Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Transformation



What is needle felting?

Needle felting is a technique where wool or other fibres are interlocked with a special barbed needle to create a soft sculpture. This is quite a time consuming process and each creation takes from 5-20 hours depending on the size and complexity. I use a single needle and lots of wool and love on each project.

The photo above is Frosty, my first needle felt. I created him after purchasing a kit on Living Felt in 2008. He started out as the wool on the left and turned out several thousand needle pokes later as the polar bear on the right.

After getting the basics down, I started creating my own patterns and ideas and decided to focus on fantasy creatures. Needle felting is such a rewarding and fun hobby. I would love for others to discover it and hope to inspire through my work.

All of my dragons and unicorns are felted over a strong wire armature that gives them stability and allows for them to be posed many ways.  My other creatures are either thread or felt jointed and can still be posed several ways.

One of the most common questions I get are about my dragon wings. I use fantasy film or organza, depending on the project.

Another thing I hear about from time to time is regarding price. Each project takes a tremendous amount of time, care and skill. I plan each one out before beginning. I think about the size, colour, eyes, wings, any other features that I want to include. The execution of the idea takes many hours (and sometimes will take a new direction), from armature to the very last needle poke. I take a great amount of pride in what I do and promise that each creature will have a very high level of craftsmanship and finish. Every single creature that has been adopted has gotten rave reviews from the new owner, and I know you will be equally pleased.

To see current transformations, please view my "works in progress".  I include photos and commentary on each step of the process, from armature to finish.

I use merino wool, New Zealand Corriedale, New Zealand Alpaca, silks and other gorgeous natural fibres in my felted creations.

I welcome your questions, comments and suggestions! Please feel free to contact me at irma.hoani@gmail.com

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