Felted Cabs - Notes

Felted Cabs - Notes

I came up with this idea of Felted Cabs. There is almost nothing new under the skies and I am sure that someone must have thought of/invented this. But I had never come across it and even today, as I google it, I can't find topics devoted to this (apart from mine :)

Anyway, let me tell you a bit about my journey to reach the felted cab stage.

Once upon a time I never even heard of cabochons. Then when I did, I thought it was an edible bun. Then the problem of getting the spelling correct and to make it stick in the brain.

Next followed disinterest. I could not imagine why anyone, but the very few, would or could do with this dome shaped stones. Yup, some of them looked very pretty but I wanted to do things with them and I could not imagine what one could do with it.

Then I came across some beaded cabs and I went "wow". But not being much of a beader then and certainly not of any calibre, I shelved the idea of attempting that. And each time I came across a stone cab that called out to me, I could not justify to myself in the midst of all my other spendings, to buy it. Coz I still didn't know what to do with cabs.

A long time passed. I came across felting which led to needle felting. And one day, I thought I could combine the two. And it worked. You read more about this ah-ha moment at Beaded Felt Cabs as well check out lots of pics of my earliest felted cabs. Illustrations of some ways they can be used as well.

Features of Felted Cabochons

I just want to list some of the unique features of felted cabs so that you may develop your own ideas as to how to use these very versatile cabs. If you already are a beader and you do beaded bezel cabs, then this is a natural extension. You will bead bezel in just about the same way. Definitely fun and I am sure it is much easier for anyone trying to learn how to do beaded bezel cabochons. These felted cabs are much more forgiving.

Felted cabs are exceedingly versatile - both in the creation of them as well as in the application of them. The very nature and substance of a felted cab literally calls to the imaginative mind to come up with new directions.

• Light - so you can make them into earrings with no worries of weight. In fact you can load up your jewelry piece without the worry of weight and inevitable breakage.
  
• Non-breakable - it isn't glass or ceramic. It is not going to crack if you drop it . Perfect for kiddies jewelry as an example.
  
• Versatile - if you decide to make your own felted cabs, you can design any shape, size, color, you want. No major tools required.
  
• Can be sewn - you can sewn on and into the felted cabs. Which makes it a breeze to attach to fabric, cords, etc. And you can bead/embellish directly onto the felted cab. You can either sew or glue things onto it or the cab onto other backings.
  
• Ideal for travel - because felted cab jewelry tends to be very light, it is a major plus for traveling. Who needs more weight in your luggage right?
  
• Buttons - easy to use them as buttons or as funky, matching jewelry fastener.

In short, the possibilities and variations of what cabs you create and how you can use the felted cabs are endless.

If you are not interested in making your own cabs, you might be able to find some ready handmade felted cabs at either of my stores below. If you don't see them, either I have not listed them yet, or they have sold out, or I have moved on to making other things. Yup ... I am a bit of a rolling stone!