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Following on the success of my needle felted Nordic Gnomes tutorial, I decided to add a video tutorial to go with it. I mean, Nothing shouts Christmas louder than Nordic gnomes! Well, maybe Noddy Holder, he’s really loud!
Tomte, Nisse, Tonntu or however you refer to them are now firmly established as part of our Christmas gnome decor , and I was introduced to them a few years ago by my Finnish pal, Anna. Let’s face it, there’s nothing like a bit of Nordic flavour to get us in the festive, hygge mood.
My video tutorials, like my written ones, are kept simple, informal and relaxed and I want you to feel like you have just popped into one of my workshops. So, wrap up warm, grab a cuppa (or mulled wine), your wool and needles or Gnome felting kit and join me for 25 minutes of easy, peasy, unadulterated craft respite. Now where’s those woolly socks?
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
40 triangular needle…for fine details
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.
Top of head fluffed with reverse needleNotice the wisps on the base of the neck, pulled out by the reverse needleRealistic Hebridean sheep with white showing on the face, pulled through with the reverse needle
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.
Wooden needle holderRemovable and interchangeable needles
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?
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 😉
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.
Hedgehog needle felting kits are available on the Website
So excited to introduce Colin Hedgehog, the prickliest member of the Lincolnshire Fenn Crafts tribe. The full needle felting kit to accompany this video is also available on the Lincolnshire Fenn Crafts website.
This is my version of our beloved hedgehog. More fun than you can shake a stick at? Not sure what that means but it is definitely a lot of fun.
Skill level: Complete beginners to intermediate
What you need: Enthusiasm!
So, make a cuppa, cut yourselves a slice of cake and join me for a full tutorial teaching you new tips, tricks and techniques as well as trying new wool and needles.
Bonus! if you are using the kit you get to make at least 3 Colin hedgehogs! What better way to spend a crafternoon…
A short video (only 12 minutes) to help you improve your needle felting techniques.
When needle felting a head (animals or people) it is important to make sure you have a really firm shape. If you have a soft head then when you start to add the features you will distort or flatten the wool.
It is one of the most common mistakes (apart from floppy legs) but very easy to get right. As with all things, practice makes perfect, but needle felting does allow for mistakes because you can just add another layer. Just remember the golden rule: Start smaller and build your shape up and you can add but not take away. If you start too big and have to keep adding you will end up with a head the size of a football and then have to make a body to match! We are now talking life size sheep or giant hares that will just scare everyone, especially the dog or cat…
My best advice: Be patient. Don’t try to run before you can walk. Get the basics right and the rest will follow. Yes, I know your bestie, family member or work colleague wants a sculpture of their dog making after seeing a flower brooch you made? However, anything worth doing takes time. If it didn’t we would all be taking David Bailey quality photographs after an hours tutorial, or be able to put in a whole plumbing system after fixing a leaky tap… Most definitely, very soon we would all be very bored of hearing about each others achievements and stop making the effort.
One of the questions I get asked the most is, “how do I get my legs really firm?” In the needle felting world floppy and saggy legs on your animals are a no, no! They are the finishing touches that add stability and dimension to your animal so don’t spoil it by being impatient and not taking the time it needs to get it right (approx 10 to 15 minutes for each leg). My short, real time video tutorial quickly teaches you how to avoid common needle felting mistakes by showing you the tips and needle felting hacks I have learned along the way. Hope it helps you improve your needle felting skills and remember: You can add wool but not take it away!
Thought I would put a second pumpkin video together for you. This time I am using wool batting sheets which require very little needle felting and are ideal for pumpkins and soft sculpture; particularly when using wire armatures. I use them for my own pumpkins because they are simple and relaxing to make whilst producing show stopping seasonal decor.
Wool batting differs only in the way it is processed. Wool is carded into big lofty, springy sheets with fibres going in all directions. Wool tops (often referred to as roving) are long lengths of wool where the fibres are brushed into long smooth lengths, usually the thickness of your wrist. I use wool top (or roving) for my own animal sculptures and needle felting kits.
Batting sheets and wool tops
All the wool I use in the video is available to purchase as one bundle: Website Etsy
Happy Felting and feel free to ask questions in the comments below.
Video for using batting to wrap wire armature coming soon!
I have used Perendale and ethically sourced Merino batts from non mulesed sheep.
EASY DIY PUMPKIN FOR BEGINNERS – FREE STEP BY STEP NEEDLE FELTING TUTORIAL
Whilst carded wool is usually my favourite wool for pumpkins, you can use pretty much any felting wool from your stash and, in this tutorial, you will see how easy it is to use wool tops. In addition, needle felted pumpkins are probably one of the easiest needle felting projects to make. However, making needle felted pumpkins is completely addictive, so your home will soon be full of fabulous handmade autumn and fall decorations.
WANT MORE PUMPKIN STYLES? OF COURSE YOU DO!
Don’t stop here! I have a pumpkin style for all tastes, and my Winter Wonderland pumpkins look festively fabulous right through to the new year. Just click HERE for more tutorials or order kits and accessories from the WEBSITE or ETSY
SUSTAINABLE AND BUDGET FRIENDLY CRAFT PROJECT
These pumpkins are so much better than shop bought. At just a fraction of the price, completely eco friendly, and biodegradable; no plastic pumpkins here! What’s not to love?
SHORT ON TIME, OR PATIENCE
Think you don’t have the patience, or time for crafts? Think again! This quick and easy needle felting project is perfect for the impatient, and time short, would be crafter. From wool to pumpkin in around 20 minutes you could even make a few in your lunch hour.
