Needles, Wool, Mistakes, Advice and the One Tip - Anna Giecco (Felted Fancies)

 

1. How did you discover needle felting, what inspired you to have a go, and what was the first thing you made?

I discovered needle felting when my grandma brought me a needle felting book and some wool. I started teaching myself how to felt and started making small animals to gift to family members. As I started round Christmas time the first project, I felted was a reindeer with a wire armature.

2. Do you have a favourite needle felting artist whose work you follow?

My favourite needle felting artist is @Red.felt on Instagram.

3. Which projects do you find the trickiest and what has been the hardest thing to learn?

I find finishing my personal projects the hardest as I always end up being distracted by other projects I would like to do, so have a lot of half-finished animals! The hardest thing to learn was shaping the wool to the shape that I wanted it to be.

4. What are your favourite needles to use?

I mainly use xs felting needles as they help get a nice smooth finish on the project as well as an xs reverse needle to get longer hair for the animal.

5. What is your favourite type of wool to work with?

I mainly work from carded wool as it comes together quicker than some other types I’ve used.

6. What is the worst piece of advice you keep hearing for needle felters?

The worst advice that I was told when I first started was to find a picture of something I wanted to felt and try to copy that. I found its best to first find your own style then start heading towards realistic felting.

7. What common mistakes do people make when they start out?

I find the most common mistake people make when starting is not adding enough interior wool and then not felting enough before finishing their project.

8. What is the one thing a beginner could learn today that would make a difference to their work?

I would tell a beginner to spend more time working on the inside of their project before decorating it, like adding a wire armature and getting the shape right before starting to decorate their project

About the artist:  

Anna Giecco mainly use Instagram @felted_fancies but use Facebook too.