Author Archives: Teri

Soap, Chooks and Distant Memories of Summer

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It’s funny how the time flies isn’t it? I feel like I have been crazy busy for months but when I stop and think what do I have to show for it, I’m stumped! I have been working on a piece for the IFA magazine, Felt Matters. Fingers crossed that will appear in the September issue but I can’t say too much about that before it is published….

There have been quite a few markets and spin-ins this month, which have been fun but not all that profitable, fingers crossed I do better at the next two, a pottery market in South Auckland and then Fibretron, one of the biggest fibre events in New Zealand….

I sold a few felted soaps at the Nathan Homestead market:

So I have been replacing some of that stock, first I needed to work out which soaps needed replacing:

Then to work…

A few of the finished soaps ready for the next market….

Not fibre related but we have two new chooks, a friend adopted a new dog and was struggling to manage so I agreed to add her two ladies (Thelma and Louise) to our flock of nine naughty chooks. I had hoped to keep them in a separate run and coop (alcatraz henitentiary) where they could all see each other for at least a couple of weeks. However, 3 of my girls decided the mountain of food in their troughs wasn’t enough, they wanted what the new girls were eating and broke into alcatraz. So I had to play prison guard and break up the fights, turns out one of my Red Shavers is a horrible bully, she’s been threatened with the pot a few times.

Thelma and Louise in the henitentiary

Thelma and Louise are still sleeping and laying in the henitentiary but are allowed to free range during the day. For the most part they are hanging out away from my original flock but every now and then I have to break up the squabbles and chase the naughty bully away.

In between chook chasing I have started work on a crochet shawl using some hand-spun art yarn, can you see the shells and glass beads? It was spun form some of the pina colada blend I have for sale, it contains pineapple fibre and reminds me of summers on the beach. A distant memory in the depths of a New Zealand winter!

Introducing…. Sarah Ritchie

If you are a felt-maker in New Zealand, you probably recognise Sarah’s name and her distinctive style from Creative Fibre circles. Her jaw-droppingly beautiful, cubist-style needle-felted artworks have appeared on the front cover of magazines and in many exhibitions. We have felt (excuse the pun 😉 ) very fortunate to learn from Sarah and watch her work, and now you can too… Sarah is about to publish her first needle-felting book! It is packed full of tips, lots of “how to” information as well as 10 patterns and designs for you to follow and adapt to your own personal style and colour palette.

There is something for everyone, from curious beginners to experienced felters looking for a fresh creative direction.

This book is the result of Sarah’s own journey as a self-taught artist. After years of experimenting with wool, colour and composition, she developed a painterly style and soon discovered how eager others were to learn her techniques. Writing this book was a natural progression from offering kits and teaching in person, providing a way to share what she’s learned in a practical and approachable format.

Front cover of Needle-felting with Sarah Ritchie: Fibre painting pattern collection 1

Where can I buy a copy?

If you are coming to Woolfest in Auckland on 24th May 2025, you can pick up your hard copy and chat with Sarah in person. Alternatively, if Auckland is just a little too far to travel, you can download the e-book from Sarah’s website (www.sarah-ritchie.com) or purchase a hard copy from Amazon.


What makes ‘Needle-felting with Sarah Ritchie’ stand out is the combination of technical guidance and artistic encouragement. Rather than simply replicating each piece, readers are invited to adapt, explore, and make each artwork their own. It’s a book that doesn’t just teach a craft — it nurtures creative confidence.


I hope you enjoy it!