012
I just put the flourishing touches on a few more round felted purses and put them in my Etsy shop. This lemon meringue one is a favorite! Call me crazy, but summer is here and I still want to work with wool. A batch of black silk arrived in my studio and I'm itching to nuno felt with that next... stay tuned :) 

Friday, April 6, 2012

More Felted Pom-Pom Purses

Designed and handcrafted by Kim Buchheit © 2012
Spring is here and I have yet to get more pom-pom purses uploaded to Etsy... but, I thought I'd post a few here to prove I've been making making making :) I'm enjoying playing with various yarns for the crochet trim, beaded tassel, and detachable pom-pom brooches. And speaking of, I love making those pom-poms; reminds me of summer camp and my collection of "fuzzies." Top purse body made from felted llama; bottom purse body made from felted Corriedale. Happy spring to all!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Nuno Felting with Habotai Silk

Design and handcrafted by Kim Buchheit
I bought some 5mm Habotai silk last week and did some experimenting with mixed results (see sample above). While I love the fabric itself, it takes much more effort to coax the wool fibers into this weight of Habotai silk than into silk chiffon, for example. In some areas you may notice that the fibers did not migrate into the silk at all, but rather felted to themselves on the surface. Now, that said, I am not giving up on this lovely silk — it has a beautiful sheen and feels so luxurious. In my next attempt, I plan on using a hand-sander for the early cool-water stage, and will post results with comments on that soon. If you're looking for a fool-proof silk to use in nuno felting, I recommend using 8mm silk chiffon. Also, I've used very-open weave 100% cotton gauze (or cheesecloth) with great results.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Felt Purse with Pom-Pom and Crochet Trim

Available in my Etsy shop.
Designed and hand-crafted by Kim Buchheit.
With Valentine's Day right around the corner, that's all the excuse I need to grab a big bag of pink Corriedale wool and get felting. After creating the round felted purse base and letting it dry, I added some vintage-style crochet trim, a beaded tassel, magnetic closure, and detachable pompon brooch. The result is an adorable little hand purse in Neapolitan-ice-cream colors... a sweet gift for you or someone you love.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Available in my Etsy shop
Designed and handmade by Kim Buchheit
New colors for the new year: Mulberry, moss, lilac, and teal. This felted wool accessory is fun to give — it will warm hearts as well as wrists this winter. A true conversation piece, so don't wear it if you're feeling shy. When I wear mine, people stop to take a closer look and discover where I got it... love that!

This month I hope to make time to create a few sculptural pieces. My design business is demanding a lot of my time, however. Wish I could make time using wool and water...

Happy 2012!