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Join me on the 25th June at 7pm (BST) for a live workshop where we will be making the June project of the month. Learn how easy it is to paint with wool (absolutely no drawing skills required) and we can create together. The North Sea Coast is one of my favourite places and my dad was a Hull lad who used to love walking along the old fish docks with its stunning views of the Humber. It may be no tropical beach but what it lacks in glamour it makes up for with drama and attitude! I have popped a list below with all the wool and fibres I will be using so you can raid your own stash, or you can visit the website and buy the fabulous wool and specialty fibres and beads box I have put together, including your pre-felt – which will be your canvas – plus a downloadable pattern.
I can’t wait to enjoy some community creativity with you! If you don’t have any wool then you can purchase the wool and fibre bundle HERE
LEARN TO PAINT WITH WOOL!
This is a great project that only takes a couple of hours. It is really easy and you don’t need any drawing skills at all. I will show you how to put together this dramatic seascape so you can then go on to create your own needle felted pictures. Follow me on FACEBOOK for updates
WHAT DO I NEED?
If you are already a needle felter you can use any wool scraps (carded or wool tops) you have in your wool stash. Scroll down for materials list. Tea and cake optional but highly recommended!
If you are new to needle felting then the complete wool and fibre bundle is available on the LFC website. As well as all the lovely wool you see here it also comes complete with pre-felt, beads, silk throwsters waste and hand dyed locks. Needles and mats can be purchased separately. There is enough wool to complete a couple of full size pictures or lots of little ones.
ASK ME ANYTHING?
As well as felting along with me live you can ask me any questions on needle felting, or anything else for that matter.
MATERIALS LIST
You can use wool tops, carded wool, or both and this is a perfect project for using up scraps of wool. I have also used beads, silk tops and silk throwsters waste for embellishment but anything goes. The picture can be made with just one felting needle and it’s also a good project to try out those multi tools. Don’t forget your pre-felt or flat piece of fabric to felt onto as this will be your canvas.
If you don’t have any wool then you can buy the whole wool, fibre and embellishment bundle over on the website. This also includes your pre-felt which will act as your canvas.
I was beyond excited when my good friend and talented artist, Nancy Sullivan, agreed to be a guest on the blog and put together a needle felting tutorial for you all. What I wasn’t prepared for though was an advanced tutorial that is so detailed that I have yet to see anything to match it. This beautiful life-size version of her own cat, Scout, has taken many, many, many hours to complete and is beautifully written in Nancy’s typically charming and funny way. Whilst it is a very advanced tutorial, Nancy’s writing style and presentation still make it easy to understand as she skillfully and seamlessly moves you from one section to the next, introducing techniques I have never seen used. Thank you so much for all your hard work, time and generosity Nancy xxx
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YOU MUST NOT:
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Print tutorial for use at workshops
Tutorial is for personal use only and cannot be used for any other purpose
However, sharing photographs of your sculpture on social media, Facebook groups and giving as gifts is acceptable but please make sure to credit your source of information and inspiration.
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My name is Nancy Sullivan. I was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1950, moved to New York in 1988, and have been here in Southern California since 2002. Yes, I am 68 years old! My interest in art began in the 2nd grade when my teacher told my mother that I had talent. Because of that, my parents worked hard to give me as many opportunities for special art student programs as were available through my youth. Later, in high school, I entered a statewide competition in Oklahoma and won the first place prize, a small scholarship for college. Since then I have managed to work art into everything I do. I started working in Medicine at age 26, and before long my first “secretarial” job included working in eye surgery, designing and editing medical publications and doing medical illustrations of surgical techniques and graphically presenting research results for journals, textbooks, and international medical symposia. My mentors paved the way for me to attend workshops and special courses in anatomy and illustration. I was very fortunate to be able to create a situation where I could get this education as a part of my job. I also had the opportunity to attend and observe human head and neck dissections with Ophthalmology Residents. I also designed training manuals for non-medical employees so they would understand the basics of ophthalmology. I learned the most about anatomy from Joseph Sheppard, a celebrated sculptor and painter from Baltimore, who now lives in Italy. His training and publications gave me the knowledge to take my work to a higher level of accuracy. He teaches drawing human figures from the skeleton out – which is exactly how I approach the animals that I needle felt.
Needle felting is only the most recent of a life-long progression of crafts that I have enjoyed practicing. It started with making “outfits” for my Barbie doll when I was very young, which evolved into making my own clothes when I got a bit older. I used to make plastic car models with my oldest brother when we were young, and he was meticulous with tiny details, which seemed to rub off on me. My Grandmother encouraged me to take up quilt-making, which I did for many years with her, and continued to do on my own after she died. In my career, most of my “craft” involved technical illustration, but I still managed to do some quilting and other projects on the weekends. While in New York, I was exposed to the most wonderful variation of arts and crafts, attending shows and Museum exhibits as often as I possibly could. I was surrounded with inspiration from all kinds of art and music. The best time I’ve had has been since retiring, being able to choose how I spend my time – I have taken up genealogy of my family and created many volumes of information and images, and “scrapbooks” to be handed down to future generations. Paper crafts have taken over the landscape of my life, since there is no limit to the creativity you can translate into tangible pieces you can hold in your hands and share with others. Stained glass was also very exciting and rewarding. Recently I have enjoyed doing hand-bound books; stamping, mixed media and watercolor remain some of my favorite crafts. I make hand-crafted gifts for Christmas each year, and design greeting cards for all occasions.
I’d like to share with you some words that I have learned are true enough to live by, and they are certainly relevant when you think of how our artistic endeavors can enhance our enjoyment of life… the older you get, the more meaningful these words become!
“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.” Charles Kingsley
Thanks to Sandy at Lincolnshire Fenn Crafts, I have added needle felting to my growing list of interests, and enjoy it more than anything else I have done – wool sculpture – it’s the best! All these artistic endeavors have enriched my life enormously, and I am very pleased to have this opportunity of sharing that with you.
