Easy Needle Felted Flowers – DIY Tutorial!

How amazing do these needle felted flowers look? Elegant felted Calla lilies or striking sunburst flowers; What a bloomin treat of a needle felting tutorial have I got for you! Two totally different flowers, two different techniques, but both results are easy to achieve and, quite simply, bloomin marvellous! Ok, no more flower puns…probably?

You have the divine, realistic, beautiful in it’s simplicity, Calla lily. Then, in complete contrast, the flamboyant, look at me style of this lush needle felted flower brooch which is part sunflower, part succulent, and part sea anemone. Best of all, you get to choose your own personal style with the easy techniques I am going to teach you.

HAVE YOU JUST STARTED NEEDLE FELTING?

It doesn’t matter if you are a needle felting beginner, or a seasoned needle felter, this is the perfect project for those crafty moments when you need to add some colour and style to your creative day. It is also a great way to learn new needle felting techniques and apply them to an endless number of felted projects.

EASY NEEDLE FELTING VIDEO TUTORIALS

You will find the video tutorials for both felting projects at the bottom of this page but you should definitely read my hints and tips before you start; especially if you are new to needle felting!

The key to the success of this felting project is getting perfectly shaped petals which can be easily done without the need for a cookie cutter, or template. Making them free hand allows you to create any shape or style you want and my super easy techniques will show you how to do just that, including the elegant Calla Lily stems.

IS NEEDLE FELTING HARD?

Nervous about starting? Then you are in exactly the right place! Needle felting isn’t hard, but getting the basics right (from the get go), is essential to helping you progress quickly and will make your needle felting journey a joy. If you have the enthusiasm then I promise you I will give you the confidence and techniques you need to make your needle felting projects successful. Always remember that any craft is a learning curve and any ‘mistakes’ you make are essential to the learning process. That said, the joy of working with wool, and needle felting in particular, allows much room for error. Even if the end result isn’t what you intended, rest assured you will end up with a beautiful ‘something’ at the end of it. One of my happiest ‘mistakes’ was a mouse that ended up as a cat. I was thrilled because cats are my needle felting nemesis. It was hugely popular and I have had many requests for a tutorial, which will probably never happen as I haven’t a clue how it ended up that way; aah, the joys of needle felting…

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Or get creative with me over at THE FELT HUB

I have created a Facebook group that will inspire and develop your needle felting confidence (whatever level you are at), and encourage others to get involved, in a more private space. You will also be able to comment and share your WIP creations during and after the live workshops and ask for help and support from myself or other members. It’s a lovely community where you can grab some crafty respite.

MAKE GORGEOUS NEEDLE FELTED FLOWERS!

Display the striking Calla lilies in a vase, create your own DIY wedding bouquet or button holes, have them as a beautiful centrepiece or just as a calming moment in any room.

The ‘Sun Burst’ flower brooch is a total contrast to the lily, in its flamboyant and colourful presence. Us a bright and bold wool that demands the viewers attention and add a simple or exotic centre. Beautiful worn as a brooch, a scarf pin, displayed as a single flower with an added stem, added too an Alice band, or part of a bigger display. I love a colourful headband and am itching to make something Frida Kahlo style so watch this space?

However you wear or display yours, just enjoy the fabulously meditative and creative process and needle felt away the detritus of the day.

WHAT WILL YOU NEED?

The WOOL PACKS AND KITS for these flowers can be purchased on the Lincolnshire Fenn Crafts website.

If you already have your own stash of wool, needles and mats then here is a materials list for you.

These are the wools I have used for the two needle felted flowers, but feel free to raid your wool stash and create your own style.

WHAT’S THE BEST FELTING WOOL FOR THIS PROJECT?

For the Cala Lily I have used natural white Perendale carded batting sheet, carded green lengths for the stem, and a creamy yellow wool top/roving for the stamen. Perendale batt is my favourite as its natural colour is much whiter than most other batting, making it perfect for projects where you want the whitest top coat or finish; I also use it for Daphne Chicken. It felts easily with a really smooth finish, and is super clean with little to no grassy bits to pull out.

For the sunburst flower petals I have used a vibrant blended carded wool, with added carded zingy yellow. For the centre of the flower I have created two completely different looks; the first using yellow and white wool tops, the second using wool yarn in bright complimentary colours.

KEY POINTS

Calla Lily

  • Use equal amounts of wool for each petal.
  • Make sure it’s firm.
  • No thicker than 1-2mm.
  • Leave the end of each petal loose for easy attachment. 4 Use your first petal as a size and shape guide.

Sunburst flower brooch

  • Use equal amounts of wool for each petal.
  • Make sure it’s firm.
  • No thicker than 1-2mm.
  • Leave the end of each petal loose for easy attachment.
  • Use your first petal as a size and shape guide.

