Custom Needle Felted Cat Portraits: Maxie and Felix's Story

Last year I launched my needle felting business online, starting from zero followers on Facebook. Most groups banned promotions, so I just quietly shared photos of my work and hoped someone would notice. I understood how hard it was to trust a stranger on the internet with something as personal as a pet portrait, especially one shipping from Shanghai. But slowly, a few people took a chance on me.

Britt Schiks was one of them.

The Commission: Two Cats, Two Personalities

Britt reached out and asked me to create needle felted portraits of her two cats, Maxie and Felix. She sent me a batch of photos and told me about each of them. Maxie had this calm, regal look. Felix was more of a goofball. Getting their expressions right mattered more to me than getting the fur color perfect, because that's what makes a custom cat portrait feel like the actual cat and not just a generic tabby.

When Britt mentioned she'd be visiting Shanghai the following year, I knew I had time to get it right. I spent weeks on each piece, layering the wool, adjusting the eyes over and over. Maxie's gaze took the longest. There's a specific kind of calm in some cats' faces that's surprisingly hard to capture in wool.

Meeting in Person

In March 2025, Britt flew to Shanghai and we met in person. I handed her the two finished portraits. She held them up next to her phone photos and just looked back and forth for a while. That moment is the reason I do this work. Not because of anything dramatic, but because I could tell she recognized them. They looked like her cats.

What I Learned From This Project

This was one of my earlier commissions, and it taught me a lot. International clients often can't pick up their order in person, so I've since improved my packaging and shipping process. But the core of the work hasn't changed: someone sends me photos of their pet, I study the details, and I try to make something that looks like the specific animal they love, not a generic version of the breed.

If you're curious about how the ordering process works, I wrote a full guide here: How to Order a Custom Needle Felted Pet Portrait.

And if you'd like to see pricing or start a custom needle felted pet portrait of your own, you can check the pricing page or contact me directly!