From Classroom to Craft: Lisa ~ Felts Forever
Last week we got to meet the lovely Lisa from Felts forever.
The full interview replay is available to watch inside the membership, which is now open to new members, but read the overview of the interview below to learn more about Lisa and her wonderful business.
It was such a privilege to meet Lisa, the creative force behind Felts Forever. Her entrepreneurial journey began in the most unexpected of placesβa classroom. She stumbled upon needle felting as a way to escape the stresses of everyday teaching. Little did she know that this stress-relieving hobby would go on to become a thriving business.
Read on to find out the highlights of her inspiring story. π
How it all started:
As many of us can relate, Lisa was looking for a hobby to help her deal with the everyday stresses she came across at work, and she discovered the perfect one- needle felting! It started as a secret that she kept tucked away in her drawer at work, where she would regularly stab out her daily frustrations on her stash of unsuspecting wool.
It wasn't long before the secret was out as her colleagues caught wind of her needle felted creations and were instantly intrigued!
Before she knew it, Lisa was hosting workshops, sharing her newfound passion with others. This opened up a whole new world of opportunities, including collaborations with the Women's Institute (WI). Her hobby was slowly but surely transforming into a side business.
First projects:
We got a glimpse at Lisa's very first creations, which should inspire anyone that we all start somewhere, and with a little bit of practice and refinement, there is no limit to what you can create!
Her first creation was a bright and colourful one, sure to put a smile on anyone's face!
Her very next project was just a little bit bigger, as you can see below, and absolutely phenomenal! This gorgeous character taught Lisa a lot, and gave her confidence to continue, especially as when people got to see him on Facebook, she was contacted by magazines for interviews!
Lisa's first felts:
He is where her love of characters really began!
From Hobby to Hustle:
The real turning point for taking Lisa's work from a mere hobby to a serious side hustle came when a friend gave her a push, and booked a table for her at a local Christmas fair. Lisa was hesitant at first, but to her surprise, she sold out of all of her creations!
This success led to her daughter helping her set up a Facebook page. Now all she needed was a name! At first, Lisa thought she would call it "Felt by Lisa" but when her husband commented that he didn't know why she was making a page, because soon enough she'd find another craft that she liked, Lisa replied: "No, honestly I can see me doing Felts Forever!" And so "Felts Forever" was born, and the anniversary of her Facebook group was actually 13 years ago last Tuesday- am amazing achievement!
Once she had officially launched her business, things just took off. Lisa's very first commission came all the way from Australia, and as she progressed, she started to slowly scale back her teaching hours to have more time to focus on her business.
Now, Lisa's felting has gone from strength to strength and her felted creations are sold to people all over the world! And she was even asked to create felted characters for Townley Hall's Mouse trail, so she has a whole set of Townley mice you should check out if ever you visit!
Check out some of her work π
Toadstool, Troll and a Townley Mouse (Mice are on display at Townley Hall)
From Teaching to... Teaching!
With Lisa's background in teaching, a natural progression in her felting career was to start teaching.
As well as teaching in person workshops through the WI and from home, she also developed detailed tutorials and kits, prioritising high-quality video tutorials that guide users step-by-step. Hours and hours of work goes into each and every tutorial as she films her entire process including how to rectify mistakes.
Her workshops and online presence have cultivated a loyal customer base. So much so that her workshops often sell out as soon as she posts dates!
Some of Lisa's Tutorials available on her site:
Immersive Experiences
In addition to her workshops and online tutorials, Lisa told us that she also hosts residential retreats, where participants can immerse themselves in needle felting over a whole weekend of fun filled activities with likeminded crafters.
Meticulously curated, her retreats offer a supportive environment for creativity and connection. Each retreat has its own theme and the participants get to choose the projects they want to create.
She was actually running one this weekend and they sound like a felter's dream. If you want to try one, sign up to Lisa's email list and be the first to hear when her next ones will be running.
Set up at one of Lisa's recent retreats:
The Art of Saying No:
Something that impressed me about Lisa is the way she is determined to keep her passion for felting at the forefront of everything. Too often when artists turn their hobby into a business, it can lead to them losing their passion and joy as it just becomes work.
In order to make sure she always keeps her passion for felting alive, Lisa focuses on projects that inspire her, avoiding opportunities that could detract from her joy in the craft. This has meant she has had to learn to say no to projects which do not light her up, and only take on commissions if they are something she can genuinely feel excited about.
This approach means that she can give 100% on every project and ensure she enjoys the process. It has also helped her maintain her enthusiasm and avoid burnout.
If you are in danger of losing your enthusiasm, then why not take a leaf out of Lisa's book, and become mindful of ways you can reignite your passion for your craft, perhaps by only taking on projects that light you up, or giving yourself time to have some creative freedom to connect with felting again!
Superwoman?:
We couldn't believe meeting Lisa just how busy she is! You only have to look at her opening hours on her website, where every day of the week Monday-Sunday is listed: Open ALL DAY!
We thought that maybe she has a 38 hour day, but no, she just manages to cram a lot into her long days ( and I am convinced that she is Superwoman.π¦ΈββοΈπ )
Despite her husband thinking that she is just stabbing away in the conservatory all day, Lisa works hard in all aspects of her business. She designs new projects and kits, prepares for workshops, plans out retreats (including making mock ups of each item her students want to make AND starting off all the projects with armatures and core wool).
In addition to this and the every day tasks of running of a business, Lisa also takes on commissions, including memorial pieces for people's precious pets.
A couple of Lisa's commissions, including one made almost entirely of the dog's own fur):
And something that Lisa casually mentioned at the end was that she also processes her own fleeces from local farmers in her area- a full time job in itself!
If you can bottle your energy Lisa, can you send some my way please!ππ
Pricing Projects:
Pricing in the craft industry is particularly difficult, finding a delicate balance between getting paid fairly for the hours of work that goes into each item, whilst making it an price attractive enough to the customer to part with their cash.
Lisa acknowledged that pricing her felted creations is something she finds a real challenge, given the time and effort invested in each piece, and how attached you can get to a piece that you have worked so hard to create.
She has though, come up with a method for pricing that works for her, and I loved this approach. She thinks about the minimum price she would be willing to accept if it meant never getting to see her felted creation again. This ensures she will never sell for less than she is comfortable with, holding out for the perfect buyer who will appreciate the love, time and skill that goes into each piece.
Words of Wisdom:
Lisa's parting words offered valuable advice to those looking to start selling their work: remain true to yourself and persist through challenges. What great advice!
Lisa's story is a testament to the power of passion and authenticity in the creative arts. Her journey from classroom to craft has been marked by growth, creativity, and a profound appreciation for the art of needle felting. And her journey shows how a simple hobby can evolve into a fulfilling career.
It's all about following your passion, embracing opportunities, and sometimes, just taking that leap of faith. So, if you've got a hobby you love, who knows where it might lead you? Keep creating, keep dreaming, and maybe one day, you'll have a story like Lisa's to share!
It was a real treat to get to meet the creator of Felts Forever. Thank you so much once again for joining us Lisa. We look forward to keeping in touch and perhaps even meeting in person in the future! π
I am confident you will love meeting Lisa as much as we did, whether in person, on a workshop or retreat, or online through social media, or one of her tutorials.
To keep up with Lisa, you can find her at:
Website: https://www.feltsforever.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FeltsForever/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FeltsForever/
