Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival 2012 is rapidly approaching!  Hurrah!    And to celebrate my 1st year vending there, I’ve needle-felted sheep sculptures ~ extra large size!

Trio of Teeswater Sheep ~ a cute little business card for scale reference,  and 8″x10″ Hook sign better shows how big the sheep are!  The largest will be entered into the Fiber Arts Contest, but still available for purchase.  It must remain in the contest area for duration of the show,  then fetched directly from me when the contest concludes on Sunday.

As always, my   sculptures have wet-felted hard cores & wired legs inside, providing a sturdy skeleton.  No flimsy fluffs here! These sheep have very strong construction.  Their bodies are further formed with layers of tough wool needled into proper sheep-shape.  An example is shown below, wearing some of it’s skin layer prior to addition of the final details + fleece.

The inside story ~ well constructed!

I feel it’s important to show the greater value of my sheep by revealing their inner construction.   Some needle felted sheep can be ~and are~ fashioned by merely rolling a light fluff of wool and needling until it just holds shape before attaching curly locks.

However, a solid sculpture requires  knowledge of techniques utilized for art-doll construction.  The result: a truly well-built,  durable sculpture with the structural integrity to retain it’s shape and beauty for many years.

The largest sheep here required nearly a week of careful, detailed work to complete the sculpture.  Two days forming the inner body alone,  followed by another 3+ days (some 10-hour each) just to painstakingly attach and form it’s stunning coat of fleece.

Teeswater sheep are an old breed originating in Teesdale, England, and slowly being introduced in the United States.   Click on the name Teeswater to read more.  It’s not all that easy to obtain, and more special still to find truly gorgeous, lustrous locks of this precious fleece.

I’m thrilled to be in Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival this year, and looking forward to visiting with friends among the vendors and customers alike.  So many familiar faces, and such fun to be there in the midst of the festive atmosphere!  My terrific husband really enjoys helping to ‘man’ the booth, so I’ll get an opportunity for a bit of socializing & shopping myself.  I’ve got my list and I’m ready to go!  See you there!