felt animals | Mr X Stitch

While most needle felt work tends to be smaller than life size, the medium doesn’t lend itself well to the extreme small scale. Fine detail is difficult to achieve when the piece is smaller than the felting needle itself, not to mention the increased risk of getting a sharp poke to the finger for your trouble. Still, some artists manage to produce wonderful miniatures using the technique, so I've dedicated this month's column to all that is terrifically tiny. These first three are the work of Vera Megorskaya/Handmade by November. Most of her creatures are small enough to sit on your fingertip, however even at that size they still manage to have lots of personality. My favourites are the wee guinea pigs. I had guinea pigs as a child and I think she has captured their shy yet inquisitive nature perfectly. For more of Vera's creations, check out her Etsy shop These next three are from Mikepanchi Animals. These are perhaps some of the most realistic felt pets I've seen at this size. Maybe it's the little additions like the dog's bandana or the cat's whiskers that make them so convincing, but there is no doubt a great deal of skill involved in creating each one. For more, check out Mikepanchi on Etsy Last but not least, here are some fantastic miniature felt creatures by Nancy Bevins/Motley Mutton. These not only serve as miniature sculptures, but also as wearable art. I especially like the way she has incorporated the string into each piece; whether the animal's pose is realistic (like the sloth) or more whimsical (like the llama), it's not just a hanging device. I'm completely charmed by their friendly faces and I bet wearing one would make people smile all day. Her shop is currently empty, but here's hoping she ads more soon! I’ve always been a huge fan of extremely tiny things, and I'm very pleased to have one of my very own miniature felt sculptures in a show coming up next month: "Minuscule" at Flower Pepper Gallery in Pasadena, CA. Check it out for more mini goodness and as always, thanks for reading!