We have been getting lots of questions from folks wanting to try out new crafts now that most of us are spending a lot more time at home. We're excited that lots of new fiber artists are going to enter the world! Since we're getting so many questions we decided to make a series of blog posts with some basic info to start you off with several different fiber craft disciplines! This week we're going to cover: Needle Felting!
What is needle felting? Needle felting is a method of felting without the use of water, which is used in most other felting applications. The technique employs a barbed or notched needle to tangle the individual fibers together to form images and shapes. The most important needle felting supplies are the needles themselves, felting needles can be used one at a time or in a group utilizing a handle/holder. Single needles are used for details while groups of needles create broader base shapes. You can create both 2D and 3D pieces with wool felting.
In order to create 3D sculptures you will roll your wool up to form 3D shapes and felt around the entirety of the 3D object instead of just one flat side. You will need a foam or sponge surface to work on whether or not you are working flat or three dimensionally. This will protect your table, lap, other work surface from the sharp needles. Needle felting is both additive and subtractive sculpture. You take away from the volume of your sculpture as you poke the needle into the wool and add to the volume when you add new colors or shapes of wool to your piece. The more you poke into your needle felting project the denser your wool will become, creating a more solid sculpture. The great thing about needle felting is that it is super versatile, you can really create any image you would paint on canvas or sculpt with clay with wool.
Starting With A Specific Kit:
If you just want a taste of needle felting and don't have grandiose plans of creating original sculpted works, a kit is a great place to start! We have several needle felting kits that are great for beginners and come with all of the wool, needles, and instructions to make a completed project!
- Going Gnome kits are a fun way to get into needle felting. Their full color instructional booklets are good for beginners to make any of their cute gnomes or woodland critters.
- WoolPets makes cute mostly animal themed kits that have simple shapes for beginners! You will need to purchase a foam felting surface separately.
- We like these Sculpting With Wool egg and heart kits for beginners. You will need to purchase a foam felting surface separately.
Starting Out On Your Own:
If you already had an idea of what you wanted to make and don't want to use a kit that makes a specific design then we still have suggestions for you!
- This Beginner Needle Felting Kit comes with absolutely everything you need to get started with needle felting; 25 of colors of wool, a felting surface, 3 different sized needles, and a booklet of Needle Felting Tips.
- You will break needles, it happens as the wool forms get more dense, or if you happen to jab in at a weird angle. Replacement needles are inexpensive so you might as well stock up! We offer them in both singles and variety packs.
- If you're planning on doing a lot of needle felting it might be helpful to have a tool that can hold multiple needles at once for shaping bases or larger forms. Our Rosie's Felting Needle Tool is a good option. The Ashford Felting Punch can store the needles inside the handle when not in use.
- When you need more wool, almost any wool fiber can be used for needle felting. Frabjous Fibers Gumball Packs are great for getting little tiny bits of color for detail work. Wooly Bully Packs come in nice color selections such as neutrals or pastels. If you need a lot of one specific color we really like Corriedale Top because it comes in many different shades.
- Our Felted Acorns blog project is a great beginner project with a full photo tutorial.
Books Can Be Your Guide:
We love building our fiber libraries! Books can be a great way to continue your fiber journey, here are some suggestions for making your own Needle Felting section of your library.
- Beginner's Guide to Needle Felting by Susan Wallis, this book covers simple techniques with photos to help you master the basics and comes with 6 starter project ideas.
- Painting With Wool by Dani Ives, this is an absolutely gorgeous book. If you're more interested in creating flat works of art with wool, this is definitely the book to pick up. It gives you information on techniques as well as ideas for projects like embellishing a tote bag or shirt.
- The Natural World of Needle Felting by Fi Oberon, lots of people get into needle felting for all of the cute felted animals, if you're wanting to make your own adorable felted zoo, this is a great book to get started.
