We always had lots of dogs
and cats, rescued as strays or from
shelters, as well as horses and cows
on the farm. I hated when the
cats, all excellent mousers, hunted
for little animals, most especially
birds. It broke my heart, though I
cherish the experience of rescuing
and caring for the wounded little
creatures, or comforting them as
they died. But all of it gave me a
great love and respect for animals,
both companion and wild, and I
have never lived without them.
I first began needle felting in
2012 when I received a bounty of
wool fleece after my first mother-
in-law passed away. Much of it
was hand dyed using vegetables,
herbs, flowers and fungi. Not being
a spinner or weaver like she was,
I wasn't sure what to do with so
much wool. en I stumbled across
a book about needle felting and,
intrigued, decided to give it a try. I
ordered a felting needle, grabbed a
handful of brown fleece, and made
a little brown bird – or an 'LBB'
as ornithologists fondly call them.
And that was that.
I was completely enchanted by
this unique, relatively unknown
art form. I made another bird,
and another. I made birds that
live on our land – chickadees,
wrens, robins, kestrels, orioles
and nuthatches. Eventually, my
daughter suggested I open an Etsy
shop online. On a whim, I did. I
never intended for it to be anything
but a fun way to honour all the
effort my mother-in-law put into
growing, carding and dyeing so
much wool. Why birds? I'm not
sure, exactly, other than that they're
like flying, singing flowers, and
they lift my heart with their beauty.
e orders trickled in slowly at
first but gradually increased. I made
birds for friends and collectors, and
endangered birds for conservation
groups. en Viking contacted me
and asked if I would like to make
100 different birds for their new
expedition ships: penguins, petrels,
terns, albatrosses, loons, pelicans,
eagles, kingfishers, and dozens of
others. It's a dream come true, and
quite an honour. It couldn't be a
more perfect way to combine my
passion for art, beauty, animals,
nature, and the environment.
flightofheart.weebly.com
Clockwise
from top left:
A collection
of Susan's
creations; Susan
in her studio;
the tools used
to create Susan's
sculptures; a wire
frame used in
the process
viking.com
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