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Kay Petal’s Felt Alive

March 3, 2008 by Linda Lanese

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Kay Petal is a sculptural needle felt artist from Alaska.  She specializes in soft-sculpted lifelike dolls – Felt Alive Wool Sculptures. She has a delightful YouTube blog with videos that are very entertaining and educational in the art of needle felting. Her videos are just great and everyone should go take a look.  Kay also has a awesome web site “Felt Alive”. 

Kay enlightens us. As a cancer survivor making lifelike dolls, this name fits me and my creations perfectly.  I have a lot of fun creating them and equally as much fun sharing them.  I have been making videos of my dolls to demonstrate how soft, flexible and lifelike they are and I have also made some useful tutorial videos for beginning needle felters.  My YouTube channel is www.youtube.com/feltalive

I started needle felting in 2007 with no instruction.  I entered some of my earliest work in the Alaska State Fair taking first place or better with each entry.  My needle felted caricature of Einstein won best in show in Fleece and Fiber Arts.  I then studied with one of the early pioneers of needle felting, Birgitte Krag Hansen while she was in Alaska on a teaching tour and haven’t looked back since. I teach both locally and online.  I recently completed an 8 Lesson Tutorial called Felt Alive with Kay Petal – Soft Sculpting Lifelike Characters with the Felting Needle.  This is available to online students in PDF format.  I supplement this tutorial with many videos to make online learning easy and fun for my students.

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Comments

  1. ingermaaike says

    March 4, 2008 at 12:05 am

    Is she not just the most amazing artist!

  2. Linda Utz says

    March 4, 2008 at 12:06 am

    Just wanted to share that I am currently a student in Kay’s online doll class. Her class is just Wonderfully Fun!!! She is an outstanding teacher! Very patient and responsive. Her videos allow us to actually watch her while she felts a doll. The videos along with the PDF pictures and instructions make for an excellant learning experience. I have finished one doll already and am working on my second one now. 🙂
    I highly recommend Kay Petal’s doll class and encourage you to check it out for yourself.

  3. Jenni says

    March 4, 2008 at 2:46 am

    I came across Kay’s work on YouTube one day last week whilst fed up and looking for something to make me smile. A completely random hit took me to her body sculpture video and I was hooked and inspired at once. I watched all the video’s she had done there and went to her website for a snoop. That was it for me, the characters are fantastic. Thanks Kay for putting up with me emailing you for hints and tips, and I can’t wait till June to start your on-line course. Till then I will practice and have fun.
    Oh and hubby is cursing because my credit cards starting to melt, with all the ordering of needles, and wools lol. It not expensive, just so many pretty colours to felt with I need them all.

  4. Bonnie says

    March 4, 2008 at 11:07 am

    Kay’s passion for needlefelting will blow you away! She’s so talented and so excited about teaching this craft — she’ll inspire you. She has inspired me to get more excited about the things I love to do. Thank you, Kay.

  5. Gunilla Rehn says

    March 4, 2008 at 1:49 pm

    Kay is the most talented needle felting artist you could imagine. Everything she creates is stunning, she has such a good feeling of the wool. She is a very good representative for us needle felters.

  6. Wynette says

    March 4, 2008 at 10:18 pm

    Kay is a really good friend of mine. Each time I visit with her, I’m in awe of her talent and creativity. How she takes a ball of wool and transforms it into such life-like characters is so amazing. I’m so in love with her “Jammies Dolls”, they are absolutely adorable. Felting is definately what she was meant to do!

  7. Gina - RoseThistleArtworks says

    March 5, 2008 at 10:14 am

    How exciting to see Kay’s needlefelt being blogged about here! Her needle felt work is amazing and adorable. Everyone should take a look and everyone should take a STAB at needle felting. From beginner to advanced artist, this new art technique is a fun way to express the artist within.
    Thank you for featuring Kay’s FeltAlive and needle felting!!!!!

  8. Barby says

    March 5, 2008 at 10:04 pm

    Hello!

    Kay is a wonderful artist and talented gal! She has a passion like no other for life and needle felting! I enjoy seeing every one of her creations. It is a joy to meet someone who has a very big heart and shares her love of this wonderful art with others. I love to see one’s soul in their work and you certainly can see Kay’s soul in her work. I feel honored to have met her.

    Thank you Kay for sharing your whimsical art and enthusiasm….it is contagious!

    Barby

Trackbacks

  1. Kay Petal Felt Alive · Craft Gossip :: Craft Blog Network says:
    March 6, 2008 at 7:22 pm

    […] Read the full post Kay Petal Felt Alive […]

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