Designer Edge – Megan Nedds

When you look at this cheetah in mid-chase, you’re struck by its realism. You’re taken along on its hunt for prey – its eye fixed on its quarry, its posture streamlined and its movement sleek and effortless. by Susan Hurley

Similarly, a quick glance at the needle-felted foxes has you caught up in their play. You are right there with the little calf as it finds its feet for the first time. The bunny, you’d swear, had just popped up from its warren and was orienting itself before hopping off to rabbity adventures, all miraculously perfect with its spotted coat, long, listening ears and stretched whiskers.

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Now consider that their creator, Megan Nedds, fashions these immaculate animal representations into mere 7-12in forms. They might be small but they are absolutely, positively perfectly formed. And they are so enchanting, they grab your heart.

“When I create several versions of the same animal, I try to add something new on each one. It makes the process more of a challenge and prevents me from getting repetitive,” says Megan, who is already dreaming of spreading her wings to higher and mightier creatures: “I want to challenge myself by making larger sculptures, like a life-sized macaw with its wings spread open. And I’d also like to create a large dragon.”

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But one step at a time. Megan already has her hands full with her smaller menagerie, which she has crafted from needle-felted wool moulded over wire armatures. She uses  various yarns and fibres (from sheep, alpacas, goats and rabbit – even horse hair for whiskers) and a variety of needle sizes to cater for larger coats through to tiny details. Support and stability of each animal is all dependent on perfecting the unseen wire framework hidden under the wool.

“I love when I reach the point when I can create the face,” says Megan. “I love trying to give each animal its own personality, and most of it comes from the face. I also love when I can start creating the top coat of wool on the sculpture – blending the different colours and trying to replicate the real animal.”

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And her quest to personalise each of her animals goes right down to naming them. The foxes are Luke and Travis; the raccoon is Maggie; MaryBeth is the name of the wobbly calf; Oscar’s the rabbit; and the elegant cheetah is Siri. All of which makes you even keener to snaffle them up and take them home to your own indoor zoo on a shelf.

Megan Nedds, from The Woolen Wagon, sells directly to the public, although most of her current work is commissioned. You can find out more about her and her critters at The Woolen Wagon – www.facebook.com/thewoolenwagon and www.etsy.com/shop/thewoolenwagon. Or email her directly at megan10-2@hotmail.com.