I've discovered that I can make handfelted dragons! I needle felt them out of wool roving, using cotton pipecleaners to make them bendable. Since I'm offering some for the Biological Reverse Kickstarter, I thought I should post some pictures of ones I've already made and found homes for! EDIT: since people have told me I should sell these, I turned this thread into a Digital Market thread! If you want to buy one, you can!!! Scroll to the bottom and you should see a big black box with options for payment!
If you're looking for a dragon for a child, you might be interested in my Fairy+Dragon Child's Deal, where I sell a dragon that's less-detailed but just as durable, as well as a fairy, for $38 (not including shipping).
Please forgive my photography skills: They are not the best, nor is my camera! *(if you click on any of the images, you'll be taken to a full-size version of that image!)
Of course, these are all one of a kind. My dragons always turn out a bit different, with their own personalities. You can specify color(s), tail type, horn type, theme, spikes, etc. They each take about two weeks to make. If you need them ASAP, moosage me and I might be able to "rush order" them.
Here's a list of all the colors I currently have in stock!
I will moosage you pictures of the dragon in process and before mailing, to ensure you are pleased with your new little dragon!
(I honestly have never shipped internationally, so I don't know what the shipping cost will be. Probably more than $15....)
If you order more than one item from me, I will refund any extra shipping
It will take approximtely 1-2 weeks for me to custom-make a dragon. If you need it ASAP, moosage me, and I might be able to make it quicker.
$115.00
Dragons! (needle-felted by hand, made to order, non-toxic wool dragons) - US shipping
The pre-shipping cost is $105.00.
If you order more than one item, I will refund all extra shipping costs (either via paypal, or I can mail a check along with your package)
If you add those pictures as attachments here at permies.com, then when FaceHugger changes its linking policy, they will still be here. I've taken to doing that rather than at my InfernalNet image host since those things change over time.
And I am interested in the answer to Shawn's question.
I am thinking of selling them! I'm still trying to figure out a good price for them. Looking at etsy, needle felted dragons range from $10 to $200+. The $200+ ones are works of art with amazing detail. The $10 ones aren't detailed or well felted. I'm thinking $30+shipping is a good price for mine? I spend about 4-6 hours on each one (actual working time--it usually takes me a few days to make them as I'm felting while watching my kids), and they take about $5 in supplies.
I'm not very good at pricing things, especially as I hate encountering things outside of my budget, and so I don't want to price these outside of other people's budget, especially if they are for someone's kid. What do you guys think is a reasonable price?
Maybe sell for more, maybe USD$50-100
Maybe sell DIY kits for USD $20-30
I like the idea of kits because that gives people an affordable alternative to the finished product. They make the kit and either discover a new skill they love or understand how difficult it is and that it really is worth the asking price for the finished item.
It's like my yarn. It's expencive. I couldn't afford it but many can. If someone cannot afford it but wants yarn like this, then I teach them to make their own. Usually, those people end up my best customers because they learn the difference between yarn and a good yarn and that a good yarn takes a lot of time and skill. Selling kits might be a good way to sell more dragons. Gorgeous dragons!
4-6 hours. That's $40-60 for your time minimum, plus supplies. = wholesale price.
$75-100 range would be a sustainable retail price.
Time to assemble a kit - at a guess. about 30 min (if you include sourcing materials, making the pattern/instructions, taking pictures) per kit. Plus material cost. Plus packaging. = $15-ish wholesale. $25-ish retail.
It's hard to figure out how to do a DIY kit. There's already a few out there on etsy for needle-felted dragons. But, what the person gets is a ball of fluff, some pipecleaners, and some felting needles. Needle felting isn't like sewing...you just kind of poke at the thing and add more fluff until it looks right...at least, that's what I do! It looks like some people have made instructions and stencils for doing so, but I just don't quite know how to streemline my own process like that...and the kit costs about as much as some of the dragons (though, you can reuse the felting needles if you don't break them. I broke 8 of mine before I got the hang of it!)
Maybe in time I'll be able to make a tutorial. Maybe if I did a video, that would help. But, since I take so much time just fiddling with mine and don't have a streamlined process, I'm probably not the best person to make such a video!
Maybe I could charge $50 for the dragon, and $16 for the fairies, with a 1 time coupon for a fairy+dragon combo for children that is $46 total? Then I don't feel bad that I'm depriving parents of the ability to buy their kid a non-toxic, imaginative toy, while still charging more for for people who just want a dragon for decoration. Sure, people might abuse the coupon. But, since I was planning to charge that price anyway, I won't feel too horrible. And, I'll be able to say "One Per Household" so people don't just buy a ton of them. I don't have time to make a ton, anyway!
My daughter and her friends love reading the Wings of Fire book series. For her friend's birthday, I made her the Rainwing dragon, Glory, from the book series.