Needle Felting with Kids:
Felting needles are SHARP! You can and will poke yourself even if you're being extremely careful and using a foam felting surface. We do not recommend needle felting as a craft for small children who do not yet have good motor skill control or patience. We do have an alternative option for young kids who can't handle pokey needles.
- This cute Felted Acorn Kit utilizes wet felting instead of needle felting so there are no sharp dangerous needles involved.
Essential Tools & Other Equipment:
Felting Needles: These needles have sharp, barbed surfaces that tangle and compress the wool to turn it into felt. They come in different gauges which all serve different purposes. 36 gauge needles are a coarse needle that is typically used when a stronger needle is needed to keep the needle from breaking. 38 gauge needles are general purpose felting needles, suitable for most applications. 38 gauge star shaped needles (most are triangle shaped needles) pulls more fiber for each jab so your item will felt a bit faster. 40 gauge needles are very slim and are used for felting details on a piece, such as facial features on a felted animal.
Foam Pad: Foam pads used to protect your work surface and needles while felting. The item to be felted is put on the pad and then the needle is jabbed into the wool. This protects your table from damage if the needle passes all the way through the wool. It also keeps your needle from breaking by contact with a hard surface.
Needle Felting Mats: These mats look like upside down brushes. They serve the same purpose as a foam pad in providing a service to felt on that protects your table and your felting needles. It is a mainly a matter of personal preference which surface a felter uses though the brushes tend to need replacing less often than the foam pads.
Tack Board: This is another type of felting surface that can be used. It is made specifically for use with Art Felt paper. Art Felt is a felting technique that combines needle felting and wet felting basics to create the finished piece. As such the surface of the tack board is stiff and shiny. This protects the surface from being degraded from the water used in the felting process. The harder surface also keeps the Art Felt paper from being pulled into the foam while needle felting.
Foam Forms: Shaped foam can be used as a template to create needle felted items. Bowls, hats, vases, purses, and other shaped objects can be made using a foam form to felt the wool around. Most forms are for hats, but the felter’s imagination is the limit to the use of these forms.
Felting Needle Holders: Needle holders serve two purposes. One they help with hand fatigue as it is much easier to hold a larger handle than it is to hold a single needle. The second thing is that they allow multiple needles to be used at once so a larger area can be felted all at once speeding up the needle felting process.
Pre Felt Batting: Pre felt is a wool batt that has been felted just enough for the wool fibers to start to hold together. It isn’t dense like felt, but it somewhat compacted. It makes a very good base for felted tapestries and other items that need a plain wool base to start with. Filters find using pre felt convenient as it skips the first steps in a felted project that needs a base which saves time.
Fiber Blenders: Fiber blenders are used to combine different colors or types of wool fibers to create the exact blend a felted wants to use. They are similar to hand cards but are much smaller as most felters work with small amounts of wool and the larger hand cards are not needed. These blenders are not suitable for processing fleece as they are not sturdy or large enough for that purpose.
Needle Felting Adapter: This adaptor changes your sewing machine into a needle felting machine. The change is permanent as you have to make significant changes to the sewing machine. It speeds up the felting process even more by adding some automation to it. Typically these adapters are not used for fine details, but instead to felt a large area quickly.
AddiQuick Felting Tool: This is another method of speeding up the felting process. This is an electric powered felting tool that holds one needle. The machine allows the needle to be jabbed into the wool at a much faster rate than most people can do. Because of the speed felting happens quicker and it is easier on your hands. It takes a special needle designed for the tool, regular felting needles cannot be used with this machine.
Felting Machines: These machines hold hundreds of needles and just about fully automate the process of making sheets of felted material. They have rollers that move the wool to be felted through the machine and have 11.5 needles per inch of working width of the machine. They come in many lengths starting at 36” and going up to 60” Other widths, including larger than 60”, can be special ordered as well. These machines speeds up the felting process dramatically.
We hope this is enough to help you begin your needle felting adventure! We'd love to see what projects you're making, tag us on Facebook and Instagram!
