Felt is a soft, fuzzy non-woven fabric associated with the gentle side of life - right? But maybe it doesn't have to be...in the capable hands of Ms Covington felt shows its subversive side and gives a visual voice to celebrate feminism.
I have loved working with felt since early childhood, and was pleased to see that now it has a new life. Craft twenty-one projects using felt and some fabric; sewing is involved but nothing too complicated and some projects make more use of glue. Before the making starts the book kicks off with the best instructions on working with felt I have seen. Too often tips on dealing with this fabric are, pardon the pun, rather woolly and despite working with the stuff for years I certainly learned some new things. Find out what tools you need, all about different types of felt and how best to work with this non-woven fabric. There are also tips on storage and cleaning, working with a hot glue gun and some simple embroidery stitches to learn. Each stitch has several small photographs showing how it is done with captions, but drawn diagrams would have been easier to follow in my opinion. The rest of the book is divided into four sections where you can find projects celebrating trailblazing women such as suffragettes, Ada Lovelace, Marie Curie and others, feminist symbols such as #MeToo, Gaia Goddess, cat, labrys, yellow rose and even a uterus! Each project has a page-sized photograph of the finished item opposite an explanation of its symbolism, lists of materials and tools, handy list of stitches with page references, difficulty level and finished size. There are photographs of key parts of the construction process along with clear written instructions and all the templates and patterns. Most of these are full sized but some require enlarging, and all measurements are given in both imperial and metric. There is a good range of items to showcase your message including two purses, finger puppet, tree decoration, keyring, egg cozy, pencil case, tampon roll, man-shaped pincushion (!) and scented sachet. At the back is a handy list of stores and websites in the UK and US where you can obtain the items you need. This is the perfect gift for any woman who wants to show the world that she is standing up for change and empowerment.
-- Rachel Hyde * myshelf.com *
Bring your favourite feminist icons to life with this adorable collection of felt designs. From a Marie Curie finger puppet, Ada Lovelace egg cosy and Rosie the Riveter coin purse to a floral Firebrand bracelet in suffragette colours and #metoo keyring, we love the combination of cute-and-cosy with inspirational symbols. There's even a coffee cup cosy based on the now-iconic pussy hat! It's a fun way to combine crafting with a powerful statement, with templates and instructions included.
* Inside Crochet, Issue 105 *
I recently had the opportunity to review a new @searchpress book called 'Feminist Felties'. I utterly adore the premise of this book which is built upon the notion of feeling solidarity with others through making with your hands which is both calming and energizing. As Missy Covington, the book's fantastic author, says: There was power in needle and thread. There is a wide range of projects and designs in the book ranging from the more traditional, suffragette symbols (such as the Fireband bracelet with symbols and colours inspired by the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies) to some which are more tongue-in-cheek (such as the Uterus Christmas Tree Decoration)! After the introduction, Missy talks about the range of felts available, which tools are best for the projects, starting and finishing techniques and stitches to use. Then Missy presents 21 projects with each project accompanied by clear instructions, skill levels, required tools, stitches used and the patterns needed to create your own feminist felties! I can also see this book being fantastic for working with children and young people of all ages, sexes and genders by talking about the history of the feminist movement and the journey it has taken through creating with your hands!
-- Naomi Clarke * @naomialicec *
This is a fun book..
With glue, felt and thread the designs aim to empower women through craft and while this book is called 'Feminist' Felties many of the projects make you smile and are very quirky.
21 projects, Pot covers, Pincushions and Key chains, all give a nod to the women's movement, and the pages are littered with quotes from various American feminists and movement trailblazers.
It is an interesting read as well as being a craft book, I loved the Badass Women badge and Rosie the Riveter coin purse is lovely.
Each design and project have templates to trace or photocopy, and there are recommendations for materials. There is also a stitch guide and the pages about working with felt and how to care for it is very helpful.
This book will not appeal to everyone, but it is well presented and the projects are useful usable and do send quite a strong message.
