New Collections for Autumn

NEW SERIES: Autumn Critters
Every single needle felted animal portrait I made for Indie Craft Parade found a home at the festival, so it was time to make some more. With my next festival just days away (The John C. Campbell Fall Festival in Brasstown, NC) I couldn't help but think of possums and other Appalachian woodland friends. 
Shop the new collection. 

NEW SERIES: Barn Quilt Landscapes
Inspired once again by Appalachia, particularly barns (just as I was earlier in the year after a trip to Western North Carolina), this new landscape collection includes a very special detail I've never tried before: Barn Quilts. You know, those colorful symbols you might see on the side of barn? They are so eye-catching and have a lot of meaning behind them, and I've really enjoyed researching quilts, barn quilts, symbolism and patterning. 

Shop the new collection.

LEARNING NEW THINGS IN THE STUDIO: Kinusaiga
Speaking of quilts, I recently learned the Japanese art of Kinusaiga or "quilt without thread". This is all very new to me and I'm enjoying the experimental stage very much. I hope to share more soon, but for now, here's a peek at my first finished piece, made of fabric reclaimed from the scrap pile. 

Flat Out Under Pressure Art Competition

The Greenville, SC art community is a vibrant one, which is why so many artists come out to compete in the Flat Out Under Pressure (FOUP) 24-hour art making competition at Metropolitan Arts Council every June. I’ve done it for many years now, and each time, I still bite off WAY more than I can chew. But somehow I always get it done!

After much debate (with myself) in the weeks leading up the competition, I decided to create what I do bet: a mixed media fiber art landscape. I always toy with trying something wildly different, something outside of my usual subject matter or medium, but as tempting as it is, this competition is not the time to take a risk, it’s the time to shine and show your best work.

The round landscape uses wool fabric strips (rug hooking techniques), various sizes of yarn (punch needle techniques), wool fiber (needle felting techniques) and some embroidery for the flowers. I was up late, I was up early, and I had only an hour to spare when all was said and done.

Over 100 Greenville artists participate in the competition. We all show up at the MAC office Friday morning to get our work surface stamped, we go work work work in our studios, then we return the finished piece 24 hours later. The competition exhibition is amazing to see in person - all these incredible works of art created in the same time, in only a day. It’s truly impressive! Although my work did not win, it sold in about 20 minutes, so it was a great way to end Flat Out Under Pressure 2026 and I’m already looking forward to next year!

The Animal Kingdom Collection

They hail from distant lands & right in your very own backyard. They’re adorned with tiny crowns, sparkly jewels, and medals of honor. They’re one-of-a-kind creatures, all needle felted with wool fiber, and they would love to rein over your empty wall space. Or, perhaps overthrow whatever is currently hanging on your wall so they can claim their new kingdom in your home (in a peaceful way, of course - they’re monarchy, not monsters).

This new series was way too much fun to dream up. I’ve needle felted hundreds of heads over the years, but never any with royal titles. The tiny jewels and accessories were a blast to create, especially the 3D printed crowns. Check out this process video for the lion portrait, one of the largest animal heads I’ve ever made.

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All 20 royal creatures are on the website and ready to ship. I hope you’ll enjoy browsing the collection.- this was a particularly fun series to start the new year! Shop the collection here.

May I present The Animal Kingdom:

