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Needle Felting Basics

by Sue Feltify on June 17, 2015

What’s needle felting? 

Needle felting is a way to achieve a felted finish with no water and soap(Wet felt) , it makes the friction and cause fibers to interlock and bind together by repeated jab, and finally form a shape.

needle_felting_principles_what-is-needle-felting

Needle felting can be used to make 3D figures (felted wool animals,sculptures,charm etc), accessories (necklace, brooch, hair clip etc), or to decorate other things, like a scarf, bags, keys or phones. Needle felting is an inexpensive and portable hobby, and the basic techniques are quick and easy to master. Want to have a try? Check out our needle felting course <Needle felting: from Beginner to master>

What supplies do I need for needle felting?

Here are some basic tools and supplies you need to get started…

1. Upholstery foam 2.Finger cots 3.Felting needle 4. Wool roving
Need a Needle Felting Starter Kit? Check it out in ETSY, or Our store(Coming soon)

How-do-I-choose-the-right-wool-and-supplies-for-needle-felting

Note: Other tools will be needed by course required

What kind of wool do I need for needle felting?

There are a lot of choices out there, Roving, Tops, Batting etc. We divide felt wool roving into long fiber and short fiber, check out the photos below

Classification-of-needle-__felting-wool1 Classification-of-needle-__felting-wool2

(left:short fiber right:long fiber)

As we said the principle of the needle felting above, the short fiber wool is easy to start. Because it's easy to tangle and compress. So it achieves the prefelt before you start to poking. That can save you a lot of time. For example, if you spend 30m to finish a needle felted ball with long fiber, it'll be 15m with short one.

Pls check out our needle felting tutorals for beginners: <How to make needle felted balls with long wool roving&gt ; and <How to make needle felted balls with short wool roving>(Coming Soon)

If you want to have to try, you can find short fiber needle felting wool roving(Coming soon) in our store.

What kinds of felting needles are there? When to change the size?

Basicly there’re two sizes of felting needle, thick and fine. Thick needles are used to start forming the shape or felting the large felt wool crafts(since at the beginning the wool felt loose inside, thick ones can make a quick felt,and fine needles always be used to shape the surface or do the small size wool felting.

Example:
An fluffy felt ball needs a thick needle to achieve the effect of fast felt.

When-to-change_-the-_felting_needles_in-needle_felting_1

A fairly firm felt ball needs a finer needle to make the surface smooth

When-to-change_-the-_felting_needles_in-needle_felting_2

If you want to know more about the classify of felting needle, check out this post from hawthornhandmade, there's a detailed description for the use of variety felting needles.

How to split the wool roving?

There are 2 ways to split the felt wool. 1. Tear apart the wool roving vertically. 2. Pull apart the wool rovin

How_to_split_the_wool_roving_in_needle_felting_1 How_to_split_the_wool_roving_in_needle_felting_2

Note: Don’t trim the wool roving, just pull off by your hands.

How much wool roving should I take ?

Squeez /Hold the wool roving slightly to estimate the size, if it is not enough, add some wool roving;If it is much more, pull off the extra part. Remember don’t cut them!

How_much_wool_roving_should_i_take_when_i_make_a_needle_felted_felting_wool_ball_1 How_much_wool_roving_should_i_take_when_i_make_a_needle_felted_felting_wool_ball_2

Note: Don’t trim the wool roving, just pull off by your hands.

How to poke correctly?

Squeez /Hold the wool roving slightly to estimate the size, if it is not enough, add some wool roving;If it is much more, pull off the extra part. Remember don’t cut them!

how-to-poke-to-make-needle-felted-crafts_1

The basic content of needle wool felting will constantly update along with our courses, please keep an eye on it.
All of above is based on the summary of our short learning,if there’re some incorrect part or can be improved, please leave your comments below. Thanks:)

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