This week we got to meet the wonderfully talented Needle Felting Artist and YouTuber, Pippa from Felts by Philippa.
The full interview replay is available to watch inside the membership, which is now open to new members, but here is an overview of the interview:
Philippa (AKA Pippa) is currently based in Holmfirth, (which is also home to the British sitcom 'Last of the Summer Wine') in Yorkshire. She has transformed her passion for 3D needle felting into a thriving business, complete with a popular YouTube channel, Etsy shop, and a growing Patreon community.
After noticing a lack of helpful videos for beginner needle felters, Pippa was motivated to start her own YouTube channel during lockdown. She wanted to create the type of videos that she herself would have benefitted from, such as what are the different types of needles used for and does the type of felting mat you choose make a difference? Initially hesitant about showing her face on camera, Pippa had great feedback on her first few videos and this helped grow her confidence and motivated her to continue creating more needle felting content. Her channel now serves as a valuable resource for beginners, offering short, informative tutorials that fill a gap in the online needle felting community.
Pippa is fully transparent on her YouTube channel especially with a view to helping others start their own felting business, such as by encouraging felters to attend craft fairs. She gives honest, practical advice and the over 87,000 subscribers on her channel testify to just how much her content is appreciated in the needle felting community.
One of the things that really stood out to me is that Pippa really values being able to help others on their needle felting journey in any way she can. She provides an abundance of free content on her YouTube channel, but she also has a value packed Patreon membership where she offers extra support, exclusive tutorials and a thriving community. She also creates some comprehensive online courses for anyone wanting to learn more in depth 3D felting techniques.
In addition to the above, Pippa also has a successful Etsy shop where she sells her own kits and products. Etsy can be challenging for new shop owners and she explained the importance of consistent effort and high-quality photography for anyone wanting to start growing a business using this platform.
You can also purchase directly from her website. Her kits are absolutely beautiful and all have complete video tutorials to accompany them on her YouTube channel. Check a couple of her kits out below:
All the magic: her kits, content creation, paperwork and felting, happens in her beautiful craft room, which once upon a time was her hubby's lockdown office. She saw it had massive potential as her perfect crafting space, and now spends most of her day in there between keeping on top of her dogs' and family's needs... along with her must-have cup of tea on the go of course!(I approve fellow tea addict!)
Pippa in her craft room:
We got to see some of her incredible felting makes including this picture of one of her favourites: this adorable commissioned Shetland pony. One of the downsides to commissions is having to part with the finished makes, but the owner of this beauty loved it so much that she was moved to tears, and that reaction was priceless for Pippa; one that she'll no doubt never forget!
Throughout the interview, Pippa emphasised the importance of pursuing passion projects, and her final words of wisdom were to pick the projects that interest you the most, and she encouraged 'practice, practice, practice' to improve your needle felting skills. Wise words indeed! Pippa's journey is a testament to the power of creativity, community, and perseverance in building a successful business.
Thanks so much again for coming to meet us Philippa. It was a real pleasure and I can't wait to see the progress on your future felting goals. (Spoiler alert: She has some new online courses coming up, as well as an exciting new product release planned on the lead up to xmas, AND plans to design a high quality, beginner friendly book!) We will eagerly watch this space Pippa ?
To see more from Pippa, please visit her links below:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felts_by_philippa/
Website: https://www.feltsbyphilippa.com/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@feltsbyphilippa
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/FeltsByPhilippa