The making of a man

This page will show some of the processes involved in creating felted pieces. Initially we concentrate on a sculpted man. In order to give this little man a chance to be named by the person who bought him I just called the sculpted piece "Slainte mhath" which means "Good Health" in Gaelic. It took me about a year to make, working at it on and off as I had thought through how to tackle each stage. The photos are not great but hopefully will allow you to see what is involved.

The body of Slainte mhath was sculpted in Cheviot wool, his arms are moveable with the wool needle felted around craft wire then sewn in place. His legs are partly wired but not wholly flexible. His feet are sea shaped stones from Ardmair beach, Cheviot wool is needle felted around them. 

Once the piece was fully sculpted the colour was added by needle felting  vaneers of colour. The hair is from the fleece of a Gotland sheep. 

Slainte mhath has a full set of clothes. Most of his clothes are made by the wet felting process, his socks are recycled socks from my old sock drawer. He is a crofter (agricultural small holder) and is enjoying a half pint after a hard days work. 

Slainte mhath decided to move to a new home just before Christmas last year (2012) and We all hope he and his new partner are very happy with

    each other.