RANK TOP11 WORLDWIDE

Finally, the more-than-two-month long Fashion By Feelings competition came to the end.

I'm very pleased to rank TOP 11 worldwide out of 1138 Looks.

Although I didn't get to win a trip to Australia to discover the origin of Merino wool, 

it has been a wonderful experience to share my love of wool & my signature wool felted creation!

The priceless reward for me is the 70 comments that 163 voters left on the board

plus all the LOVES from supporters like you!

THANK YOU very much indeed from my bottom of my heart!

I LOVE WOOL BECAUSE...

Sharing my LOVE for wool to 31,259 fans (& counting) 

from the Facebook "We Love Wool" Page today

to celebrate the FINAL day of voting for the "Fashion By Feelings" contest!

Currently ranking: TOP 10 overall worldwide !!!! 

Have you voted yet? Go DO IT now!!!

AMAZING DEBUT

Over the September 24 & 25, 2011 weekend is FELTasticFashion's debut to the Nova Scotians
 

at Muir Murray Winery Estate's 2nd Annual Iron Chef Competition event

Amazing experience to meet so many people & promote WOOL creations!

Many people were attracted by my signature "Wool Felt Heart-shaped Bib Necklace" 
even before I made any introduction! I am really pleased to hear so many great compliments!

In addition, the "Wool Fashion Comeback" article (short version) is NOW up 
on the current Sept. 22 - Oct. 6, 2011 issue of The Grapevine community paper. 
A long version of the article with more details about wool & felting technique
is posted on my blog earlier on 2011/09/03.

 

With all of these appearances, just after 3 days, the ranking of the Wool Look with the "Wool Felt Heart-shaped Bib Necklace" has jumped from TOP 17 to TOP 12 out of 1000+ looks worldwide!

  It's been such an amazing experience throughout! 
Thank you all of you & keep share the link & vote!

Search FELTasticFashion at www.fashionbyfeelings.com
Direct link: http://www.fashionbyfeelings.com/?source=EComm#/look/416

ROLL IT UP

Something unusual...Something interesting...

Here I "roll & felt" the Merino wool around the unique texture elastic cord

LOOPY LOOPS

The greatness of using wool for necklace:

It can be bold but still very light-weighted! No more shoulder/neck pain! 

GEOMETRIC TRIBAL ART

Think geometric patterns. Think colors.

Whether it's Art Deco, Retro or Modern style.

It's a pretty cool & easy way to dress up a basic T-shirt.

 Wearing It Long.

Wearing It Short.

FELT POMANDER

In less than 3 weeks, we will celebrate my husband's twin brother's wedding!

My 2YR Coco & 6YR Jacob will be so excited,

as they will be the flower girl & ring bearer for the very first time!

Coco will wear Qipao in ivory brocade to match the bride's wedding gown.

Earlier, my mom not only made her the Qipao, but also a jacket to match

as well as another East-meet-West princess dress with red brocade cape.

The ring cushion is made with the same ivory brocade used in Coco's Qipao.

As request from the bride, a matching wool felt pomander ball was made for Coco to carry!

This project is very easy for most to work on, but it is actually quite time consuming! 
It took me 7 hours to complete! Even I underestimated that!

For those who love to try, here the step-by-step HOW TO photos:

Materials

6 sheets of 9"x12" felt in RUBY

3 sheets of 9"x12" felt in RED

Chocolate ribbon

Sewing thread & needle

 Steps

Prepare a pattern of the flower petal

Cut out 36 pieces (4 petals in each felt sheet)

Gently gather the inner circle with thread

Group 6 petals into 1 group & sew together

Attach the ribbon & all 6 groups of petals together

1 MONTH TO GO...

Just 1 month to go before FELTasticFashion's first appearance to the local public in Nova Scotia!

READY OR NOT! I'm sure it will be a very interesting experience!

After the Horton High School's 16th Annual Craft Fair on Oct. 15 (Sat 9am-4pm),

I will also be at another Christmas Craft Fair in November (TBA).

 Remember to drop by & say Hello & check out all my one-of-a-kind felted goodies!

READY...SET...GO...

MINI Cooper S #2 is all set to catch the plane to Hong Kong!

This is a special custom order.

I hope both the gift sender & receiver will love this cute felt creation!

FELT & KNOT

Simple but just jazz up the outfit really quick!

FLOWER PATCH for Silent Auction

"Vaudeville is Alive and Well"

This is the theme for the upcoming 6th Annual CentreStage Theatre/Glooscap Curling Club Dinner Theatre

FELTasticFashion would love to help support these two community organizations.

A custom made flower patch necklace is donated to the silent auction of the event.

All funds go towards running many wonderful performances, drama camps, and workshops for the Theatre.

Happy bidding!

WOOL FASHION COMEBACK

Article by Cecilia Ho
Edited by Laura Churchill Duke

"It's such a statement piece and so original! I love the pop of colours!" says Michelle Cillan in reference to Cecilia Ho's felted wool fashion designs.

