I have recently made several bags that have incorporated non-felted elements and have loved the results.  My goal here, then, is to make a plea that you start thinking of ways to add unfelted elements–bits of ribbon, fabric, embroidery, buttons, beads, or a combination of these–to your felted bags and flower and to send me the results in digital picture form.  I will append them to this entry.

Here are pictures of the two bags I recently finished.

Both of these designs were made using the 3 Nights in a Row Pattern.  The chocolate brown one above (Tilli Tomas Flurries in Chocolate Cherry) is decorated with silk roses and the texture difference between the silk and the felt creates a lushness that I emphasized with a matching silk lining. It was delectable to put your hand inside to get out a lipstick or keys.  The one just above (Tilli Tomas Whistler bag in Natural with Beaded flowers in Flurries Raspberry and Red with Moss Green stems) has knitted, felted Stephanotis and rosettes (included in the pattern).  I added silk velvet pieces cut to look as though a velvet ribbon was wrapped or tied around the stems to hold them all together. Again, the addition of the fabric creates a vividness and lush quality that draws attention to the felted flowers.  This bag was donated to a fundraiser auction for a local school called St. John’s Parish School, a lovely school doing some inspiring work with young people.

Below is a mixed media bag (inspired by a Noni bag I am told)  that was made by Gini Aten Erving of Loopy: Knit/Crochet and her mom made the flowers using the Noni Camellias as the embellishment. As you can see, the fabric embellishment in colors that talk to the flowers and strap adds something really fun and happy to the bag.  It’s a great looking purse and it, too, was auctioned for a fundraiser for a school, this time for the Missoula International School, the only Spanish-immersion, International Baccalaurate World School authorized for the Primary Years Program in the Northwestern US.  It provides a wonderful and exciting educational environment, and brings an international perspective to children in (relatively) isolated Montana.

If you have a Noni or Noni-inspired mixed media bag already or make one after reading this post, please send me a picture and I’ll add it to this posting.  Please tell me a little bit about the bag, if it was a fund-raiser bag, let me know that, too.