Off to the gallery!

Heading over to Fountain Hills Artists Gallery this holiday weekend with three new felted friends in hand. If you're in the neighborhhood and looking for a nice way to spend the day, come on out and walk around the fountain in the early morning while the air is still wonderfully cool, grab a yummy breakfast at one of the cute restaurants across the street, then pop in the gallery to see all the delightful new creations made by local artists! I’ll be there all day Saturday, and look forward to meeting you.

The Basics of 3D Wet Felting (Free Download)

Hello, felting friends! We get a lot of questions at the gallery about my work such as: what exactly is wet felting?; what is the difference between wet and dry (aka needle) felting?; how are felted sculptures made?; etc. In response to these inquiries, I put together a flyer that outlines the basics of creating 3D forms using wool fiber, along with some care instructions. I thought readers might appreciate it too, so am posting a high-res file (.jpg) here for you to download, print, and share. Note: This is not a step-by-step tutorial, but rather an at-a-glance overview to 3D wet felting. I do have a step-by-step printable tutorial that I provide to workshop attendees, and plan to make available as a free download here soon. Enjoy and happy making! 

3 Little Birds…

are at my doorstep. Actually, it's turning into a veritable flock around here! For awhile now I've been thinking about how to make a simple resist for chickadees -- and with just the right amount of internal pressure to put pesky procrastination on notice (e.g. the holiday shipping deadlines bearing down), I put my noodle on it last week and got the job done. While pleased with the resulting felted "feathered" friends, I am most satisfied with the elegant plastic resist design which solidified after a few definitely-not-so-elegant iterations (three, to be precise). Like many makers, I find the design phase (including making the prototypes) to be the most rewarding part of the creative process... and would much prefer having a team of little elves do the production of the actual inventory. But how can I complain when I get to fill any downtime with making suff -- it's like being a kid again. Note: The gift chickadees flew the coop, and these six stayed behind. If you would like to adopt one, go to the gallery in Fountain Hills to pick out your fave! Happy holidays to all!

Felted Drawings

In the Studio: Continuing to develop a series of wet-felted flat pieces that translate my pencil sketches into wool works. Whenever I cut shapes, Matisse comes to mind and it's difficult trying to keep him from over-influencing my hand and scissors! I started this work a few years ago and like the simplicity of the shapes, playing with white space and other design elements and principles, and introducing a bit of narrative too. I plan to matte a few and take them over to the gallery to see how others respond. Topmost Photo: "Catching Diamonds", wet-felted wool, 11"x13.5"; Lower Photo: "To Have and to Hold", wet-felted wool, 11"x14"

Some Press!

Toot toot! Delighted to have three of my felted sculptures showcased in the Summer/Fall 2021 issue of Fiber Art Now magazine! The new issue is chock full of work by fiber artists pushing the edges of the medium, reimagining traditional methods, and/or refining the craft in novel ways. This periodical is alway inspiring, so if you are a fiber artist and not already a subscriber, follow the link to sign up. 

Gallery Installation

Last May, my husband (landscape photographer, Mike Buchheit) and I installed our work at the Fountain Hills Artists Gallery. We are excited to be represented at this wonderful gallery with a fantastic group of talented, supportive artists! If you're in greater Phoenix, be sure to swing by.  

Machine-stitched Wool Portraits

My little Singer Featherweight II isn't able to do free-motion emobroidery, but I'm enjoying the quirky results of working with a standard machine. Here are some of my latest experiments in machine-stitched mini wool portraits (dimensions: 3"x 4.25"). The base material is handmade felt from Merino wool. I love drawing little narratives, and this technique allows me to combine traditional illustration with fiber art. (Follow me on Instagram if you want to see more.)

Felting Vessels :: Free Video Tutorials Coming Soon!

I just completed videotaping the making of this polka-dot bowl from start to finish — and will be editing the recording into shorter videos this weekend. This series of free demos will support my online workshop participants in their learning, as well as be available to any creatives who might benefit. I've learned so much from other artists; I'm excited to be able to give back. These video tutorials will be uploaded to my Youtube channel and I'll post the link here as soon as they're live.

Black Felted Wool Rabbit

Look who showed up in the field of rabbitbrush this morning! Specs: Exterior: Wet-felted wool; Interior: Local Pima cotton, silk, and river stones. 28" (h) x 7.5" (w).

The Rabbits are Multiplying!

Two new rabbits join the fluffle this week (the grey rabbits with blue and gold polka dots depicted above). The grey base fiber is a Shetland wool roving from Outback Fibers. This wool takes a bit more muscle to felt than the brown mixed breed fiber (R.H. Lindsay), but the color is gorgeous and worth the effort. Rabbit sculpture specs: Exterior: Wet-felted wool; Interior: Local Pima cotton, silk, and river stones. 28" (h; to top of ear) x 7"-7.5" (w).

What's Inside Rabbit?

I'm often asked what I use to stuff my soft sculptures and why they are heavier than expected. Well, years ago I was gifted with a huge "marketing sample" of processed Pima cotton from a gin in Yuma, Arizona. While the fibers were too short for a novice spinner like me to spin, I saved this generous gift knowing that it would be useful some day. For the past few years, I've been able to use this lovely cotton to stuff all of my wool sculptures. To weight my Rabbit sculptures, so they sit up tall and have a nice heft, I use a hand-sewn silk bag of small river stones. After inserting the bag of stones inside the sculpture, I stitch the bottom closed with wool thread, and sew on a label. My hope is that buyers appreciate all the handwork and the natural materials used in each piece.

Audio Description of "Sacred Landscape" Series

I was delighted to have this work included in the Hunterdon Art Museum's show entitled, Explorations in Felt. After being extended due to the pandemic, the show has finally come to a close and my work is on its way home. The notice from the Museum reminded me that I forgot to post my audio description of the piece from the show.... so, I'm posting it now for posterity :)