aura Bond is from England. She's had model horses of one type or another since she was around 2 or 3. She mainly collects Julip horses and Magpie models. She prefers models which are made more for character and personality than realism, which maybe led into making the felties. She has a few Breyers and Stones but she's not really interested at all in resins and the like.She's been making the felties since at least 1995, probably longer than that, and has started selling some of them circa 2003, quite often through eBay. Laura makes them from craft felt, with yarn (or occasionally mohair) manes and tails, around a wire armature (making them slightly poseable), filled with toy stuffing and painted to give them additional markings or coat patterns. Each one is unique, even if she makes two from the same template, in the same colour, with the same markings, as they're completely hand made, they will always vary. Maybe that's part of their appeal. Plus she can modify templates or design new ones as necessary to create other breeds, poses, etc. And Laura is able to make models in almost any colour.
Laura is also able to make 'portrait' models and has made a large number of models now based on real horses or ponies, where the buyer has sent in a number of photos for her to copy the model from. Most of her feltie models are around classic scale (1/12th) and the majority of her orders are for classic scale models, though she has made a number of larger scale (slightly over traditional scale) felties too. Curators' note: when available, pictures of the real portrait horse are shown for comparison after the Feltie. The accuracy of color/pattern, pose and attitude are amazing.
Laura can make felties to order (and does take custom orders) but sometimes she just makes up random ones (usually with the intention of keeping them herself but somehow they often end up being sold). She's made everything from miniature ponies and shetlands up to gypsy vanners, friesians, shires and clydesdales. Laura has never made models to show as she's not interested in showing, though she knows a number of her felties have been shown successfully by their owners.
Laura also customises models, mainly Julips, Magpie models and some Breyers. She doesn't do this with the intention of them being shown, just for her own amusement.
Laura suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (also known as M.E.) so is very limited in what she can do. Sometimes that does slow her down when it comes to making the felties or doing customs but they help distract her and stop her going completely crazy.
Laura describes herself as "a pretty weird loner with a somewhat gothic disposition and an infatuation with industrial & similar music (which tends to show itself in the names I give to some of my models - the name of my feltie website, Moon's Milk, is the title of an album by Coil incidentally)." She loves real horses but hasn't ridden in years. Basically model horses are her only contact with the horse world these days.
Laura's website for her felt horses is http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x238/moonmusick/felties-sold/
Top: Feltie Roger, headstudy; custom made from photos of a real horse. Owned and submitted by Charlie Hands of the UK. Roger was made from the Cob template in 2006.
Middle: Felties at the show, The large horse on the end belongs to Georgie Gibbs. The next donkeys belong to Michelle Barnsley. Photo courtesy of Elli Garnett.
Bottom: Feltie Apache: Custom made model of Apache Savage Swirl, who is the last daughter of the sire Apache Dream Maker APHA (American Paint Horse Association) owned by Melodie Dowell, USA. Copied from many photos of the real horse, from every angle. Not a single spot was missed. She has a place in my husband's office right next to his desk. Totally amazing piece of work. Made in 2006. Classic size. Photos by Melodie Dowell.
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