Wool

Needles

Felting Pad

Stick or Straw for Rolling Shapes

Sewing or  Darning Needle

Imagination

That's It!!

 

One of the things I love about needle felting is that it can be an inexpensive hobby.  When I first discovered sculptural needle felting on the internet, I scooted down to my local fiber shop, thinking I would get some help there.  Not so...  I wound up spending so much money on the wrong kind of wool and elaborate needle holders and all the wrong needles.  I came home that first day with piles of gorgeous merino roving.  The colors were so beautiful so I bought a bunch.  I was really setting myself up for failure but I guess I am persistent and set out on a mission of researching all the resources I could find on the internet.   Armed with knowledge, I can purchase some supplies locally but generally, I purchase my supplies over the internet.  Things go so much smoother with the right materials!

WOOL

Here is what you will likely find at your fiber shop -  A wide variety of wool in different forms - Top, Roving and Batts (batts are harder to find.)

Top is wool that has been carded into strips or ropes and combed so the fibers all run in the same direction.  Merino wool is commonly found in top form. 

Roving has been carded into strips but the fibers are not combed out and lay in random directions.

Batting has been carded into large sheets and the fibers lay in random directions. 

Some types of wool are very fine and some are very course.  Some have very long fibers and some have short fibers.  Some wool has more hair from the outer layer (tog fiber) which can be make needle felting quite difficult.  There is quite a science of grading wool.  I haven't bothered stuffing all of that into my head because I don't spin, weave or knit - heck I don't even do much wet felting - I just want wool for needle felting. 

The key to choosing wool that is best for creating wool sculptures that are lifelike is that the wool must be very lofty - it must hold air.     I have found that wool in batt form seems to be loftier  than the same type in roving form so that is what I choose when I can. 

Batting works the best if  the fibers are not too long and doesn't have a lot of tog fiber (it appears as long hairs.)

I have found you can needle felt with nearly any type of wool.   For creating lifelike soft sculptures, there are very few that work well.  Here is what I have found to work best and be the most readily available.

I use a core wool in nearly every project.  For this I buy wool batting used for quilting.   The core wool I have purchased from various vendors is always described as suitable for felting.  

For the outer layers you might choose:

Corriedale in batt or roving form

Romney in batt or roving is also nice. 

My personal favorite is a blend of wool from Norway called C1 Norwegian Felting Batts.  It is hard to find and is only available here in the US it must be purchased by the pound.  A pound is a lot of wool. 

There is a use for that gorgeous merino top - It is superb for highlighting cheeks, creating shadows etc.  A little goes a long way and you must break the fibers into very short pieces and mix it up with your fingers so the fibers are laying in random directions.

NEEDLES

Needle come in various gauges and barb and blade configurations.  I have narrowed it down to a trusty three sizes that work in nearly every application.

40 Gauge Triangle - This is my trusty workhorse used in most of the construction of my soft-sculpted character.  It is considered a fine needle.

38 Gauge Star - This needle has more barbs because of the blade shape and the barbs are closer to the surface.  This needle is essential for surface work such as eyes and surface finishing techniques.  This is considered a medium needle

36 Gauge Triangle - This is longer and stronger.  I use this primarily for attaching limbs to the body.  This is considered a coarse needle.

Felting Needles are very sharp and they break easily.  Always make sure to have a spare set on hand.

The needles in my kits have been dipped in rubber to both color coordinate with my tutorials and to make the needles more comfortable to handle.   

FELTING PAD

I have used upholstery type chair pads.  These work good as long as they are at least two inches thick.  The pads I provide in my kits are slightly denser than the chair pads and give me better control of my project when I am making flat shapes. 

STICK OR STRAW

I include popsicle sticks in my kits but coffee stirrers or wooden skewers work fine too.  Sticks are used for making fingers, lips and other tube shapes.

SEWING NEEDLE

I use a 3 inch doll needle to pull and stretch the wool.  These are much stronger than felting needles.