Needle Felting...Oh Lordy!!! Another Hobby???

I was trollin' Pinterest (as usual) a couple weeks ago and came upon someone's board filled to the brim with all kinds of fanfreakingtastic examples of needle felted animals.  WHEW!!!!  I can't begin to tell y'all how blown away I was with the artistry laid out in front of me!  

I've been drawn to this art for several years now but haven't been able to locate anyone in my area teaching classes.  So I figured a little Google search might prove fruitful.  Hmmmmm...no such luck as far as local instruction...HOWEVER I did find several sites that offered mail order kits!!!  Could I do this on my own?  Was it really that difficult?  Would I be tossin' my dollars to the wind??  Well...no guts, no glory!!!  And so I proceeded to weed through the various kit sellers offering promises to turn me into an instant felt artist.

I chose to purchase from Teresa Perleberg at Bear Creek Design & Felting, first and foremost because one of her designs is the most precious little bunny...and it looked like something within my capabilities...even though it was ranked as "advanced beginner".  I was also drawn to Bear Creek because it's located in my native state of North Dakota...ya gotta support your backyard right??

The contents of each kit: wool, felting needles, felting block, and complete instructions

My kit arrived within a few days of ordering and I have to say I was impressed with the contents.  The only thing I had to pull from my own stash of supplies was a simple needle and thread to aid in sewing eyes to the little rabbit!  The instructions, complete with excellent photographs, were clear and easy to follow.  For a mere $18.00  per kit price, one simply CAN'T go wrong in ordering from Bear Creek!

Two days later I sat down and commenced to start my needle felting adventure.  I have to say I had planned to take photos of the process but, quite frankly, I was havin' soooo much fun I didn't feel like stopping and kept stabbin' away at the wool roving!!  I couldn't wait to get to the part where I could "sculpt" the rabbit's face!  It's amazing to me how the felting needles compact the roving into something rather "solid".  After just a couple hours of playing, this is what my beginning efforts turned out:

Not the best photo of "Rupert's" sculpted face...but the best I could get!

Rupert from the topside!

Rupert showin' off his "best" side!

Rupert...front and center...just too cha cha for words isn't he???

I don't want to brag...but I think old Rupert turned out pretty good...don't you??  Actually, the success factor is more than likely due to the wonderful instructions provided by Ms. Perleberg.  After having such a positive outcome for my first time experience, I KNOW I'm ready to continue movin' forward with more needle felting challenges.  Soooo...if YOU have been thinkin' about givin' needle felting a try...well...I say GO FOR IT!!!  It's LOTS of fun and something that certainly WON'T be sittin' in your UFO pile that's for sure!!!

just me...wonderin' what it takes to raise a herd of sheep for my own wool?...jan