Tag: felt fabulous gifts

needle felting, needle felting workshop

Learning to felt

amandafelting

Using felting kits and trying to follow You Tube videos when learning to felt can be hard, sometimes you need to see it and be guided in person.

If you’re looking to learn how to needle felt, or you just like hares, or you want to treat yourself to an afternoon of therapeutic crafting, then you might like to know about the Hare felting workshop I am delivering at MerseyMade in Liverpool 1.

It’s on Saturday 30th September and it lasts for 2 hours starting at 2pm.

MerseyMade is a lovely venue with gift shop and cafe downstairs and artist studios (where you can look round and see people at work) and workshop space upstairs. So lots of lovely things to browse while you’re there.

We will be making hares with a choice of wools and designs. I like to encourage people to go their own way in what they create but if people just want to follow what I have made, that’s cool too.

You will pick up some tips and knowledge along the way to use in future projects, (and take home your felting needles).

Tickets are on Eventbrite, find my page on Needle felting workshops for the link. They cost £30 but please use code HARE10 for 10% off at checkout.

craft fairs, needle felting, Uncategorized

Makers Markets – a look at how far I’ve come and hopefully some tips for you!

amandafelting

Hi, looking back through my old blog posts I realised that I’ve come a long way since I last posted about markets and craft fairs!

Hopefully this post about how I have developed my display is useful, but my original post “How to Survive a Craft Fair” still has a lot of basic “good to know” tips for beginners so take a look at that too if you’re just starting out.

February and March 2023 saw me at two new (to me) fabulous and popular Markets in Liverpool, Good Market at Penny Lane and Mossley Hill Makers Market.

What have I improved on since the beginning?

Apart from the obvious change in quality in my creations, the natural progression that is seen when you work at a craft for many years, the appearance of my stall has improved. Here are a few (useful I hope) tips based on things that I have learned since I started out.

Display It’s good to have variety of height in your display. I have resourced and twiddled with boxes, shelf units and branches in my displays over the years to achieve variation in height so that some items are nearer eyeline. To keep a clean look, all my additions are white.

Think about investing in one of those stretchy table covers that helps to hide what you have stashed underneath the table. It can help your stall look more professional and together.

Have a display item that helps people stop and look. Have a talking point – I put some of my felted dogs in a small crate labelled Dog Rehoming Centre with the name of the area in front of the title. It makes people stop and smile and talk!

Don’t put too much out! Hold back from putting out everything you have ever made. It can make it too busy and confusing. Group in themes, keep it simple and pleasing to the eye. I have a box of additional items with me so that I can put extras out as items start to sell, or maybe change a couple of items part way through if something isn’t working. Watch what people look at, if some items just aren’t catching people’s eye, try something else. Use this craft fair as a chance to do valuable market research.

Practice your layout beforehand. If it has been a while since your last market, if you have a lot of new products, and definitely if it is your first ever craft fair, have a run through first. Measure out the space you will have on a dining table, workbench or even floor, and work out how what you will put out and where it will go for best effect. View it from different angles. Get a second opinion. Take photos! This can help you feel much calmer and more confident on the day.

Price points I have learned what items catch people’s eye and causes them to stop and look, and the sweet spot where they are likely to make a purchase.

You might have a quality item that took you hours to make and that you have priced accordingly, that might not sell in the venue you are in, but, it shows your talent and what you are capable of, and people will stop and see what else you have. They may just take a business card and bear you in mind for that special birthday or Christmas present.

Your sweet spot price point will vary according to the particular market, season and area. It might take you a while to figure out what it is, but when you do, aim to make lots of items at that price point. For me it meant thinking about my designs and how I could make items more quickly. But do have a range of prices, I sometimes have “stock clearance” type baskets with sale prices of items that I made a while ago and just have not sold. People do love a bargain and it will help you make your table cost back and clear some space at home!

Venue Before applying, do a bit of research first. What have previous markets been like, who has sold there and how have they found it? (Instagram posts and comments can help with this!) Is it indoors or outdoors? I know I could never have an outdoor stall as my items are so light they would blow away on a windy day!

It can be disheartening to have a stall at a fair with a very light footfall so how well advertised is it and is it in a busy area with lots of people about who are likely to pop in?

Future markets Popular markets have an application process and they may want to see what your usual display looks like. So when you are all set up and your stall is looking gorgeous, don’t forget to take lots of photos to use in future applications and to show off on social media.

What about you?

I’d love your feedback on what has worked for you! Or maybe from a customer’s point of view if you love visiting craft fairs and makers markets. Please comment below.

felted mobile, needle felting, Uncategorized

A Bespoke Nursery Mobile

amandafelting

I love it when I get custom requests as it really grows me creatively. I have made a sheep mobile before (see earlier blog posts) but something so far has prevented me from offering it to the world. When asked if I made needle felted baby mobiles from someone who had seen my work at a craft fair, I jumped at the chance to make one. It is something that has been simmering at the back of my brain to do for a while now.

We messaged via Instagram direct messages to discuss a theme and colour scheme. I have quite a collection of British and merino wools and was able to show a few possible colour combinations before we arrived at a chosen colour palette.

My client wanted an underwater theme so we discussed her favourite creatures and then I started work on a few shapes to show her. I made a couple extra than I knew was going to fit on the mobile to provide choice, and because I was having so much fun making them!

some sea creatures in the making…

These shapes were felted using Shetland batt wool. Once I checked that my client was happy with the way things were going, I began to get creative with the finished designs, adding colour , pattern and features. I love watching their characters emerging!

Favourites were selected (which ones would you have chosen?)

Next step was to choose a mobile frame. For my sheep mobile I hand wove strips of willow. I wanted to turn to my fellow creatives for this one though and researched some frames from Etsy sellers. I showed my client some options and this gorgeous wooden handcrafted one was selected.

