Events at Gossamer Fiber Arts and Crafts

Events at Gossamer:

~ Needle Felt Art of Stacy Polson (www.stacypolson.com)

Traditional Japanese Painting meets needle-felting arts. See her amazing needle felted pictures on display this month at Gossamer!

About Stacy:

Stacy began sewing with felt in her early teens, stitching large, abstract wall hangings on her mother's old, but magically reliable Kenmore machine, and went on to design a line of felt appliqued clothing that was sold by I. Magnin in San Francisco. These designs eventually formed the core of her whimsical clothing boutique called Crazy Ladies in St. Augustine, Florida.

Today she lives in Oregon with her husband Steve and spends her time gardening, bicycling, and having fun discovering the art of needle-felting. About her needle-felting technique:

"My first works were intricately appliqued felt wall hangings that became so thick in places I literally had to lift my sewing machine foot up an inch and rev the motor, stitching along hairpin curves like a jeep taking turns on a rutted road.

"One day, I began to wonder how Japanese woodcuts would look in felt because I thought the colorful kimonos would be so much fun to redesign. However, as I got into it, I quickly began to realize that the usual felt color palette was going to limit me from achieving what I envisioned. I was just on the verge of exploring how to dye my own felt, when I discovered the art of needle felting.

"Needle-felting is the process of adhering fiber onto fabric using a barbed needle and practically anything that can be found in a yarn store, spun or raw, can be used. I rarely use my sewing machine anymore because most of my pieces are entirely needle-felted, with the exception of the more delicate facial features which are all hand embroidered."