Fiber Arts Friday - Fabulous Fibers Interview

Welcome to Fiber Arts Friday.  Once a week Fiber Artists meet here to share their adventures in Fiber Arts and learn from other creative bloggers so...what are you waiting for?  Join in the fun today!  This week I am sharing with you a Michigan Alpaca Fiber Artist who is a true treasure to our State's Alpaca Fiber Industry.  Judy Petrovich is an amazing Fiber Artist that is creating an array of products from Alpacas raised right here in Michigan and I am fortunate to know her.  What's even better is that she LOVES to use Suri Alpaca and she really understands the fiber plus is willing to experiment.

Judy Petrovich wearing her custom felted Alpaca jacket  
and the Wonder Why Gal wearing an Alpaca knit sweater

 A couple of weeks ago (yes, I'm a bit back-logged with Fiber Arts stories) the South West Michigan Alpaca Association (SWMAA) met for our holiday dinner and to listen to Judy explain the Wonder of Felted Alpaca.  I first met Judy last year at an Alpaca Show here in Michigan where we had a chance to talk.  This year at AOBA Nationals, which was held in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Judy had a Vendor Booth where she was displaying the amazing felting machine that she uses to make her creations.  Yes, she needle felts pretty much everything she creates and she has one of the very first machines ever created.  Shelly Sullivan from School Pond Alpacas was also very interested in the machine and I was able to get a few photos of her checking it out at Nationals back in May.

Shelly and her husband, Mike, asked Judy to speak to our group and I am so thankful that they did because we've been playing tag for an interview all summer.  Judy had a show and of her beautiful felted creations showing us the various blends she has been creating for different end use products.  It was nice to feel the difference with the change in percentage of Alpaca to whatever fiber she uses.

Judy started as a tailor/seamstress in a Quilt Shop.  She fell in love with fiber of all kinds but once she discovered Alpacas she felt she must get a couple of fiber boys (non-breeding males that are considered pet quality/4-H quality whose sole purpose is to grow gorgeous fiber to shear once a year).  As her fascination with Alpaca grew she started listening to Alpaca breeders and realized that they weren't wearing products made from their animals.  She wanted to create something unique...so she created cotton patterns for jackets using her skills as a seamstress in 18 different patterns sizes 8-24 to create a custom fitted garment that she could then turn into custom Alpaca garments.

In 2009, Judy had the opportunity to attend the AOBA Nationals in Cleveland, OH where she debuted her new designs and was instantly blown away with the positive response.  She said she didn't think through all of the processing costs so she had to quickly go back to the drawing board for making affordable jackets.  She said weaving was out of the question because it was too expensive along with knitting so she came up with the idea to wet felt.  That didn't quite work out like she intended then she met a woman, Lanette Freitag from Kentucky, who had created the first ever Dry Felting Loom. The initial cost was something she also hadn't considered and she had to decide if she was going to invest in this machine.  Her husband asked, "Do you want to make this a business or not?"  She did.  The Dry Felting Loom is the Intellectual Property of the University of Kentucky and the Patent on the CAD Program is also owned by the University of Kentucky.  Judy said she had never seen a machine like this before.  "I went nuts! I had really never felted one thing to another.  I now was had a pallet and I could paint with Fiber!"  Judy wanted her products to be high end yet affordable and this machine would do it. 

Besides introducing Judy to this amazing machine, Lanette would give Judy another opportunity to promote her new business by attending the International Camelid Symposium in 2009.  Within just a matter of weeks they were able to put together three coats for people to see.   People loved what she had created and had never seen anything like it.  With this new exposure, Judy returned to her business plan.  She new that her product wasn't something for the general public yet it wasn't something for just Alpaca breeders.

Judy learned quickly that just because you can make something with wool, you can't make it with Alpaca.  She needed to create a consistent product.  She was fortunate to team up with the North Carolina College of Textile which she is still working with today on various blends that will give the best and most consistent felt. 

Judy understands that Alpaca fiber needs to be sorted not just skirted.  Now this is where I get all giddy as she speaks my Fiber Sorting Language.  She understands the Alpaca Fleece from a textile perspective which every Alpaca Breeder should try to grasp.  These are Fiber Producing Animals (Now those are my words) and we need to breed for amazing fiber that will produce even more amazing end products (definitely my words).

Back to Judy.  She was asked, "Is it relaxing?" and her response was that she is an artist and way too wired to relax, even to spin.  She had nine Alpacas but now has five and purchases most of her fiber. I, of course, told her to try and spin...with wine.  Really, when I'm spin I am in a very relaxed and mellow place yet...I am constantly moving.  Yeah, I sure tricked my brain there.


Judy has been working on making an Alpaca Vest out of a woven Suri blend fabric Cheri Parks from Wind Walker Ranch had made.  The fabric is heavenly to touch and it was fun to watch the seamstress make some fitting adjustments on Cheri.  I even got a photo of Melissa Powers of Lissabeth Alpacas modeling one of Judy's beautiful jackets.  I appreciate all of my fellow Alpaca farm friends modeling some of Judy's creations for my blog.

Finally, I have to end with one of my favorite quotes of the night from Judy.  "I have a hard time telling someone the time without telling them how to build the watch."  Now that's my kind of gal. She is very excited about what she is creating and is a wealth of knowledge.  For more information about Judy, visit her website FabFibers.com .  Her business name is Fabulous Fibers Alpaca Farm and she is located in Holly, Michigan.  I sure appreciate Judy taking the time to drive all the way over to the West side of the state to visit with our group.  I learn something new each time I meet her and apparently I may now know how to build a watch (just kidding). Now, what exciting adventures did you have in Fiber Arts this week?
Fiber Arts Friday Blog Carnival!

To participate:

1. Submit your blog article using your current blog address NOT your complete blog  i.e. you would submit 

http://wonderwhyalpacafarm.blogspot.com/2010/02/e-i-e-i-doh.html  

NOT 

http://wonderwhyalpacafarm.blogspot.com

1. Link back to Fiber Arts Friday from your post so that your readers can come and see everyone else’s projects! Text link to  WISDOM BEGINS IN WONDER!   
2. Visit as many of the other participants as possible and leave comments! That’s what helps us all connect!

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