Hi guys! With the attention that my latest Appa feltie has gotten, a lot of questions gave come up about commissions, process and pricing. Here is my attempt to explain it all and invite you to ask any questions you may have!

How much for an Appa/Pabu/Rat/etc?

-Appas with the level of detail like the ones in my gallery are $175, though I can work somewhat bigger within that price range than the ones I have posted.
-Rats without a wire base are $50. See sample: [link]
-Rats with a wire base are $100. See sample: [link]
-I have not made a Pabu yet, so his price will depend on what the commissioner wants.
-Prices can fluctuate based on demand, level of detail (or lack thereof) or how quickly you need an item. Once we settle on a price though, it won't change.

WHY IS IT SO EXPENSIVE?
So here's the deal; I don't sew these guys using a pattern or a sewing machine. They aren't even sewn at all. They are made with a process called needle felting. There are no patterns to be used or made in needle felting. Every project, even if it's the same character in the same pose, starts from scratch.

Needle felting is a very simple but very time consuming process. It uses a needle and fiber, but the similarities to sewing stop there. Check out this video for an explanation: [link]

So with that in mind, I have to set a price that reflects the hours I will spend on a piece, and often the length of hours I spend on a piece is reflected in the level of detail you want. The size of a piece and amount of material used to make it affects my prices *much* less than the hours that I spend on it. A piece that is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand but very detailed (like Appa) would be more expensive versus something larger but much simpler (i.e. a life sized felt watermelon). While wool is very cheap as a material, that allows me to be more flexible in the size of piece that I can make for you for the quoted price. The Appas that I have made so far were requested to be small enough to fit in your hand and highly detailed and the rats were requested to be life-sized to their IRL counterparts.

tl;dr IT TAKES FOREVER!

Do you have any I can buy right now?

Negative. Because felties are so time consuming, I don't have the time to make a stock of them. I work a day job, I freelance and I felt when I have a little downtime or a commission comes in. Plus, it feels more special to me to make one just for a customer and to give them a say in how it will look, etc. I share process photos with the customer so that they can art direct or just see how it's all coming together.

Will you show me how to make an Appa?

Not specifically an Appa, but I will happily direct you to needle felting tutorials online and I am making a video of how I make my rats. The thing is, once you learn the basic process, you can make just about anything, and I'm not BSing you on that one. It's as simple as sculpting, only you can potentially stab yourself more often.

Great felting videos:
[link]
[link]

Also, I post a lot of process photos on my FB page: [link]

So how do I commission you?

Drop me a note and we'll take things over to email! Right now I am backed up until July with commissions, but I am open to talking and sharing ideas for the fall

If I missed anything, please comment and I will add it to the FAQ if it seems pertinent!