1. What does your workspace/ design space look like?
My studio space is located at my house in a big, spacious room. I'm lucky to have my own space to work in, although my hubby works in an adjacent room. Most of the time this works out pretty well for us, since we kinda work together on Woolpets.
Here's a photo of my desk area:
I love looking out the window at the cedars and birds in the branches.
Here's a photo of the other side of the studio, with me getting ready to shoot a series of steps for our Woolpets needle felting kits.
2. Do you save your mistakes/ or designs you don't love right away, or do you ditch them?
Most of the time, I save them. I can always use pieces and parts of things to make other things.
3. What's on your "next to try" list?
I'm working on some new kits. Here's a sneak peek at one:
5. Do you ever work with recycled materials?
Not necessarily recycled materials, but mostly natural materials; wool, wood, etc.
6. What music do you listen to when designing?
I like listening to audio books. I just finished listening to The Diary of Anne Frank. I also listen to independent radio programs like Democracy Now.
7. How long does a design take you to create?
It's hard to say how long it takes from the time I get an idea until the time I've made a pattern for it, photographed the steps, put it into a format for printing, etc. The process can take at least a month!
8. How do you organize your supplies?
I've got wool shoved in every nook, drawer, and cupboard in my studio. I try to keep the wool bagged up because I also have camera and computer equipment in the studio. Keeping things tidy is pretty important to me.
9. What books/magazines do you read?
Last year, I started reading with kids at the local elementary school, and found that there are lots of great books written for children/young adults, some that I missed when I was growing up. So lately I've been on a kick reading Newbery Award winners such as Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. I also love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Along the same lines, I enjoy Cricket magazine. I guess I'm still a kid at heart!
10. How would you describe your personal style?
Whimsical, fun, delightful (I hope!)
11. How do you determine what a design is going to be made with?
Everything is made with wool!
12. Do you have a collection of anything?
I collect picture books, puppets, miniatures, and decorative papers to name a few things. All these serve as inspiration for my artwork.
13. How did your book come to be made?
The folks at Creative Publishing international contacted me via email many years ago when I was really getting into needle felting. I was a little intimidated at first, but CPi made everything very easy and fun! Since my hubby is a photographer, he got to do the photos for the book which made it convenient for us. Writing the instructions is a tedious job, but I'm glad people who read the book can understand them!
14. And the all important question (from Ravelry): What is your favorite swear word?
According to my mother, a few of the first words I said as a babe: "Damn it!"
My live sheep 'Hazel' with her anthropomorphic counterpart.
Thanks so much Laurie for this adorable look into your world!
More about Laurie's latest CPi book:
Felted Feathered Friends: Techniques and Projects for Needle-felted Birds
by
and
This adorable book shows how to make a wide variety of birds by
needle felting—sculpting wool roving into a three-dimensional figure
using a special barbed needle. Each project includes a fun photo of the
project with step-by-step instructions that result in 20 types of
feathered friends!
With Felted Feathered Friends, you'll learn to make endearing creatures such as:
- A snowy owl
- A peacock
- A great blue heron
- A bluebird
- A robin
- A flamingo
- A pair of lovebirds
- And many others
Laurie Sharp is a full-time artist and has been
needle felting for over 10 years. She raises her own sheep and shears
and processes the wool for most of her projects. From her web site www.woolpets.com,
she sells needle felting kits and finished pieces as a business that
has become overwhelmingly successful. Her work has been shown in a
number of galleries in the Pacific Northwest. She lives in Suquamish,
WA with her husband and business partner, Kevin Sharp. Kevin is a
professional photographer, and provides both beauty and how-to
photography for Laurie’s books.
