Bowl of Pumpkins

Tonight I have a bowl of pumpkins and assorted friends.  I have been cleaning out cupboards getting ready to start moving into the new addition in the next few weeks.  The things you find!!!!

Here is a bowl of Halloween (and a Christmas ornament hidden in the middle) decorations that I made a few years ago.  Have you ever made these roving mini's?  They are fun and simple and so easy that a child can enjoy making them too.

Here is what you do:  First, dye roving the colors you want.  I like purples and oranges, but also love the turquoise ghost background.  I use 1/2 ounce strips approximately 36 inches long.  I dye this wool roving with Cushing or Pro Chem dye.

When the dyed roving is dry, roll in to a ball, then covering the woolen ball with your hand, slide it in the toe of an old nylon or knee high nylon.  I take old panty hose, cut  the leg off at knee level, slide the roving ball into the toe and then tie a knot close to the roving.  Then....off to the washing machine.  Throw the ball in the nylon into the washer with a little detergent, wash it, then throw it into the dryer.
It comes out felted and ready to decorate with more roving.  Don't worry about drying the little balls all the way dry. You can take them out still slightly damp, cut away the nylon with scissors and reshape the ball a little if it has gotten a little out of sorts in the dryer.

Now the decorating......use a barbed felting needle, some scraps of dyed roving and you are only limited by your imagination.  I have one bowl of just baby pumpkins, each with a different jack-o-lantern face.  I like the ghosts and there is a witches face on the back of one of those darlings.  At the time I was making them, people were buying them right out of my hand.  I finally had to say they were not for sale, so I would be able to have some for myself.

Try them....they are great fun.

Soon,
Janice