A quick needle felting tutorial on ‘how to’ make a wing for your needle felted birdies; scroll down for video tutorial. This tutorial is for my Robin but you can adapt this for any bird. It is super easy and, before you know it, you will have a pile of wings just waiting to be stuck to a body.
You choose the finish; I prefer a looser more rustic look but the ‘neat freaks’, like my daughter, would be horrified at the thought so just go with whatever you’re happy with.
Please follow the written instructions and the corresponding photograph numbers. You don’t need much wool at all for each wing and after one or two attempts you will be flying… Aah come on; someone had to say it!
NEEDLE FELTED WING IN 7 EASY STEPS
1 Make a rough paper template as a guide (approx 6/cm) or just ‘draw’ a teardrop shape with your needle.
2 With your hands blend a thin layer of brown, dark brown and a little orange (or whatever colour you choose) and lay on top of your foam block. Cut out one wing template and lay on top of the layer of wool. Use your needle to draw a rough shape around it; poke the needle straight up and down all the way around your template.
2 Remove the wing template and go over the lines you have drawn again; not too deep into your foam block.
3 Fold in the sides and felt gently, following the line of the shape you have created
4 Keep turning and felting until it is firm and holds its shape Tip: It should be firm but not bulky
5 Hold the sides of the wing and create a curve by pushing the needle gently and repeatedly along the top centre, being careful not to poke your fingers. Always keep your needle straight or the tip will break!
6 If you want to you can tidy the wing around the edges by pulling the edges over and felting some more. Keep turning and repeating until you are happy with the overall shape. Repeat the procedure for your second wing.
7 Decide how you want your finished wing to look; you can fold the end over for a tidy finish or leave it loose.
VIDEO TUTORIAL
Grab your wool and felting needles and felt along with me.
ARE YOU STARTING FROM SCRATCH
Needle felting patterns – including this fabulous robin – are available on the website and Etsy.