Using a single, barbed needle borrowed
from commercial felting machines, wool fibers are tangled
and compacted by repeatedly jabbing the needle into the
fibers, forming three-dimensional felt sculptures
bound only
by ones imagination. In contrast to traditional felt
making methods that use water and friction, needle felting
is also known as dry felting.
Sculptural Needle Felting is just
the coolest thing! First of all the medium is wool...
Let's thank the sheep for growing such amazing fiber. I
really have a hard time describing the feeling of creating with
wool. It must be the organic nature of it; its luster,
its smell, its feel... it really is wondrous stuff. The
quiet crunching sound that the barbed needle makes as it pokes
in and out of the wool is quite soothing. But the
greatest thing of all is the moment that lustrous pile of fluff
transforms into a character full of charisma and charm.
The needles used for needle
felting were not designed with sculpting in mind.
At the turn of the 20th century, industry began mass producing felt
using machines with beds of these barbed needles tangling fibers into
felt fabric. It wasn't until the 1980's that an
innovative fiber artist,
Eleanor Stanwood,
considered the
use of single industrial felting needles as a means to
sculpt wool into 3 dimensional shapes. The story I
heard was that these needles landed in the hands of
California fiber artist,
Ayala
Talpai. The needles soon
made their way across the big pond to
Birgitte Krag
Hansen in Denmark. Birgitte had been sculpting figures
out of wool using wet methods but the felting needle changed her
approach to sculptural felting. Ayala and Birgitte became early
pioneers in the art of needle felting and have both written several
books on the subject.
Sculptural needle felting is quickly growing in popularity and
am honored to carry the
torch and pass along the magic that I was lucky enough to
learn from Birgitte. Thanks Eleanor, Ayala and especially
Birgitte!
I love teaching, discussing, writing, sharing and obsessing
about needle felting any way I can. I have even modified
the
felting needle
to be more user friendly. And with a little help
from the world wide web, I am able to share the magic of
sculptural needle felting with the whole wide world! I
offer
DVD
workshops
in my online shop and host these workshops for
online viewing at my brand new website -
www.learnneedlefelting.com
What do I need to do to get started needle
felting?
I wish I could say to
just run down to your nearest craft and hobby store and pick up
everything you need to get started with your needle felting ideas. Unfortunately, it's not that easy. You
may find small packets of fibers and expensive felting tools that hold
several needles - these are generally for flat needle felting techniques
used in embellishing garments and accessories. Even if you happen
to have a fiber shop in
your neighborhood, the chances of having the
best wool selections for needle felting are slim. I have found
that most shops carry wool prepared for spinners and the properties of
wool prepared for felting are much different. But you will find
exactly what you need on the internet, most needle felters order their
supplies online. In fact, you can now find
all of my favorite wool and supplies
right here at Felt Alive!
It's important to have some idea of your subject
matter when choosing wool. Wool that works great for animals might
not work as well for doll making. It pays to do your research. Once you get an
idea of the supplies you need, then you might consider some type
of workshop or book. Needle felting is very intuitive and can be
easily learned without any instruction but books, videos and workshops
are always helpful.
There are websites out there that offer both
inspiration and helpful hints for teaching yourself how to needle felt.
(I believe you are at one of the best places!) For inspiration, I
suggest narrowing it down to a few of your favorite artists that
specialize in the subject matter you are most drawn to. Bookmark
their sites so you can study their work - I have spent hours gazing at
pictures of amazing needle felted art by my favorite needle felting
artists' websites; I've found MUCH inspiration in doing this. Many
artists also teach and if you ever get an opportunity to take a live
workshop from one of your favorite artists, jump on that chance.
Online groups
and
forums
can also be of great value. I personally recommend one
that is near and dear to my heart. I am the owner/admin of The
Felting & Needle Felting Forum. A large group of felting
enthusiasts from around the world, creating, sharing and inspiring.
Please join the fun -
www.feltingforum.com
Understanding the concepts of needle felting, good supplies and a great imagination
are
really all you need but learning specific techniques is quite helpful
and can save you lots of time and frustration.
CLICK HERE For
Felt Alive Needle Felting Workshops & Dreamy Needle Felting
Supplies
How
do I choose the right wool and supplies for needle felting?
