how is this made?

i build my one-of-a-kind birds from solid wool. They are not sewn or stuffed. The wool is sculpted using barbed needles that stab into the wool and bind the fibers together (this is called needle-felting). I create flowers, spikes and feathers from raw wool and attach them by needling them onto the body. The colors and designs are colored wool which I needle onto the core of the bird. There is no painting involved. I then wet-felt the bird using soap, water and several hours of rubbing to shrink the wool into felt.

my dogs and animals are also sculpted from raw wool. I needle-felt the wool to sculpt the form and add colors and designs, then wet-felt the whole form to shrink the wool into felt.

what is inside them?

the birds have a triangular structure out of florist wire that creates their legs. The structure is at the bottom of the bird where the legs come out; everything else is solid wool.

the wild dogs and foxes also have a structure out of florist wire that creates the leg “bones.” The remainder of the animal is solid wool.

the upright animals, elephants, dinos, etc., are all solid wool. Some have ears or tails that are very tightly felted and cannot be pulled off (no matter how hard my great-niece tries, and that’s pretty hard). The dyes are color-fast. They are as baby- and child-safe as it gets!

how to care for your birds

i hope you and your bird will be very happy together. Over time, the bird’s balance may shift a bit; if this happens, gently adjust the legs. The feet can be turned in or out with a pair of pliers. If the legs seem really out of whack, take a pair of needle-nose or other pliers and straighten them, then rebend the wire so that they stand solidly again. Need help? Ask!*

some of the beaks have wire in them, which can distort if they fall, etc. Generally the beak should be projecting straight forward from the head! Check other bird pics on this site to see what I mean.

to remove dust from the bird, vacuum gently. If the bird becomes particularly dusty over time, you can shave it VERY lightly & gently, using a manual razor. This will remove the dust & the outer layer of fiber, & will brighten the exterior.

how to care for your wild dogs

to remove dust from the animal, vacuum gently. If the animal becomes particularly dusty or “hairy” over time, you can shave it VERY lightly & gently, using a manual razor. This will remove the dust & the outer layer of fiber, & will brighten the exterior. 

how to care for your felted animal

to remove dust from the animal, vacuum gently. If the animal becomes particularly dusty or “hairy” over time, you can shave it VERY lightly & gently, using a manual razor. This will remove the dust & the outer layer of fiber, & will brighten the exterior. 

if necessary, you can hand-wash the beast gently with mild laundry soap. Rinse well, roll it gently in a towel, and stand it up on a towel to dry. It will take a few days to dry and you will want to change the towel a few times. Once it is completely dry, you can give it a little razor touch-up (see instructions above).

still have questions?

I love to talk about my beasts!

contact me

*I am happy to facetime my bird-owners if they need help balancing their birds! email me at bonnysbeasts@gmail.com.