Sam Glanville

Mohair Bear making class

February 19, 2013 Sam Glanville

Well we survived the first bear making class. It is amazing how much preparation went into it.

It is the first time I have cut out 14 bears in one go before. Cutting out is the worst bit of bear making, I think.

The bear everyone was making was based on Buttercup’s pattern approximately 13 inches. Made with ratinee curly mohair.

The class started at 9am and by lunchtime everyone had sewn all the pieces and had a cute bear face staring up at them.

After hours of work there were five new bears born.

Everyone fell in love with their creations.

Now everyone just needs to decide whether they have created a boy or a girl and make clothes or give their bear a nice bow to suit. So well done everyone. I think everyone enjoyed it and there is already talk of making more bears so these five little bears could soon have little friends sat beside them.

Thanks for reading

Bears, Classes, Crafts, new projects

Needle Felting classes

February 19, 2013 Sam Glanville

The classes are still proving to be very popular. We made hedgehogs in January, and in the February class it was make what you like.

We had some lovely hedgehogs by the end of the class and considerably less yelps of pain. In the February class, we had a mixture of felting projects on the go. A needle felted spaniel dog is coming on nicely along with a beautiful owl, a couple of birds, a doll, a westie dog, a couple of bears and a giraffe. Everyone has picked it up so quickly.

The March class is already fully booked but if there is enough demand I may do two classes.

Classes, Crafts, needle felting

Needle Felting Classes

January 21, 2013 Sam Glanville

I’ve been going to Scrapbooking classes at Swanstitch in Deal, run by Anita. You can check out her blog – it’s great! I took some of my needle felting along with me one day and a few people expressed an interest in Needle Felting. Anita, the owner of the shop, asked if I would be interested in teaching a Needle Felting class. After much umming and erring I decided to give it a go thinking it would be fine and that I would probably only have a couple of people there but after advertising the class to her mailing list, Anita soon had a full class of 11 booked for me. Well… to say I was a bit nervous is an understatement, but I went and gave it a go.

The First Class

It was very quiet for the first four minutes as everyone concentrated on stabbing their felting needles into the wool roving and then the first yelp of pain was heard. Stabbing fingers is a hazard of this otherwise enjoyable hobby. If you have ever seen a felting needle with its very long sharp point with barbs on it, you will feel our pain. Anyway, soon everyone had an adorable little face of a teddy bear staring up at them and there was a lot of oohing and ahhhhing as everyone fell in love with their creations. By the end of the 2-part class, everyone had finished their first Needle Felted bear and were very pleased. Since then my needle felting class has become a regular thing.

Future Classes

My next needle felting class is this Thursday evening but is fully booked. I have a few new people coming but my regulars want to make the hedgehog. If you would like to come along to a class, pop in to the shop Swanstitch in Deal and put your name down or give them a ring on 01304 366915.

The class fee is £7 from 7pm-10pm, and includes tea or coffee and biscuits. Bring your own needle felting things with you, or buy them in the shop when you arrive.

I am doing 3 mohair bear workshops during February and March on either a Saturday or Sunday from 9am -5pm The three classes so far are fully booked, but if I get enough people to do another day, I will. If you are interested, pop in to Swanstitch in Deal or phone the shop 01304 366915 and put your name down. The bear we will be making is based on Buttercup.

Bears, Classes, Crafts, needle felting

Experimenting with Needle Felting

January 15, 2013 Sam Glanville

I first tried Needle Felting about 12 years ago and made some cute little bears but haven’t really made any for a few years. After making the little bear for Naomi’s cabinet I remembered my love for needle felting and began to make more. Experimenting with other animals including a hedgehog, a dog, a cat and also a needle felted character doll named George.

I also made a needle felted wedding couple for my friends Anita and Kevin for their anniversary. Anita’s mum supplied me with their wedding photos and I set to work creating a needle felted bride and groom. They are anatomically correct *wink*, and Anita and Kevin have the photos to prove what is under all of those felted clothes! The photos and dolls were passed around at their anniversary party and were a great source of amusement.

If you are interested in trying out this fun craft, have a look at Martha Stewart’s Needle Felted Penguin Tutorial, or come along to one of my classes. Hope to see you there!

needle felting, new projects

Baby Keepsake Cabinet

January 10, 2013 Sam Glanville

My niece recently had her first baby, an adorable little boy named Jack. I made a cabinet for her and her husband Matt which contained a mini photo album in a drawer at the bottom.

The instructions for the cabinet came from a very talented lady named Laura Denison. She sells kits and patterns on her website – the most wonderful things made from card and chipboard! I purchased the pattern for this cabinet which gives detailed instructions and measurements. You then cover with the papers of your choice and fill it however you like. Mine was obviously baby themed.

I wanted to put a miniature bear in one of the side compartments, so I needle felted one! I was happy with how it turned out, and more importantly, Naomi and Matt were very pleased with it.

Crafts, new projects

Windsor, the Jubilee Bear

January 6, 2013 Sam Glanville

Windsor, Jubilee Bear - commissioned In the summer I was asked to make a special mohair, collector bear as a gift to commemorate the Jubilee. A customer had spotted my bears in Swanstitch in Deal and came in to ask if I could make a special Jubilee bear that he could give to his wife. After a few discussions and many hours of designing and sewing, Windsor was born.

I was extremely pleased with him as although he was dressed appropriately for the Jubilee, I felt he wasn’t too over the top. I hope you like him.

Bears, new projects