With the use of a hooked felt needle, sculptures can be created in three dimensions with non-spun wool fibers, thanks to the magic of needle felting sculpture. The realistic quality of the wool ideally lends itself to creating sculptures in the shape of animals or people. Needle felting is fun and easy to learn without the need for sewing, stuffing, or metal weaving, but simply using felting needles to create basic oval shapes.
Steps
Step 1. Gather your materials and tools
You will need carded wool, felt needles (recommended sizes include the triangular 40 for all uses, the star 38 for smaller details and trims, and the triangular 38 for joining different parts,) and a styrofoam backing on to work. Optional tools include: paper sticks or wooden skewers, a sturdy sewing needle, and well-sharpened dressmaker's scissors.
Step 2. To make a basic oval shape, start by preparing the carded wool
Arrange it in small sheets of wool the size of your hand.
Step 3. Create a basic shape by overlapping 4 sheets of wool and rolling them into an oval shape, pressing them to remove as much air as possible from the wool
Step 4. Place the oval on the styrofoam holder and hold it firmly as you begin felting it using the number 40 triangular needle
Work with the needle by inserting and removing it from the wool until the wool itself holds its shape once it is released.
Step 5. Continue tapping the wool with the needle until all fibers are felted
Step 6. Once the basic shape is complete, start working on it
The oval shape can already be a small sculpture in itself, such as a head or an inanimate object for example. Alternatively, it can also become part of a group of dolls or pets.
- Using wool in contrasting colors, embellish your creation by adding artistic details by inserting the fibers inside with the needle.
- To create more complex characters, oval shapes of various sizes can be stuck together to form heads, bodies, or whole figures of animals or people, etc., as shown in the introductory image.
Advice
- Better results are obtained with carded wool rather than wool wick.
- Sheep hair curls are excellent for creating felted figures.
