Dani Ives | Fiber Artist & Educator

Oops… here I go recommending needle felting again 🙃 But seriously—if you’re looking for something fun, creative, and weirdly satisfying… welcome to the wool side. 🧶 I’ve got beginner-friendly kits, free resources, and full courses if you’re ready to try it. Links in bio!

🎨 Welcome to My Needle Felting World! Swipe through to explore what I do as a Fiber Artist and Educator. From vibrant original artworks to personalized commissions to engaging learning opportunities, I’ve got something for everyone. 🌟 ⭐️If you want to learn how to needle felt: ➡️Check out my popular online courses for beginners or master the art of animal portraits with the in-depth Best Portrait Courses. ➡️Looking for felting supplies or a ready-to-start project? Check out my curated DIY Kits. ➡️For a more hands-on experience, join me in one of my workshops, available both in-person and virtually. I teach workshops to all audiences, so please reach out if you want me to teach in your space/shop/school. I can tailor each session to enrich your artistic journey, whether for a general audience or a private group. ⭐️If you want to own a piece of one-of-a-kind fiber art: ➡️Originals are available in my online shop or by commission. Please reach out if you have a specific request. ➡️I offer a limited number of pet portrait commissions each year. Check out my rates and join the waitlist on the Commissions page of my website. ➡️Fine Art prints are a wonderful way to bring a piece from my studio into your home. See selected works in my online shop. 🤝 Let’s work together! If you’re interested in collaborating, learning, or simply wish to bring a piece of my art into your life, reach out at [email protected] or follow my link. I’m here to help you have fun and get creative with needle felting. 🎉

Dani is an award-winning fiber artist based in Northwest Arkansas, known for her extraordinary needle felted works she describes as “painting with wool.” Her practice is rooted in observation, storytelling, and a deep reverence for nature where she captures animals, landscapes, and moments of quiet wonder with incredible depth and detail. Her Murmuration series feels especially powerful in person. Inspired by the sweeping movement of starlings in flight, these pieces speak to community, change, and the beauty of moving together through uncertain seasons. The Behind the Cover show features a 24” x 30” murmuration and six small colorful murmurations, and wow, you all have loved them! With almost the entire collection selling out there is still time to see Dani’s work in person and find your own. These are the kind of pieces that stay with you. Come see them through May!

Paint with wool, blend color like a painter, and discover the magic of needle felting with Dani Ives. In this hands-on workshop, soft fibers and barbed needles become your creative tools as you build richly textured artwork full of color, depth, and personality. Explore playful techniques for layering and blending wool while creating everything from dreamy landscapes and expressive animal portraits to bold abstract pieces. With step-by-step demos, creative experimentation, and lots of individual guidance. Painting with Wool: Exploring Color, Texture & Expression through Needle Felting with Dani Ives Pacific Grove, Campus November 9 - 13, 2026 This workshop is a joyful way to dive into fiber art - whether you’re brand new or ready to try something completely different. #misa #misaworkshop #daniives #fiberart #woolpainting

This is hands down my favorite murmuration. “They Knew the Way By Heart” is 24 x 30 in, needle felted wool on linen. Created for @aboldcollab along with the other small, colorful murms in my last post. (SOLD) This one unlocked something in my artist brain, and it feels as though I just jumped into a new chapter. I can’t define it yet, and I don’t think I need to. But I feel a strange, exciting momentum that I plan to hold onto for as long as I can.

Introducing the latest additions to my murmuration collection. These are on view now through @aboldcollab at @mattmillerstudio . 1. All six new colorful murmurations! 2. And Still, the Light Insisted, 8x8 inches 3. The Sky Was Made of Amethyst, 8x8 in, SOLD 4. Momentary Magenta, 6x6 in 5. Clementine Clouds, 6x6 in, SOLD 6. What Glows When Indigo Dusk Settles, 6x6 in, SOLD 7. Misty Teal Morning, 6x6 in

We lovvvve learning a new craft here at Kaleidoscope ✨ and we had the best time at our needle felting workshop this past weekend with @begoodnatured !

Safe Passage on Tender Ground, 10x10 inches, needle felted wool on linen—currently on view at @antlerpdx for the Forest & Thread exhibition curated by @wildkatstudio . I loved creating with a forest theme in mind, and I knew I needed to go back to my moss and toadstool roots (mycelium 🤓) with this one. It’s been a very long time since a box turtle has graced my easel, and these scale details were very fun!

We’re SO excited to introduce our April Print Club Artist, @begoodnatured ✨🧶 Dani (she/her) is a fiber artist known for her signature needle-felting technique she calls “painting with wool,” creating incredibly lifelike portraits and nature-inspired pieces. With a background in biology and conservation education, her work beautifully explores our relationship with the natural world. 🌿 You might already know Dani from the shop. She leads all of our wool felting workshops and is an incredible teacher. We’re so honored to feature her this month, with purple as her print color theme! 💜 Want one of Dani’s prints? Join Print Club by April 15th to receive her exclusive 5” × 7” print in your mailbox! Our Monthly Print Club features a new artist and color each month. By the end of the year, you’ll have a curated collection that looks so good together on your wall. Each subscription includes a 5” × 7” print and a letter from the artist themself. Tap the link in our bio to learn more and join!

A very rare thing is happening! 👀 I’m teaching a needle felted *sculpting* project for @feltedskystudio ’s subscription box for April! And because I can’t do anything without some whimsy…we’re making an adorable Pig Picnic! 🐷🧺🧁🍓🍌🍉🧀 It has all the essential picnic ingredients, the most important being cheese, obviously. Plus the quintessential red checkered blanket sets the scene! 🟥⬜️ Pop over to @feltedskystudio ’s website to learn more and join their Needle Felting Joy subscription box today! To make your own pig picnic, be sure to join by April 7. 😘

I’m currently working on another wildflower meadow, so I’ve been referencing the layers and flowers of The Gathering Light for inspiration. This piece is now hanging at @ledgerbentonville , but I thought I’d share a few close-ups and progress videos of the wildflower and foreground. 1. Zoomed in on the only Starling in the foreground, sitting on a mossy stump. 2. Video of all 5 feet of wildflowers before the starling was added. 3. Overhead photo showing the giant pile of wool colors used for the meadow. 4. Process video of prepping large areas to needle felt: I tacked in layers of wool to keep them in place with a multi needle tool. 5. Process video: then I used a handheld needle felting machine to secure and firm up the green layer. 6. Process video: each flower and leaf was added individually with one needle. 7. Building the layers one flower at a time. 8. Side view 9. Section of the meadow 10. Another section of the meadow 11. Zoomed in layers 12. Starling close up 13. Close up featuring a ladybug 14. Close up featuring a bumblebee 15. Full view of The Gathering Light installed at @ledgerbentonville .

{Edit: SOLD 🔴} The first Enormous Tiny Art #39 drop at @nahcotta is live and includes my newest murmuration series. I’m so grateful that 5 of the 6 have already been collected! 😱🥰 This one is called Field Notes in Rose, and it’s still looking for a home! 👀 I’m already planning to make more in this series. Tell me what colors you’d like to see!