Needle felting is a craft where you use a special felting needle to sculpt wool into different shapes and designs. It’s a bit like sculpting with clay, but instead of using your hands, you use a barbed needle to tangle the wool fibres together.
Before starting, it’s important to get familiar with the basic tools and terms. Don’t worry, there aren’t too many you need to know when just starting, but understanding things like the different types of wool, needle sizes, and tools will help you work more easily and avoid mistakes. Knowing these basics will make the process smoother and help you enjoy creating your projects more. Here is the needle felting terminology you should familiarise yourself with. You wont need to know it all and it will soon become second nature. Plus you can always save this post for reference. So, let’s get into what needle felting terminology you should know.
Basic Terms:
1 Needle Felting
Needle felting is a craft technique that involves using specialized barbed needles to interlock wool fibers. By repeatedly stabbing the wool, the barbs catch the fibers and tangle them, compressing them into a solid structure. This method allows for the creation of shapes, textures, and intricate details without glue or sewing.
2. Wool Top
Wool top is a smooth preparation of wool where fibers are combed and aligned in the same direction. They are usually in long rope style lengths, roughly the thickness of your wrist. This results in a smooth and uniform needle felting wool ideal for adding colour creating fine details, smooth finishes, for longer top coats, fairy dresses, or long gnome beards.
3. Carded Wool
Carded wool is wool that has been processed through a carding machine to separate and tease the fibers apart. This creates an airy texture with fibres going in lots of different directions. Crafters often use it to build the core of projects, and applying it to the surface creates a neater finish with fewer needle marks, making it easier to achieve smooth results. You can purchase it in sheets (batts) or lengths (slivers), and it works perfectly for felting larger, bulkier shapes.
4. Batt
A batt is a large, flat sheet of carded wool. It is often used as a base material in needle felting, particularly for projects that require bulk, like sculptures or large flat pieces. It can also be used as the final cover for needle felted pieces to create a perfectly smooth finish. Batts come in a variety of wool types and can be dyed or left natural for blending purposes. Batts can also be used to cover your project to create an almost needle mark free finish.
Felting Needle-Specific Terms:
5. Felting Needle
A felting needle is a long, slender needle specifically designed for felting wool. Unlike regular sewing needles, it has barbs along the shaft that help tangle the fibers together. Felting needles come in different gauges and shapes, allowing for versatility in shaping and detailing.
- Barbs
Tiny notches called barbs line the sides of felting needles. These notches catch wool fibers as you push the needle in and out of the wool, pulling the fibers together to create a dense, interlocked structure. The number and arrangement of barbs affect how quickly and efficiently the needle works.
7. Gauge
The gauge of a felting needle refers to its thickness/size. Lower gauge needles (e.g., 36) are thicker and stronger, making them suitable for rough shaping and working with coarse fibers. Higher gauge needles (e.g., 40–42) are finer and more delicate, ideal for adding small details or working with fine wool.
8. Triangular Needle
A triangular needle has three sides with barbs along each edge. It is one of the most commonly used felting needles, suitable for general shaping and basic needle felting projects. It balances efficiency and precision, making it a great choice for beginners.
9. Star Needle
A star needle has four sides instead of three, increasing the number of barbs that come into contact with the wool. Also commonly used this makes it faster at felting and more effective at creating a firm, dense structure. It’s ideal for speeding up larger projects. I love the 38 start needle which is an excellent all rounder, able to complete most projects from start to finish.
Felting Techniques:
10. Core Wool
Core wool is a type of wool used to create the inner structure or base shape of a needle-felted project. It is typically less refined and less expensive than surface wool, as it won’t be visible in the finished piece. Using core wool helps save time and money while building volume efficiently but isn’t always necessary, especially for smaller projects.
- Surface Felting
Surface felting involves adding a thin layer of colored or finer wool to the exterior of a project. This technique is used to cover the core wool and create smooth, polished surfaces or intricate designs. It’s ideal for creating patterns, gradients, fine details, long animal coats, and loose gnome beards.
12. Stab/Poke
Stabbing is the fundamental motion in needle felting, where you repeatedly poke the wool with a felting needle. The act of stabbing tangles the fibers and compresses the wool into the desired shape. Consistent, deliberate stabbing is key to achieving an even and firm structure.
13. Firmness
Firmness refers to the density of a needle-felted piece. Achieving the right level of firmness requires patience and consistent stabbing to compact the fibers thoroughly. This will result in a more solid and stable end result.
Project Components:
14. Wire/Armature
An armature is a skeleton-like framework, usually made of wire or pipe cleaners, used to provide structure and support to needle-felted sculptures. It allows for poseable pieces and ensures the project maintains its shape over time. Needle felters often use armatures in animal or figure felting. However, wire is not necessary to produce amazing needle felted sculptures and I advise new felters to learn the basics before even considering using wire frames/armatures. Top Tip! You do not have to use wire in your projects to become an excellent needle felter.
- Blending
Blending is the process of mixing different colors or types of wool to create gradients, custom shades, or unique textures. This is often done by hand or with hand carders. Blending allows for more realistic and artistic effects in needle-felted projects.
16. Topcoat
The topcoat serves as the final layer of wool you apply to a needle-felted project. Using fine, high-quality wool, it creates a smooth, polished finish. The topcoat hides the core wool and adds vibrant, detailed colors. Top Tip! You can often use a single type of wool for both the core and the topcoat. For example, the Hare below is made entirely from Shetland carded wool, eliminating the need for a separate topcoat.
Tools and Accessories:
17. Felting Pad/Mat
A felting pad or mat is a surface used to protect your needle and workspace during needle felting. It also helps prevent the wool from sticking to the surface. Common types include foam mats, wool mats, rice filled hessian mats, and brush mats, each with its own advantages, and disadvantages. I have a great post on my favourite felting mat.
- Multi-Needle Tool
A multi-needle tool holds multiple felting needles at once, making it easier to cover large areas quickly. It’s especially useful for working on flat pieces or when you need to speed up the felting process. Many tools allow you to switch out needles for different gauges.
19. Punch Needle Tool
A punch tool holds multiple felting needles at once, typically between 5 and 7, making it an excellent choice for working on larger areas much more quickly than with a single needle. For this reason, felters often rely on punch tools when creating broad surfaces or flat felting. However, despite its ability to speed up the process significantly, the punch tool lacks the precision required for finer details. Therefore, felters transition to single needles when tackling more intricate tasks. Top Tip! Additionally, remember that the punch tool is not suitable for 3D projects unless you remove at least half of the needles.
Now that you know all the essential needle felting terminology, it’s time for you to start your needle felting journey!.
Are You A Needle Felting Beginner?
My post for new needle felters is the perfect place to start your craft journey. It will ease you into needle felting with confidence, allowing you to build your skills and prepare for more advanced projects.
Do You Like Working From A Pattern?
There are so many of my inspiring needle felting patterns available for instant download. From from beginners to confident needle felters, there is a pattern to suit every skill level and style.
