Hi!

Thanks for stopping by my page! I’m Cathy (or, as I’m known by many, Catherine) and I’m the artist behind Birds of a Felter. Career-wise, my path towards needle felting has been long and winding – I’ve been a graphic designer, a wedding cake decorator, a sugar and gingerbread artist, and a college pastry instructor, among other things! I also wrote and photographed a book on gingerbread (it’s out of print now, but you can still find copies here!)

Other than teaching, my career in the edible arts is mostly behind me now, but in my constant quest for a creative outlet, I recently discovered needle felting - the art of shaping wool fibres with barbed needles by repeatedly stabbing them, thousands and thousands of times.

Growing up, I loved stuffed animals. My room was filled with them, from a treasured wrinkly elephant to a seven foot tall pink flamingo. As an adult, I still have many of them, and I can't resist buying a new one every now and then! When I first picked up a felting needle in 2022, I realized I'd found a way to craft my own collection of soft creatures for the world to love. I first intended to “specialize” in birds – hence my business name – but it didn’t take me long to realize that there were many other types of animals I wanted to make, and the list grows by the day.

I have much more to learn, but I felt ready to open up a little online shop to showcase my art and hopefully give people the chance to enjoy my felted creatures as much as I do. For now, I’ll be updating my shop with finished pieces, but in the future I hope to add to it with kits, tutorials, and workshops. Feel free to browse, and if you’d like to see more, check out my Instagram page.