Think About Wool. What comes to mind? Shrinkage? Itchy? Hand wash only? Probably not fashion pieces. However, thanks to research and improved production methods, wool is better than ever! Wool is not only a natural, durable, endlessly renewable and totally biodegradable material, it is also naturally stain resistant, wrinkle resistant, anti-microbial (body odor resistant), anti-static, fire retardant, self-extinguishing, excellent insulation, quick drying and some are even naturally water resistant! Wool fabrics also have a good UPF rating for both dry and wet situations and will protect against the sun's harmful rays! Merino wool is often used for athletic garments, as it breathes and wicks better than most synthetic fabrics. Mountain hikers, cyclists and even surfers wear them throughout both summer and winter! That is because wool is a natural temperature regulator. Wool draws moisture away from the skin and evaporates moisture, regulating body temperature in all conditions. Moreover, wool has a natural structure which allows it to absorb and release humidity. Research also shows that the itchiness of wool is related to tiny barbs on the fibre’s surface. Nowadays, wool processors have developed better wool treatments that help smooth out the barbs making wool much softer and more versatile.

Many countries are starting to make a big deal about wool too. In the UK, The Campaign for Wool, was initiated in 2008 by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. He has launched a Wool Week every year to promote the wool-related industries. This year, a major exhibition of Wool, titled Wool Modern, takes place in London between September 8 and 29, which focuses on the modern, innovative and avant garde use of wool throughout creative industries. The exhibition is set to break traditional perceptions of the wool fibre and create a new platform for wool in the 21st century. Even the top international fashion designers have shown the world in their Fall/Winter 2011 and Resort 2012 fashion shows that wool is IN and is very fashionable. Besides the typical use of wool for clothes, scarves and mittens, wool can be combined with different materials and techniques. Cecilia Ho of Port Williams does just this.

FELTasticFashion is an artistic project started in November 2010 by Cecilia Ho who believed that wool and fashion could be mixed together. Ho comes from good artistic genes: her father is a home decorator and carpenter, while her mother is a fashion designer and dress maker. Growing up in this environment has given her a passion to design, a desire to be a trend setter and the ability to make one-of-a-kind products that are not only beautiful but functional.

Ho had always wanted to work on a specific handicraft project, and it wasn't until reading a craft book last summer, that she stumbled upon the art of felting wool. Since then, Ho made her own label, FELTasticFashion, and has been experimenting with new ideas and making unique felted creations. "Felt It. Love It. Treasure It." is Ho's mantra. This can easily be seen in each of her creations that is lovingly handmade.

Everything Ho makes is from scratch with the best natural wool which comes locally from Gaspereau Valley Fibres. Ho uses the needle and wet felting process, beginning with raw sheep's wool, either dyed or natural coloured. Needle felting is done by needling the raw wool firmly with the felting needle. The needle is made of steel and has rough, notched edges that allow a person to punch repeatedly through the wool to intertwine its fibres. "A typical felt creation takes an hour or more to poke a felting needle in and out of a ball of wool thousands of times," says Ho. The wet felting method involves dampening the raw wool with hot soapy water, then rubbing or shaking it a lot. Wet felting also adds strength and smoothness to a large piece of work. Ho begins her creative work during the felting process.

With the felting technique and her fashion sense, Ho can handcraft anything from fashion pieces such as necklaces for adults and kids, bracelet and hair accessories to woolen cakes. "I love French pastry," says Ho, "so I created a felted cakes collection - something that can be kept forever." On the functional side, some of the woolen cakes are multi-use pincushions, jewelry boxes, CD keepsake, etc. Ho has done 3D sculptures and custom requests for customers from the US and Hong Kong via ETSY. "I love to design and create. I am totally thrilled when people I don't even know make nice comments about my creations."

News about the versatility of wool is spreading. In fact, the Australian Tourism Board wants to bring worldwide wool lovers together. So, the organization, We Love Wool, a campaign run by The Woolmark Company under the Australian Wool Innovation Limited, is hosing a Find "Fashion by Feelings" contest where participants around the world can enter photos of woolen piece that they made/wore, all in attempt to create a buzz around wool in hopes that people realize just how fashionable wool can be. Ho has entered her unique handmade "wool felt heart-shaped bib necklace" into the contest and has already received over 100 votes worldwide, ranking her Top 17 overall out of over 600 entries. (As of Sept. 27, 2011 ranking Top 11 out of 1000+ looks!) To help Ho win the grand prize trip to Australia - the birthplace of Merino wool, go online to www.FashionByFeelings.com to cast your vote. Go to the "top look" button or search "FELTasticFashion" on the top right side of the screen, and look for Ho's creation, as seen in the accompanying photo. Vote before the contest ends on Sept. 28, 2011 (AT). In addition, voter will get a chance to win a A$400 fashion pack from EMU Australia!

Interested in seeing and feeling the wool necklaces? Want to know how the felted cakes work as pincushion and jewelry/CD storage keepsake? Need some custom felting ideas? Meet Cecilia at two upcoming 2011 craft shows: Horton High School's 16th Annual Craft and Food Fair booth #140 (gym) on October 15 Saturday (9am-4pm) and another Christmas Craft show in November (TBA). Visit www.FELTasticFashion.com Up-to-date news is available from FELTasticFashion.blogspot.com and Facebook.

Direct link to vote: http://www.fashionbyfeelings.com/?source=EComm#/look/416

Or search FELTasticFashion at www.FashionByFeelings.com 

MUSTACHE FUN

Bonjour Monsieur!
Ah non! Madame! Excusez-moi!

SPARKLES

May I add some sparkles around your neck?

...or on your head?