This craft is available as the second take-n-make kit for adults participating in the Adult Summer Reading Challenge. ( Ages 21- on up). Registration is required and that opens on Wednesday, June 23rd. Once they are gone, they are gone! Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdI1gWE6ibn29To2MV-Q6CLJiDgtmuWSzOHWVz442dIhiyCfA/viewform?usp=sf_link or stop in at the library to register. For anyone else wanting to learn how to needle felt using their own materials, the instructions are as follows:
Needle felting is one of those crafts that seems hard but really isn’t! There are just a few key tips and tricks to know and then you will be on your way.
First off, this kit includes 2 cloth bags. This is one of the easiest ways to learn how to needle felt because it is not a 3-D project so you can get the feel for it in a two-dimensional way. We are going to “embroider” the bags by needle felting a small design of your choice onto them. In one bag, you have your needles, the needle holder, and a thumb guard. (Be careful when grabbing the bags so you don’t get poked!!) The needles are different sizes and it really doesn’t matter which one or ones you use; it is up to you. When starting out it is not a big deal, but if you pick this up as a regular hobby you may find certain sizes work better for different projects. Then in the other bag there are different colors of wool for you to felt with. With needle felting, a little goes a LONG way so you will not need very much, especially for these small designs. We made sure to include two bags, so you can practice. Lastly, there is a piece of foam which you will cut to fit inside your bag to needle felt on. When you are done with your bags you can fill them with a small gift, herbs to make a sachet, gift them, or keep them!
That being said, let’s begin needle felting!
- First, as mentioned above, cut your foam so that you can slide it into the bag you are working on. Then decide on a small design. You could even use a small cookie cutter or stencil to create a shape. You also could very lightly pencil it out.
- Next you will take a small piece of wool roving. Start very small, a little goes a LONG way. You will be surprised.
- Rub it in your fingers a bit to get it in a rough shape of what you want. Place it on top of your bag.
- Read all the tips below before starting the actual felting.
- Get your needle ready by pulling the small wooden piece out of the handle. You will see there is an end of the needle that is a hook attached to the thicker end of the small wooden piece. Place your felting needle into the groove along the side of the rounded wooden peg with the crook of the needle at the narrow end of the peg & insert both firmly into the hole in the handle. If you break or need to change the needle, just remove from the peg and replace your Felting Needle with a new one. When you are done, just reverse the crook to the thicker end and place the needle back inside the handle to safely store:
Pull wood piece out, crook of needle goes in the thicker end to store. Place crook of needle in small end and stick back in handle to use.
- Then take your needle and begin to needle felt by stabbing your needle through the yarn, into the bag, and onto the foam. So basically just envisioning that you want to stab the foam underneath each time. This is how you start to shape your wool and attach it to the bag. Just keep felting and adding in colors until your design is finished.
A few tips for successful needle felting:
- Pull the needle out of the wool in the same direction it went in to avoid breaking your needle.…
- Watch your fingers, use the thumb guard if you need to, otherwise just be sure to keep fingers clear!
- It takes time to needle felt, but it is very addicting and since it does take time, it is very forgiving! You can even set it down and come back to it. It is a very relaxing craft.
- You can mix colors by rubbing pieces of wool together. Or just layer colors by felting them on top. Because of this, you almost can “paint” your pieces in a way and add in lots of detail.
- Be sure to evenly felt your piece. Work around the side of your object to firm up its shape rather than just from the top. Insert your needle at an angle to do this, but be sure to pull it back out at the same angle.
- Every now and then, pull your piece away from the foam to prevent it sticking to the foam.
- When you are finished and satisfied with your design, you can lightly trim around the edges with a scissor to catch any loose pieces of roving and use the sticky side of a piece of tape around the design to pick up any pieces you trimmed.
- Then just remove the foam and fill with herbs, a small gift, whatever you like. Gift them or keep them!
Here is my example, I decided to do poppies:
If you enjoyed this craft and would like to further your needle felting skills; you can felt flat sheets and add designs on top to frame like a picture, ball up wool roving and felt it on the foam directly while working every side to create 3D figures, or needle felt soap and dryer balls. You can find lots of inspiration and tutorials for these suggested ideas on Youtube and Pinterest to keep going!