When Nailsworth resident Jacky Smith began self-isolating last year, she wondered how on earth she was going to occupy herself, writes Katie Jarvis.

Her shielding status meant most friends and family could only wave through the window.

Even husband, Roger, and daughter, Lottie – who have been wonderful supports - had to keep their distance at home. ‘I needed something to take my mind off all that was happening,’ Jacky recalls.

Luckily, a few months previously, she’d visited Hampton Court’s Handmade Fair and – much to their mutual surprise – bumped into stallholder Steffi Stern from Nailsworth craft emporium The Makerss.

And so it was, as lockdown dragged, that Jacky got out the needles and wool she’d bought and decided to give felting a go.

Following online tutorials, craft books and advice from Steffi, she began to create animals and scenes from nature using just photos as her ‘patterns’.

And the results are stunning.

Perhaps it’s not surprising, considering the care and attention (not to mention natural talent) that Jacky puts in. Some wool ‘sculptures’, such as a 2ft hare, take up to three weeks to accomplish.

‘I find a photograph of a skeleton of an animal and make the bone structure with wire. Then I try to create the character. I can never make two things exactly the same. I feel the wool makes itself when I’m felting,’ she says. ‘It’s almost magic; as if the wool finds its own shape.’

To begin with, Jacky’s felt animals – birds, foxes, tortoises – were just for her own enjoyment.

But when someone got wind of what she was doing, they asked for a felt version of the family’s pet spaniel for their granddaughter to take to university. And, from there, a small business is growing.

‘I only ever started this to help me cope with being on my own so much of the time,’ Jacky said. ‘I did run a pet-care service, Pads ‘n’ Paws, before lockdown, which I had to pause. But, now, a lot of my clients are asking me to do their dogs for them!’ She also recreates two-dimensional scenes from photographs, including people’s favourite beaches and countryside landscapes.

‘Felting has been my saviour,’ Jacky says. ‘For anyone else feeling the frustration of lockdown, I’d advise them to find something creative to do. The best advice I can give is not to compare your work to anyone else’s. Just enjoy it, and use it to take your mind away from all the stress of the outside world.’

You can see more of Jacky’s work on her Instagram page, jackysmithfelting.