Lion: King Lionel the Fierce

Large Bear: Czar Ivan of the Northern Woodlands & Craggy Ridge

Snake: His Royal Highnesssssss Leonard the IV, Lord of the Rose Garden

Hippo: Empress Henrietta, Supreme Ruler of the River Horses

Chipmunk: Lady Isabelle of the Woodpile

Walrus: Williamina, Duchess of the Salty Seas

Duck: Archduke Webster Waddell of the Murky Pond

Small Bear: Bernard, Prince of The Foothills

Owl, Queen Olivia the Wise, Supreme Ruler of the Hollow Tree

Small bunny: Hazel, Princess of the Clover

Large Bunny: Her Majesty Queen Cottontail XXXIV

Elephant: His Majesty King Tembo the Gray, Ruler of the Southern Savannah

Possum: Penelope, Princess of the Abandoned Barn

Black Cat: Queen Snaggletooth the Curious

Blackbird: Bernadette, Countess of the Old Oak Tree

Mouse: Ingrid, Duchess of the Crawl Space

Deer: Reginald, Duke of the Cornfield

Black swan: Gwyneth, Duchess of the Emerald Lake

Giraffe: Gerard, Prince of the Tree Tops

Squirrel: Lady Sophie of Acorns

Artist-in-Residence: Myrtle Beach State Park

It was such a pleasure to spend the last week as Artist-in-Residence at Myrtle Beach State Park. My days revolved around the sunrises and sunsets. I was sure to be on the beach when the sky started to change color so I could watch the sun appear and disappear. It seems so slow at first but then you realize once it’s happening, it’s happening so fast. The light changes dramatically in just a minute or two and if you look away, you will miss something good. I really enjoyed matching up my wool fiber colors to those vibrant sunrises and sunsets!

During the daytime I I explored the maritime forests, salt marshes, nearby towns, took a variety of tours and created lots of fiber art inspired by my surroundings and the creatures I met along the way. My favorite animal sightings included at least 50 dolphins on a boat tour in North Myrtle Beach, a pair of roseate spoonbills in Murrells Inlet, and getting unexpectedly close to 7 very calm deer while on a hike.

Because I lucked out with perfect weather (the first residency of my 7 with SC State Parks where it didn’t rain once the entire week!), I produced slightly less work than in the past, but I enjoyed my time at the coast even more so because I was outside the majority of the day, soaking up the beautiful scenery and taking nearly 500 reference photos to work from later. No joke!

During my week at Myrtle Beach State Park, I created 14 needle felted landscapes and 3 bird portraits, but I know more pieces inspired by my time at the beach will certainly be in my future.

All pieces are now available at www.onceagainsam.com

I hope you will enjoy this recap video!

This was my 7th residency with SC State Parks. See recaps from past residencies here.

The Lofoten Series

In the summer of 1992, my family visited the Lofoten Islands in Norway, and the location left a lasting impression on me. I was in the middle of my troll era, so the mossy hills and craggy rocks made the perfect environment for all my ugly little troll dolls. I remember fishing from a bridge with hot dogs in the midnight sun, and actually catching something, much to my surprise. I remember exploring the little hills near where we stayed along the water, and discovering a cave. I remember the charming red fishing cabins and dramatic mountains, and looking for moose but never seeing any. I have been dreaming of returning to Lofoten ever since.

Just a few weeks ago, I was finally able to return to his magical place above the arctic circle with my husband Josh, and he too was instantly mesmerized by the landscape that captured my imagination some 33 years prior. This place just doesn’t look real. The mountains are way too pointy, and it’s hard to name their color - is it purple, brown, a deep cool blue? The water way too turquoise, water can’t actually be that vibrant in real life, can it? The moss entirely too bright, a mix of neon yellows, greens, and even orange tones. It looks like something out of a movie, a painting, a dream.

Getting to Lofoten takes effort. In addition to the transatlantic flight, we still had quite a ways to go after landing in Oslo. Lofoten is nowhere near the capital, so more regional flights, a ferry, and a car ride were soon to follow, but it was all worth it. We stayed in Nusfjord, a historic fishing village with speculator views in every direction. The colorful “rørbu” cabins were just as charming as I remembered.

The views were so beautiful, I couldn’t help but be inspired to create a felted landscape series upon returning home, using photos from our hikes, drives, and fjord explorations. Every piece in the series was inspired by a specific location in Lofoten, using my own photography from the trip. I hope I was able to capture the beauty of this place in my favorite medium, needle felted wool fiber. Enjoy the collection!

Some of my favorite memories, in no particular order include: watching the black legged kittiwakes (a kind of gull) nesting on the steep rocks just outside out cabin, exploring the troll fjord by boat while drinking hot chocolate, spending the afternoon in Høv riding Icelandic ponies on the white sand beach then running back and forth from the wood fired sauna to the freezing turquoise ocean , stopping to see all the adorable lambs roaming free on the winding roads, trying multiple versions of the local fish soup and trying to rank them, hiking Flakstad (and getting my butt kicked by the steep trail), and seeing two moose crossing the road just a few feet away from the moose crossing sign.