Lucy Sparrow I

After Alex Weir's cafe, it seems right to introduce you to Lucy Sparrow's felted convenience store. Where every single item has been created from felt. Lucy has already made a newsagents, sex shop, corner shops and this summer a convenience store in Manhattan, to say I love these crazy shops and their products is an understatement, this is the art of making smiles.

"Felt is a fabric that is synonymous with primary school, it often comes in very basic, bright colours and with a material like that you can approach subjects that might be more taboo and make them palatable and funny." Lucy Sparrow

“I want the work to make people think about the loss of community spaces when these small corner shops disappear,” said Sparrow. “To remind them how valuable these corner shops really are and the colour they bring to our lives.”

Giant Daphnia

I couldn't resist Hine Mizushima's Giant Daphnia either, who could?

Hine Mizushima

An unnatural history; Giant Amoeba (bottom) Bug eating plant bug (top) a joy of felt creation by Hine Mizushima.

Andrea Cavagnaro

Andrea Cavagnaro is a textile artist from Beunos Aires, Argentina, who creates these intricate cut and layered felt sculptures, resembling the paper cuts of Jen Stark. And so a new week starts, fueled by a desire for colour, fuzzy felts and toxic sweets. I hope it is a good one for you all. (thanks)

Elis Vermeulen II

Do not watch the waves an installation by Elis Vermeulen. I love the guy ropes in the picture above, taken when setting this installation up and the light on the finished work is stunning.

Elis Vermeulen

Elis Vermeulen is a master felt maker, this is an installation called 'They That Watch' it consists of giant suspended cocoon forms. "... this piece is not about things that will happen in our lives, but about us waiting for it, about our anticipation and longing ..." Elis Vermeulen

Vicky Hanrahan's asher jasper

Vicky Hanrahan trained in drawing and painting but now has a wonderful shop asherjasper selling toys, this robin is just perfect.

Anja Brunt I

Anja Brunt makes characters from felted blankets and scraps of fabric, she also does some lovely graphics work.

Cleo Thorpe-ngata II

Cleo Thorpe-ngata's 'A pocket full of posy' a memory piece of seven tiny felt dresses naturally dyed with beautiful organic hangers.

Piddies

Piddies (for adults and children) made by Dana Robison, the beauty as ever is in the detail, I love the chickens feet and all the great ideas that this maker has incorporated into this product range.

Harpa Hats

Harpa's Hats.

Diana Milne

Love this work from Di Milne an artist from sunny Dundee. These works are all hand knitted, felted embroidered and wonderful.

Selkies by Sandy McInnes

Little selkies sealed or pealed of their seal pelts, by Sandy McInnes, I believe they are porcelain and felt with etched surfaces. I have a soft spot for selkies and have written a song about them so this work really appealed to me. http://www.sandymcinnes.com/ sandyjmcinnes@hotmail.com

Ah ha ! Now to introduce The Blender

The Blender with Strawberries and Banana by Blythe Church, thanks Blythe. www.sewnbyblythe.com www.sewnbyblythe.etsy.com

Temptress Typewriter

This wonderful dusty looking spider of an Underwood Typewriter is by Blythe Church, who hails from Nova Scotia I wish I had found her earlier, as my friend Sophie has just returned, anyway her site has fantastic textile household objects on it, amongst other treasures, and she can also be found on etsy. http://www.sewnbyblythe.etsy.com/ site: http://www.sewnbyblythe.com/

Little Hats

Lovely felt hats that I bought today for a crazy £1 each, hours of fun.