We are individually auctioning these super cute mini needle-felted sculptures of the Cottingham Alpacas, which have been hand made in Cottingham from each of The Boy’s own fleece!
There is one of each of The Boys, and each model stands approximately 11cm (4.5 inches) tall. They are made almost entirely of alpaca fleece, apart from the facial features and inner ears, which are made from merino wool. There are no sharp parts, but as pieces can come loose (if pulled hard enough!), they are not recommended for children under the age of 3 years.
All proceeds from the auction will be donated to St Mary Magdalene Church, Cottingham, towards the project to get a toilet installed.
We’re extremely grateful to Jon and Tracey – and of course to Alan, Biscuit, Humphrey, Kuzco and Snowy – for donating their fleece for this fundraising project.
How the sculptures are made
The Boys are shorn once a year to keep them cool during the summer months, and the shorn fleece has been washed, picked and combed through (known as ‘carding’) to separate the fibres and remove any bits of debris (straw, seeds etc).
Pieces of fleece are then rolled and ‘needle-felted’ into shapes to make the body parts, using special barbed needles that are prodded through the fibres to knit them together. The 7 separate pieces (4 legs, 1 body, 1 neck and a nose) are then felted together, before longer combed sections of the fleece are laid over the top to give the mini alpaca his lovely soft coat. Finally, we add the faces (using merino wool), 2 ears, a tail and each alpaca’s characteristic topknot/fringe. And we’re done!
Auction
The auction raised a total of £260 for St Mary Magdalene Church, which has been generously topped up to £300. Congratulations to the winning bidders, and thanks to everyone who supported this fundraising auction.
