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. 

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

Dapper Den Collection

Here we go - the first series of needle felted portraits of 2021! I don’t make these very often but when I do I sure enjoy giving these creatures personalities (and some fantastic accessories too). The new limited-edition collection features nothing but bears, and they’re now available on the website. Hope you enjoy the collection!

I’ve been wanting to focus on bears for awhile, but this kind of series takes way more time than you might guess, and between the holiday rush and moving, there was no room for a passion project in the last few hectic months. Thankfully I’m coming up for air now and back to having creative time in the studio.

Fortunately I had a nice stash of accessories already built up from last year, so I rummaged through my tiny doll glasses, handmade pipes, and faux foliage, and came up with some fun backstories for these bears. Check out the promo video!

Introducing: The Fancy Cats Collection

These cats are well-accessorized, they have names, and they’ve available starting tomorrow evening (5/6/20) at 7PM EST. All needle felted cat portraits are $85 per and will be up for pre-sale on Instagram @onceagainsam with free shipping for 24 hours. After that, all remaining felted portraits will be up on my website. Hope you enjoy the new series!

As you may already know, I don’t make felted animal portraits very often, but when I do, I go ALL IN! It’s such a fun treasure hunt to find these tiny accessories, brain storm features and personalities, and of course, name my creatures before they go out into the world.

Winter in the Woods Collection

My first series of needle felted animal portraits for 2020 is coming soon! I don’t get to make these portraits very often and when I do, they sell so quickly it’s a bit of a blur. I’m excited to share these 12 woodland creatures who are all bundled up for the winter season but I know they won’t last. I’ve got bears in hats, owls in scarves, chipmunks in earmuffs, and I had way too much fun putting together this little trailer that my husband helped fiml in the woods behind our house. 

Follow @onceagainsam on Instagram for details about adopting one of these woodland creatures. As with my past animal portrait collections, I will be listing them for sale on Instagram and the first person to message me with their email address for payment gets the piece. 

These quirky felted portraits range in price from $50 to $125 depending on size.

Fun fact: my talented mother-in-law hand know those tiny hats! Aren’t they just the cutest!?!