Embellished Needle Felted Wall Hangings by Lenall

Lenall Here.

In my last post, I mentioned that I had made some decisions as to where I wanted to take my art in the future. My first post was all about attempting to paint exclusively in abstract--instead of partially paint in abstract. Today I want to talk about going back to what (who?)brought me to the dance. Have you ever heard that phrase or some semblance of it?

My mother was an artist in her own right. I am sure that she never labelled herself an artist though. Her sister, Avolonne, and her daughter, Paige, were the artists in our family. I can remember long being enamoured with their natural talents and their propensity toward productivity using alot of different mediums. I lusted after their abilities and talent. They even entered their work in shows!!! They say "Be careful with what you wish for!" but in this case it has all been for the good! Through these role models and the gentle nudging of my creative mother my sisters and I always had a needlework or sewing project in hand. In 1991, I started painting and gently put aside my needlework.

Last year, during a play date with artist friends, I proclaimed that I was planning to do some needle or fiber art for our show. One friend looked so surprised--- I thought it was funny. Needlework brought me to the creative dance guys! One of the reasons I have been gravitating back to it is that I used to feel so productive when I did projects in front of the TV at night. I've been looking for a new project that would fullfill that need. This past April, I decided to take a 3 day felting retreat sponsored by The Purl District, a yarn shop in Silverton, OR with Fran, Robin, Debi and Tory and learned the basics of felting using artfelt paper and Skacel roving. We had a great time working from the moment we got there till the time we left. The owner of the shop, Celia Stapleton, was great! Our fellow classmates were all kniters and we were "the artists!!!" Since that time ,I have continued to felt and have turned what I learned into my own style.

This past weekend, I finished several felted pieces that are embellished with embrodiery and beading. They will be mounted on backing and hung using bell pull hardware to be sold at our show in December. I hope you like them because I am making many of them! I am also attaching smaller ones to cards! Check them out and tell me what you think!

Check out these links:

My cousin, Paige's fabulous company website and blog: http://northernbrights.com

The Purl District website and blog: http://www.thepurldistrict.com/

Thanks!

Lenall