Needle Felting – tools
THE BEAUTY OF NEEDLE FELTING IS IN ITS SIMPLICITY. YOU ONLY NEED BASIC EQUIPMENT AND A SMALL AREA TO WORK ON.
Today were exploring all the tools needed for needle felting, or rather we’re exploring all the tools available… for a beginner as I said above you only need basic equipment. Shown in this photo is a piece of thick foam and some needles, this is really all you need, but there are a range of other tools that I will explain just to increase your knowledge which will help you when you explore what’s for sale. (Don’t forget you can purchase a kit of materials from me… click here!)
Quick summary… all you need is an A6 sheet of thick foam and a handful of 38 gauge star needles.
When stabbing your needle into the wool you are working on you need a soft layer underneath that the needle can also sink into otherwise you will be stabbing your work desk and not only scratching the desk but more likely constantly breaking needles as they hit the solid hard surface. For this you need…
A foam Pad
…this is general upholstery foam and you need it to be around 4-6cm thick. There are alternatives to foam like this hessian bag which is filled with rice or you can get large brushes which work too, but the best, easiest and cheapest is a sheet of foam! The size will depend on the size of your final felted project. I use a 12x17cm piece for most items like hearts, pumpkins, teddy bears, stars, moons etc. If I’m making a curly felted blanket layer which is large in size then I have a foam sheet 57x57cm
The other essential item is some needles. You can use these as they come, which is what I do, or you can buy holders for them and even use a leather finger protector! The holders come in very handy when you want to use multiple needles at once! This is great for felting large areas very quickly!
The needles themselves come in a variety of sizes and shapes! You can get triangular, stars and even twisted. Their size is measured in gauge for example 32, 36, 38. 40, 42. Coarse, medium and fine. The higher the gauge the finer the needle. The finer needles are used for, yep you guessed it, finer work! The finishing touches to get a smoother look when you don’t want to be stabbing your needle all the way through the wool but tiny little stabs. The shape is also related to the gauge, where the twisted and the star shapes are used for finer more detailed work. Below is a great guide.
My recommended all round great needle to start with is a 38 gauge star.
Guide to Felting Needles
Felting Needles come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes which can be confusing and daunting for someone new to needle felting. Below we look at how a felting needle works and what the different sizes and shapes do. We haven’t listed every type of needle available but have focused on the most common and most useful.
About Felting Needles
A felting needle has small barbs in the end that, when stabbed through wool, catch on the scales of the fibre and push them together. The more and more you stab, the more fibres matt together slowly turning the wool into solid felt.
Felting needles are quite delicate and can break easily if used incorrectly. Make sure you are stabbing in and out at the same angle, not twisting or bending the needle. If the needle won’t go into the wool easily, don’t force it! Either change to a finer needle, or if the piece is very hard you probably want to stop felting it to avoid over felting.
Felting Needles do go blunt over time, and much quicker if you’re working on wire or pipe cleaners. If pieces are taking longer to felt you probably need to change your needle.
Felting needles come in different gauges. The gauge number refers to the diameter of the needle. The higher the number, the finer the needle so a 40 gauge needle is finer than a 36 gauge.
Different needles come with varying numbers of barbs. The more barbs, the quicker the felting but less barbs will give you more accuracy with fine detail work.
Imagine using felting needles like you would sandpaper. Start off with a bigger, quicker needle for bulk work and shaping, and move on to a slower but finer needle for surface and detail work.
Triangular Felting Needles – Barbs on 3 sides
- 32 Gauge – This is a sturdy needle good for working with course fibres and firmly attaching pieces. Not great for detail or a neat surface.
- 36 Gauge – A good needle for making the bulk of a 3D piece and again, attaching pieces well. Not good for any detail work.
- 38 Gauge – A good all rounder needle good for doing bulk work and adding some detail. Good for sculpting with but not so good for course fibres.
- 40 Gauge – A fine needle for detail work and getting a neat surface. Best not to use it when working with course fibres or for rough sculpting/bulk work.
- 42 Gauge – An even finer needle generally reserved for adding fine hair, tiny wisps of wool etc.
Star Felting Needles – Barbs on 4 sides
- 36 Gauge – This is good for quick firm felting, for using with courser wools and for joining pieces together.
- 38 Gauge – Similar to the 36 Star but also good for slightly finer work and finer wools. This is a great all round needle which works well for doing bulk sculpting work and adding detail and is therefore the needle we have in our kits.
Spiral Felting Needles – Barbs that twist around the needle
- 38 and 40 Gauge – The barbs on these needles twist around the end. This makes them felt quickly and gives a neat finish minimising the surface holes you can get with other needles. They are less good for doing bulk sculpting work.
Reverse Felting Needles
- The barbs on these needle go the other way, pulling the fibres out rather than pushing them in. This is useful to create a fluffy finish on a well felted piece.
Templates
