First Needle Felting

My first needle felting experience.

This is the 'pretty lady' I made for the children about 4 years ago.  It makes me smile to myself every time I see it.The amount of ignorance I had astounds me. 

I didn't know that there were different types of wool.....lol. 

When I got the pound of wool roving I set about dying it with the acid dyes I had ordered. I threw some dye into a pot of hot water and boiled the wool for around 15 minutes.:o) I tried to tear the bits of wool off that I wanted, but it didn't work very well and I couldn't figure out why. I wound up cutting what I needed and poking the sharply cut ends into the doll. 

I think that she may have been my last needle felt. I remember being so frustrated with the whole process that I just assumed I wasn't a needle felter. When I came across her again recently I revised my opinion.

She's happy.

I think that I didn't do that bad of a job. I think that with my VERY limited knowledge at the time that I actually did pretty darn good.  I am about to venture into dyeing and building some figures for our nature tables. I feel confident that they will come out the way I want. Perhaps not EXACTLY what I want. But exactly what we need.

The children, by the way, LOVE her. They were amazed that I had made her from the bits of wool that they had dyed. 

I think I need to let my children lead me in my opinions of my finished works. They don't mind the puncture marks. They don't mind the harshly contrasting colors. They don't mind the overly buxom form of our "spring maiden". They see something their mother made with lots of love and hope for them one snowy Christmas Eve. 

And I think that's  I will see too.

She looks like she approves.:o)