Lucky Star
To sculpt some 
A year ago I started playing around with dry felting which is a technique that requires ones full attention! Failure
to minimise distractions while participating in this craft can result in unplanned body piercings and a trip to hospital! It involves the use of a 6cm long barbed and extremely sharp needle. This is not an activity for young children. First turn off the television, this is not a craft that allows multi-tasking either! 
carded wool into a shape first lay down several layers of fibre, creating roughly the shape you intend to produce. Lay the wool on a piece of polystyrene, a section of old yoga mat or a cushion which is laid on a solid surface. Push the length of the needle back and forth through the wool, turning it over regularly. Repeatedly poke the areas you wish to shrink the most. The needles barbs eventually knot and mat the fibres together. The piece you are working on will shrink considerably. Its possible to experiment with all sorts of shapes, even quite intricate ones such as the features of a face. Add different coloured fleeces as you go for depth and interest. The possibilities are endless! If you have kids in the house, treat your felting needles with the same respect as the contents of your medicine cabinet. If the prospect of this craft scares you, take a look at the creations of Ayala Talpai for some seriously inspiring dry felted work. A book by this very lady gave me my first sweet taste of dry felting. Its worth the pain!
Very cute little stars and your hand painted pillowcase is beautiful - Aoife must have very sweet dreams sleeping on that!
Posted by: Julie Williams | 20/09/2006 at 11:48 AM
Yes its very relaxing, except for the minor injuries! I'd love to see your felted doll, is there a photo on your blog?
Posted by: Rebecca | 19/09/2006 at 10:15 PM
I enjoy needlefelting - I had my first attempt fairly recently and made a little doll and was really pleased I was able to sculpt her face down to little pudgy cheeks etc. It becomes quite zen-like after a while.
My older two enjoy making balls, which the cats enjoy chasing.
Posted by: dottyspots | 19/09/2006 at 09:37 PM