I am so pleased to be CREATING AGAIN WITH WOOL, albeit resuming work slow and tentative…for now only entering Fiber Arts Competitions. Thank goodness for our Aurora Colony Handspinners Guild and the annual Fiber Challenge that kickstarted me. Our members are given 4 oz of fiber to make something and later share with fellow guild members. They dangled the temptation of Manx Laoghtan wool, all natural toasty brown and too enticing to pass up. By the way, crinkly Manx Loaghtan fiber needle felts fast & easy. Very satisfying to work with.

I chose to make a baby South American Tapir with its charming camouflage stripes and spots. Being me, and being whimsical, my Tapir gently carries a baby fairy, sleeping in a nest on it’s back.

This Tapir & Baby Fairy needle felted sculpture was entered in Oregon’s Black Sheep Gathering show this June 0f 2023, and was awarded the Reserve Champion ribbon plus a First Place ribbon.

Tapir construction began with wool wrapped around wire and needled to firm it up. Pads of partially needle felted wool are added to build body musculature. I had my inspiration photos on hand to guide me in anatomical points, but you know… most times you just start….and sort out any issues en route.

Theres a hint of the right shape, with hours more body shaping needed .

Photo below: by the time you get this much wool atop the wire armature, it’s difficult to make big adjustments. Forging ahead…I add more layers then cover the core wools with solid brown wool. Annnnd….DRAT! It’s not quite what i aimed for.

Long hours into this project and… the face too stubby. Neck should be thicker. Ears look wrong. Hump too big on back. Legs too skinny. Body – is – just – too – short. Do I want to sever the spine wire, cut body in half and add more wire to lengthen body, then stitch, glue and RE-needle more wool to fill gap? Nope, too arduous. I’ve done it before and prefer to avoid major surgery.

Exasperated, I asked myself “what if……?” So, look at the skinny legs above as if they were a drawing. Mentally pencil a line in front of fwd leg to widen it / and behind rear leg to widen that. I could try thickening the legs with wool pads before wrapping all in more wool and needling to hardness. Together with bulking the chest and booty, maybe I could visually lengthen body to improve proportions. My usual mantra: “Let’s find out…”

Oh hey, it worked! Back hump reduced. Legs shaped up well, clay toes in progress, and now Tapir has better proportion. The varying colors are endless bits of wool added here & there to improve shape. When satisfied, another “skin” layer of brown Manx Loaghtan wool was applied.

Pushed head a bit to side then added wrinkles

A casually applied, easily removable mock-up for original idea to have Tapir carry a baby fairy. Yes, still like this idea…

Baby fairy started with plastic wings – which I immediately changed after a fiber co sent me a sample of Ceranchia wild silk cocoon. Changed red mouth to pink. Crinkly silk fabric baby romper. Used naturally metallic gold HAIR on this fairy. It’s the loose fiber shreds plucked from…. cocoons of the Cricula moth – which are so interesting. Photos don’t do justice to the metallic gold sheen. This moth grows in warm, humid climates, so a strong, coarse cocoon protects, while lacy holes allow free air flow to cool the developing moth pupae. Alas one cannot spin the golden cocoon but they are great fun for artists to play with. Anyway, the 3rd and 5th photos in link series show the loose fibers I plucked for fairy hair.

Never be reluctant to try out your quirky / unusual / eccentric ideas. Listen to your inner creative spirit and make what YOU like. Pursuing YOUR idea is the driving force behind the energy invested and you’ll feel more motivated striving for completion. If people express enthusiasm for your finished creations, how – curiously humbling, but also marvelous – is that? Icing on the happy cake!

Eventually Tapir with Sleeping Baby Fairy went to Fiber Arts competitions at Black Sheep Gathering in June, and onwards to Oregon State Fair in August / followed by Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival in October. I’ve been delighted by ribbons earned, compliments, and fun conversations with viewers encountered during these events. I inhabit such a happy world of woolly creativity!

Next up: “Maisie’s Menagerie.”
It’s still 2023. The Tapir project had revived my creative impulses, following a couple years of Covid time stagnation. What could I make next? What had I procrastinated about in the years preceding Covid? Time to tackle those uncertainties, tame and conquer them! So I went BIG, and forced myself to LEARN multiple skills I’d put off. What could I create IF I finally learned to needle felt HUMAN FACES? My mantra? “Let’s find out!”