When I first discovered sculptural
needle felting on the internet, I rushed down to my local fiber
shop and wound up spending so much money on all kinds of wool
and elaborate needle holders. After quite a bit of
frustration, I set out to find the right supplies that worked
best for me. After much research including trial and
error, it has taken
some doing (and some $$$) but I have finally narrowed it down to
my favorites!
Understanding
supplies for needle felting can be a bit confusing; if you ask
50 different needle felters what they use, you will get 50
different answers. My first suggestion is to find a needle
felt artist whose work you admire and find out what they use.
If you enjoy my Felt Alive Wool Sculptures then continue on and
you will learn all about the supplies I love to use. And
now through a partnership with my favorite needle felting
supplier - Dream Felt - all of my favorite needle felting wool
and supplies are available right here at Felt Alive!
CLICK HERE
For Felt Alive Needle Felting Workshops & Dreamy Needle
Felting Supplies
Felting
needles have sharp, barbed blades that tangle fiber into felt with a
repetitive jabbing motion. They are quite an interesting
crafting tool! Manufactured for industry rather than crafting,
they are designed specifically to fit into industrial felting machines
that hold thousands of needles and not at all intended to be used by a
human hand. They are cold, hard steel with an L shaped end that
is, frankly, quite uncomfortable to hold on to, especially while using a
repetitive jabbing motion that is required for needle felting.
They come in different gauges and blade/barb configurations and can be very hard to tell the difference at a glance.
When I first started needle felting, I quickly realized I needed felting
needles that had a cushioned grip and were color-coded so I could tell
the different gauged needles apart easily.
In my quest to find the perfect felting needles, I found color-coded
needles and I found felting needle handles, I found elaborate holders
for using many needles at once, but I could not find just what I
was looking for. I felt so smart when I thought of dipping the L
shaped ends in colored rubber. It solved my problems! They were so
wonderful I decided to start manufacturing and selling them as Felt
Alive Super-Duper Felting Needles.
I have color coded my needles to accompany the instructions in
all of my Video Workshops. It makes learning to needle felt so much
easier when you know you are using the right needle for the task at
hand. Felting needle selection and use is typically a
personal preference. I stick with what I think felts
the types of fiber I felt with. I felt with wool
batting that is slightly coarse and crimpy and use only
three different sizes of needles - here is my guide for the
use of my Felt Alive Super-Duper Needles!
Yellow 40TTriangle Blade Felting Needle
For general felting. If I had to pick
just one needle use, this would be it it It pierces into your
project easily and seems to grab the perfect amount of fiber
with each jab. It gives me fine control when sculpting the
wool. This is a fine gauge needle and is very sharp and breaks
easily. Please be careful!
Red 38 Star
Blade Felting Needle
For finish and surface felting. This has a star shaped
blade rather than the typical triangle shaped blade. There are
more barbs and the barbs start closer to the tip than the other
needles. This makes it perfect for surface details like eyes
and for finishing the piece and taming down the fuzzies.
Black 36T
Triangle Blade Felting Needle
For
deep, fast felting and attaching parts. This is a coarse needle
I don't have to worry about it breaking so when I need to
attach a head to a body, this is the needle I reach for.
CLICK HERE For
Felt Alive Needle Felting Workshops & Dreamy Needle Felting Supplies
THere
are many, many choices out there. Roving, Tops, Batting...from so
many varieties of sheep...and you can even needle felt with other animal
fibers like Alpaca. I have found you can needle felt with nearly
any type of fiber but for creating lifelike needle felted sculptures, there
a select few that work well for me. I
need wool that offers special qualities to attain a well felted piece
that is flexible and durable. I also don't like to stab at the
wool for hours on end so wool that felts fast with a needle is always my
choice. Fast felting is a quality that is essential for this
impatient girl.
I have
found that wool in batting form (wide sheets) seems to work great
for sculptural needle felting. It is harder to find than
roving (long ropes) or tops (long, combed ropes.) The words
roving, tops and even sliver are used interchangeably so prepare to
be confused! I'll stick to explaining why I choose batting.
Batting is loftier than wool and
less organized. Pulling wool off a sheet of
batting and preparing it to form into the desired shape is much easier
with lofty bating. I
start nearly every project out by needle felting a core structure.
