Can you tell it's a Christmas tree?

     So, I swear in real life this lump of white and red at least kind of looks like a felted tree. In this photo it looks like a lump of tissue with a string wrapped around it-oh gosh!
   I was looking through an old Christmas Japanese Craft book from last year and saw this:

     Not quite the same, huh? 
  Well, I had a tiny amount of white roving and I have tons of gray, brown, and black-so I'm not sure what to do. Anyone have any white roving they want to trade or get rid of? I would love to experiment and try some more-I just have no clue where to find roving (someone gave me this). In the same mag they have some soft trees similar to the ones Stephanie makes (which as I am typing just became available here!)-although I love her color selection.

    But they show them with this drawstring thing on the bottom and I am not sure if that would really work. I know she developed a pattern for hers-and I've seen them in real life and I think maybe hers are more likely to remain standing.

     Then there are these shoes:

Which would be perfect for my sister in law's baby (that is due on Christmas)!

These seem super easy!

But felt? Will that scratch a baby or is it OK?

Comments

[bugheart]

what craft book
are you
referencing?!
it's so cool!
i can check if
anyone here
has white roving...
did it not felt
very well?
sometimes
white doesn't
felt if it is
treated
to get it white,
i.e. bleached.
i love those shoes!
can i beg you
for a photocopy
of the pattern?
such great
ideas!
i don't think
felt will scratch
the baby-
they can wear
them with
little socks
besides...

[Cristina]

i have some white (more like a nice cream color) roving ~ lets do a swap!:)

[amisha]

socks would probably help with the wee shoes... that would help keep them on too! i find felt kinda scratchy. if you want to go all out with the roving, though, you could make your own merino felt (or felt an old holey sweater) and that would be much softer than purchased felt. the little tree is really sweet,also!

[Melissa (crazycatladymel)]

100% wool felt would be fine, or you can do what amisha suggests.

Have you seen these?

http://www.heatherbaileydesign.com/Booties.html
http://stardustshoes.blogspot.com/2006/10/cloth-shoe-pattern.html

(I think it looks like a tree)

[stephanie]

i will send you some white roving and some nice soft wool for baby shoes - send me your address again.

love the trees! i think those might have been the ones i saw on someone's blog that got me thinking about soft trees last year. a drawstring at the bottom? i had not thought of that.

[Karen in Wichita]

I needed white-white roving and my whitest white looked yellow next to the synthetic fur I was using, so on a whim I tried needlefelting polyester fiberfill. If you use cheap, uncoated stuff, it works quite well. The generic WalMart stuff does a fine job, though it's got more than its share of weird crimped fat fibers, so you need to sort it a bit before felting.

The "nice" fiberfill is coated/garnetted/other fun stuff to keep it from clumping up, which is just another way of saying "spontaneously felting slightly," so it doesn't work so well.

[Blair]

Oh I love you tiny tree Abby, its so incredibly sweet and I think you did a fantastic job with your rendetion. You know, Martha has a great felt slipper pattern too, I'm sure its on her website. I think wool felt would work well for a baby, the synthetic wool is much scratchier.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and James! Have a great day! xo

[ellie]

Wow. Those little shoes are killer cute.

[lisa s]

oh i like your tree! esp. next to the jar of ornaments!! we are going to have to do something like that this year - no tree w/ the little kitten ....

i wish i had roving for you....
happy t-day!
xo

[erin scissorhands]

i like your trees! i've been making cone trees out of cardstock...i made a brown and ivory color scheme, i cant wait to put them out!

those shoes look like fun!

[jenny vorwaller]

oh abby, those little shoes are so so sweet. :)

[vegasandvenice]

Oh no! I just got rid of a ton of roving! I am so sorry! That tree is pretty darn cute though and I think you did a great job!! Love those shoes! Hugs!

[mary]

I love your tree, Abby. I've been a felting fool lately, so I just may have to try it. It looks like several people have offered to send you some white roving, but if you need any more let me know. There is a place here that sells just about every color you can think of.

I think those shoes would be really comfortable for a baby. wool felt is pretty soft.

xo

[TIffani]

Oooh Abby those booties for my precious Caleb look absolutely adorable!!!! I looove them :-) Only 3 1/2 more weeks to go...ahhhhh!!! I'm hoping he comes early cuz I'm ready to smother him with too many kisses. Thanks so much for thinking of his little feet ;-) Love ya!