Sarafina Fiber Art

Sarafina Fiber Art

Friday, September 6, 2013

The Truth About Needle Felting

I have a pet peeve.  It bugs me when artists describe their work as "painstaking" and then proceed to elaborate on the amount of time, or stabs, or difficulty that is involved in their work.

Do they want us to feel sorry for them?  Are they trying to justify an out of kilter price tag?  Or do they really truly feel burdened by their creativity?  Maybe it's the first and/or second reason but I can't believe it could be the third.

Needle felting is fun.  No matter how many stabs it takes, every single poke is a split second of affirmation and achievement.  Further more, aside from the mis-stab that hurts your finger, even the bad stabs can be easily fixed. 


The process of stabbing the wool is rewarding but we have the additional enjoyment of our fibers.  (Imagine me here tossing lovely locks in the air with abandon and running through a field of bunny angora.)  At the risk of sounding like a looney, I am convinced that working with natural fibers is healing.  I even keep locks in my car to settle me when I feel my anxieties creeping in.


And, if you can believe it, there's more!  When you have finished your project, you have something to enjoy, or sell, or give as a gift.  It's all good.


No wonder the craft is spreading like wild fire.  It's affordable, easy to get started, and instantly rewarding.  And I believe those who are trying it are falling in love and will 'stick' with it - so to speak. 


So quit your whining felting artists!  I know the truth about needle felting and the rest of the world (or at least the 10 people who follow my blog) will now know too!

Happy felting.


9 comments:

  1. Amen to that!
    I have always thought that my gift in life was the ability to take chaos and create order which, without going into great detail, usually meant caring for others. It was, and always will be, my pleasure and honor to do so despite the cost to me. That being said, needle felting is the child in me, the unbridled and bubbling joy that gives spark to my life. It matters not if anyone else sees that but I am enjoying the giddy pleasure it provides in this great journey we are all on.
    Cheers, Lee

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  2. Ouch! Cat, pidgeons....I only get hacked off with the painstaking label when I can see that its well, not! A bit of wool wrapping and a coupla stabs with an artsy fartsy description (pushing the boundaries being a real angst-maker) coupled with a pricetag over $100 is in my book ripping the pee. The high end makers, however, those who create skilfully and artfully, can and should charge exactly what the market will stand.

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  3. Yep I love the fibers too,it's all great stuff I'm so glad I found this craft..not to mention your great videos you make that have helped me so much to enjoy it even more..

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  4. I have collected enough wool to re -create the ark its sooo lush and tactile
    I've barely had time to stab a needle let alone anything else ..looking forward to cooler nights and less distraction so I can play inside instead of out

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  5. Just keep making your wonderful creatures, you absolutely make my day with your posts :) thankyou thank you thankyou :) <3

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  6. Stabbing something repeatedly, with sharp needles, legitimately; what's not to like at the end of a stressful day.
    With the added benefit that you get something nice at the end of it too.

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  7. Great post. I have not found one thing in 43 years that lets me remove all thoughts from my head as needle felting does. Finger stabs only bleed for a second anyhow! hee hee

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