The Late, Great Freddie Mercury - in needle felted wool.

Serendipity: While taking a Sunday drive we spotted a person in a furry costume with a sign that said Farm Open. We followed the sign to a Suri Alpaca Farm and decided to stop in to see if I could find some hair for the doll I'm working on - Freddie Mercury, the late, great singer from Queen. I found the perfect fiber and in chatting with the owner of the farm, it turns out he is old friends from college with Brian May, the guitarist from Queen. What are the chances of that?

The hairs on my arms were on end the whole way home but things like this have been happening since the day I first picked up a felting needle.  Someday, I might need to write a book about it.  But something made this story even more magical - before talking with the owner, I had a discussion with another fiber artist I met at the farm about how serendipity led us both to our crafts - I even mentioned that if you don't pay attention, you might not notice it's happening. So pay attention to the signs - especially if a furry creature is holding it!

Here is my Felt Alive tribute to Freddie Mercury - (5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991)

Besides his lovely hair and mustache (suri alpaca) he is 100% needle felted wool. 

Part of what I love about needle felting great musicians is listening to their music while I'm working and watching their amazing performances on YouTube during my breaks.  This video of Queen performing A Kind of Magic live at Wembley Stadium in 1986 inspired this Li'l Freddie Mercury doll. 

My needle felted dolls on The Conan O'Brien Show

My dolls raced into The Conan O'Brien Show just after the second commercial break at the 13:34 mark.



I have to say, it was fun to see them on the big screen!  




Here is my original, full-length video; filmed, coincidentally, in O'Brien, Oregon.   It's a fun adventure with li'l Conan tearing it up on a 4-wheeler with his buddy, Li'l Trump.

No Felt Alive Dolls (nor Spike the dog) were harmed during the filming of this video so stay tuned for more adventures with Li'l Conan.

A Special Place to Learn How to Needle Felt

I am one happy felter!  I finally have the online Needle Felting Workshop site of my dreams!

It is brand new but we already have a bustling community of needle felting enthusiasts from around the world discovering the magic of needle felting right along with me.

Members have my entire library of online needle felting workshops at their disposal along with support forums and discussion groups.  I will be video blogging new workshops in segments as we film them and sharing new technique videos regularly as well. Members can follow along or bring their own projects.  I'm there to guide them as they master their skills and bring their ideas to life.

The Needle Felters Workshop is perfect for people just getting started and for more experienced needle felters alike!  There is something for everyone that loves sculptural needle felting.  Learn more about the fun everyone is having at The Needle Felters Workshop or Join Now for only $79.95 per year!

Making Whoopi! A Needle Felted Doll

Meet Li'l Whoopi




I was so excited to be commissioned to bring Whoopi Goldberg to life in needle felted wool. I couldn't have thought of of a better subject myself! She is solid needle felted wool with flexible needle felted joints. She stands on her own and is about 12" tall. I wet felted her dreadlocks using Merino Roving and for her glasses I used Merino prefelt that I needle felted and then wet felted. She was quite a project and a fun collaboration with my client. My only problem is saying goodbye! I literally fall in love with my dolls as they come to life on my felting pad. I have only recently started doing custom dolls for others instead of dolls for me - it is getting easier to part with them but never easy!



If you would love to learn the magic of sculptural needle felting, I'd love to show you how! I have several fun and comprehensive video workshops along with all of the tools and supplies you need! www.needlefeltingsupplies.com

Li'l Bob Dylan - Needle Felted Wool Doll

needle-felted-dylan-doll-bw11, originally uploaded by feltalive.

I just finished this cool cat - he was a custom commission and my second version of Dylan. For more photos - www.feltalive.com

X-treme Felt Alive Motor Sports with Li'l Conan & Li'l Trump

Li'l Conan & Li'l Donald Trump tearing it up on Li'l Conan's li'l ATV for a high-octane off-road adventure.  And check out The Li'l Donald's comb-over!

My needle felted dolls are pretty tough - it's hard to believe that these two li'l buddies look no worse for the wear after their wild ride. 

Features of Felt Alive Needle Felted Doll Video Workshop

Would you like to learn how to make amazing art dolls without sewing even one stitch? Join me in this fun and comprehensive needle felting workshop and learn the fun and magic of making one of a kind needle felted dolls! These dolls are fun, flexible and oh so very lifelike. They have a natural range of motion with their amazing needle felted joints, they can stand on their own and their needle felted eyes sparkle with life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Felt Alive Needle Felted Dolls Video Workshop
10 Hour Needle Felting Video Workshop - 4 disc DVD with a Deluxe Needle Felting Kit that includes Felt Alive Exclusive Super Duper color- coded felting needles to make following along even easier.