-- Tracy Shephard * Postcard Reviews *
For a project book that packs a punch, you need to read Feminist Felties! The author shows you how to make female icon badges and Christmas tree decorations amongst others; but don't worry if needle felting isn't your forte, Missy talks you through glueing, stitching and embroidery techniques.
* Sew Christmas *
This is a fabulous book for anyone who believes in the feminist propaganda and has a crafty side. I've got several friends who I know will love the makes in this book! Christmas is sorted for this year.
-- Emily Davis * Amazon *
'Feminist Felties' by Missy Covington, is a riot of colour, with excellent, well-thought out photography. There are a huge range of ideas that can be brought to life using the techniques and inspiration from this book. Some of the pieces will be well recognised from real life news reports. There is a portion of the book at the start dedicated to the tools you may use, the different types of felt, and different stitches - always good for the beginner. There are over 20 different projects you can make and you can adapt each of these to make your own unique makes. There are so many different templates too, so apart from the tools, you have everything you could possibly need. My only concern is that the pattern pieces do need to be enlarged on the photocopier, which does put me off. However, I do love the 'Badass Women badge' and the 'Protest Coasters.' I also love 'The Smell of Revolution' badge! I would recommend this book to all who like working with felt, or those who want something a bit quirky. Enjoy!
-- Patricia Maggs * Amazon *
This is a cute, and fun book. I am currently making an Ada Lovelace egg cosy for my niece, as she is reading about her at the moment! Easy and clear layouts, notes on the historical inspiration behind each project, and lots of tongue in cheek - what's not to love?!
-- Natasha Field * Customer review *
An interesting book with some quirky designs. The pages and descriptive sections are bright, extremely well set out, clear and concise to follow for absolute beginners in this felting field. The subject matter isn't to everyone's palette, but it is a book full of fun, creativity and interesting facts about women I never knew. Subversive, but light in its execution: solidarity in stitch and great humour. There is something in this book for all women, even if they aren't feminists. As Missy Covington says designed to prompt a wry smile is spot on, and her beautiful words support you if your a beginner. Great projects and designs with easy instructions I recommend this book, as I still have a little smile in my face from it Power to the stitch!!
-- Charlie Bull * Customer review *
I love the concept of this book, the idea of bringing women together through crafting and creating is wonderful. The book is bright, bold and beautifully laid out. It shares strong messages and explores feminist principles in an unashamed way with a dose of fun. I love working with felt and found the hints and tips really well explained as well as the lovely illustrated guide to embroidery stitches. The projects are varied and many could be converted to other things with a few tweaks. The templates mean that they could be used as keying's or a notebook cover design without much modification. The information about the women and movements featured in the book is well researched and incorporated as fact sections on many pages.
I appreciate that this book is intended to be very accessible for a range of skill levels and all are designed with beginner or intermediate stitchers in mind. I personally find that too many projects are glued and I would be tempted to use fabric glue in place of the hot glue gun at times as hot glue can be rather bulky. I have a lot of projects lined up from the book and I intend to stitch most of them instead of relying on glue. I also feel that there are projects that could do with further steps in their construction. I think the purse would have a better finish with lining and possibly a blanket stitch instead of a slip stitch. This of course is a matter of preference and I can just add these things in when making them. I would have liked to have seen it as an option and instructions given even if it meant having some advanced projects. The other thing worth noting is that the templates need to be photocopied to get the correct size and these are all different percentages. I know some people don't have access to a photocopier and find this problematic.
My personal preference is for the inspirational women section and the suffragette patterns. These would be perfect partners for the Bed Time Stories for Rebel Girls book. I would love to see more women transformed into felt in the future. Saying that I think I may have figured out who The man pin cushion may have been based upon.
Overall I enjoyed this book - I have a long list of projects to make from it and it certainly brought a wry smile to my face which was the authors intention in the introduction. I hope the ladies who receive the creations will appreciate the sentiment too and I look forward to spreading a little bit of solidarity.
-- Jo Hutch * Customer review *
