CRAFTeReport

My Top Picks of Handmade Etsy and Artfire Items.

Top 10 Needle Felted Soft Sculptures on Etsy September 2, 2008

Filed under: Crafts,NeedleFelting — craftereport @ 9:36 am
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I have decided that for the next few weeks I am going to feature a different form of art/crafts each day or so and post a sort of Etsy Top 10 list for each of the different types. Each of the 10 featured items will be made by 10 different artists/craftsmen. I will provide a link to each artisans/craftsman’s shop and a brief word about what I love about each item I have selected to be in the Top 10. This week’s Top 10 List includes Needle Felted Items, specifically Needle Felt SCULPTURES. I think tomorrow I will continue on with the Needle Felt topic and focus on Flat Feltings.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6003246
I fell in love with this piece mainly because it resembles the kind of needle felt dolls that I have been making lately. Very simple form, with a full skirt going to her feet
(a perfect solution to someone who doesn’t like or can’t very well make needle felted legs and feet…like myself. This strategy also provides standing stability of the doll compared to the instability that lightweight wobbly legs would provide. Now lets talk about the gorgeous colors and patterns on her dress! I love the idea of creating a pattern on a needle felted doll’s dress or other clothing. It allows each character to really become an individual piece, even if the main structure of all the dolls is the same.

This is another example of the simple form doll that I fell in love with. Again skirt down to her feet, eliminating the need to create legs or feet. This artist puts her dolls on a sturdy base although I doubt it really needs it in order to stand with enough stability. I guess it all depends on how lightweight the doll is. I have found that if you use a core wool inside or a coarser wool throughout, say corriedale instead of a softer merino, then the structure seems to have a little more weight to it. Also notice how this doll has facial features while the doll above has none. I generally prefer dolls with facial features, however notice how the featureless face helps bring attention to the colors and details in the dress, whereas the other doll’s dress is plain and simple therefore drawing your eye towards the face.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6006911
I love her elongated limbs and facel. They help give the doll its unique character. I like the use of accessories such as the dragonfly, and the beadwork on the clothes. I also love the color combination. And at almost 20 inches tall…WOW!

I love all the accessories that come along with this bear. Many needlefelted bears out there right now are JUST the bear, a simple little bear. But this bear is holding a cake, wearing a party hat, wearing clothing, and sitting on a felted base! Not to mention the added details such as beads and embrodiery. Not only do the cake and party hat shout “festive” but the color combination does as well. The colors reallly help to make it a fun piece.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5342744
This may just be my favorite needle felted item on Etsy right now, even though it is quite a simple piece. Its colors are fun as are its added accessories. It has the same “festive” qualities as the bear above. I love the idea of using wire in some way in needlefelted items. I have a feeling wire will eventually work its way into my needle felt creations! I love how she takes the qualities of a real animal and turns it into a simplestic cartoonish version of the real version. The way she divides up the colors on the different parts of the bird and the stripes on the accessories allow her to create several different birds of this type and have them all come out looking very unique in character.

Okay so I have to say what drew me to this particular item was that I love frogs! And with the mixture of colors for its “skin”, it gives off a very artsy feel. And I of course love art! So I love this piece! Its definitely different than the other common needlefelted frogs I have seen out there. Again though, I love frogs so there is probably not a needlefelted frog out there that I would not like!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5468176
Such creativity! I absolutely LOVE the stone tummy patch idea! I had been trying to come up with a creative tummy patch for my bears and I came upon this bear. I thought it was absolute genius!…and really wish I had thought of the idea first HAHA.

Wow! Very nicely “sculpted” and detailed. It really resembles a real violin! It is also creative in that you hardly ever see a needlefelted representation of an inanimate object, mainly you see representations of animals or people.


http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5577800
Wow. Just WOW!