Needle Felting Questions

#1

I watched a show here on TV called Cultivating Life ,showing a man and woman needle felting a lamb or sheep and I thought “I wonder if I could do that”

Are there any members here that do ‘Needle Felting’ If so can you answer some questions for me on this topic

Tools: what do I absolutely have to have to start this craft?

Yarns: what can I use and what can’t I use (on the show they were using wool from a skein) But researching online all I see being used is roveling wool?

Core: is batting material except able for using as a core/center of a piece like a teddy bear , and then needle felt the wool around that?

Wire: when using wire do you just start wrapping the wool around the wire and then needle felt?

What is ‘Wet’ needle felting?

Some needle felted teddy bears l have seen ,the felting looks very tightly packed ,how is that done?

Can I needle felt on Jeans?

and finally, are the needle felting instructions different from small projects to larger projects or are they the same?

I have an Aussie and would like to try my hand at making a needle felted dog that looks like her.

#2

Tools: what do I absolutely have to have to start this craft?
[COLOR=Blue]Felting needles, roving and foam to poke your needles into. I haven’t done a lot of felting but my daughter was learning at school and we bought a kit to play with at home. Here’s a link for kits and supplies: Felting supplies[/COLOR]

Yarns: what can I use and what can’t I use (on the show they were using wool from a skein) But researching online all I see being used is roveling wool?[COLOR=Blue] I have only used roving
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Core: is batting material except able for using as a core/center of a piece like a teddy bear , and then needle felt the wool around that? [COLOR=Blue]I can’t see why not.[/COLOR]

Wire: when using wire do you just start wrapping the wool around the wire and then needle felt? [COLOR=Blue]As far as I know.[/COLOR]

What is ‘Wet’ needle felting? [COLOR=Blue]I have wet felted but not with a needle. I used roving dipped in hot soapy water, squeezed the water out and shaped the roving into a marble sized ball. Then I added thin pieces of wet roving in layers over the ball, pulling, shaping,squeezing and smoothing until it was the size I wanted.[/COLOR]

Some needle felted teddy bears l have seen ,the felting looks very tightly packed ,how is that done? [COLOR=Blue]The more you poke your roving with the felting needle, the more compacted it becomes.
[/COLOR]
Can I needle felt on Jeans?[COLOR=Blue] You could but then how would you wash them? Most of the felting I’ve seen on flat surfaces like fabric seems rather delicate to me.
[/COLOR]
and finally, are the needle felting instructions different from small projects to larger projects or are they the same? [COLOR=Blue]I’m not sure, but I think so. I’ve only done small projects.[/COLOR]

I have an Aussie and would like to try my hand at making a needle felted dog that looks like her. [COLOR=Blue]There is a book, an online [/COLOR][COLOR=Blue]tutorial and kits available.[/COLOR]

#3

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. You really were a big help. I can’t wait to start. Like I really need one more hobby to fall in love with :teehee:

#4

Can I use dense Styrofoam to work on or does it have to be foam foam?

#5

I am pretty sure that Styrofoam would be fine. It’s really just there to poke the needle into and keep from poking yourself. You can try it and see if the needle doesn’t get stuck in the foam while you poke.

I found this YouTube video that was interesting and may help. There were tons of videos – just do a search for needle felting.

Needle Felting

#6

Thanks for all the help guys. If there are any of you that are interested in this Beautiful craft I did find a great Needle Felting Forum.

http://feltingforum.com/phpbb/index.php

Go and look at the wonderful projects going on. I think I have found a new craft to add to my list!:woot:

#7

Well I made two needle felted projects in the last two days. Check out my Flickr Photostream link below.

‘Biff’ the purple bear and ‘Tiddles’ the cat