VIDEO TUTORIALS

Now that I have built up the creative excitement it’s time to get stuck into this gorgeous needle felting project. Grab your wool, needles, or felting kit and fill your crafty boots with the video tutorials below.

Happy felting!

NEEDLE FELTED CALLA LILY

NEEDLE FELTED SUN BURST FLOWER BROOCH

5 Things You Need To Start Needle Felting

Hi and welcome to my ultimate guide to needle felting.

I’m Sandy, creator, owner, designer, chief cook and bottle washer at Lincolnshire Fenn Crafts.

Since 2014 I have taught thousands of people to needle felt through my tutorials, videos, workshops and extensive range of inspiring needle felting kits. Whether you are a nervous beginner or a confident crafter, you will discover a wealth of needle felting guides and resources at your creative fingertips. Let’s craft a happy space together!

SO, WHAT DO YOU NEED TO START NEEDLE FELTING?

Not much at all as it happens and you don’t have to spend a lot of money either! It’s a budget friendly hobby that requires very little space and zero experience and all you need is:

1 FELTING WOOL

2 FELTING NEEDLE

3 FELTING MAT

4 GOOD TUTORIALS

5 ENTHUSIASM

FELTING WOOL

Wool tops or carded wool are both great to needle felt with. Avoid Merino wool tops and go for a coarser wool like Jacob, Shetland or Romney.

CLICK HERE FOR MY ULTIMATE WOOL GUIDE AND QUICK LOOK, HANDY CHART

FELTING NEEDLES

Just one or two standard felting needles will get you started. I like to use a 38 star as a good all-rounder.

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEEDLE FELTING GUIDE

FELTING MAT

You will need a foam, hessian, or wool mat. A piece of firm foam is what many people use but there are other mats you can try. I tend to use a mixture depending on the project.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MY FAVOURITE FELTING MATS HERE

TUTORIALS

Ignore all the fancy needle felting creations you see online and start with a simple needle felting project or tutorial. It is so important to allow yourself to be a beginner and build up to those fancy creations you have been drooling over.

WATCH MY VIDEO TUTORIALS HERE or on YOUTUBE

ENTHUSIASM (and a cuppa)

When it comes to needle felting enthusiasm goes a long, long way! It’s all you need to get started; you don’t need to be artistic, just enthusiastic. Allow yourself to be a beginner and you will pick up the needle felting basics in no time. You may prefer to start with a needle felting kit , especially if you don’t have any equipment. It is a budget friendly way to get started and allows you to see if you enjoy this fabulous craft without ending up with lots of equipment.

SEE MY FULL RANGE OF INSPIRING NEEDLE FELTING KITS AND ACCESSORIES HERE

JOIN THE VIP FELT CLUB HERE

What Felting Needles Do I Need? Easy Guide

No more confusion?

It’s the one thing that gets us needle felters confused when we first start this fabulous craft. A gauge for this, a star or triangle for that. What’ s the difference between a size 32 and size 38, and what on earth do I do with this reverse needle felting needle I bought? Well stop tearing your hair out because I am going to give you the short version, and what I like to use as my own personal preferences. I will also tell you about the felting needle tools I couldn’t live without!

WHAT DO THE SIZES MEAN?

In short, needle sizes work like this: The higher the number, the finer the needle, and needle sizes range from as low as 19 up to 42. You will hear them referred to as:

  • Triangular: 3 sides 
  • Star: 4 sides 
  • Reverse needle
  • Twisted needle

WHAT FELTING NEEDLES SHOULD I START WITH?

This is one of the most common questions I get asked, along with “What wool should I use?”, and it can be confusing when you first start needle felting. I prefer the simple approach and advise just one, or two sizes to start with. The 38 star is a good all rounder, and a 40 triangle for finishing your work; more details on those below. Once you are more confident with your needle felting you can start to introduce others into your felting stash.

The 38 star is my favourite as it will complete most needle felting projects from start to finish. TOP TIP! Always have a spare felting needle in case one breaks as you can’t just nip to the Co-op for a new one.

HOW DO FELTING NEEDLES WORK?

Wool is full of tiny scales that run up and down its length, and they just love to tangle together with each other. Felting needles have tiny barbs which allow you to do this ‘tangling’ by hand, whilst creating almost any shape and detail you can imagine.

HAVE YOU JUST STARTED NEEDLE FELTING?

All the needles, tools, and starter kits discussed on this post are available on the Lincolnshire Fenn Crafts Website and Etsy Shop.

GOOD ALL ROUNDERS – SIZE 38 AND 36

Suitable for most needle felting projects, and less prone to breakage

A 38 or a 36 star (or triangle) can be used to start, shape, and build up any three dimensional needle felting project, or flat felted picture. I use 38 star needles (I like the four sides for faster felting) all the time, and they are the ones I also use in many of my needle felting kits. A 38 star felting needle will complete most projects from start to finish; a 36 gauge is too robust for finer details.

