Needle felting is the art of creating sculptures, picture frames, and other handicrafts out of needle-felted wool.
Needle felting starts with these supplies:
* Something to felt
* A needle
* Wool roving or wool yarn (ball)
WOOL
We offer a variety of felting needles for different tasks.
A cushion or pad to work on
This is all that you will need to create awesome pieces of needle felting art.
A sheep supplies wool.
The wool's fibers are surrounded by scale-like structures. When processed, the fibers are mixed up in their orientation and the scales' edges may point in different directions (random). When wool is subjected to agitation such as felting - the scales on the wool come together with each other, and don't let the wool fiber slip back any more (locking it in position). It isn't just one or two fibers locking together, but many hundreds of them touching each other and lock into that position - which causes the fiber to felt.
Felting needles are a special type of needle with tiny barbs on the end. The barbs point in one direction and when they're stabbed into wool, they pull the fibers inward without letting them escape, which causes them to tangle and lock together with scales that never come undone.
Felting Cushion
I use my table as a surface when I do my sewing. After you stab the needle into the wool, it needs something to go into instead of stabbing your leg or table.
Needle felting is a process in which threads are compressed, sculpted, and layered together with the help of a needle. This starts by rolling up some wool and stabbing it repeatedly with the needle. The repeated stabbing—and turning—pulls the fibers of the wool into themselves, creating firm round shapes. Once you're satisfied with an initial shape, more wool is added where necessary to create a custom sculpture.
Hand-Knitted Patchwork Fabric
These images show the steps I take when making a sculpture out of wool. I start with a basic shape and add wool to make the main body. I look at pictures of animals to get an idea of how much material to use. I secure wire into the legs so that it's more stable before felting around it. It's tough felting around wire and this is probably my least favorite step, thankfully there are now wireless techniques taught in the Academy. Sometimes I start by making the head and other times I make the head last. When I am happy with the shape of the animal, it has to be felted very firmly before adding spots (wire makes felting difficult). Spotting takes awhile but they are fun to watch when they progress. A project like this takes me several days to complete.
Whether you're just getting started, or have been needle felting for years and are looking for ways to become better at it, the Bear Creek Needle Felting Academy will help you get there. If you want to create sculptural work with character and personality, this is the place to be!
EDELWEISS