Because this structure will be completely covered, I choose to use an
inexpensive, un-dyed wool batting. The batting I love is almost
spongy and has no long, hairy fibers. It tears from
the batt easily yet hold together while forming it into shapes for
needle felting. My favorite is Dream Felt Core Wool and is available right here at
Felt Alive.
Once the core structure is
complete, I cover this with lovely dyed wool batting. My personal
favorite is Dream Felt Premium Felting Batts. From the
Norwegian breed of sheep and classified as C1, it felts like a dream and the finished surface has
a lovely sheen. It is available in a lovely array of colors and I
use it for the flesh layer as well as for clothes on all my dolls. Once you try
this wonderful wool, it is hard to settle for anything else.
The flesh tones are had to beat.
I use Merino
Roving (or tops) in very small quantities in my needle
felted characters for lips, teeth (white is essential to
have on hand,) eye color, shading and hair.
Most of my
needle felted dolls beg for hair. For straight hair,
Merino Roving is my favorite. For curly locks, I love
hand-dyed Cotswold Locks.
CLICK HERE
For Felt Alive Needle Felting DVD Workshops & Dreamy Needle
Felting Supplies
What kind of foam should I use for
needle felting on?
When I first
started felting I used upholstery foam. This worked
ok but I didn't find it to be dense enough. I searched
high and low for the perfect felting pads and discovered
Dream Felt Felting Pads. They are much more firm than upholstery
foam and hold up to heavy needling.
Other Needle Felting Supplies
What other supplies do I need for needle felting?
I find it essential to have
some type of thin stick (for making fingers, lips, wrinkles etc.)
Bamboo skewers work great but I prefer lollipop sticks that I purchase
at my local kitchen supply shop in the candy making section. I
keep a thin one and a thick one on my felting table at all times.
A sewing needle is also an
essential tool. BUT NOT FOR SEWING! I use a 3" long needle
to pull and manipulate the sculpted wool.
Small, sharp embroidery
scissors are also very handy to have around. Mine have a slight
curve that makes trimming fuzzies very easy.
CLICK HERE
For Felt Alive Needle Felting Workshops & Dreamy Needle
Felting Supplies
Needle Felting is very intuitive but you may feel that
instruction is helpful. Needle felting books are a great
place to start - Birgitte Krag Hansen's series of felting books
are really wonderful. PIXIE FELT, NEW FELT and ANIMAL
FELT are beyond fabulous. There are many shops that
sell starter kits with step-by-step tutorials. There are
also several workshops on the market on video and DVD. Of
course I must give my own Felt Alive
DVD workshops
a plug. I offer
several titles and made them just like I would have wanted when I first started needle felting. And all of
my DVD workshops are available as online video workshops -
instant access after purchase - no waiting for the mail.
www.learnneedlefelting.com
And Don't Forget YouTube! YouTube is
a great way to see how all kinds of artists practice their
craft. I started making videos and sharing them on YouTube
not long after I started needle felting. I'm happy to say that
both my needle felting skills and my video making skills have
improved greatly yet the information contained in my early videos
is still quite helpful.
Here is a playlist of some of my technique
demo videos I've shared on my
feltalive YouTube channel
Hover over the video to select and view
from all 10 videos in this playlist.
I am the
owner/admin of this amazing online forum with felt makers from all over the world sharing
knowledge and inspiration. It's a wonderful group and I am so
happy to be a part of it. I encourage anyone interested in felting
to join.
Flickr is
such a wonderful photo sharing site. My friends at the Felting
Forum have gotten together and formed the most amazing photo collection
of felted art! You must take a look!!
bound only
by ones imagination. In contrast to traditional felt
making methods that use water and friction, needle felting
is also known as dry felting. 
magic that I was lucky enough to
learn from Birgitte. Thanks Eleanor, Ayala and especially
Birgitte! 
your neighborhood, the chances of having the
best wool selections for needle felting are slim. I have found
that most shops carry wool prepared for spinners and the properties of
wool prepared for felting are much different. But you will find
exactly what you need on the internet, most needle felters order their
supplies online. In fact, you can now find
all of my favorite wool and supplies
