Eyes Of Time: big needle felt cat with foam core

Saturday, January 16, 2010

big needle felt cat with foam core

My BF says this is my creepiest sculpture to date...really ? Spookier then the zombie ? Well, I started out with the face to see if prefelt would make better skin and it did, except it takes several layers or it gets lost in the fiber beneath...lesson learned ... .but only after several hours spent putting on layer after layer .

Once the head was done...I realized that it was going to take a pretty large cat body to keep it in proportion . I decided to take the advice of .....The Felted Chicken............http://feltedchicken.blogspot.com/and used a foam core for the body . I don't have her skill in planning and carving shapes, so I just wrapped a 8"by 6" square of preused felting pad with several layers of roving and felted that into a basic rectangle . Not any faster then wool but wool is expensive and I have been trying to cut back on my purchasing until I get up the nerve to start listing on Etsy . I wont bore you with the step by step, but it did take me about 25 hours total since I ended up changing my mind about the original roving and topped all but the feet with another layer of merino and silk in black and white .

He turned out bigger( though not as chunky) as my own cats , and a wee bit cross-eyed , but I still like him . I think I feel about my felt critters the way some folks feel about their kids...we love them even with their flaws...(or at least that is how it should be .)

This is another little alien and I hope to make a few more of these as they are really fun to make and don't take more then 3-4 hours ......(those pink things are ears, wings, or fins . )

I did take a break from the cat yesterday to finish adding the centers to my flowers . I'm still not certain how to add a pin-back to make them wearable . That is just the kind of busy work that I don't like and so procrastinate on .

Of course, had to make one with an eye just to see what it would look like .

I ran out of table space and have resorted to keeping the latest critters and bags in a box until I get them labeled and listed....(if ever?)

scarves that need buttons and bags and doll's clothing that need sewing...wondering if I can stop felting long enough to finish these before the world ends in 2012 .