Wool fun

I've discovered a new way to enjoy wool......wool applique!!  Yes, I've known about wool applique for years. Even tried my hand at it once.....and found that I wasn't real crazy about it. Then, while browsing one of my favorite sites, I came across this little guy.....Larry the Lamb. I thought "I can do this. It's small." Plus it was just so cute that I simply had to have it. So I got the pattern and gave it a go. Turns out I really enjoyed working with the felted wool and stitching this up. So much so that I decided to play with it a bit more. Hence, the framed piece pictured below.

This is one my own design. It just popped into my head as I was spinning one day.....and staring at an empty frame that has been collecting dust on the top of my bookshelf for way too long.  I thought "why not give it a try". After all, I used to be quite the artist when I was younger.....and I've been doing embroidery for decades (learned when I was very young). So I gave it a try. Did some rought sketches. Was staring out and watching my flock wondering about how I wanted my sheep to look when it dawned on me. Why not use my Shetlands as a model.  Then I started noticing things about them.....like how square their bodies are.....and how short their legs look when they are in full fleece......and how their heads look so small compared to their bodies. Of course they don't run around with their tails up....unless they are fertilizing that is.  :>) I just thought it would look cuter. 

 So the piece is named "Stop to Smell the Flowers".....and it is inspired by my own woolly crew. Nothing really extraordinary about it. I did use part of a felted wool sweater for the background. The background is actually a very pretty blue (like in the first picture of the piece). I'm not quite sure why it wanted to photograph more gray in color in the closeups. The sheep body itself is from a felted 100% cashmere sweater (it's amazing what you can find in the local thrift shop). It's so soft!!! I just wanted to sit and pet it all day.  :>)

I used a whip-stitch for all the applique, a stem stitch for the vines and detail in the sheep's body, and french knots for the sheep's eyes. DMC embroidery floss was used for all the stitching in colors that matched the applique pieces. The stitching went rather quickly and was so very fun to do. I had forgotten how much I enjoy doing hand-work....and how relaxing it can be. Will there be more creations like this one? Let's just say the dust has been blown off my sketchbook, pencils, and eraser.....and I look forward to building a felted wool stash.  :>)