Meet Your (Etsy) Maker: Palm-Sized Woolen Wildlife by DaliaNerijusFelt

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Photos: Etsy

Since it was founded in 2005, Etsy has been the ultimate source for one-stop shopping for people who want to buy unique handmade goods and curated vintage finds. The Brooklyn-based site now boasts 24 million active shoppers —who peruse 1.6 million online shops — and raked in $2.39 billion in gross merchandise sales in 2015 alone.

In this new feature, we dive deep into our favorite Etsy shops — beyond the product pics and shipping fees — to meet the talented people who run them, and offer an inside look at what it’s like to be a part of a cultural phenomenon that has brought international recognition to obscure of artisans.

Shop: DaliaNerijusFelt

Designer: Dalia and Nerijus Kisieliai

Location: Vilnius, Lithuania

Opened: Dec. 16, 2012

What it sells: Adorable hand-crafted felt creatures and fuzzy objets d’art, woven from the wool of a flock of long-horned Lithuanian heritage sheep.

Yahoo Style loves: Needle-felted chick, ($76); needle-felted hedgehog; ($24), needle-felted rabbit, ($58).

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Dalia and Nerijus Kisieliai with two lambs from their sheep herd.

What was your inspiration moment to start the shop?
We both studied sculpture at The Vilnius Academy of Arts, working mainly with wood and bronze. Then, after graduating in 2004, we began farming with a small flock of sheep called Šiurkščiavilnės — Lithuanian heritage sheep with long hair and horns. We cut their wool two times a year, and we did not know where to put it or what to do with it.

So first, we used our sculpture skills and tried to form the wool with a needle, and ended up creating our first angels and animal reliefs. Later, we discovered wet felting online and made some wallhangings, slippers, clothes, and took some felting courses.

In 2006, we started selling our felted products, mostly in Lithuanian trade fairs. We arranged some felting art exhibitions here in Lithuania, and in Finland and Norway. But we wanted to grow our business — and we found that, by selling on Etsy, we could find customers in other countries: mostly [in the] U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and Europe.

Did you have a moment you thought you might give up?
No, never!

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(Photos: @dnfelt/Instagram)

What’s the weirdest or most memorable customization you’ve ever been asked to do?

It was in 2015 — we were asked to a felt Jewish angel with three pairs of wings. It was very interesting project. Most of the items we sell are made already — customers often ask us to make the same items that have been previously sold out.

When have you felt most competitive on Etsy?
We felt competitive every time because there are many nice and professional shops.

How many products did you sell on your biggest day?
We once sold five orders in a day, as well as a month with 31 orders. The process of felting is time-consuming: Small miniatures take two to five hours to create; angels and wall hangings take two to four days, and larger horses and reindeer can take up to five days.

Which Etsy shops are you obsessed with?
We like Daria Lvovsky’s shop on Etsy.

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(Photo: Etsy)

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