Also known as dry felting, needle felting is a technique for turning sheep’s wool into felt, resulting in felted fabrics, shapes, and objects.
Contrary to what happens in wet felting, where soap and water are used to shape the wool, in dry, the instrument used for this purpose is the needle. The entry and exit of this in the wool causes the fibers to intertwine, allowing the transformation of the wool into a felted article.
With this technique you can do everything from flat to three-dimensional pieces. It is an art that never ends!
Do you want to learn how to make needle felting? Then check out the tips, photos, information, and tutorials we’ve set aside for you to produce beautiful felt items. Check it!
7 TIPS FOR MAKING NEEDLE FELT
1. MATERIALS
The first thing you should know before starting to do a Dry felt job is about the materials that will be used in this art, which are not many. Look at the list.
- Foam, to support the wool and allow the handling of the needle with greater ease and dexterity;
- carded wool, which comes ready and dyed to wear;
- needles;
- Felt pen if desired
- Thin wires, which can be used in some specific cases to structure some parts.
Now that you know what materials you need, it’s time to learn the main aspects (needle and carded wool) to choose the right one and get a good result.
2. CARDED WOOL
In general, the wool most used in felting comes from Europe and Patagonia, because in colder places the wool is softer. There is also wool from some regions of southern Brazil.
Before choosing wool, you need to consider what you are going to feel. When it comes to decorative objects, dolls and mobiles, the recommended wool is, which is softer and firmer. If it comes to shoes and baby clothes, then the ideal carded wool to use is merino, which is even softer.
For those who are just starting out clothing manufacturers’ broker, it is always good to choose pieces that require the use of wool. Because it is firmer, it will give beginners more confidence and resourcefulness. Merino wool, on the other hand, because it’s so soft, it’s slippery, which makes it hard to learn.
Also, it is always good to have a kit of yarn with different colors as well. A good option is to buy small amounts of each color for great diversity.
3. NEEDLES
Felting needles have a unique shape, with the top in the shape of an L. This anatomy exists to facilitate the work, since it allows the craftsman to hold the finger on the needle. This speeds up production and provides more security.
As for the sizes, there are several that can be used on the felt. The smaller the needle number, the thicker it is and vice versa. They can be found in sizes 19, 32, 36, 38, 40 and 42, from the thickest to the thinnest.
Coarser needles are indicated for larger part felting and finer for detail production.
4. FELT PEN
If you want to produce an item very quickly, you can use the felt pen. It is an accessory that allows you to install more than one needle.
For those who like fast productions, it can be a great tool, since it allows you to use more than one needle at a time.
5. FIRST PIECES
Beginners should look for simpler pieces to learn. A good suggestion is felt balls.
You can make them in different sizes. This is a way to put your knowledge into practice and gain an understanding of shape and size.
Another suggestion of the first pieces to make are the felt fairies, which are very basic and have a very low level of difficulty. In addition, they allow the freedom of creation of the artisan.
6. FOAM
As we already mentioned in the list of materials, the foam is an important support material, which aims to move the felted work. It also prevents the craftswoman from hurting herself with the needle.
7. SCISSORS GET IN THE WAY
Try not to use scissors in your work! Carded wool unravels very easily and can be scored by scissors.
Therefore, the ideal is to separate one part of the yarn from another with your fingers and pull one part against the other. Only use scissors for small finishes when extremely necessary.
8. PIECES MADE OF NEEDLE FELT
Now it’s time to see that some pieces made with this technique are just dying to start production!
