Fabulous Felts by Anna Leonard

Last month we got to meet the lovely Anna Leonard from Fabulous Felts.

The full interview replay is available to watch for members inside the membership, but read on for an overview of our conversation and to learn more about this talented lady and her felting journey.

Having spent years observing wildlife and the natural world growing up in the Lancashire countryside, Anna would notice all the tiny details that many of us would miss; that would later shine through in her creations.

Read on to find out about about Anna's journey😍

Artistic Background

Before she ever picked up a felting needle, Anna loved drawing. She would often be found in the art room sketching at school in her lunch breaks.

Her artistic background has helped with her understanding of proportion, composition and observation, and has carried through into her felted creations, and she also still does some drawing alongside her felting.

I love that whatever creative background we may have can be built on and help our individual skills to shine through into our work as felting artists.

Felting Discovery

Anna discovered felting quite unexpectedly in a chance encounter with another maker.

Whilst in a job waiting on tables, Anna came across a woman who made adorable little mice into different characters. Intrigued by the craft, she asked what had made her start felting and found out that the woman had actually seen someone else's needle felted work and wanted to give it a try. This in turn made Anna want to try it too, and so she set out to find out more about this wonderful craft!

I always love hearing stories like this because they show how often opportunities appear when we least expect them. It also is a good excuse to take our felting projects with us at every opportunity, even just into a coffee shop, because we never know who we might inspire to pick up a felting needle and have a go. 😍 How grateful we are that Anna had that chance encounter and that know she is able to share her beautiful work with the world.

Mix and Match

Anna's approach to creating isn't rigid. As many creatives, she enjoys a whole host of other crafts such as Chinese brush painting, embroidery and sketching. She loves to take the opportunity to incorporate different techniques into her work. Whether it be wet felting with added stitching, or textured yarns, or adding different techniques into her needle felting, she loves to play around and see how she can make them work together to achieve the result she wants.

I loved this because it's such a freeing way to think about creativity. Sometimes we can get caught up in doing things the way we think we 'should', but Anna's approach is much more about experimentation and problem solving, and in the end it creates her own unique style and one of a kind pieces.

So next time you wonder if you could experiment with different techniques, try it. If it works, it works! If it doesn't, you can always adapt or experiment with something else!

Creating Much Loved Pets

A large part of Anna's work focuses on 3D models of pets, particularly dogs and cats and they are a really good size as you can see here:

As she talked about the process, it became clear just how much care goes into every commission. She starts with a carefully planned structure with strong armatures, secure fixing methods and picks out the right materials for the project, resulting in a beautiful replica of the individual pet.

Each pet model is built up slowly, layer by layer. She requires lots of photographs at different angles and studies them carefully, paying close attention to markings, expressions and posture.

When creating people's beloved pets, Anna is not only creating decorative pieces, but she is very aware that they represent beloved family members, which can hold huge emotional significance for their owners. It's a process that requires patience, observation and a lot of skill, especially as she works hard to capture not just how they look, but their individual characters and personalities.

For anyone interested in commissioning one of Anna's pieces, she shares progress updates throughout the project to create trust and help the customer feel involved in the journey. This way she is able to tweak anything along the way, particularly if the subject has specific markings as photos can be hard to capture every angle.

The Reality Behind the Artwork

For any one who has spent time needle felting, it is clear how many hours must go into Anna's creations. She shared that some pieces take around twenty hours to complete; sometimes much longer depending on the level of detail involved. Every hour represents concentration, experience and countless tiny decisions.

Here are some photos of Anna's work, much of which she will sell at local craft stalls:

I absolutely love the peacock and octopus...aren't they amazing!

Finding Customers Naturally

Finding customers can be a challenge for any business, but rather than relying entirely on social media, Anna has found great success in focusing on local events, such as exhibiting at agricultural and country shows.

It makes perfect sense as these are places filled with people who likely have an appreciation for animals and they are able to see Anna and her work in person. Her gorgeous creations, (especially that peacock) naturally attract attention, which opens up conversations and often leads to commissions.

I think that's a valuable lesson, that sometimes the best place to find customers is to find where your ideal audience already spends their time. And often those face to face conversations can be far more powerful than anything online.

Sharing Her Skills

Alongside commissions and selling at craft stalls, Anna also shares her skills with others by teaching fun filled workshops. She now has some regulars who like to come back again and again as they love learning from her so much.

Anna's approach to teaching sounds like she genuinely enjoys helping others discover what they're capable of. Her workshops are designed to fit around real life, with different session options and small group sizes that allow everyone to receive support. Even more importantly, she's created a lovely sense of community where people encourage one another, share their progress and continue learning together.

As we all know, crafting can sometimes feel quite solitary, so having that connection with others can make such a difference. If you get the opportunity to create with others, either in person like through Anna's, or others workshops or craft groups, or online through sessions like our Felt and Natters, then you will not regret it.

Overcoming Challenges

Running a creative business isn't always straightforward, and Anna spoke honestly about some of the challenges she has faced along the way.

Like many artists, she has had to navigate the ever changing world of online platforms and deal with concerns around protecting her work from being copied.

She also balances work and family life, and has built her business in a way that works for her circumstances rather than trying to squeeze her life around her business. That means being realistic about what’s possible and designing a business that supports that which is a very good lesson for us all.

Looking Ahead

By following her interests, continuing to learn and staying connected to what she loves most, Anna has built a business that feels both meaningful and authentic.

In the future, she hopes to continue growing her teaching, expand her online presence and explore new creative opportunities. There was also talk of possible retreats and some other imaginative future projects, which sound very exciting indeed!

It was such a joy to spend time chatting with you Anna. Thank you so much again for joining us!

If you’d love to watch the full interview and hear even more about her process, it’s available now inside the membership

To keep up with Anna, you can find her at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mixmediacreations

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleonard338