HOW TO NEEDLE FELT FOR BEGINNERS

by Kriti Shrestha

The current pandemic situation has been very harsh on all of us. But making the most out of this situation by indulging in something creative is what we all can do. In this blog we will be going through the basics of needle felting.

First of all, let us go through what needle felting is… Basically needle felting is the process of transforming wool into your desired shape by just poking it using a barbed needle. The needle helps connect the wool fibers and turn it into a solid form. An extra sharp needle is used to poke the wool and form a solid texture. It is a very simple yet result driven hobby you can take up. Now lets dive  right into how to start needle felting.

Materials you will need:

  • Roving Wool
  • Felting Needles
  • A felting surface (felting mat or foam)

How to Needle Felt

Step 1: Groom the wool

Take the amount of wool you will be needing for your project, roving wool is very easy to tear apart so you can easily tear and groom the wool.

Step 2: Roll the Wool

Roll the wool properly into a shape you would like making sure there are no lose ends and tucking the wool .

Step 3: Poke the Wool

First, place the ball of wool on top of a felting surface and then start to poke gently with the needle. Do not forget to use a felting mat or a foam otherwise the needle will poke the surface.

Step4: Form a Shape

Keep poking from different angles until you get the desired shape. Add more wool if needed.
These are just the basics of how to needle felt, there is more to needle felting, various techniques to form and create different characters…but the basics are the same for all types of projects.
You can create various fuzzy characters, animals are very popular among needle felters as needle felting gives the realistic fuzzy touch to your animal projects. Woolbuddy has  a variety of needle felted characters, you can take reference from. Some of  the animals such as a penguin. Owl, frog are very good to start with for beginners. We have a variety of needle felting kits available to equip you with all the necessary materials needed to take up your new hobby. HAPPY FELTING!