TOP TIP! Reduce needle marks by inserting your needle diagonally when finishing/smoothing the top layer. Rolling the body part in your hands (before attaching) is the fastest and most efficient way of smoothing your piece; your hands are just as important a tool as your needle!

WHAT TO USE FORBFINER DETAILS?

40 triangle is ideal for much finer detail: Bends more easily so don’t be heavy handed with it.

I use this when I am finishing delicate eye and nose detail. Especially if the head is quite soft and I don’t want to distort the lovely shape I have made. It is also great for reducing needle marks on the top layer. You will notice that this needle is thinner, bends more easily than the 36/38 and is much more prone to breakage if bent too much. TOP TIP! Be careful when using it around a wire armature to avoid breakage

REVERSE FELTING NEEDLE

Barbs go in the opposite direction and pull the felted wool back out. There is also a great blog post dedicated to this fabulous needle felting tool

It took me a while to get used to this one, but now I wouldn’t be without it, and I just love subtle effect it gives to, an otherwise, smooth finish. It all depends what wool you are using but I used mine recently to rough up the top of my moon gazing hares head to add character and dimension. I think it worked really well… The wool is natural Grey Jacob and you will find it in a lot of my kits; one of my favourite wool’s to needle felt with. I also include it in my Flamingo needle felting kit to ‘fluff’ up the body and base of the neck. Also great for use on 3D cats and dogs, perfect for hedgehog spikes, and adding detail and dimension to my fox head.

TWISTED FELTING NEEDLE

The first barb on a twisted needle is slightly closer to the tip of the needle than the 38 and 40 triangular, reducing the penetration required to start tangling the fibres together. It is just personal preference but if you are just starting needle felting I would recommend starting with a 38 star and 40 felting needle; you can try other sizes once the needle felting addiction has taken hold…

WHAT ARE MY FAVOURITE NEEDLE FELTING TOOLS?

None of the following are necessary but I use them all the time for certain projects and they really help speed up the felting process. Especially useful if you are now a needle felting addict (you know who you are…) and unofficial member of the Lincolnshire Fenn Crafts NFA group, ‘Needle Felters Anonymous’. Hmm, I’m thinking T-shirts and badges…

WOODEN NEEDLE HOLDER – UP TO 3 NEEDLES

Can be bought with 3 or 4 needle holes, uses standard needles (supplied) and needles are removable and interchangeable.

My preference is the 3 needle holder (using 38 or 40 triangular or star) as it can be used for starting off your 3D shapes quickly, as well as being used for flat felting e.g. big bunny or hare ears. Top tip: If flat felting, try starting with a coarser gauge needle, such as a size 36, which will speed up the process.

NEEDLE FELTING PEN

Does pretty much the same as the wooden needle holder (above) but also works really well on wool batts and the hessian felting mats filled with rice. Save money: You will see these in pink (Clover tool) and blue. The blue is half the price of the pink and the difference…one is from Hong Kong and one is from China?

MULTI TOOL/PUNCH TOOL – Use for fast flat felting

Bring on the big guns! 7 needles (replaceable and interchangeable) with retractable guard. I can’t tell you how much I use this for flat felting ears, brooches, legs (before they are rolled and shaped), pictures etc. I use this one on my hessian felting mat (it doesn’t work as well on bouncy foam), and it powers through ears, wings, legs, gnome hats, poppy/flower petals, and pictures at a rate of knots! TOP TIP! Ideal for teaching the kids because of the locking, retractable guard and much less prone to breakage.

FELTING NEEDLE HOLDER

This is very useful if your fingers are sensitive to the thin top of the felting needle, you have dexterity problems, or you are felting for long periods.

SAFETY! Needles are sharp and I always advise using a finger guard when starting, especially for work where your fingers need to be close to the needle. On the plus side, it doesn’t hurt for long 😉

HESSIAN MAT FILLED WITH RICE

I use it for all of the above as well as my foam. I make my own Hessian felting mats and they are available in the shop; just add 2/3lbs of Basmati organic, free range rice…just kidding, any rice will do.

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT NEEDLE FELTING?

Here are some useful guides and tutorials:

Happy creating and please watch those fingers, not Netflix, as it hurts!

Est. 2013
© 2013 Lincolnshire Fenn Crafts

Guide To Felting Needles

It’s the one thing that gets us all really confused. A gauge for this, a spiral star or triangle for that. What’ s the difference between a size 32 and size 38 and what on earth do I do with this reverse needle felting needle I bought???

Well, stop tearing your hair out because I am going to give you the short version and what I like to use, as my own personal preferences. I will also tell you about the felting needle tools I couldn’t live without!