Felt Alive Needle Felted Dolls 4 disc DVD Video Workshop with Needle Felting Kit -$99.95

Felt Alive Needle Felted Dolls video workshop is the equivalent of an intensive 3-4 day live workshop except you work from comfort of your own home at your convenience and leisure. Not to mention the fact that you can pause and rewind me anytime! And you get a bird's eye view of my felting pad, no straining to see from across the room, no peeking over shoulders or feeling lost as the class moves along before you are ready.
available at needlefeltingsupplies.com

It's a Worm's Life - Felt Alive Needle Felted Worms

I needle felted these silly little woolly worms today over wire. I rarely use wire but this was easy and fun! I wrapped core wool roving around cloth covered florist wire, needle felted it using Felt Alive Super Duper Double Felting needles and covered them with Norwegian C1 premium felting batt - available Felt Alive Needle Felting Supplies

New Release! Felt Alive Needle Felted DROITS Video Workshop

Meet the Droits!

Now you can learn how to make fun little needle felted creatures that I call Droits in my new 5 hour video workshop available on DVD or watch online!

from the Pixie Patch

Felt Alive Droits came to be after I discovered adorable elfin creatures on Flickr made from polymer clay.  I had one of those aha moments that only other needle felters understand "I have to needle felt that!" and stayed up all night and made this sweet little thing out of core wool batting.  The overall effect is much different than the Pixies that inspired me mainly because of the lifelike qualities of the wool.  This little fella felt almost like a little pet and I was in love and I had to make more - but in more colors!  I envisioned these little characters in every color of the rainbow.


The next Droit was red.  This little guy has such a sweet, yet devilish personality - and the wool just did that, I didn't intentionally give him such a look - it just happened.  Then very dark one appeared and next a Green one, then an old and Gray one.

A friend came over an took one look at this little family of characters and said one thing - He said "Droits" and the moniker stuck.  They are Droits and they are fun to have around.


Each time my friend would visit he would sneak into my studio and gather the Droits and hide them around my house.  They can hang from a lamp shade or a curtain rod, they can hide in a coffee cup in the kitchen cabinet and they love to hide in the bathroom too.

Kid's love 'em!  My little niece, Chloe, made a Droit house!

And Droits simply love to play outside!

 

 

Needle Felted Droits are solid needle felted wool - they stand on their own and have a very natural range of motion without the use of wire armatures. 

This fun workshop is 5 hours long and is a great way to learn needle felting!  

available on DVD or watch online!

New Li'l Willie - Needle Felted Doll

Li'l Willie Nelson #2.  Little Li'l Willie was one of my early caricatures.  Big Li'l Willie is my first attempt to repeat a subject.  They are two years apart. 

Very Special Felt Alive Christmas Cheer

Here is a special tribute in wool commissioned by my dear friend Patti for her husband John.  (Patti left the wardrobe choices ENTIRELY up to me.  She had no idea what to expect.)



May they bring many smiles for MANY Christmases to come!!

Patti and I first met online when she signed up for my online workshop that I offered when I first started teaching.  Because we lived in neighboring towns in Alaska we were able to meet in person and became dear friends through our needle felting. As time progressed, Patti opened Dream Felt, an online needle felting supplies shop and began offering needle felting kits to accompany my new DVD workshops.  And just recently this year we have teamed up to start offering a full range of supplies along with my workshops in our brand new shop - www.needlefeltingsupplies.com

But through all of this an unwelcome visitor came knocking on Patti's door - it was called rare cancer - no matter what the cancer, when they call it rare you have another set of challenges to face. I know this because I recently chased away that nasty visitor from my door and I knew the challenges Patti was facing and what she needed to do to chase it away. So not only are we dear friends, fellow Alaskans, felting fanatics and business partners, we are also rare cancer SURVIVOR sisters! We are following our hearts with our needle felting and doing what we love to do.  Merry Christmas, Patti!!  And John - Enjoy!!!!

Man Shops Globe finds incredible needle felted dogs

I love seeing people's reaction when they are first introduced to amazing needle felted art. Domenica Moore Gordon's little dogs are delightful.

The Who

 

How fun is this!!!  This is John 'Rabbit' Bundrick - legendary keyboardist from The Who
www.rabbitwho.com
2, originally uploaded by jodyahern.

Needle Felting a Santa

A new Felt Alive Video Workshop - just in time for the holidays!
Felt Alive Needle Felted Santa Workshop available at my new website at www.needlefeltingsupplies.com!
or watch online at www.learnneedlefelting.com

Felt Alive Witch

Yes, Shakespeare said "wool of bat"!

She has so much attitude!


She stands on her own and is about 14" tall - no wire armature, just needle felted wool! And the good news is that all of the great supplies I made her with are available in my NEW needle felting shop. www.needlefeltingsupplies.com

Li'l Lyle Lovett - needle felted wool art doll

Lyle Lovett has such an interesting face so I thought he would be the perfect subject for a recent workshop where I taught advanced needle felting techniques for working from photographs. It was the first time I've shared my techniques for bringing wool to life as an actual likeness.





And I must mention that I'm a huge fan of Lyle Lovett! I'm on a new mission to introduce Li'l Lyle to the real Lyle Lovett. I have a feeling he would get a big kick out of him and I would love nothing more than to get a picture of the two of them together.

