Having 'Fenn' in The Felt Hub!
We had the privilege of meeting Sandy from Lincolnshire Fenn/ The Felt Hub last night. Read the overview of our interview below 🤩:
Based in the heart of Lincolnshire, Sandy is a creative entrepreneur with a rich blend of Welsh and Yorkshire heritage and a passion for creativity!
Her journey into felting began in 2013 after attending a craft fair where her first experience of felting was wet felting. Soon she discovered needle felting and quickly fell in love! She started creating simple projects which led to her starting to sell her makes at shows. At one such show, she was thrilled to win an award at the Lincolnshire Show for her craft stall, where she included interactive demonstrations of needle felting.
Sandy started selling on Etsy and Ebay, and later set up her website. Initially known as Lincolnshire Fenn Crafts, Sandy would often be found packing up physical kits and products which she shipped all over the world. In addition to her online activities, Sandy was once featured in a craft-related television series, which helped to accelerate the growth of her business.
In recent years, Sandy has been redefining her business model, and has shifted her focus away from physical products, and on to her main passion of content creation. She now regularly creates videos and tutorials for her fast growing YouTube channel, as well as uploading useful resources and information to her blog and website.
As Sandy's journey evolved following some challenges, The Felt Hub, which Sandy calls her 'love child' was born. The Felt Hub blog includes a wide range of content, such as beginner guides, project ideas, and links to her YouTube videos, and it attracts approximately 20,000 visitors every month, highlighting just how popular our amazing needle felting niche is!😍
Sandy's online presence also includes her flourishing Facebook community, where she now has 15,000 followers, and her YouTube channel The Felt Hub, where she has over 25,000 subscribers.
Sandy has a weekly video series 'Top Tip Tuesday', where she shares needle felting tips and techniques. She also shares tutorials which are designed to empower beginners, encouraging them to enjoy the craft without the pressure of achieving perfection. Her advice to new felters is to start small and master the basics before progressing to more complex projects. She encourages crafters to focus on the process rather than the end result, encouraging a mindset that values creativity and personal expression over perfection. Wise words indeed!
When talking about the pros and cons of running her own business, Sandy told us she appreciates the freedom and control that come with working for herself including working through the night, and setting her own hours. She acknowledged the challenges of managing social media and said how important she finds setting deadlines to help her maintain focus and productivity. I wholeheartedly agree!
We had major craft room envy when we saw Sandy's amazing crafting setup. 😍 It looks absolutely beautiful, and includes a dedicated workspace with an incredible height adjustable table, that accommodates both standing and seated crafting, which is perfect for her video tutorials!
Sandy loves her creative community and seeing what people create from her tutorials. She believes that crafting can serve as a therapeutic outlet, helping individuals cope with feelings of isolation and anxiety. I loved this message of 'crafts as therapy', as this is something I have felt personally in my journey with chronic illness, and it also resonates with her audience. If you have yet to pick up your felting needles, then don't delay, start needle felting today!
There is currently an amazing prize giveaway on Sandy's Facebook page, so please check it out below:
Sandy also told us about something very exciting coming soon on her YouTube channel. but we are sworn to secrecy! 🤐 You will definitely want to keep an eye out for updates as she announces it on her Facebook page soon! EEK! Exciting! 🤩
Whether you're a seasoned crafter or just starting, Sandy will be a great support on your creative journey. Please find her on the links below:
Blog: https://needlefeltingtutorials.co.uk
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thefelthub
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/www.thefelthub
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lincolnshirefenn/
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/lincolnshirefen/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thefelthub
Thank you once again for meeting us Sandy. We loved every minute (apart from my technical glitches 😆!)
