Hi.
Welcome! I teach basic needle felting techniques, write fiber processing guides, provide tutorials, and blog about whatever comes to mind (including homeschooling my two kids and my life in general). Oh, and I make things too!
Welcome! I teach basic needle felting techniques, write fiber processing guides, provide tutorials, and blog about whatever comes to mind (including homeschooling my two kids and my life in general). Oh, and I make things too!
I’ve been needle felting since 2013, although the first time I picked up a needle was several years prior to that. It was before I knew of any needle felting supply shops, and none of the brick & mortar shops where I live carried wool. So once I ran out of fiber I was kind of stuck. Of course, now that I process my own wool from start to finish, I no longer worry about where to get my wool, though I still love to order supplies on occasion.
Just start stabbing. See where the wool takes you. Even if I have something in mind that I’m trying to make, I’ve noticed that wool can sometimes have a mind of its own, or so it seems anyway. So for me, it also involves a little bit of trust and letting go, and letting it surprise you. Also, don’t worry too much about investing in all the colors you can get your hands on, as tempting as it may be. Needle felting is not and does not need to be an expensive hobby. If it’s sculpture you’re interested in, get your hands on a good amount of core wool, and then order the colors you need as you need them. If it’s wool painting you’re interested in, look at the sampler packs available in fiber shops, and then order anything extra if you need it for a project. Your stash will slowly build up over time. One of my favorite ways in the beginning to build up my stash (though a bit expensive doing it this way) was to get the designer packs at Living Felt - you’ll get a nice mix of colors and textures within a particular “theme,” and only need a handful of packs to get a nice palette of fiber that will last you a long time. Initially, I started out with a mix of colors from Weir Crafts. Last but not least, read through my felting guides. The guide to 3D needle felting is a good place to start.
At the moment, my favorite for needle felting is clun forest. The reason I say “at the moment” is because there are so many breeds out there, I haven’t had a chance to try them all out yet for myself. It’s the first fleece I ever processed on my own from raw to final product, and I’ve found that it leaves a nice, fairly smooth finish on any sculptures that I make. It’s also really easy to process and dye up, and whenever I have some extra dye left in the pot I’ll throw a handful in to soak up what’s left for a unique color to sneak into my personal projects. I also love using wool batting that I order from a fiber mill, but that’s a mix of breeds that I don’t know rather than one specific breed. Whatever they’re doing works for me!
I do try to be as organized as possible, although sometimes that ends up being more of a catching up process to go back and document things that need to be written down. That being said, I have two notebooks that I keep just for my fiber art. One is a disc-bound notebook that is incredibly important to helping me keep track of my stuff - it has my personal project ideas, blog ideas, the tutorial ideas (and the tutorial info itself, like the colors I used, info about filming, editing, publishing, etc), and so on. I am currently in the process of moving that information to digital as a back-up. The other book is a big fat swatch binder that has sample locks of all the breeds wools I’ve processed, swatches of my own dyed wool (whether the dye comes as a specific color or is my own blend, and how I got the color), locks that I dyed, and wool that I’ve purchased if I can remember what and where it’s from. I wrote about my swatch binder here and provided some free downloadable pages that you can print out to keep track of yours. I highly recommend that anyone serious about felting or working with fiber has their own swatch binder so when they’re stuck in the middle of a project and can’t remember where they got the wool they just ran out of, they can go back and look it up.
I used to write them down in a notebook but these days I am in love with using Trello (which is free) to help me organize my project ideas, blog post ideas, and anything else relating to my art or this website. Click here if you’d like to check it out (I may earn one month of Trello Gold if you sign up at no extra cost to you, because again, the basic version is free).
Several ways:
My never-ending list of project ideas. I usually have at least several projects brewing in my head at any given moment, and I keep a running list on my Trello board.
My patrons/readers/followers. Every now and then I’ll have a question about how to do a certain thing, or a request for new tutorials, and I’ve had requests on my Youtube videos to see me make certain things (which I’ll get to at some point). Those ideas all go on my list as well. You may also now opt to sponsor a free tutorial to be published on the site.
By occasionally participating in a monthly needle felting challenge or exchange - in which it’s free to participate (the exchange costs postage to send the item, but you get something in return). There is a monthly needle felting exchange group on Facebook. Reddit’s needle felting subreddit, in coordination with the Crafty as Heck discord server, host a monthly needle felting challenge with awards - though it’s up to you if you choose to post your item publicly and enter to win. Due to the limiting nature of challenges, I’m often pushed to try to think outside of the box to make it more interesting for me.
Yes. You may make a custom request by filling out the form on this page. My terms are listed in the form.
