Colours

Colours are whimsical, depending on moods, situations and stages in life, preference over a color changes... 

In my late teens, I liked navy blue, rather untypical of a girl. When I was expecting my first child knowing the little one would be a girl, I started to like pink, a colour I never thought I would ever fancy?!! Over time, pink changed to red and fuchsia and slowly it moved towards purple hues. Purple and its family has stayed with me for many years, from lilac to violet, I practically love all shades of purple! 

However, I am not a rigid purple lover. The other of my favourite colour is white - white snowy mountains, white pebbles, polar bears, white marble sculptures, etc. I actually love an array of colours ~ the blues and whites of Santorini, the multi-colours of Riomaggiore, rustic autumn yellow-browns, green pasture fields, blood red cherries, cream and brown labs, silvery devices and the list goes on. I am equally wowed when presented with a splatter of colours, as long as they are tastefully fitting. 

Needle felting is a wonderful way to express oneself. With a wide spectrum of colours to choose from, it gives one the liberty to mix and match the colours. Looking at the impressive spread of coloured wools gives me a momentary endorphin rush, I always feel gigglish when I am browsing at a selection of coloured wools. Call me anal - I have a collection of coloured wools at my disposal and it has become my basket of joy!

Back to the subject of colour, my girl suggested that I should make a purple minion since I like purple. While purple minions are supposedly evil in the show, the colour actually makes the minion look comical, with its wiry explosive hair! 

One for the boys…

It seems needle felting is rather girlish, with its soft look and fuzzy feel... 

Hence, I decided to try out some character dolls that will appeal to boys too, using the boys in my household as a yardstick. The 'in' thing for my boy has been Minecraft game. For his birthday in April this year, he requested for a Minecraft cake - a challenge to source as the commercialised bakeries here have yet to sell birthday cakes with Minecraft design. I pondered on how I could dissuade him but he was already suggesting that I could bake one for him on my own. Not wanting to disappoint a zealous little boy, we cracked our brains together as he showed me the world of Minecraft on his iPad game. It turned out to be a fun bonding activity conceptualising the design of the cake and we eventually came up with one for his birthday party :-) Naturally the first 'boy' toys that floated into my mind were Minecraft characters, so I started poking Steve, Creeper and a block of dirt.

A couple of months ago, there was a fad over Minions after screening of Despicable Me II. The long queues for Happy Meals packed with Minion toys at McDonalds were evidence of Singaporeans' zany nature of queueing for anything that tugs their hearts, ranging from trivial toys, acclaimed foods to exorbitantly priced properties. While Minions are cute, I cannot comprehend the craze over it. However, the 'big boy' at home actually feels tickled by Minions and subtly nudged me to poke a Minion, so here goes!

Patisseries

Patisseries are such a visual feast! I delight in gazing at the lovely displays of beautiful cakes, breads and chocolates in bakeries, especially the French, Italian and Japanese selections. They look so pretty & appetising that I will not resist a piece or two each time; thankfully there is a limit to how much I can chow down at one time. I have to confess sometimes the cakes score better in looks than taste. It is perhaps an unfair statement, as my palate is only receptive to dark chocolates. One typical example is macarons - it gives me more pleasure looking at them versus eating them, with the exception of dark chocolate flavoured ones. 

I have a soft spot for breads though,  likely attributable to the taste of flour & yeast combination which I crave now and then. Good artisan breads are tedious to bake; another excuse for not baking breads at home is due to myself being the only bread enthusiast, hence it is not economical to bake just for one person. I'll bake muffins, macarons or cakes at whim or when there are special occasions such as birthdays or parties. 

With needle felting, I am able to create my favourite bakes & feast on them anytime without worry of expanding my waistline :p 

Doll Fetish

I grow up loving dolls and I still love dolls - don't get me wrong, not the erotic manner! Needle felting is my answer to the dolls I never had as a child. I remembered how I ogled at Martyoshka dolls I saw in pictures, depicting captivating and decreasing sized Russian Dolls nested within one another. My first gift of Martyoshkas was from a cousin who went to Russia on a business trip in the late 90s; I kept it dear to my heart, partly I love Martyoshkas but mainly because it is the only memento I had of my beloved cousin.

