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No, sorry not at this stage. It's small and busy and not really suitable for visitors right now. Hopefully in the future though!

Possibly. This is a tricky one. It depends on so many variable factors that it's impossible to say until I've seen the fleece in question and evaluated it. This can result in disappointment if it turns out that your fleece is not a good specimen for rugmaking. It also means you need to live locally as sending raw fleeces through the freight is not recommended. Some things that you can do to improve the chances of your fleece being workable: -Keep your sheep away from thistles, matagouri, low hedges they can push under and long grass that's gone to seed. -Don't feed hay in racks or nets - feed it at ground level and well spread out so your sheep don't chew over each others backs. Hay that gets into the fleece is almost impossible to get out. -Have a good de-lousing regime so your sheep are not scratching and rubbing the fleece against fence posts etc. -Fleeces from young sheep, first or second shear, are generally unusable. These fleeces are too light and soft. -Fleeces from older sheep are better. -Anything that has Dorper or Wiltshire or similar shedding type breeds mixed into it are not suitable. -Fleeces need to have a whole year of growth and be long and full. -Keep your feed levels up during times of stress and consider pre-lamb shearing if you have a ewe in lamb and want to use her fleece. Sheep can develop a break in their wool as a result of stress. A break is a weakening of the wool fibres and can affect some or all of the fleece. -Lastly, use a good shearer! If you think you have a fleece that might be suitable please get in touch. Rugmaking season is Dec-Feb.

Wool! I add wool to the inside of the cushion when I am making it. I find wool is far superior to any polyfill type stuffing. It has great supportive properties which is exactly what you need when you've got a hard seat that needs some cushioning.

Sorry, no I don't. The Fibreworks are very much a sideline at this stage and have to be fitted around everything else. I only have time to work on a small number every year so commissions are not possible at this stage.

No, not at this time. I have had an online shop in the past but it is no longer operational at this stage. I have found it is easier to manage stock levels through private orders. Please email me info@lovefelt.co.nz if there is something you would like to order or enquire after. You can also message me through social channels. I can ship all around NZ easy peasy 😊 Unfortunately shipping outside of NZ is not available at this stage.

Lots of ways! You can go cheap and cheerful and visit one of the big box stores for a frame or you can take it to a professional framer and get it done that way. All the prints are standard sized so they're easy to frame. The postcard sizes often work well in a multi-photo, collage style frame. Bigger A4 and A3 sizes look nice in a larger sized frame with an A4 or A3 matboard surround, you can order different colours of these online if you don't want white (most purchased frames only have white matboards).

No, not at this stage. I don't produce them fast enough. I'd like to have an exhibition one day and you can't have that without plenty of original stuff! So I'm hoarding all my originals 😁

Not at the moment. The shipping cost is sky high and the process quite complicated. Maybe in the future.

I mainly sell through the Arrowtown Market. It's a Sunday market Oct-Apr every year with selected dates in the wintertime. I also attend a lot of local Shows, Festivals and Events around the Lakes District region. Outside of that, the Gallery Shop at the Lakes District Museum & Gallery has a great selection of my work and are always trying to squeeze more in ❤️ There are also other galleries, gift shops and pop ups that I supply from time to time - check out the social media for up to date info on these.

The wool I use for the cushions is all NZ grown and a large proportion of it is sourced from Southland and Central Otago. The fleeces for the rugs come from local sheep. The wool I use in the Fibreworks is more varied, I incorporate a lot of spun yarn in these works and much of that is vintage tapestry yarn that I've collected over the years.

Yes! The rugs and the cushions are all made by me in my small workshop in Arrowtown. At the present moment it is just a one woman operation! The only thing I don't produce myself are the art prints. These are done by professional printers in Queenstown and Auckland. However all the original fibreworks art is created by me.

Sorry, I do not have time to do that at the moment! But it's definitely something I would like to do in the future.

No bother, these things have a habit of disappearing! Check out the Cushion Care section of the FAQ page.

My most frequently asked question! Yes! If you are at the market, and Raffi is with me, you can pat him 😊 He is just a young dog but has been coming to markets with me since he was 8 weeks old so is a seasoned pro and loves to socialise. Raffi is a springer spaniel and an all round Good Boy. He has his own bed complete with snuggle sack for cold mornings and is able to advise your own dog on the selection of a suitable sleeping rug 😉

Oh dear! Try checking out the Rug Care section of the FAQ section or email me.

No, sorry I don't. The time it takes to draft and proof a design is considerable and not economical unless you are wanting to order many many cushions of the same design.

