Talented felted purse designer Jeri Iwasczuk knows the meaning of perseverance! This Belleville, Illinois resident did not start knitting bags until her 75th birthday and, at 77 with spinal surgery and a fight with cancer under her belt, she is going strong with her quality felted purse designs.
The care and quality that goes into these handcrafted designs is top of the line with genuine wool yarn used, which is harder to work with than synthetic. Two types of needles are used to create the proper effect including circular needles and straight needles and bags are usually finished in about 2 weeks.
Violent agitation is very important to the process of felting because this creates softness and hot water is used to shrink the knitted bag. These felted purses do not stretch, are sturdier, and never unravel unlike a knitted purse.
Mrs. Iwasczuk's felted purses are not available unless you live in the Belleville, Illinois area but Henrietta's Handbags currently carries a line of felted purses using the time honored techniques of genuine felting to create a quality handbag, meant to last a lifetime!
Are you interested in more information about the history and legends surrounding felting? Visit us at our "History of Felting" page.
No comments:
Post a Comment