Why ‘Wild Woolly Heads’ has won our hearts
Bringing joy to the hearts of others…
Dianne made quilts and wall hangings in Tokyo for many years from vintage kimonos. Then one day at a quilt show in Tokyo Dome (one of the largest quilt shows in the world) she watched a lady needle felting. Dianne was fascinated and signed up for some workshops not far away. She discovered her new teacher was one of the most famous needlework teachers in Japan. Dianne describes needle felting as ‘one of those 10,000 hours mastercrafts’ which literally takes years and years to perfect. Having an arty background helps but that is how she got started as a hobby; an outlet for her other artistic business. After moving to Singapore she couldn’t get access to the kimonos anymore started doing a lot more needle felting when a friend’s dog passed away. Dianne made the friend a beautiful replica of her dog. It wasn’t long before she started getting so many orders that she said to her husband ‘there’s something in this’. Dianne began taking a look at other artist’s like herself from around the globe and what they were creating. After moving to New Zealand her knowledge of materials increased as she had access to some supreme quality wools.
Since, Dianne has moved back to Brisbane, Australia where she is from and found she was getting so much work through word of mouth there wasn’t much need to advertise. She has a website but likes to post on Instagram as explains it’s great platform with which to display the work.
Dianne, who has a background in social work is very aware of the important role dogs have in our lives. Her experience also has made her innately aware of the effects that grief, ill-health and loneliness can have on human kind. Sadly she has recently farewelled her own beautiful companion of 17 years ‘Sunday’ who spent so many of those years enjoying being an adored part of the family. She loved laying by Dianne’s feet as she worked and was happy to model her canine form whenever required.
An incredible amount of work and care goes into these intimate replicas which have often served as a comfort to those who are unable to be with their beloved dog. For some that might be because their beautiful animal has passed away and they are grieving, but for others it might be because they are in aged care where their pet could not follow them or perhaps a child has a long stay in hospital without the family dog and doesn’t know when they’ll get to go home. A photograph is nice indeed but there’s something really special about a 3-dimensional piece.
Though Dianne makes other items, the dogs are her undeniable passion. Every work she crafts is approached with much love and respect and gives her immense pleasure to see the joy on people’s faces when they see her work. Some people have even provided a little lock of their dog’s hair which she has lovingly applied to the heart of their dog’s miniature.
With ‘Wild Woolly Heads’ back in Brisbane, Dianne’s sister Annette has been able to join her as the other creative force behind the business putting her incredible needle felting skills to work and providing creative inspiration. As you know, there’s no greater team than two sisters with the same vision and what an incredible impression they are making. Their talent is really breathtaking.
Coming up on Sunday 6th of June 2021 you can see some their gorgeous pieces at the Plant Empire Market in Yeerongpilly so we’ll include a link below.
To check out Dianne & Annette’s unforgettable work on Instagram go to…
https://www.instagram.com/wildwoollyheads/
For a look into details for the Plant Empire Markets see…
https://plantempire.com.au/pages/plant-empire-market
Leah & Angela OMeara
Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)