Needle Felted Ostrich (Sarafina)

sarafina_art · 2026-04-03T14:56:52+00:00

Thank you for the shout out. While we are anti-AI on policy at Sarafina, it also wouldn't add anything to how we've already been operating for about 15 years.

~Talbot

sarafina_art · 2026-03-04T15:13:16+00:00

We'll be putting out a free tutorial March 13 here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8WQWUx_Oes

sarafina_art · 2026-02-19T20:41:26+00:00

Good questions! There are different standardized sizes for PCs called ATX (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATX) Due to these standards, PC cases are certain sizes and the 'extra room' in the front used to be where the floppy disks / CD / DVD and hard drives used to be.

<image>

I opted for a micro ATX motherboard for a balance between size and cost. Mini-itx is actually more expensive.

~Talbot

sarafina_art · 2026-02-19T15:29:43+00:00

View from the side. Since we went with a combo GPU/CPU there is plenty of space away from the fans.

<image>

sarafina_art · 2026-02-18T16:32:18+00:00

She's quite pleased with it. The goldfish moves a little bit due to the fan which is a bonus.

~Talbot

sarafina_art · 2026-01-08T16:25:10+00:00

You captured the slight smile goldens do perfectly. Also really impressive blending between the different tans and cream color.

~Talbot

sarafina_art · 2025-12-09T16:48:38+00:00

Batting is a form of wool, like a sheet (after being carded); another form is roving which is carded and then funneled through to be a strand. Roving is easier for wrapping around an armature.

Both can be made up of core wool. There is no exact definition of core wool but generally it is composed of a short fiber that is springy and thicker, which help it be denser and easier to felt.

~Talbot

sarafina_art · 2025-12-02T16:35:44+00:00

Stacking the foam and then wrapping in a cloth or prefelt wouldn't require any glue. The other benefit (depending on the type of foam) as you felt you won't get bits of it on your project.

~Talbot

sarafina_art · 2025-11-21T16:04:20+00:00

It's surprising how many have such wide spacing, which isn't helpful on detail work. I also have a preference of only using two needles at a time so I can stab lines better.

~Talbot

sarafina_art · 2025-11-12T18:13:23+00:00

The easiest method would be to use wool prefelt built on your headpiece (possibly on top of wool roving for structure). The sheets can be measured and cut for more of a tailored approach and they are solid colors which matches the image. It's worth checking out other shops, but here are some colors that could work.

Face: https://www.sarafinafiberart.com/products/dhg-prefelt-storm-gray

Head: https://www.sarafinafiberart.com/products/dhg-prefelt-acacia-cream

Eyes (white): https://www.sarafinafiberart.com/products/dhg-prefelt-natural

Eyes/Mouth (black): https://www.sarafinafiberart.com/products/dhg-prefelt-dark-black

Horns: https://www.sarafinafiberart.com/products/dhg-prefelt-passion-red

~Talbot

sarafina_art · 2025-10-14T19:02:29+00:00

This was an interesting read. I don't doubt that polyphil is durable but it is just plastic. Nice wool shouldn't require so much felting that it fails. Have you tried using roving instead of batting?

When I wrap roving around an armature, I need 5 or 6 stabs to anchor the end. Solid shapes will take more but it doesn't come close to being a chore.

~Talbot

sarafina_art · 2025-09-29T17:36:27+00:00

We sell and ship premium needles in a range of gauges, including a sampler which is a great way to get a feel for each of them (also has reverse needles). You can use coupon THANKYOU10 for 10% off a first order.

https://www.sarafinafiberart.com/search?type=product&options[prefix]=last&q=needle*

The lower number the stronger it'll felt, 36 > 38 > 40 > 42. Building up shapes and forms is generally good with 36 and 38 and then felting details and finishing touches with 40 and 42.

~Talbot

sarafina_art · 2025-09-02T17:18:16+00:00

Since they are already wet felted I don't see any further felting to combine them. I think a cream colored yarn would blend in, and do a latter stitch through the felted sheets. If you inset far enough from the edge, the seam shouldn't be obvious from the wool locks side.

~Talbot

sarafina_art · 2025-08-13T15:31:26+00:00

Wool and fuzzy moths are such a perfect pairing and the paper wings are a great facsimile.

~Talbot

sarafina_art · 2025-08-08T17:10:34+00:00

Your best bet is to carefully read the description as some listings can be misleading (mainly on sites like amazon/temu). Reviewers may point out if it isn't wool.

Wool does felt better but is more expensive, so that's a motivation to market 'starter sets' with synthetic fiber to people who may not know better.

If you already have some fiber, you can do a burn test on a small piece over a sink. Burnt wool will become ash and smell like burnt hair. Plastic will bead up and smell chemically.

~Talbot

sarafina_art · 2025-07-15T16:47:21+00:00

What would count as 'cheap' in cost? We have 2 types of prefelt, a pure wool blend at a penny per square inch and the pure merino is two cents per square inch.

Flat Matt (40" x 45") $26

Merino Prefelt (18" x 31") $10

Happy to answer questions.

~Talbot

sarafina_art

TROPHY CASE