Stringing them up using the unbleached string provided with the mobile, was a lot easier than I anticipated and I soon had a complete mobile to show.

All done, photographs taken, videos made, it was time to box it up. And as the client was local, ready for collection!

Custom orders

If you would like me to work with you to make a cute and quirky, bespoke hand made and felted mobile, maybe you are expecting yourself or a grandparent-to-be, please get in touch. I would love to chat ideas with you! Please complete the contact form or find and message me on social media.

@feltfabulousgifts

custom dogs, dogs, felting with fur

Dog fur or hair? What’s the difference?

amandafelting

When I started working with dog fur/ hair to create needle felted dog replicas, I became curious about the difference between dog hair or fur. What to call this new material I was working with, were those two words interchangeable? Was there a difference?

OK, so now I now there is a difference and I shall attempt to explain that in this post.

So there is no chemical difference between hair and fur, they are both made from keratin. They can however differ in texture and growth cycles.

Hair

Examples of dogs with hair include Poodle, Bedlington Terrier, Schnauzer Bearded Collie and Bichon Frise.

Hair can be straight, wavy or curly and generally feels smoother and finer. It tends to be longer and thicker than fur. Hair grows in a single layer rather than in a double coat and goes through a longer growth cycle. Because of this longer growth cycle, dogs with hair shed less frequently, this leads to people with allergies choosing them over dogs with fur, though this doesn’t always solve the problem! Dogs with hair might need more grooming (as in doggie haircuts) so that their hair doesn’t get too long.

Fur

Dogs with fur include Golden Retriever, Labrador, Newfoundland, Pomeranian

Dogs with fur have shorter growth cycles so they shed more frequently, this is so that they can change the thickness of their coat depending on the season. The fur is finer and denser than hair and often grows in a double coat with a coarser overcoat over the finer undercoat. This helps them to regulate their body temperature. So dogs with fur seem to be more adaptable to changing climates and weather. Their fur is shed before it gets too long so less visits to the dog salon!

So I now know more than I did and I hope you do too! If you want to get in touch about your dog or to enquire about my work with dog fur, I would love to hear from you!

Please use the contact page to get in touch!

Amanda x

custom dogs, felting with fur, needle felting

Felting with Fur – part 1

amandafelting

I’ve just received another precious package through the post. A package of fur that from a dog who has now passed on, fur for me to felt with.

I have felt very privileged recently to be able to create for people who have lost a pet. Like most needle felters, I usually use sheep’s wool, but sometimes I use dog’s fur to felt with.

Dog fur can be surprisingly easy to felt with! Obviously the softer and fluffier the better, the soft undercoat that comes from grooming is the best fur for me to use.

This blog post is about the making of a dog named Bruce.

Felted Bruce started with a pipe cleaner armature to which I added a base layer of felted Shetland batt wool. I then started to add Bruce’s fur as a top layer. I started this even before I had finished off the dog’s feet as I was anxious to see just how feltable it was!

As well as the finer, more wiggly hairs from the soft undercoat, the fur contained a lot of longer straighter hairs that are more difficult to felt in. These hairs tend to stick out and as this was a smooth haired dog I took a bit of time felting over the body in an effort to get it to become smoother. The dog was mostly one colour but had some darker shades and some white patches. I initially tried to use the darker and lighter bits of fur to replicate the these but as the white parts of him did not look white enough, I added some white wool here. I also used wool for his eyes, nose and mouth.

To finish him I snipped off a lot of the sticky out hairs with scissors.

The way and the extent to which I use the dog fur depends on the amount, colouring and consistency of the fur. I like to keep in touch with the customer and let them know how I am using the fur and where I have used wool. Any left over fur is then returned with the dog.

Further blog posts will follow regarding felting with fur including one where I look at the difference between dog fur and dog hair!

wool

Using British Wool

amandafelting

Cruelty free wool?

Copy of 1180px x 360px – sheep banner 2I love animals and am a vegetarian. When I saw a post about someone using vegan materials to crochet with because they thought using wool was being unkind to animals, it made me stop and think.

I love using wool and the fact that it is a natural material, I love the feel and smell of it. I wanted to know if I could be more ethical and animal friendly whilst still using wool.

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My learning journey..

When I first started felting I bought “wool” from Hobbycraft. As time went on, and I started buying from more specialist wool shops, I started noticing differences in the textures of the wools and that wool came from different breeds!

Looking into sheep friendly wool, I came across the organisation British Wool.

What’s so good about British Wool?

  • They promote high standards of animal welfare
  • They provide shearing skills training to their wool producers
  • They educate on best industry standards

and also worth bearing in mind…

  • UK sheep farms are small, the farming is not intensive
  • The sheep are raised naturally outdoors on pasture

They have detailed Welfare regulations on their website and excellent information on the 60 breeds of sheep that we have in the U.K.! Phew! Looks like I have a lot more learning to do!

Where can I buy it?

Looking to buy British Wool? I can thoroughly recommend the excellent online shop “World of Wool”. It sells a wide range of natural and dyed wool. The British Wool symbol is displayed on all the relevant wools making it easy to search for. Another useful source of information about British wools and their qualities.

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Herdwick sheep made using Herdwick wool!

 

What about merino wool?

Merino wool – people often wonder about whether this is cruelty free, as mulesing is a cruel practice that happens at some merino sheep farms. Please be aware of this and buy your merino wool from sources that buy from non mulesed sheep farms, as I do.

 

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Yellow merino wool on the inside adds a pop of colour

 

 

So, next steps for me?

  • To continue to search for, buy and use British wool wherever I can.
  • To look into buying from individual British farms and farmers, where I can be assured of the animal’s welfare
  • To consider some vegan options and alternatives
  • To continue to specify the type of wool I use in my felted products