needle felting

All posts tagged needle felting

Where to start…

Posted by kenleighacres on November 28, 2016
Posted in: 2017 Calendar, Uncategorized, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , . 1 Comment

That seems like a good title after being gone for awhile 😉 My poor blog has been neglected due to the ease of Facebook and Instagram.  I thought the followers here might be interested in the trips we have taken this year and the calendars that have come together due to them.  I am still very busy with the Felt Pups and sheep and life on the farm is good!

Today only, everything in my Etsy shop, calendars included, is 10% off.  Use code CYBER2016

The Felt Pups give me an excuse to use my camera almost every day…here are the photos that I chose to go in the coming year’s calendar…

Nothing brings me joy, like getting outside and taking photos, and the South Steens area of Oregon did not disappoint!  We saw a lot of wildlife, including Mr. Owl…

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Some lovely antelope….

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My favorite, the Bighorn Sheep….

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…and some incredible Wild Horses!  We hiked many miles to find them and being able to walk among them was something I will never forget!  Here are the photos I chose to go in the Wild Horse calendar…

Our big summer trip was to Glacier National Park…Montana now has my heart and we will definitely be returning!  Here are some of the pictures and calendar pages from that trip…

The early bird gets the worm!

Posted by kenleighacres on March 11, 2012
Posted in: Farm Life, felted birds, Felting. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 6 Comments

Snow and rain are in the forecast for the next week…again, but the birds and I have been enjoying the sunshine when it makes its appearance!

I wish this picture was in better focus, but I love the look on the Robin’s face that is pursuing the robin with the worm.

In addition to the robins, we have these beauties this year.  They are Varied Thrushes and they are EVERYWHERE!!!  I noticed one or two a couple of weeks ago and now the pastures are full of them.  Not only are they very pretty to look at, but they are also fun to listen to…an interesting whistle that varies in pitch.

I love watching them stare at the ground waiting to make their move!

My favorite little birds have been out in force.

Our pair of wild ducks have become very comfortable with life here on the farm and can be found on the pond most of the time.

Male House Sparrow looking for a free meal from the chickens.

Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) waiting for his turn in the chicken pen.

The chickens don’t really seem to mind sharing their extra food.

There are some special birds hanging out inside too!

Here is one of my felted birds I have been making getting ready for the Spring Fling Fiber Sale next weekend in Oregon City.

Here are a few more birds that will be going with me.

This is the first time I will be attending this fiber show and I am very excited to check it out!

Felt Valances

Posted by kenleighacres on May 13, 2011
Posted in: Felting. Tagged: , , , . 2 Comments

A friend recently contacted me and asked if I could make her felt valances.  She had a wallpaper border that she really liked the ‘feel’ of and asked if it would be possible to felt a similar scene.

I have to admit, I was a little overwhelmed to begin with, but after a bit of conversation I said ‘Yes’.  She said the background, the horses, and the dog were the important pieces.  We agreed to leave the riders off because they wouldn’t translate well in felt.

Here is the beginning with the wallpaper border sitting there for inspiration.  I used dark brown wool felt for the background, with a thick piece of felt made with our jacob wool for the base and then I felted the scene onto that.

I felted yarn on the edges to give it a nice finish.

Here are a couple of the horses.

and the finished valances!

I can’t wait to see pictures of them hanging in her office.

Podengos running through the Portugal countryside

Posted by kenleighacres on March 11, 2010
Posted in: Felting. Tagged: , , , . 2 Comments

I have been working on awards for the Podengo National to be held in April.  When I was first contacted they asked if I could felt a wall hanging with Podengos chasing a rabbit through the Portugal countryside. 

I hope I responded intelligently because inside I was laughing 🙂  I think I said something like “Um, sure I could probably put something together for you.” 

Ok, I don’t know how confident she was that I could do it after that response, but to be honest I wasn’t really sure I could do it either.  First of all – what does the Portugal countryside look like???  Second of all – every Podengo I have seen looks completely different from the next and I couldn’t find any pictures of them running.  So, she very kindly offered to send me a video of Podengos chasing a rabbit through the countryside of their homeland.

Here is the logo from their organization…

and here is a brief description – The Portuguese Podengo is an ancient multi-sensory hound (sight and scent) breed of dog from Portugal.  There are three sizes – small (Pequeno), medium (Médio), and large (Grande).  Each size with two hair coats (smooth and wire) and its own unique temperament.  All three sizes love to hunt in their native country. 

At the end of the conversation I had committed to making a large wall hanging…

The overall size is 3′ x 4′.  Here is a close-up of the dogs.

A medium wall hanging…

and two smaller wall hangings.

They wanted the smaller wall hangings to have the dog(s) standing with a rabbit.  I think these were the hardest ones to do.  Pretty plain with just dogs and a rabbit, so my mom helped me come up with the leaves and swirl idea – thanks mom!

I love working with dog clubs and the people are always so nice.  This is what she had to say when I sent her pictures…

“Thank you SO much for your time, your work, and especially your creativity.  Can’t wait to see the surprise on people’s faces!!!”

I wish I could be there!

I hope I did the Portugal countryside correctly because the judge is from Portugal!!!

A little note about my Studio blog – As much as I like the idea of having a blog for the studio, it just isn’t reality at the moment.  So, I will be sharing studio news here again.

A Felting Challenge!

Posted by kenleighacres on January 11, 2010
Posted in: Felting. Tagged: , , , , . 13 Comments
If you follow my Studio blog, then this will be a little repetitive. 

I don’t believe you should ever stop learning new crafts, so I have entered a felting challenge over at – My life under the bus – The premise of the challenge is to make something based on the Felt Wee Folk book by Salley Mavor.  It does include felting, but I am not familiar with making the adorable fairies and dolls.  I have an idea in my head and I hope it translates well!  I will post pictures once the challenge is finished.

 This inspired me to do a Felting Challenge of my own.  No previous felting experience needed – I will even provide the materials!!!  I have been tossing around the idea of a felting kit in my head and I have decided on my little felted sheep. 

  

They are so fun to make and easy for beginners.

 Here is how it works:

 1.  You must have commented here or are a follower on my Studio blog – if you don’t fall under either category and really want to participate then please leave me a comment.

 2.  Leave a comment saying that you would like to participate.  I will contact you and find out where to send your felting kit. 

Once you have entered, this is what you will get –

A piece of felting foam, 2 felting needles, 2 colors of Jacob wool, 2 beads for eyes, yarn, and instructions.  You will need a little bit of glue and a yarn needle.

 3.  Send me a picture of your completed item – everyone will be starting with the same project, but they will be judged on creativity.  You can photograph your sheep with a prop or at a fun location, add an accessory, turn it into something else – a hanging ornament, a mobile, etc., let your imagination go wild!!!

 4.  The contest will end February 5th at noon – please have your picture to me by then.

 5.  I will post the pictures on both of my blogs on the 6th and they will be judged by the people 🙂  I will close judging on Sunday, the 10th at noon and announce the winner.

 6.  The winner will recieve one of my Fabric and Felt totes with colorful wool inside!

   Good Luck!