Don't worry, most things can be fixed! Take it outside and hose off any lumpy bits that may be on there. If it's something that's dried on you are going to need to soak it. A large flexi tub works well for small -medium sized rugs. Large and giant rugs are going to need something bigger - I recommend a bathtub! Fill your tub with lukewarm water. Add a generous dollop of wool wash or laundry liquid that's suitable for delicates. Mix it through then add the rug. Submerse until it's wet through and then leave to soak. You can soak for up to 48 hours. Use a gentle kneading action to work the water through the wool. Don't knead to roughly as this will cause the fibres in the wool locks to start to felt together. Just do slow gentle hand pressing. Be careful when removing the rug from the water - especially if it's a big rug. The wool will have absorbed a huge amount of water and become very heavy. Two person job if you have a big or giant rug. Small rugs can be popped into the washing machine for a spin cycle to clear excess water. Bigger rugs need to be draped over a drying rack or fence or similar and left to drip. This will take some time. When the rug is damp but not waterlogged you can either pop it back in the tub for rinsing or if it's a big or giant sized rug, use the garden hose and give it a spray rinse. Then leave it somewhere in the hot sun to dry. A bigger sized rug is going to take a longer time to dry. Try and choose a sunny day in summer to wash your rug - if you can!

Wool is naturally odour resistant and is a pretty forgiving pet bed. However if you think it needs freshening up use the washing instructions given above 🐶 Shaking it regularly is definitely the easiest and best way to keep it looking great.

The best way is to shake it regularly. Everyday if you can (especially if it's in daily use). This helps keep all the individual locks loose and fluffy and dislodges any foreign bodies before they get embedded in. You can also spot clean using a damp cloth.

If the problem is just very minor you can spot clean gently with a damp cloth and set it somewhere warm to dry. If your cushion has been involved in a more serious spillage: Don't try and pull or scrape dried food etc off. If it's not dried on you can pop the cushion under the cold tap in the laundry tub (or outdoors) and rinse the problem off that way. Then soak it in a large bucket filled with lukewarm water and a generous dash of gentle wool detergent. Detergent suitable for delicate fabrics works well too. Put the cushion in flat and press all the air out of it until it is waterlogged enough to stay under. Do not agitate roughly. Just press downwards with the palms of your hands. This kneading action is usually enough to shift most problems. If the problem is dried on food: Leave the cushion soaking overnight. The soaking will soften and aid removal of any dried on food etc. If you are having trouble getting it to stay underwater try putting a clean heavy brick or large stone on the cushion and check again in an hour. Also, for a long soak, it sometimes helps to have only enough water to cover the cushion so scoop some out until you have a good ratio. Once the washing part is accomplished you can either lift it out of the water, place the cushion on a firm level surface and and press the excess water out using the palms of your hands or you can very carefully fold the cushion in half and place into a washing machine to use the slow spin cycle to clear the remaining water out. Be sure you only use the slow spin cycle and don't accidentally set it to do a whole wash! To rinse: Use the same method as above but don't add any detergent. You may like to rinse it twice to be sure that all the soapy water is out. Use your hands to gently press the damp cushion flat and carefully shape it back into a round. You can then use a hot iron to smooth the surfaces on both sides. Place a clean thin teatowel between the iron and the cushion to protect the wool. Any creases occurring when the cushion is dry, can usually be removed by using a very damp towel and a hot iron on steam setting. Use the damp towel between iron and cushion. Dry ironing is not effective in this case. Leave somewhere warm to dry. Near a radiator or out in the hot sun is good. It may take up to 48 hours to dry out completely. Do not store your cushion unless you are certain it is completely dry. Stains are harder to shift. Wool is very receptive to dyes and stains. Spilt coffee and red wine are both very hard to remove. Getting onto it as soon as the incident occurs is the best way of fixing it. Don't use stain removers as they will badly deteriorate the wool fibres and cause weakness. Dry cleaning could be an option in this case. Discuss with your local reputable drycleaner for further assistance.

NO! Please don't do this 😊 The agitation/cleaning action of the washing machine will distort the shape of your cushion. Instead, follow the instructions given in the next questions to clean your cushion.

This is a natural reaction of wool fibres to friction. Tiny movements as you are sitting on your cushion eventually will cause any soft loose fibres to roll together into tiny lumps. This is what's known as pilling. Do not be tempted to pull these off! This will actually make you cushion more prone to pilling as you are creating more loose fibres. Instead, using sharp scissors, very carefully trim the pills off as close to the surface of the cushion as possible. Doing this as often as needed will keep your cushion looking great.

Yes it will fade overtime if you leave it in the sun for very long periods. This also applies to a very sunny indoor location. The fading will be much less noticeable on a natural coloured cushion. Dyed wool will fade more noticeably. However you may not mind the faded colour! And the cushion will still work well.