Category Archives: Fabric & Fiber

Wool Warms the Heart at Fran Bowen’s Studio

Bears of felted wool by Fran Bowen of Fort Collins

Fran Bowen of Fort Collins creates bears for all occasions by felting wool. The polar bear, center, is a work in progress and will soon be dressed for the season.

Fran Bowen’s felted wool animals would bring a smile to my face any time of year. Right now, however, they’re especially fun as Fran decks them for the holiday season. Some of the bears and mice have been growing fluffy white beards, donning hats with white tassels, or trying on colorful scarves. Meanwhile, the deer are wearing Christmas ornaments around their necks, and the newest birds are looking slightly sparkly. Angels and Santa Clauses of felted wool have joined them for the season.

No matter what special occasion Fran’s bears might be celebrating throughout the year, one thing remains the same: They’re wool through and through, and so are their accessories. Continue reading →

From Sheep to Hat Rack, Mickey Ramirez Sees Spots

Felted wool hats by Mickey Ramirez of Fort Collins.

Mickey Ramirez of Fort Collins designs felted wool hats with spots, reminiscent of the Jacob sheep that provide the wool.

On an acre of land just outside the northwest edge of Fort Collins, 15 Jacob sheep grow woolier by the week. You would never know they are there, though, as you drive by on Mulberry Street. They’re hidden from view behind the home of Mickey Ramirez and her husband John Pierson. If the sheep cared to look through a back window of the house, they might be able to see the hats that Mickey has made from the wool they were growing a year ago.

All the hats have spots, just as all the sheep do. Made of undyed wool, each hat comes exclusively from the wool of one sheep for uniformity of color and texture. Just as all the sheep are different from each other, so are all the hats.

Not every sheep on the lot contributes to Mickey’s hat making. It takes plenty of crimp and a minimum of kemp – coarse hairs that stick out in every direction – to be the kind of wool that Mickey can work into a rich, smooth felt. Jacob sheep are a heritage breed and haven’t been bred to eliminate or foster particular characteristics. Nonetheless, Mickey has a place in her heart for every sheep that she and John own. Continue reading →

Kristin’s Clothes Line and The Pink Moose: Stories from Severance, Colorado

Kristin’s Clothes Line and the Pink Moose sounds like the title of an imaginative story for children. However, it’s really two stories of two resourceful young women in Severance, Colorado, whose businesses provide children and families with exceptional items made from upcycled materials.

Hanging Around Kristin’s Clothes Line

Heirloom linen upcycled to little girl dresses by Kristin McMahan

Kristin McMahan upcycles heirloom linen to create one-of-a-kind dresses for little girls

I met Kristin McMahan at The French Nest Market in Fort Collins this past summer. Handmade dresses for little girls hung from clothes lines strung around her booth. Embroidered flowers and birds adorned their skirts, which were frequently edged with crocheted scallops. Occasionally a small embroidered apron had been sewn into a dress’s waistline. The dresses epitomized the sweetness of little girls, so I couldn’t help stopping to admire them and to chat with Kristin. Continue reading →

Animals from HollysMeadow Help Imagination Run Free

A Polish chicken at HollysMeadow, made of wool felt and stitched by hand, stands just over 2 inches high.

So many little animals — so many little stitches!

That was my reaction when I stepped into HollysMeadow this summer during the Firefly Market in Boulder. There were horses and cows, billy goats and sheep . . . peacocks and ducks and geese . . . turkeys and various chickens . . . nearly every animal a child might want for one fine farm . . . and more.

If anything is missing that would suit a child’s fancy, Holly Myers can design and make it. (HollysMeadow is her special spelling for her new business.)

That’s how Polish chickens joined the brood at HollysMeadow. A mother contacted Holly after the family’s Polish chickens had an unfortunate encounter with an animal hungry for a chicken dinner. To soothe her upset young daughter, she wanted to buy three toy chickens that the little girl could play with.

Holly offered to make the Polish variety especially for her. She researched the chickens online and incorporated their lush upright tails and tall topknots into her design. The little girl named the three toy chickens after the three animals the family had lost. The Polish chickens had so much appeal that Holly kept on making them, and adults have bought them for their own inner child. Continue reading →

At Pat Abbitt’s Workshop It’s a Zoo

What gift would you buy for the little one looking through those eyes? (Photo by Dani Castillo)

Before retailers convince us that our children or grandchildren must have what many parents and grandparents will be buying for holiday gifts, let’s take a look at what artisans on the Front Range are offering. Every Wednesday for the next few weeks, “Handmade on the Front Range” will feature an artisan making items for children . . . and sometimes for our own inner child.

The bustle around Pat Abbitt’s booth of colorful stuffed animals at Boulder’s Firefly Market this summer looked a lot like Christmas season in July. The animals were making quite a stir when I came by . . . so let’s start there. Continue reading →