Happy Father's Day!

I can't pick up the phone to call my Dad but I can dedicate this post to my dear ol' Dad. Cancer took him from this world 5 years ago but I feel him with me every day. He passed away while I was going through my own cancer ordeal yet he still continued to look after his little girl. His life insurance afforded me the ability to seek out the best treatment in the world for my very rare form of salivary cancer. I felt him with me every step of the way. My doctors said I got through the grueling treatment better than any patient they had ever had.

My Dad had a great sense of humor - dry and witty - and he was the most intelligent man I have ever met. While I can't say I inherited his IQ, I can say I inherited his sense of humor. It got me through my illness and it drives my creativity. Dad never saw my needle felted dolls but I know he would have been my biggest fan. And it's not a coincidence that I see his eyes in nearly every doll I make. He is with me on this Father's Day and every day.



Dad's 70th birthday. That's him on the cake.










Dad loved to fish - especially for King Salmon!


We said goodbye to Dad in a fitting tribute.


His first born son and first born daughter (Mark and Keri) had the honor of filling his last request - that his ashes be set free in Quillian Bay in Alaska's Prince William Sound.


Here is his family as we watched his ashes swim free in the Sound he loved so much.


Quillian Bay, Prince William Sound, Alaska.


And is it a coincidence that I am in Montana on Father's Day? Dad loved Montana - 4 out of his 5 kids were born here (including myself) while he worked for the US Customs Service as a border patrol agent. His work brought his family further north to Alaska when I was just small but being in Montana makes me realize why Dad loved it here.

So Dad, Happy Father's Day. Thanks for being the best Dad a girl could get. I love you!!

Felt Alive Needle Felting DVDs on Sale!

We are all living in a tough economy and it can be hard to justify spending money on important things like learning a fun new craft. So! We slashed our prices for all Felt Alive DVD workshops and slashed them even more for Felt Alive Online Video Workshops.

Felt Alive ONLINE Video Workshops starting at only $14.95! Unlimited access for an unlimited amount of time. No waiting for the mail - Instant Online Access for Instant Needle Felting Fun!!

Felt Alive Workshops on DVD starting at only $19.95 with FREE Worldwide Shipping!

You can find all Felt Alive Workshops here on my blog (see links at the top of this page.)
In my Felt Alive Shop
Or on my New Website that hosts my online video workshops.

Felt Alive Giveaway Winners

This was my first giveaway and I wanted to make sure the winners were drawn fairly - I used random.org and they randomly selected the winners - SO.....drum roll please....

1st Judy
Felt Alive Needle Felted Dolls
4 disc DVD Workshop -$74.95 value

2nd Joann Loos
Felt Alive Needle Felted Pups!
1 Disc DVD Workshop - $29.95 value

3rd Pixie
Felt Alive Needle Felting Funny Faces -
1 Disc DVD Workshop - $29.95 value

4th WhingingNinja
Felt Alive Super Duper Felting Needles
Set of 6 - $12.95 value

5th Melissa
Felt Alive Super Duper Felting Needles
Set of 6 - $12.95 value

6th BIKY
Felt Alive Super Duper Felting Needles
Set of 6 - $12.95 value

Congratulations lucky winners and thanks to EVERYONE who participated. This was so fun that I plan on offering more giveaways.

Lucky Winners - Please send me your mailing address to kaypetal@feltalive.com so I can mail the prizes out.

Thanks again for helping to promote my new website - learnneedlefelting.com

Needle Felting DVD Giveaway!!!

To celebrate and promote the launch of my NEW WEBSITE dedicated to teaching others sculptural needle felting, I am giving away three free Felt Alive DVD Needle Felting Workshops!

To be eligible all you have to do is add the following link to your website or blog http://learnneedlefelting.com Then leave a comment on this post with a link to where you posted my link anytime between now and Saturday, June 12th and enter to win one of the following prizes -


Felt Alive Needle Felted Dolls - 4 Disc DVD set (value $74.95)





Felt Alive Needle Felted PUPS! 1 Disc DVD set (value $29.95)






Felt Alive Needle Felted Funny Faces - 1 disc DVD (value $29.95)





Winners will be announced Sunday, June 13th, 2010.

Shipping is free (worldwide!) Entries from around the world are welcome. (And for those abroad who worry my DVDs might not play in your player, enter anyway! Part of the fun of my new website is that it hosts my DVD workshops for online viewing. Winners will have the option of receiving unlimited online access instead of a DVD.)


I hope you and your readers enjoy my new website! Thanks for participating and good luck.

UPDATE!!

My goal is to spread the word about my new site. I am requesting links because search engines love sites with lots of links pointing to them. If you don't have a website or a blog, a facebook post or a Twitter tweet with a link to my new site would be great.

UPDATE 2!!

I have added more prizes! 3 lucky winners will win a set of Felt Alive Super Duper Felting Needles (value $12.95)

GOOD LUCK and thanks for playing!