Her Passion: MORE THAN JUST A HOBBY

WOOL NEEDLE FELTING:

MORE THAN JUST A HOBBY

BY SARA SCHROEDER | PHOTOS BY JOEY HALVORSON

Minnesota winters can be long when you are retired and don’t take part in any outdoor cold weather activities. So, what a better time than to try my hand at a new craft?

February 2018 found me with time on my hands with a newly retired spouse and missing my grandchildren since recently having moved seven hours away from them.

Sara Schroeder stands next to a shelf filled with her crafting wares at the Gallery of New Creations store in Longville.

PHOTOS BY JOEY HALVORSON

I decided a new craft might be a fun way to fill the time, so I started looking online.

I am not sure if I was searching on Pinterest or Etsy for craft ideas, but that’s where I look for new ideas now.

I stumbled upon wool needle felting and it looked fairly simple, so I decided the best thing to do was to order a kit. I looked on Amazon for a simple wool felting kit and found a cute fox kit.

I excitedly awaited its arrival and when I received it, I followed the instructions exactly as they were printed. But when it was finished, it looked nothing like it was supposed to. It looked more like a scary cat, then a fox, let alone a cute one.

Frustrated, but not ready to give up, I ordered some wool in different shades of green, some needles and a pad to needle felt on.

Since my town of Longville is said to be the Turtle Race Capital of the World, I thought a turtle might be fun to try and it had to be easier than the fox. To my surprise, it turned out that just looking at someone else’s wool needle felted turtle online, was enough for me to copy and create my own, somewhat cute, turtle.

It became a fun obsession — to take a pile of wool, stab it over and over again and watch it take shape. I became so quick at creating turtles, that I easily made over 10 in one day.

I then went on to make brown bears, teddy bears, red pick-up trucks with pine trees, owls, dogs, cats and unicorns. Then I asked a couple friends if I could practice by creating their pet dogs into wool felted creatures from photos they shared with me. They actually turned out pretty good. My friends loved them and even asked to purchase them from me. I have gone on to create about 10 more to date. I have tried to create cats, but they seem to turn out more comical than realistic.

Some of Sara Schroeder's felting items are for sale at the Gallery of New Creations in Longville.

PHOTOS BY JOEY HALVORSON

There is a gallery in my small town called Gallery of New Creations where local artists are welcome to rent a spot to share their crafts. I have sold quite a few items there.

It’s been fun to challenge myself with other wool felted pieces, such as dollhouse chairs, pillows, and even Barbie doll-sized babies.

My latest wool felting was an elephant that had very short legs and a crooked trunk. It was still fun to make. I learn each time I create a new piece.

I have discovered Hello Kitty is actually fairly easy to make and I even wool felted her dress and hair bow.

I have found a few wool needle felting groups online to join. Some are very intimidating as the pieces are magnificent and highly detailed. I have also learned there are many different types of wool to use for felting, depending on how you want the finished piece to look.

Sara Schroeder displays some of her tools for her wool felting hobby.

PHOTOS BY JOEY HALVORSON

Merino wool is the most common and what I started out using. I have since learned it is best for adding on details and a core wool is better for creating size to your piece and then adding merino or another type of wool to the outside of your project.

Then there are the needles — so many different types with different jobs. Some are thicker and leave small dents in your piece by pushing the wool into itself. Then there are some that pull the wool back out with the needle probes that cause a furry look to your piece. The 40-gauge needle is a fine one for detail work and getting a nice, neat surface. The thinner the needle, the lighter the felting, as in you won’t see the dents or dips into the wool.

There is something very exciting about creating an animal, a character or even a simple shape out of a blob of wool.

Needle wool felting helps get rid of stress and can be a great way for releasing anger, by stabbing the wool, over and over. again. It helped me get through a rough family time in 2018.

I have learned to try to relax my shoulders, arms and wrists while felting though. It can leave you with some sore muscles.

Sara Schroeder is an author, artist, Christian life coach and forgiveness mentor for women. She was recently hired as the children’s art teacher for the nonprofit, Longville Lakes Arts Alliance. She is a self taught wool felt needle artist since 2018, and creates everything from wool felted turtles and bears to replicas of people’s pets. She sells her art online and also at The Gallery of New Creations in Longville, where she and her husband, Kirk live. They have two grown sons. Their oldest son, Andrew, his wife, Brandy, and their three grandchildren, live in Walker. Their youngest son, Bryce, is a captain in the United States Army and currently lives in Texas, but comes to visit as often as he can.