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Lita Ashley Needle Felting Artist
I met Lita thru the Needle Felting Fun Yahoo Group and had the great pleasure of Interviewing her recently. See transcript that follows: Hello Lita! Just got a few questions to help us get to know you better. Hi Linda, Sure I don’t mind. J 1) Can you share where you are from and a little about yourself? Well, I’m Welsh and live in rural Lincolnshire in U.K. flat farming country. I'm married and have two grown up daughters and 4 grand kids, two of each kind! I had to give up work over 7 years ago due to ill health and needed to find something to occupy me to stop me going crazy with boredom, I wish I'd found it sooner! 2) How long have you been needle felting? I think a little over 2 years now! 3) How did you learn it? Was there someone particular that introduced you to it? I took an online class but didn't learn too much so am pretty much self taught. I prefer the hands on approach and I'm too much of a rebel to stick to rules, LOL. I find rules stifle creativity! 4) Why do you like it? Do you combine it with other forms of felting like wet felting, machine felting? I love the freedom of creating a little creature with a personality from just some fleece/roving and barbed needles. I've never combined it with other forms of felting but have used it on knitted and crochet critters. 5) Is needle felting your hobby or your full time job/career? Do you teach needle felting? At a physical location or thru online classes? If online, where at? It's mostly a hobby but I do sell my work on eBay. I haven't taught it as such but given demonstrations to seniors in sheltered housing. 6) Do you have a website, brick and mortar store or location, ebay, etsy, flicker, picturetrail etc site? eBay id: lita28mya Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/lita_ashley/ 7) Do you have any tips, advice, articles, recommendations or tutorials you would like to share? I recommend joining a group such as Needle Felting Fun, a Yahoo group and free to join. Getting help and encouragement is a great way to get started and also a great resource of information and tutorials. 8) Do you use one needle or multiple needles? I use just one needle as I make miniature critters nothing bigger than 5 inches tall. I make miniature animals and have recently started to felt little dolls. 9) Do you have a favorite type of wool for core and surface work that is your main wool? New Zealand Corriedale is my favorite at the moment but Romney is good too and Merino is so soft but takes a lot more work to felt. I don't usually use a core fiber as with such tiny creations it's more trouble than it's worth. 10) Do you use armatures in your felties? I have only used armatures in tails so far. 11) Anything you would like to share that you feel is your particular style, preference etc that you want to share? I think anyone seeing my work would tell you that I love color, pink foxes, yellow bunnies and so on. I also make anime critters but mostly cute I think is how I'd term them overall. 12) What photo's of your needle felted creations would you like to share and what would you like us to know about them? My foxes I think and maybe a cat I made for IDDEX the doll and Bear expo in Las Vegas 2007 13) Anything else? I find felting very relaxing but also stimulating and I have more ideas than I can ever find the time to get done.
Thanks Lita! With so many people looking for info about needle felting, your interview will be a wonderful resource for them. Thank-you for taking the time to share with all of us newbie needle felters!!
If you enjoyed Lita’s interview, Please email her and let her know: Litaashley28 [at] aol [dot] com
Please let her know you found her right here at NeedleFeltingFans.com J
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