Lucille was inspired by the wonderful political cartoons by Hogarth in the18th century. I love the outrageous wigs and make-up, and the faces full of character and flaws.
She has been created using merino wool, natural fleece and a tiny snippet of lace and modern recycled fabric. She looks great on a shelf or in an alcove. She could also be displayed under a glass display cloche.
The technical bit.....
All of my needlefelted sculpture starts with a wire armature twisted into shape to support the project. I good then cover it with natural wool, merino tops or Norwegian fleece and stab it with special barbed needlefelting needles to hold it in place. Then, with repeated stabbing and adding of extra fibres, I build up the basic shape of the piece and work until it is densely packed and I am happy with the shape. I then cover the sculpture with the top coat of coloured merino wool and add any hair or clothing. It's a time-consuming process but wool is very versatile and I really love doing it.
I have made a small series of Hogarth-inspired heads, each one a unique piece with character and, hopefully, humour.
Product code: Lucille, A Needlefelted good 18th Century Style Head