Category Archives: Fine Craft

Icy Seafoam Mandala Bound For Newfoundland

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Most of the hats I make end up here in New England and the Northeast (although occasionally one finds a home in the Pacific Northwest or Alaska).

Last week, I shipped off my first hat ever to Newfoundland:

Freehand embroidery of French knots on icy sea foam felt hat by fiber artist, Carrie Cahill Mulligan of Canaan, New Hampshire.

Embroidered felt hat #82 of 2012.

Detail of freehand French knot embroidery on felt hat #82 of 2012

Detail of freehand wool embroidery on felt.

Detail of freehand French knot embroidery on felt hat #82 of 2012

French knots and split stitch make up the embroidered mandala design.

I’m delighted to have my work tested in the raw, wet winters of Newfoundland, and I love that the colors of this particular hat echo those of icebergs born of the North Atlantic. Seems particularly fitting!

Latest Freehand Embroidery – Teal & Blue 3 Flower Vine

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People are awesome.

Upon hearing of Andy’s bicycle accident, Andrea decided to get some of her holiday shopping done early this year.

Knitted felt hat with freehand ribbon embroidery by Carrie Cahill Mulligan of Canaan, New Hampshire.

My signature freehand embroidery design, “Three Flower Vine” in teal & blue.

Andrea is one of my hockey buddies. Like me, she’s originally from Canada, but took up playing ice hockey as an adult.

Andrea’s Mom still lives in Ontario, so she’s sure to enjoy a toasty-warm felt hat. Knowing she loves blue, Andrea picked a plain teal hat with sky blue brim for her Mom.

French knots, split-stitch and lazy daisy stitches all contribute to the embroidery design.

French knots, split-stitch and lazy daisy embroidery stitches all contribute to the design.

Next, she looked through lots of different embroidery styles.

Andrea was tempted by the French-knot Mandala as well as the new Dragonfly embroidery. But eventually, she decided on the 3 Flower Vine pattern.

Stranding different yarns together before knotting adds flecks of color to the flower center.

Stranding different yarns together before knotting adds flecks of color to the flower center.

Design determined, Andrea then selected just the right embroidery yarns for flower petals & vines. All that was left to do was the actual stitching…

Add 3-4 hours of focused freehand embroidery, and viola! Custom-designed felt hat #27 of 2012 is complete, and one more holiday gift is ready for giving.

Hand-dyed ribbon yarns vary the tones of the lazy-daisy flower petals.

Hand-dyed ribbon yarns add variegated shine to the lazy-daisy flower petals. French-knots add texture.

If I can help design a fancy hat for you or someone special, I’d be delighted. Feel free to contact me. I’m honored to help make your holidays special.

Gayle’s Custom Dragonfly Hat

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I shy away from most custom orders.  Felting is unpredictable.  It’s tricky to shrink a knitted hat to the right size for a specific head.

However, if the person is easy-going, not in a hurry and willing to risk shipping hats back & forth, I’m happy to try a special request.

Gayle was just that sort of person!

Yarn color combinations for a custom felt hat request.

Gayle’s custom hat color combinations, with possible embroidery yarns, side-by-side

Gayle knew she wanted a dragonfly hat, probably in purple. She chose several yarn colors which I photographed, along with various embroidery ribbons, so she could choose her favorite.

Colors selected, I set about knitting, felting, lining & embroidering Gayle’s hat.

Carrie Cahill Mulligan's knitted felt hat #20 of 2012, purple with turquoise dragonfly ribbon embroidery.

Gayle’s custom felt hat with dragonfly ribbon embroidery.

Generally, I gravitate to tone-on-tone designs, so I suggested some purple-y ribbons for the dragonfly embroidery. Gayle really wanted the dragonfly to “pop” though, so we went with her first choice, turquoise.

Embroidery Detail of CCM Felt Hat #20 of 2012 - ribbon dragonfly with turquoise & jade gemstones.

Turquoise and jade gemstone beads are the focal point of this dragonfly embroidery.

I’m so glad we did! I love how this hat turned out. Gayle deserves all the credit.

Have you ever helped create a custom design? Did you enjoy the process? The results? I’d love to know your experience…