Bear Creek Felting

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Bear Creek Felting

Learn to Needle Felt amazing sculptures with personality and detail with artist and shepherd Teresa Perleberg.

Join my email list for felting tips, new kits, special offers! https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/subscribe?a=XkfNDP&g=XeCC52 Raised on a farm in North Dakota, I've been surrounded by pets and livestock my entire life, fostering a deep affection for all animals. My love for the fiber arts began when I brought a few sheep into our family. This project sparked my journey into spinning, kni

tting, and eventually needle felting. The Romney sheep I own provide my favorite medium; I adore the texture of the wool and how effortlessly it blends to bring my animal sculptures to life. I constantly seek inspiration for my work—from the wild and photographs to my own beloved pets and farm animals. I started sculpting animals from wool in 2006, primarily using the fleece from my sheep. While I mainly create realistic animals, I’m increasingly inspired to develop whimsical designs from my imagination. The time I dedicate to sculpting each animal's face truly enhances the overall expression of my art. To fully appreciate my work, one must understand the needle felting process and the commitment required to achieve such intricate detail in wool. It brings me immense joy to know that my pieces are now part of private collections around the world!

09/02/2026

Before there are kits, colors, boxes or even clean wool… there are these faces. ❤️

Our sheep are where everything begins.

I’ve spent years learning which fleeces I love for needle felting, which fibers behave differently, and how the wool changes as it travels through every step of our mill.

There’s something pretty special about opening a package of Bear Creek wool and knowing it started right here on our North Dakota farm.

And, of course, these girls would probably tell you that they are the most important part of the whole operation. 😂

08/28/2026

Come take a little look around Bear Creek Felting with me.

The sheep in the pasture, Dexter keeping watch, wool moving through the mill, shelves full of color, kits waiting to be packed, and all the little corners of the shop where so much happens every day.

This is what Bear Creek looks like behind the finished projects.

It’s wool, work, animals, creativity, a little bit of chaos, and a whole lot of things happening between the pasture and the package that eventually lands on your doorstep.

I took pictures of nearly everything this week, so I thought it would be fun to share more of the process and the places behind Bear Creek.

From pasture to product.

08/23/2026

Meet zebra #3! 🦓

I just finished this needle felted zebra, and I have to admit—it feels pretty special to have a zebra standing in my studio again. I’ve made two others over the years, but both of them found new homes long ago.

This one is staying with me because she has an important job ahead of her. She’ll be the inspiration and model for our upcoming 5th annual Felting Safari!

In just a little over a week, needle felting artists from all across the United States will be making their way to tiny Fort Ransom, North Dakota, where we’ll spend seven days together creating our own needle felted zebras.

Seven days. One zebra. Lots and lots of wool. And probably more than a few “Does this stripe look right?” moments. 😂

This is definitely not a quick little project, and that’s exactly what I love about the Safari. We have the time to slow down, study the animal, work through the details, learn from each other, and see eleven completely different zebras come to life.

I’ve been planning this retreat for a long time, but finishing this girl makes it suddenly feel very real.

The zebras are coming to Fort Ransom! 🦓❤️

08/20/2026

Just a pretty evening and a few sheep heading out to pasture.

These are just a handful of our ewes enjoying the Bear Creek pasture after their lambs were weaned earlier this summer.

It has been incredibly dry here, so we’ve had to be especially mindful of our pastures and give areas time to rest when they need it.

But on an evening like this, I mostly just stop and appreciate the view. The sheep, the big old trees, the evening light…this is one of those scenes that makes me very thankful for this little corner of North Dakota.

08/18/2026

He brought you flowers and some very exciting news!

The new Ring-Tailed Lemur Needle Felting Kit is officially available!

This little fellow has been a labor of love. I spent extra time perfecting his sweet face, along with clear, step-by-step instructions to help you create your own.

But this kit represents more than an adorable needle-felting project.

Wildlife Madagascar works alongside Malagasy communities to protect Madagascar’s extraordinary wildlife and the forests they depend on. Their work includes restoring forests, supporting conservation patrols, monitoring wildlife, conducting research, providing environmental education, and developing sustainable livelihoods that benefit both people and endangered species.

This kit is part of our licensed partnership with Wildlife Madagascar. Through this collaboration, your purchase helps support their conservation work and brings greater awareness to Madagascar’s remarkable wildlife.

The kit includes our farm-raised wool, special glass eyes, felting needles, a felting cushion, detailed printed instructions, and a companion video.

Creativity can do more than make something beautiful, it can help make a difference.

The Ring-Tailed Lemur Needle Felting Kit is available now!

Long Live Lemurs!

08/16/2026

Over the past couple of months, Libbie and I have had the opportunity to be the students for a change, and we have been loving it!

Along with four other women, we’ve been learning the traditional Norwegian craft of skinnfelling from Karen Aakre, who traveled to Norway to learn this beautiful craft herself.

Skinnfelling is a centuries-old Norwegian tradition of sewing sheepskins together by hand to create warm, functional pieces. The leather side can also be decorated with traditional block-printed designs. Historically, these pieces weren’t just beautiful, they were practical necessities in the cold Norwegian climate and were made into everything from blankets and clothing to smaller items used for warmth.

So far, we’ve made a hiking pad, wristlets, mittens, and boots. Each project has taught us something new, and it has been so interesting learning a different way to work with sheep and wool, this time using the sheepskin rather than the fiber I work with every day.

We still have two more sessions ahead of us, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what else we learn.

I especially love that Libbie and I get to do this together. There is something pretty special about learning a traditional sheep-related craft that has been passed from one person to another for generations. ❤️🐑

08/04/2026

A little behind the scenes at Bear Creek Felting today…

Libbie is assembling kits, I’m packing retail and wholesale orders, boxes are stacking up, and another load is headed to the post office. It takes a lot of hands, wool, labels, tape, and teamwork to get everything ready and on its way to you.

And of course, the sheep would like to remind everyone where it all begins. 🐑😂

Thank you for supporting our small family business and keeping us busy doing work we love.

07/29/2026

There’s something special that happens when a group of complete strangers gathers around a table with a handful of wool and a felting needle.

By the end of the week, they’re no longer strangers. ❤️

They’ve encouraged each other through every project, shared countless laughs over Libbie’s incredible meals, visited the sheep that grew the wool they were using, relaxed around a campfire under the North Dakota sky, and left with new skills, new confidence, and friendships they never expected.

The Felt Your First Five Retreat isn’t just about learning to needle felt. It’s about slowing down, creating with your hands, and discovering you’re capable of so much more than you imagined.

I had hoped to include everyone’s thoughts in this video, but unfortunately my microphone had other plans! These two were the only interviews that were recorded, but every single person shared how much this week meant to them. I’m so grateful they trusted me with their time, and I already miss having them here.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to join a Bear Creek Felting retreat, this is a little glimpse into our week together.

07/21/2026

Yesterday kicked off the first day of our Felt Your First Five Retreat, and it reminded me why I love hosting these weeks so much.

Six women traveled here to Fort Ransom from Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Ohio, and Alaska. They arrived as strangers, but it didn’t take long before the room was filled with conversation, laughter, and that comfortable feeling of creating alongside people who simply get it.

There’s something about gathering around a table with wool and felting needles that creates an instant connection. We all come from different places and different walks of life, but for this week we share one thing in common—a love of making something beautiful with our hands.

Yesterday we enjoyed our first delicious meal together, started the first of our five projects, and began what I know will be a week full of learning, encouragement, and new friendships.

And today…we get to do it all again.

Address

107 East Main Street
Nome, ND
58033

Website

https://bearcreekfelting.com/

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