Birth Art Mandalas – Amy Swagman

My family has always played a big part in my life. My husband and I raised 3 children. The time went by so fast, they grew up so quickly. I looked around and wondered where time had gone and sometimes wished for reversal of time.  I love being a mother and even though I always had my art, being a mother was/is my life.

What were I to be next?  When my oldest daughter expected her first child I knew the answer… A Grandmother!

The birth of my first grandchild was also the inspiration to take my art into new direction. To my repertoire of felted toys and wall decoration for children I added felted wall hangings around “Pregnancy”, “Birth” and “Family”. I have 3 grandchildren now and I was fortunate enough to have been there for their birth, an experience that will always be the inspiration for every one of my “Family” pieces.

I use two different techniques  to create my “Family” pieces.

• One being wet felted, where I layer the wool and silk fibers, wet them with soap and water and agitate the fibers till they are felted together. I may also needle felt small details into place and wet felt them.

• The other is needle felting. I use a barbed needle that I move back and forth through the fiber. The fiber gets felted and can be manipulated into shape.

My name is Annette Ringeisen (44 years young). I was born in Germany and grew up with 5 siblings, my parents and grandparents in the same house. When I was 16 I met my husband, who was stationed in Germany with the US Military. One year later we got married. Now, 27 years later we raised 3 beautiful children and get to spoil the next generation.

I found my love for fiber art with the birth of my children. I learned to make dolls and added felting to that craft a little later. I taught doll making at the local Waldorf School to children and adults alike, but my dream has always been to work from home.  In 2006 I opened up www.WoolCreations.com and expanded to Etsy and Hyenacart as well. Working from home has been the perfect world for me, as I can create to my heart’s content, but can also plan my time around the needs of my children and grandchildren.