Needle Felting – the technique

Today you get to try some needle felting, if it’s your first time I have some simple exercises you can do to get you used to the feel of the needle in your hand and the action of stabbing the needle into the wool and foam. So watch the first video and give them a go. Then we’re going to make the main base of our pumpkin.

Here’s a few needle felting tips…

• Needle felting is a short stabbing motion into your wool. Your needle should not disappear into the foam block and should hardly pierce the foam at all when 3D felting.
• Turn your project as you felt, this will give whatever you are making it’s shape and prevent ‘dimples’ in your finished product.
• Start with less wool than you think you will need; you can add wool to make your shape bigger but you can’t take it away!
• When fully felted your 3D shape will be approximately 30% smaller than the shape you started with
• Only move your needle straight up and down, not at an angle.  If you bend your needle the tip will break off.
• Practice makes perfect and I love pieces made with simple shapes; you can do so much with them once you have got the shape you want.
• Don’t expect to get it right first time so practise getting your basic shapes right before trying a more challenging piece.
• Don’t run before you can walk and definitely don’t compare your first couple of makes to someone who has been felting for years.
• Your project will, generally, not resemble anything close to what you are trying to make until at least 3/4 of the way through when you will hit the “how on earth is this ever going to look like that” wall! It all comes together near the end and everyone, experienced or a complete beginner, feels exactly the same way. The final product really is in the detail and you can pull, reshape and add to whatever you are making.

Start your Pumpkin

Now you get to start your pumpkin… like the practice exercise above you’re going to shape a ball, white centre and then add our coloured shell. The trick is to get a smooth, neat, well felted outside but still squishy on the inside!

Now pop into the group and share your practice pieces and your pumpkin base, all set for tomorrow when we’re going to add more shape with pumpkin segments and a stem!

Here’s a few bonus tips to make your pumpkins amazingly smooth and lump free!