Wild Turkey Felt Woolworks
6042 Franklin Road
Moravia, NY 13118

Email: info@wildturkeyfeltwoolworks.com
Contact person:  Cheryl Benda

 

 


Cher Benda

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Biography and Felt Gallery

 

Cheryl Benda, fiber artist, felt maker and proprietor of Wild Turkey Felt Woolworks became fascinated with fiber/textile arts at a very early age having been given a loom and spinning wheel, by her grandmother. Her journey has been “sheep to shawl” so to speak. After moving to the Sempronius woodlands in Central New York Finger Lakes Region, USA with her husband, canine and feline companions, she became shepherdess to a fiber-producing flock of sheep/wool, angora rabbits, mohair goats, llamas and alpacas. She explored handspinning, weaving, dying, sewing, stitch and knitting until the late 1990’s when she found her way to the art of felt making after meeting/studying with international felt maker, Polly Stirling, and the unlimited potential of felt as a serious creative medium became her passion.

 

She is a current member of the Northeast Feltmakers Guild and continues to study with numerous respected felt makers, seeking and discovering new and endless possibilities of this versatile medium. Cheryl finds inspiration from, nature, art, patterns, color, water, rocks, trees, geological land formations and even architecture.

 

Her latest work:

 

          

“Tree Of Life”

 

Life in the woodlands of Sempronius is a magical place.   With each new season, every window pane in my home is bursting with inspiration.  When the Northeastern Feltmakers Guild members were asked to make felt for a group exhibition entitled “Creation Myths” I knew mine had to incorporate trees.  Not only do I live among the trees, my home is made with trees. 

 

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the tree of knowledge, connecting heaven and the underworld, and the tree of life, connecting all forms of creation, are both forms of the “world tree” or “cosmic tree”.  According to some scholars, the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil, portrayed in various religions and philosophies, are the same tree.   Various trees of life are recounted in folklore, culture and fiction, often relating to immortality or fertility.  

 

As viewed through the window panes of my log home, this portrayal of the “Tree Of Life” symbolizes an amalgamation of God, family and immortality. 

 

 

 

 

Made during a 6-day Master Class at Snow Farm, Williamsburg, MA making large, strong felts with Roderick Welch and Karoliina Arvilommi.  
Visit www.4felts.com to see their work.

 

 

 

 

 

Group photos taken during a 3-day Bloomfelt workshop with Marjolein Dallinga.  The focus was on experiments with the sculptural qualities of the felt medium. 
Visit www.bloomfelt.com to see Marjolein’s work.

 

These were my finished experiments.

 

    

 

 

 

       

 


Nuno Felt Jacket and Scarf 

 

 

 

      
Square  Bottom Beauty                                   Amethyst Urn                                  Charming Vessel Bag   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Wild Turkey Felt Woolworks

Australian Merino
Wool Top PRICE LIST

To Contact Cher ... e-mail:   info@wildturkeyfeltwoolworks.com