"Fu" is the Chinese character for "luck" and this little panda bear was named because I feel so lucky to have created him!
I have just signed up for an online class in needle-felting with Bobbie Ripperger, and even though we haven't even started with the formal class, Bobbie's great information and infectious enthusiasm have been inspiring ... and Fu is the result!

Fu is made of a combination of cream hand-dyed and black wool. His tummy is a slightly deeper shade of beige. His paws and footpads are made of brown hand-dyed wool. He has black glass eyes, a black embroidered nose, and a slightly open mouth with a bit of pink visible between the black lips.

I worked with a beautiful book of panda photos taken in the wild at my side and tried to make him as realistic as possible within the confines of a sitting jointed bear. He has thread-jointed limbs and an unjointed head. I added some white wool over the black of the upper legs to suggest the shading from body to hind legs in a real panda. I added embroidered claws to his paws and feet. The feet were a joy to needlesculpt - the wool is soft and indents beautifully. And what a surprise to find out that he has perfect balance and stands very easily!

Fu has his very own stalk of polymer clay bamboo to eat, which he carries around with him everywhere.