The Woolly Women: A Source of Inspiration
The Woolly Women: The Fiber Arts Community That Changed My Life
Long before Bear Creek Felting became a business, there was a group of women gathered in a basement with spinning wheels, knitting, wool, laughter—and a willingness to teach.
I had no idea at the time how much that afternoon would change the direction of my life.
This is part of the story of how I discovered needle felting, but it is really a story about community and what can happen when people generously share what they know.
Meeting the Woolly Women
After we brought our first Romney sheep home, Jan—the woman we bought them from—invited my daughter Libbie and me to a gathering of women who shared an interest in sheep, wool, and fiber arts.
They called themselves the Woolly Women.
Some raised sheep. Some had in the past. All of them knew far more about wool than I did.
Jan told us they could teach us to spin, and that was enough to get us there.
Our first meeting was in the basement of one of the members’ homes. There were five or six women working on different fiber projects—spinning, knitting, felting—and talking and laughing while they worked.
I was fascinated.
Before long, our hostess Julie had me sitting at a spinning wheel trying to learn how to turn wool into yarn.
Meanwhile, Jan was showing Libbie something completely different.
Needle felting.
The Felting Needle Came Home With Us
That day, Jan helped Libbie make a little needle felted Santa Claus ornament.
She also sent her home with a felting needle and a cushion.
I didn’t own a spinning wheel, so when we got home I couldn't really practice what I had learned about spinning. I had tried a drop spindle, but I found it frustrating.
The felting needle, though, was sitting right there.
That evening, after Libbie went to bed, curiosity got the better of me.
I picked up her felting needle, grabbed some wool from our sheep, and started poking.
I didn't have much of a plan.
I just wanted to see what would happen.
One Little Sheep Changed Everything
I quickly discovered that I loved it.
The wool began holding together. Then it became a shape. Then I started figuring out how to make that shape look like something.
I kept going.
And going.
By the time I finally stopped, I had made my first needle felted sheep.
I was hooked.
Looking back now, it is funny to think how much came from that one little felting needle that Jan sent home with Libbie.
Soon the Whole Family Was Felting
My excitement didn't stay contained for very long.
All four of my kids became curious about what I was doing, so we found more felting needles and everyone started experimenting.
We didn't exactly have a well-equipped felting studio.
At one point, my son went downstairs, found an old couch cushion, unzipped the cover, and decided the foam inside would make the perfect felting surface.
It worked—until someone broke a felting needle inside it.
We eventually managed to find the broken piece.
And that was the end of using the couch cushion.
Some lessons you only need to learn once.
They Taught Me More Than Fiber Arts
What I received from the Woolly Women was much more than instruction.
They showed me what it looked like to share knowledge freely.
Someone knew how to spin, so she taught someone else.
Someone knew about sheep.
Someone understood a particular kind of wool.
Someone was knitting, felting, weaving, or experimenting with something new.
Nobody needed to know everything.
Together, they knew an incredible amount.
That made a lasting impression on me.
Community Still Matters to Me
As Bear Creek Felting grew, teaching became an increasingly important part of what I did.
Kits led to classes. Classes eventually led to the Bear Creek Needle Felting Academy. Retreats brought felters together from all over the country.
And I think part of my love for creating those kinds of communities goes all the way back to those early gatherings with the Woolly Women.
There is something special about sitting with people who understand why you get excited about a beautiful fleece or why you need just one more color of wool.
Creative people learn so much from one another.
Find Your Woolly Women
Not everyone has a group literally called the Woolly Women.
But if there is a spinning guild, fiber group, knitting circle, sheep association, felting class, or creative community near you, don't be afraid to walk through the door as the beginner.
Everybody in that room was a beginner once.
You never know what you might learn—or where one invitation might eventually lead.
I certainly didn't.
I thought I was going to learn a little more about our sheep's wool.
Instead, I found the craft that would eventually become Bear Creek Felting.
