Needle Felting
Welcome to an easy addictive new hobby!
You can watch this video to get started and the instructions are below.
Instructions:
Needle Felting
* Addictive
* Easy to get into
* Minimal tools
* Eco friendly
And did I mention addictive?
What is needle felting?
Simply, it is making a picture (flat wool painting) or 3d object by repeatedly jabbing barbed needles into natural wool to tangle the fibers until they become firmly attached and “knotted” to each other and to the supporting fabric.
Tools needed for flat felting - painting with wool:
* Fabric to felt onto
- Needs to be tightly woven to hold the fibres.
- You can felt onto denim, wool, yarn and felt.
- And probably whatever your heart desires - try it and see!
* Wool roving
- This is wool after being cleaned but before being spun into yarn
- You can also use animal fur or hair.
- You can deconstruct yarn if you are determined.
- Synthetic fibers do not felt.
But you can sometimes entangle them into the design.
* Barbed needles
- Come in 3 sizes generally.
- Flat felting usually does best with the small needle.
- Needles are SHARP!!!
- Needles are brittle and break easily if you bend them at all.
* Felting surface
- To support your picture while you stab it repeatedly.
- Your lap/hand will NOT work.
- It can be dense foam, a dense bristle brush, a rice bag or a pad of fabric.
And Most Important: A sense of fun!
Before you start:
Gather all the tools.
Find the image you want to create.
Chill out - it’s going to be fun!
Take your time, be nice to you!
You can pull out any pieces that don't please you and do that bit again.
A “mistake” is actually a new technique you just learned. Remember and use it later.
Trust the process - every project has an ugly duckling stage.
Felting Safety!!
Needles are SHARP!
Poke away from your fingers.
Keep the needle straight - bending it will break it.
When needles break, make sure to find BOTH pieces and dispose of them safely.
WARNING
Your project will not be exactly the same as the picture. Each felted picture is unique and you will improve your life considerably if you understand that this is your creation and needs to be personalised and given character by you! The picture is a suggestion or a starting point - if you want to add a dragon - do so!
How to paint with wool:
Step 1. You can start by roughly transferring the image outlines to your fabric. As the lines will be covered with wool, you can use any pen or marker.
Step 2. Pull off small wisps of wool to fill in the background first. Lay them out and rearrange until you like it. You can mix wool fluffs together or layer them for different effects.
Step 3. Needle them into place. The more you work it the firmer it will become. Occasionally lift the fabric and see all the little pieces of wool sticking out the back ☺ This is to prevent the support pad from becoming a part of your piece.
Step 4. Add wool for the largest shapes. Needle them into place by going around each shape and then filling in the center.
Step 5. Use smaller wool fluffs for the details. Ball them up in your fingers or twist them into fine lines. It is astonishing how little wool is needed to change an expression completely.
Step 6. Walk away from the project and look at it from a distance. Note the changes you want to make. Make them and repeat until happy.
Step 7. Tidy up and fly-aways or rough spots by needling them into submission. Go over the entire piece once more to strengthen it.
Optional - you can flatten it further by covering it with a piece of cloth and using a steam iron gently.
Step 8. Display it. Frame it. Stitch it onto a jacket or into a quilt. Glue it to a card or canvas.
Step 9. Celebrate having done the journey and learning new things!
Step 10. Do another one!!
Bonus of Monster eyes video :) Speed it up even more - no need to lollygag - get felting!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9lK9sPn0yE