A Bevy of Felted Vests

I love making vests.   I generally promote them as 4-way vests since they are so versatile and can be worn in so many ways like inside out and upside down.  Here a few of the vests I have made so far in 2020.  Some have pockets, some are high collared and one has two different colored lapels.  

I start every project like it is going to be the best thing I've ever created.  Sometimes it is and sometimes not.  But I try to push myself and try new techniques and new uses of the materials.  Always fun and rewarding even if it's just an learning experience and opportunity to do better next time.

I love an asymmetrical look.

Felted vessels inspired by Pacific Ocean

I remember when my mother was planning to go to her 50th high school reunion and my reaction was to question if enough of them were still alive to even have a reunion!  Well my day has come and my friends and I are alive and well and 2020 is the clear year for our 50th.  


I graduated in 1970 from  Liberty High School in Youngstown, Ohio and although most of us moved away and lived our lives separately from each other, we still manage to have a girl's get together every few years.  On this celebratory year, my buddies Rachel from Boulder, Colorado and Debbie from Columbus, Ohio came to Long Beach, California to stay with me for a long weekend.  Their only request was to visit the ocean which we certainly did.  We absorbed the Pacific in all in its glory and walked the full boardwalk of Seal Beach feeling enveloped by the ocean as we looked down from above.  We watched surfers continue to both catch and tumble with the waves.  Back in Long Beach, we saw boats in the harbor, took in the seabirds at the lagoon, and culminated our ocean visit with a glorious gondola sunset ride through the Naples Island canals with a singing gondolier, a bottle of Prosecco and appetizers.  Life is certainly good!

The crashing waves cresting with blues, greens and browns blended together with white foam all hitting the shore and dissipating into that clear water color blending with beiges, grays and white inspired all of us to want to create. Rachel and Debbie had never felted before but I was confident that they would really enjoy creating a felted vessel inspired by the Pacific Ocean.  

What gorgeous and inspiring vessels we all made.  I was amazed by what both Debbie and Rachel created and they were so very pleased as well.  I am so grateful for them in my life and so happy that they came to visit and were able to take home a piece of the Pacific with them in the form of a felted vessel.  They can proudly display them in their homes and will always be able to admire them and smile about the memories we made during our 50th high school graduation celebration.

I was so jazzed about what we made that I went on to create a few more Pacific Ocean inspired vessels in the few days after Rachel and Debbie went home.

Our 50th high school graduation year.