The vibrancy of the felt wools I acquired in Osaka inspired me to experiment with colors and the first idea that popped into my mind was Martyoshkas. Japanese kimono dolls are equally fascinating but Russian dolls prevailed as it features amusingly varying sizes.

I had needle felted several character dolls but now I am poking my own versions of dolls, here's a peep on the work in progress...

Teacher's Day

One of my biggest fans of needle felting is actually my boy. While he is fascinated with the different forms that can be shaped with needle felting, he is even more fascinated with the idea that people might be interested in buying the felted items. He has been brainstorming for me the price of each new artwork I made and excitedly coaxing me to start an online shop.

The other little fan of mine is my girl, she is genuinely intrigued by the craft, just like myself.  Thus I taught her the craft this year and she is already poking some creations of her own. As Teacher's Day neared, she wanted to poke little gifts for her teachers. The craft itself can be rather time consuming and she was planning to make 7 gifts, hence I came up with a rather simple item for her to needle felt - chupa chups!

As I made one for her to model after, my boy exclaimed that he wanted to make the same for his teachers too! However, being an 8 year-old boy whose chopsticks skills barely made it, I had been reluctant to teach him the craft since it is easy for one to prick oneself, what more a beginner and a boy whose motor skills are geared towards the legs for soccer instead.

satisfied customer :-)

After much thoughts, I teased him "Mommy shall make the chupa chups for you but you have to pay for my effort. How about $10 per piece?" He obviously clamoured that the price was too steep and tried to bargain, unknowingly I was actually 'pitching' for my first sale ;p Him being a glib negotiator, I finally relented at the price of $3 per piece. Woohoo, my first customer!!! 

Wanderlust

Since mini Rusty, I am motivated to poke more...

I am simply amazed with the myriad of artworks possible with just a needle and felt wools, as long as one is equipped with the colors. It's portable - there's no need for a fancy studio nor lugging of a heavy case of art materials, one is able to poke anywhere one wishes. I enjoy chilling with a book over latte in a cosy cafe, now I poke and read in a cafe, double bliss :-)

For those who know me well, my wanderlust grips me tremendously. Call it a penchant for geography, experience or satisfying my curiosity or restlessness, the world out there always holds untold mystery, a wealth of enlightenment. Perhaps that explains my fondness for maps and globes.

Last weekend as I was visiting friends in Hong Kong & Macau, I spent the snippets of time when on my own to poke a mini earth, in the comfort of Pacific Coffee cafe, at the same time relishing a hot latte and luscious mochis (yums, these are Japanese mochis which I love). Such is a precious moment of solitude that refreshes my spirit as it also releases my mind to roam freely.

Here's the finished product of my mini globe, completed back at home as a required material was not in my travelling wools pouch. Yes, I carry a pouch comprising the basics wherever I go, so I can slip in a little poking every now and then.

Beginnings...

I like the name artist, thus I will name myself as a Felt Artist :-) My journey to needle felting had been fuzzy, taking on the homonymous 'fuzzy' feel of the felts which I love.

I was first acquainted with a needle felt artwork in Oct 2009 in Taipei, musing over the beauty and intrigued when the lady said she made it herself. It was only in Jul 2011 that I chanced upon the craft again and started to google, thus learnt the craft. However, it started rickety as I had neither the time nor sufficient materials to explore further.

In Dec 2012, I was on a family vacation trip to Osaka but charged with a mission to source for the pretty felt wools. I managed to do so and brought back a hoard of wools and Japanese books on needle felting.

Again, time being a luxury not at my dispense, I experimented with needle felting on few occasions. It was only when my ailing Jack Russell, Rusty was degenerating in health - my heart ached everytime he sat lying next to me, knowing that his days with us were numbered - there on 18 July 2013, he inspired me to make a miniature of him so as to immortalize him and I frantically went about poking a mini Rusty. I was impressed with my own artwork, as it really resembled him ;p Then it dawned on me that needle felting is therapeutic and allows one to create almost anything.

Thus my journey as a felt artist began...