Getting Ready for My Big Adventure

We are packing up the dogs, some wool and felting needles and some other bare necessities into our new home on wheels. We have shed most of our worldly belongings and are leaving Alaska for destinations unknown in just a few days.

This picture is myself and Patti - a dear friend and one of my only felting connections here in Alaska. www.dreamfelt.com Patti embellished this photo (the rv doesn't really have my name plastered on the front but it looks funny!)

And here is the view from my seat! Pretty funny! The little dogs you see are minis of my poochies that are no longer with us. They were made for me by Gunilla
I started a brand new blog for my exciting big Felt Alive adventure - www.feltalive.blogspot.com so my friends can follow me on my felting journey.

Inspiration for Felt Makers

They just make me smile!

My New DVD Video Workshop!

I have to thank my amazing online students for giving me the idea and the courage to create this project. My students have expressed appreciation for my short, online videos that supplement the written instructions but have requested many times for the videos to be put on DVD for ease of viewing.

So, I took it a step further and made an entire workshop for a needle felted doll on DVD. The 4 Disk set contains 10 hours of needle felting fun. I create a cute and lively character from start to finish, explaining in great detail every step along the way.



And here is a little sneak peek that we put together. I think the close-ups really make it easy to see exactly how the wool reacts to the needles.



The DVD set is available on my website www.feltalive.com

Spock - Needle Felted

Admiral Spock - Needle Felted, originally uploaded by feltalive.

He was quite fun! Those eyebrows and hair were fun but it was the mouth that was so crucial to get right. I'm in love with my Li'l Spock!

Daisy - A Felt Alive Needle Felted Doll

Daisy - A Felt Alive Needle Felted Doll, originally uploaded by feltalive.

Those of you familiar with my work know that I rarely offer my dolls for sale. As living conditions for my collection get more and more crowded, I am faced with the reality that I must learn to say goodbye. So!!

Little Daisy is available for sale on eBay

Daisy stands about 7" tall and is solid needle felted wool.

Will Ferrell - ELF!

Will Ferrell - ELF!, originally uploaded by feltalive.

My husband requested a Will Ferrell caricature, my nephew suggested the Elf costume - I think it all worked out although I must admit, this li'l dude sort of gives me the creeps. He looks like he is up to no good if you ask me.

I Pity the Fool! Mr. T - needle felted

I Pity the Fool! Mr. T - needle felted, originally uploaded by feltalive.

I captured my Li'l T is the outfit that BA wore in the opening sequence of The "A" Team.

Li'l Travolta Sightseeing in Alaska

Li'l Travolta Sightseeing in Alaska, originally uploaded by feltalive.

I had to make a Li'l Travolta Saturday Night Fever style! Boy does that take me back. I have to find a place with a disco ball for his official photo shoot but in the meantime we took him out sightseeing here in Alaska. When we stopped in at McHugh Creek along Turnagain Arm he learned an awful lot about the Dall Sheep we spotted in the moutains...Hmm....I wonder why he was so fascinated????

I have never needle felted will Dall Sheep wool. Sounds interesting, though.

Bald Eagle Hunting the Shoreline

An overhead shadow got my attention when this amazing bird swooped in and landed in a tree in my front yard along the lakeshore.



He sat in the tree for about 1o minutes, keeping a close eye on the shoreline.


And then he flew away!

The Man in Black needle felted wool

The Man in Black needle felted wool, originally uploaded by feltalive.

I must say, I'm pretty smitten with my Li'l Cash - he looked like Sean Connery for so long and while I am a fan - Li'l Sean was NOT who this guy was supposed to be. So, like I usually do at that one special moment where my character comes to life - I shouted out with glee "I DID IT!!!!!!" It really is a fun moment...really fun.

Li'l Cash stands about 12" tall and is 100% needle felted wool. He is fully jointed with needle felted joints and stands on his own without the use of wire armatures.

For his core, I used my favorite wool batting from www.zwool.com. For his flesh layer, I used my all time favorite needle felting wool - Norwegian C1 Felting Batts (beige peach for Johnny's flesh) from New England Felting Supply - For his suit, I used Merino Prefelt, also from New England Felting Supply. His hair is Merino roving. And like always, I used my Felt Alive Super-Duper, Color-Coded, Rubber-Coated Felting Needles.

Li'l Cash - An original Felt Alive Wool Sculpture by Kay Petal

Clementine

Clementine, originally uploaded by feltalive.

I made Clementine for a VERY special project. She made a long trip to China to a doll manufacturer to study her for possible mass production of my designs. Well, it was no big surprise to learn that they can not be easily reproduced - the style does not lend itself to the assembly line. I was glad to get her safely back home!

I Felt The Stars

Group Shot, originally uploaded by feltalive.

Eleven Li'l felted celebrities all in a row! Pretty funny - The Li'l Beatles were the first - their scale is a bit smaller than the others but I love them just they way they are.

front row - l-r Li'l Bob Dylan, Li'l Marilyn, Li'l John Lennon, Li'l Ringo Starr, Li'l George Harrison, Li'l Paul McCartney, Li'l Elvis, Li'l Janice Joplin.

back row l-r Li'l Elton John, Li'l Willie Nelson, Li'l Conan O'Brien

Li'l Elvis in needle felted wool

Li'l Elvis in needle felted wool, originally uploaded by feltalive.

The wool practically sculpted itself - Li'l Elvis really wanted to come to life. This creation was a lot of fun - right down to the Elvis snarl.

Lil Marylin Monroe in needle felted wool

Lil Marylin Monroe in needle felted wool, originally uploaded by feltalive.

She looks tragic to me - I find it strange that most of my characters have a spark of joyfulness to me, but not so with Li'l Marilyn. This one was a real challenge - I don't think Marilyn wanted to come to life in wool. But my li'l Marilyn is very balanced - she stands all by herself on her little red shoes

Li'l Bob Dylan in needle felted wool

Li'l Bob Dylan in needle felted wool, originally uploaded by feltalive.

I am really happy to introduce my newest li'l Felt Alive celebrity - Li'l Bob Dylan! I just love how the wool can take on the look of a rugged face and a steely-eyed expression. And curly sheep's locks seemed like the perfect choice for Dylan hair.