Four years ago when my sister and her husband became alpaca farmers and started Rock Garden Alpacas they and I had no idea what a big impact that would have on my art doll making.
With the alpacas came Rock Garden Alpacas Fiber for selling all their alpaca fiber products, including roving, raw fiber, carded batts, handspun yarn, hand dyed roving, and doll hair fibers and with this came my desire to create needle felted art dolls using their products.
My sister and I were looking for ways to show her customers how to use her products when the idea for needle felted dolls came into being. Hmmm... Lets do needle felted art dolls. Hmmm... Now why would I think of that? Hmmm....
My sister gave me several large (make that HUGE) bags of roving and several carded batts (which I loved) from her alpacas Sunflower, Ivy, Cosmo, Zinnia and Masquerade which I used to make my needle felted art dolls, like those shown in the picture collage above. I loved working with the natural alpaca roving and carded batts - especially Masquerade's gray fiber batts. It was fabulous for making the needle felted dolls.
Several years ago I was visiting my sister and learned how to card batts and dye roving. It was a lot of fun and I came home with some wonderful carded batts and lots of bright and cheery dyed roving packs. I had Fall combination colors, beautiful blues and purples, Christmas colors and so much more.
Two years ago my sister started spinning her alpaca roving into yarn. She subsequently learned how to hand dye her yarn and utilize several methods for plying it. Last year she sent me a surprise package in the mail that contained some of her handspun alpaca yarn. I was thrilled and put this to good use with some of my mixed media art dolls - especially the witches. I've used her raw alpaca fiber, alpaca roving (natural and hand dyed) and handspun alpaca yarn for some of my dolls hair and have to tell you it's just wonderful.
I keep looking for various ways to use her alpaca fiber products and have to tell you that the possibilities seem endless. When I first started researching needle felting there wasn't a lot online or in the craft stores.. It was in it's infancy. Then all of a sudden it seemed to explode with crafters creating tutorials and video's for showing their techniques. I couldn't be happier.
I just love needle felting and watching needle felting, wet felting, and knit & then wet video's and reading tutorials or how-to's. As a result I' have collected close to 300 pins on my needle felted Pinterest board. I hope you enjy needle felting as much as I do.
Whether it's cross-stitch, punch needle, needle felting, holiday crafts, seasonal crafts, doll making, embellishing, beadwork, applique, mixed media crafts, needlepoint, quilting, sewing, painting, woodcrafts, or wool felt craft patterns and kits - I love them all.
Sounds like a bargain to me!
Shown below are the needle felting patterns & kits I have bought and created so far:
Dimensions Needle-crafts Needle Felted Snowman Character Kit
Gotta Love Beautifully Hand-Dyed Alpaca Roving Multi Color Blender Packs From Rock Garden Alpacas
Needle Felting Tools - They All Have A Different Needle Felting Use!
Piece on Earth Wool Felting Pattern by Lakeview Primitives
The Clover Applique Rose Design Mold
Gotta Love Beautifully Hand-Dyed Alpaca Roving Multi Color Blender Packs From Rock Garden Alpacas
Needle Felting Tools - They All Have A Different Needle Felting Use!
Piece on Earth Wool Felting Pattern by Lakeview Primitives
The Clover Applique Rose Design Mold
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