I've been featured!

Check out Going Handmade - it is a website which regularly features interviews with different crafters - a great way to find new inspiration and also wonderful items to buy!

Featuring: Feltlikestitchin!

I am taking this opportunity to introduce you all to someone who makes and sells the most adorable hand stitched felt DiDi Dolls. Claire sells monsters, animals, Mr Potato Head, celebrity dolls and much more! She also also make badges, keyrings, Christmas ornaments, applique patches - all sorts of felt novelties. Here is what she had to say in my mini interview!

"I live in Yorkshire, England. My day job involves looking after all the pensioners who live on my street, which is a really fun challenging job. I spend all the rest of my time stitching and running my Etsy store."

"I've always been a stitcher - I can't remember the first time I used a needle and thread, it just seems to have always been there! I sew everything by hand. If I try I can sew most things but I don't enjoy making clothes and cushions and such like - I only want to stitch fun stuff. I adore all embroidery and decorative stitching. I've done tons of cross stitch over the years and I've even won prizes for my cross stitch designs in two UK magazines. These days most of my time is spent creating my felt dolls."

"I think my favourite item at the moment is the one which took the most work. This set of Matryoshka Dolls (right) took a lot of hours to make but I'm proud of how they turned out. "

I also asked Claire to recommend another site to us, to which she replied,

"I'd love to recommend this beautiful Etsy store. http://feltingarts.etsy.com/ This German artist has the most amazing needlefelt creations - I'm in love with the Strawberry Baby. "

Claire's DiDi Dolls are available at:

http://feltlikestitchin.etsy.com/

http://feltlikestitchin.co.uk/

Feltpods!

If I ever manage to get myself an Ipod (yes, I am one of the few who are still pod-less!) one of this first things I would do is buy myself a feltpod from Strawberrykitten at Etsy. I love her feltpods so much, they are so fun and different! However, rather than me talk for pages about how cute the felt pods are (so adorable!), I thought I would let Sian who runs Strawberrykitten do the talking!

Tell me a bit about yourself!
I’m from sunny Doncaster, South Yorkshire. I currently work full time in a large bookshop (naming no names ;)) only creating work in my spare time, I do this in my large attic room which is usually a tip! I studied fine art at Sheffield University, only to realise 3 months in I didn’t want to be an artist I preferred craft. I’ve been making things ever since. I dabble in so many crafts, photography, card making, plush, quilting, weaving, felting etc etc but at the moment I’m concentrating on teaching myself jewellery making and my felt work, I’m also dipping back into photography again.

I love your unique IPod covers, what first gave you the idea to start making these?
I guess this particular range stemmed from me wanting a cool case for my IPod touch, I’ve always liked robots and I had a load of felt. So I gave it a go, the first attempt looked real bad compared to the final range, all big and floppy looking! From there I just thought about what animal or object sounded good with pod in its name, Podzilla, Ladypod etc. I really love my Feltpods!

What inspires you?
It sounds cliché but I really do get inspired by most things. I think I go through phases with my inspirations as I do with my day to day styles. At the moment I love really colourful work and find a lot of inspiration for this in modern interior design magazines and high street shops like the US urban outfitters. My taste really does vary though as I love really traditional art and design as well as quiet graphic work. I think because I dabble in so many crafts I can be inspired by so many things.

Do you think being in the UK has had any effect (positive or negative) on the experience of starting out as an indie seller, compared to, say, the US?
I’m not sure as I’m just starting out really, I guess the internet is where it’s at in this kind of business nowadays and Etsy although an amazing community, being based in the US I sometimes feel we don’t benefit from the face to face communities that Etsy clearly has. I would love it if we in the UK had an Etsy equivalent; I think it would open up opportunities to UK crafters.

What other website would you recommend?
I read so many blogs on a daily basis, one that I really love is www.mypapercrane.com I love her work and love reading about her life, I’m ever so jealous of her!

There are lots of different styles of felt pods in her Etsy shop, including robots and podzillas, but my absolute favourite has to be the Ladypod (shown, right) which I absolutely adore! I nearly want to buy an IPod just so I can buy this cover. Strawberrykitten also sells beautiful handmade silver rings, and will make custom feltpods on request.