In short, needle sizes work like this: The higher the number, the finer the needle and needle sizes range from as low as 19 up to 42. You will hear them referred to as triangular: 3 sides Star: 4 sides and, new kid on the block, the spiral needle.

I won’t bore you with a size guide and their numerous uses  as you can find them all over the internet and they are very useful if you are having trouble sleeping…

All comments welcome on what your own preferences are.

All the needles and accessories discussed are available on the Website and Etsy

WHAT DO I LIKE TO USE?

38 and 36 star for basic shapes: Good all rounders and less prone to breakage.

38 or a 36 star and both can be used to create and finish your basic 3D needle felted project. I use 38 star needles (I like the four sides for faster felting) all the time so naturally, they are the ones I also use in my kits. However, it is down to personal preference and a 36 is just as good although a little too heavy, for my liking, on the finer finishing and facial details.

Top tip: Reduce needle marks by inserting your needle diagonally when finishing/smoothing the top layer. Rolling the body part in your hands (before attaching) is the fastest and most efficient way of smoothing your piece; your hands are just as important a tool as your needle!

Felting Needles And Accessories

Website

Etsy

IMG_9337
38 star needle for basic shapes

40 triangle is ideal for much finer detail: Bends more easily so don’t be heavy handed with it.

I use this when I am finishing delicate eye and nose detail. Especially if the head is quite soft and I don’t want to distort the lovely shape I have made. It is also great for reducing needle marks on the top layer. You will notice that this needle is thinner, bends more easily than the 36/38 and is much more prone to breakage if bent too much. Top tip: Be careful when using it around a wire armature to avoid breakage

 

 

Reverse felting needle: Barbs go in the opposite direction and pull the felted wool back out

It took me a while to get used to this one as I was expecting something more dramatic. However, now I have used it for a while I just love subtle effect it gives to, an otherwise, smooth finish. It all depends what wool you are using but I used mine recently to rough up the top of my moon gazing hares head to add character and dimension. I think it worked really well… The wool is natural Grey Jacob and you will find it in a lot of my kits; one of my favourite wool’s to needle felt with. I also include it in my Flamingo needle felting kit to ‘fluff’ up the body and base of the neck. Also great for use on 3D cats and dogs.

IMG_2580.JPG
Reverse felting needle used for top of the head

IMG_2906.JPG
See how the wool at the base of the neck has been pulled back out…

New kid on the block is the ‘spiral needle’

Not much to say on this one. I have tried this needle a few times but, to be honest, end up going back to my 38 or 40 triangle for fine surface detail. It is just personal preference but I really didn’t notice the difference? Probably best for top coat finishing as it is less likely to show needle marks due to it’s ‘twisted’ needle but, I find I get the same result going in diagonally with a 40 triangular. However, I have only tried one size so I guess it is just down to personal preference.

My favourite tools

None of the following are necessary but I use them all the time for certain projects and they really help speed up the felting process. Especially useful if you are now a needle felting addict (you know who you are…) and unofficial member of the Lincolnshire Fenn Crafts NFA group, ‘Needle Felters Anonymous’. Hmm, I’m thinking T-shirts and badges…

Wooden needle holder (Tulip holder): Can be bought with 3 or 4 needle holes, uses standard needles (supplied) and needles are removable and interchangeable.

My preference is the 3 needle holder (using 38 or 40 triangular or star) because it can be used for starting off your 3D shapes quickly as well as being used for flat felting e.g. big bunny or hare ears. Top tip: If flat felting using a coarser needle such as a 36 or 34 will speed up the process.

 

 

Felting Pen

Does pretty much the same as the wooden needle holder (above) but also works really well on wool batts and the rice bag felting mats. Save money: You will see these in pink (Clover tool) and blue. The blue is half the price of the pink and the difference…one is from Hong Kong and one is from China?

 

 

Multi tool/punch tool

Bring on the big guns! 7 needles (replaceable and interchangeable) with retractable guard. I can’t tell you how much I use this for flat felting ears, brooches, legs (before they are rolled and shaped), pictures etc. I use this one on my felting rice mat, it doesn’t work as well on bouncy foam, and it powers through ears, wings, legs, gnome hats, poppy/flower petals, pictures at a rate of knots! Top tip: Ideal for teaching the kids because of the locking, retractable guard and much less prone to breakage. Save money: Same applies as for the felting pen above

 

 

 

 

Single needle holder

I rarely use mine but it is very useful if your fingers are sensitive to the thin top of the felting needle and you are felting for long periods.

 

 

Felting rice bag

I use it for all of the above as well as my foam. I make my own Hessian felting mats and they are available in the shop; just add 2/3lbs of Basmati organic, free range rice…just kidding, any rice will do.

Happy creating and please watch those fingers (not Netflix) as it hurts!

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