r/Felting

[THIS PROMOTIONAL IMAGE WAS USED ON THEIR SITE BY MISTAKE. PLEASE READ THE EDIT AND TL;DR BELOW FOR CONTEXT BEFORE RESPONDING TO THIS POST.]

I was about to fill up a cart when this promo banner caught my eye, and not for the right reasons. It's AI-generated. The wool is weirdly uniform and the "mohair" curls are unrealistically even. The acorns are the most obvious AI tell, since they're equally fucked up. One is sideways, and another has two butts and one cap.

LivingFelt has scads of listings that feature actual human artists' work, so this feels like a huge let-down. It hurts even more since I've been using the site as my main wool supplier.

It's just so sad, especially when they've given me handwritten thank-you notes on my receipts before. Where did that human touch go?

[EDIT] - I did get a response, which I am posting below:

"Thank you for pointing that out, we all agree. This was one of a few AI generated images from a new offsite graphics designer - using our own creations as models. Marie and Rodney were both unhappy when they saw them and had them removed immediately. This one managed to slip by. We love our artists and have been supporting and showcasing their work since the first day of business! We appreciate the dialogue and for [being] the person who pointed this out!"

TL;DR - An offsite designer made the AI banner and it was mistakenly in rotation on the website. The banner has since been removed.

Felting Fairies do listen!!!

I made this lil guy for a friend’s birthday! I am new to felting but have made smaller animals in the past. I didn’t use a kit for this panda. I looked at some reference pictures online and then started felting. I’m happy with how the birthday hat came out. Originally, I was planning on felting the string but it was coming out too thick and was hard to tie, so I just used twine and felted it onto the hat.

I'm planning to be Emily from Tim Burton's Corpse Bride for Halloween. One accessory down, now just the rest of the costume to go!

Just finished this little handmade sparrow 🐦✨

I wanted to make the feather pattern detailed without losing the soft handmade wool texture, so I built up the markings on the wings and tail in lots of tiny layers. The chest spots and miniature feet were probably the fiddliest parts.

Seeing the finished bird sitting in my hand after spending so long staring at all those little details is always strangely satisfying. 🤎

I had always wanted to try needle felting, so I gave it a go with my friends character. I enjoyed it as much as i thought i would, so now im making one for me!

They have a metal wire core, so they are poseable! Clothes made by me. Shoes are real leather!

I’ve made a few one off samples before, but this is my first time using a professional shoe lasts to complete a pair!

I’ve realized that the left shoe is a bit bulkier than the right, so I’m going to go back in and full it a little more in hopes of shrinking/felting the wool some more.

Overall, making felt shoes is a pretty fun and relatively beginner project!

Quite pleased with my first attempt. This was a felting kit. The instructions were easy enough, but I got better at manipulating the felt as I went along. The eyes were particularly hard. Trying to get them the same and level. I think looking back, I would have been better to use plastic eyes. I've now got the bug. What next?