No. My products are not tested to be toys. I am not liable for what you do with the piece once it’s in your hands.
I make needle felted art sculptures, and I do my best to make sure that all my work is felted well and does not fall apart when handled. My goal is to make things that last within reason. I have no control over whether or not someone decides to allow their child to handle one of my sculptures, and I trust parents to use their best judgment as to whether or not anything in my sculptures may pose a potential hazard.
I don’t currently. I have taught in-person classes in the past, and I am open to teaching again at some point in the future.
I am open to teaching one-on-one online through Zoom or some other video conferencing software. If you live far away and would like a one-on-one session with me to help you get started, send me a message.
If there are any issues with your order, or if you are having difficulty accessing your tutorials, please contact me to see if there is something we can correct. If there is something missing from your order let me know and I’ll have it sent to you.
For physical goods:
Please contact me within 15 days of delivery if you wish to return your product for a full or partial refund. If agreed to a refund, product must be returned within 30 days of delivery, and a refund will be issued upon receipt. Buyer is responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.
* Custom requests: Because the buyer receives progress photos, and because the commission is not shipped until buyer is satisfied with the final product photo, commissions will not be refunded unless damaged during shipment/defective. Please understand that when you request a commission, you are paying for my time, not just the finished project.
* Ready-to-ship handmade items: refunds will be issued on products that are defective or damaged during shipment once returned.
For digital products:
Because of the nature of the item, I do not issue refunds for digital downloads that have been downloaded.
* Digital goods - If you purchased a digital download product by accident and did not download the product, please contact me immediately for your cancellation/refund.
* Physical items - orders for ready-to-ship items may be cancelled prior to shipment for a full refund.
* Custom requests - may be cancelled at any time. If you paid a deposit but I haven’t started, you’ll be refunded your deposit. If the project is well under way, the deposit will not be refunded, unless it was my decision to back out of the project. If the project is near completion or completed, but you do not pay the remainder of the cost (plus shipping and insurance), and you opt to back out of the commission, the deposit is also forfeited, and I reserve the right to sell any completed items in my shop.
I keep your personal contact information private and do not sell information to third parties. Few things annoy me more (putting it nicely) than suspiciously and suddenly getting spammed with junk mail, phone calls and emails after a purchase from a new place or after paying for a service. I don’t do that to people who support me.
For a more detailed information about what information is collected, how it is stored and used, you can read my privacy policy here.
If a buyer is willing to pay for it, I can ship anywhere in the world that has a mail service. If the shop does not let you place an order due to shipping (since I have to set all that up manually), send me a message, and I’ll invoice you for the item and shipping costs to your location.
Buyer is responsible for any customs fees and taxes that may apply.
Digital items are emailed directly to you as soon as the payment is processed. If you have not received any emails after purchasing the item, please contact me.
Custom requests are dependent on the scope of the project. I request a minimum of one month lead time.
Any printed designs are handled by the printing company and not myself. Lead times vary depending on the item and shipping location. Please make sure you have an accurate mailing address in your order.
Once it’s been mailed, I have no control over how long it takes to get to you. All my art is shipped with shipping insurance. I am not responsible for any delays regarding packages getting stuck in customs (hasn’t happened to me yet, knock on wood).
No. I have not established nexus, and I am not registered to collect sales tax in any US states. The buyer is responsible for paying any sales tax to their own state if their state collects sales tax.
As beautifully packaged as I can manage - but whenever possible I attempt to recycle and repurpose boxes that I get (as long as it’s not covered in someone else’s branding). This helps to keep my overhead costs down - not to mention, if it’s a perfectly good box, why kill another tree to make another one? I don’t see the point in raising my prices to cover the cost of fancy, custom boxes. It’s what’s inside the box that counts.
I love and continue to support the USPS - I think they provide a valuable service that simply isn’t possible or affordable in some areas. If you want to ship express or with any other carrier, please contact me for a quote and I’ll invoice you the full cost of the order and shipping separately.
USA orders: For orders under 1 lb, items are shipped USPS First Class. For orders over 1 lb, items are shipped via USPS Priority Mail Cubic. International orders: are shipped via First Class Package International.
Shipping insurance is not included by default on First Class shipments, though I do pay for extra insurance for any handmade goods and art, and is included in the product price for ready-to-ship items. For custom requests, shipping and insurance are calculated and charged separately once the item is ready to be mailed.
I accept all major US credit cards as well as Paypal. I don’t do checks, cash, money orders, or scams. Payment for goods or services must be paid in full prior to shipment/receipt of goods or services.
