Sassa Lynne - an introduction

Here's a little introduction, and an explanation as to why I belong in the Felting Team!

My name is Myfanwy and my shop is Sassa Lynne at Etsy. I am based in the UK and stock a variety of hand-dyed items, from thread to yarns, fibres and textile art packs. Occasionally I have listed other items too, and currently there is one small piece of textile art , but not much indication of felting! So why am I here?

I was first introduced to wet felting when I studied for my City and Guilds certificate in Embroidery. This was in 1990, and seems a lifetime away now. I was introduced to dyeing at the same time and loved them both. However, my passion at the time was stitching, so that's how my dyed threads were put to use. At about the same time I began retailing other embroidery supplies under the name of Winifred Cottage, and that is still in business, with a lousy website that belies the amount of stock that we carry! I have carried on stitching, and have been teaching various techniques for some time now.

In about 2003 I saw an advert that eventually changed my direction. It was a magazine from the US, and mentioned a machine called The Embellisher. The moment I read the advert I knew I needed one! I 'needed' it to make new surfaces for my stitching. There were none in the UK, however, and I had to wait a while before I could get one. In fact, I bought the first one in the country! It is used with a variety of fibres and fabrics, and, of course, stitching can indeed be added to the surfaces that are created. Almost completely by chance I invented a fabric using fibres and very fine chiffon scarves. These are two fibres that wouldn't normally felt together and as the resulting light fabric is a suitable for decorative or practical use. Because it is 'new' it is called Nuvo Felt. Instructions are in my book 'The Embellisher: Let's Get Started'

I haven't included any pictures of my work, I will do this in a future post.

- What is your biggest challenge when it comes to running your shop?
I woud say that the biggest challenge is keeping it stocked! My aim is to get to 100 items, but somehow the photographs etc take so long I just haven't yet got there!  It's a question of juggling real life and Etsy!

- What other shops out there do you love (not necesserely textile)?
One of my favourite shops is MakeYourPresentsFelt. I love the way she presents her items too.

- What item in your shop would you most like to receive as a gift if someone were shopping for you?

This colourway is one that I haven't used before. It is a good idea to try something different. This combination really was the result of a 'happy accident' and I love it!

- What are your future plans concerning felting and your shop?..
It is unlikely that I will introduce any felted items to the shop, but I will be adding more fibres.

One of my other blogs features Etsy artists.  This post here features a few members of the Etsy Felting Team.