HOW TO NEEDLE FELT FOR BEGINNERS – DO’S AND DON’TS

Needle felting is an exceptionally addictive craft that you’ll find surprisingly simple to begin with. It’s easy to grasp the basics, environmentally friendly, and offers endless creative possibilities. Whether you’re interested in crafting DIY decorations to brighten up each season, creating unique handmade gifts, or seeking an activity to escape the daily noise, needle felting is the perfect craft.

In my guide, “How to needle felt for beginners, do’s and don’ts,” I provide essential tips and advice to kick-start your journey, and go beyond, in this wonderful craft. Here are a few pointers from the guide:

What is Needle Felting?

Needle felting is a process where you use special barbed needles to repeatedly and carefully stab into wool fleece. This action tangles the fibres together until the wool becomes firm. By following specific instructions, you can shape this wool into your own unique needle felted sculpture.

Before you begin your sculpture, it’s essential to grasp a few basic concepts about needle felting. However, it’s just as important to remember that you are in the creative driving seat. Feel free to experiment and make changes as you see fit. Personalising your project is all part of the fun and creativity of needle felting.

Getting Started

When you’re starting out with needle felting, it’s a good idea to begin with smaller projects. This way, you can build your confidence and improve your skills gradually. Make sure you use the right needle felting wool and tools; they really make a difference to both your crafting experience and the look of your finished items. It’s also smart to keep your crafting area tidy and your tools close at hand to make everything more efficient. Remember, there’s no need to rush through your projects. Taking your time can actually lead to much better results. If you make mistakes, don’t worry about it too much—they’re just part of the learning process and they’ll help you get better. Finally, make sure you’re using the right felting needle for the job. It might seem like a small thing, but it can really impact how your project turns out. By keeping these tips in mind, you’ll find that needle felting becomes a more enjoyable and successful hobby. So, let’s get set to begin your needle felting adventure and I know, just like me, you will find yourself completely in love with this wonderful craft!

Best Advice for Complete Beginners

Before you dive into needle felting, it’s important to remember that making mistakes isn’t a bad thing, even though it often feels that way. Allow yourself to be a beginner and start on chapter 1, not chapter 5. Actually, getting things wrong is a crucial part of learning. Every mistake is a lesson that helps us get better and build our needle felting confidence. Trust me, I’ve made plenty of mistakes myself, and each one has taught me something valuable. So, as you start your felting journey, embrace those little slip-ups and errors—they’re just stepping stones on your path to becoming great at this craft! Remember, no one starts out perfect, and every needle felter has had their share of oops moments.

Felting Needle Safety

It’s really important to be careful with your fingers when you’re working on your needle felting project. As you hold and turn your creation, there’s a higher risk of accidentally stabbing your finger with the needle because it can easily poke through the wool. Always try to use a foam pad to help protect your fingers.

Also, remember to always push your needle straight in and out of the wool, no matter what angle you’re working from. This helps prevent the needle from breaking.

The final piece you create will be totally unique to you, so let your imagination run wild! Be patient with the process because these wonderful creations deserve the time they take to craft, and you’ll find yourself getting the hang of needle felting very quickly. Once you finish your first project, you’ll feel unstoppable! When you’ve completed your project, take a moment to sit back, admire your work, and proudly tell your friends and family, “I made that!”

Start With Simple Shapes

When you’re just beginning with needle felting, starting with simple shapes is an excellent strategy before tackling your main project. This step will help you become familiar with the feel of the wool and the techniques involved in using a felting needle. It’s a particularly effective way to boost your confidence, especially if it’s your first time creating anything crafty. A useful tip is to always begin with less wool than you think you might need. It’s much easier to add extra wool as you go rather than trying to remove it once the felting process has started.

To support your learning journey, I offer a wide range of tutorials and video guides that cover all the basics. The mini-tutorials below are specifically designed to help beginners understand the fundamental techniques of needle felting. They will guide you step-by-step as you learn to create various needle felted items, from animals to botanicals and abstract shapes. Starting with these simpler projects is vital as it establishes a strong foundation for all your future needle felting endeavors, preparing you to tackle more complex and detailed projects as you grow more skilled. This initial phase is crucial, not just for mastering the techniques, but for exploring the creative possibilities that needle felting offers.

How to Needle Felt a Simple Shape

1. Begin by rolling your wool very tightly into a rough oval shape. Make sure to tuck the ends in as you roll.
2. Keep rolling until you are about halfway through. Ensure that the wool is still compact and continue tucking in any loose ends as you go. Helpful hint: If the roll loosens, unroll it and start over to maintain tightness.
3. Once halfway, pause to check if you’re satisfied with the shape and how firm it is.
4. Helpful hint: A good test for firmness is to give it a squeeze; it should be able to bounce back into its original shape.
5. Continue shaping by adding more wool to the structure. Keep felting and shaping until it achieves the size you want.
6. Check you have the shape you want. Helpful hint: Use a roughly drawn template as your size and shape guide

How to Needle Felt a Ball

TOP TIP! Tie a knot or two in the centre to create a firm core will save a lot of felting time and makes it easier to create a ball shape; click on picture for instructions.

Top Tips and Techniques for Needle Felting Success

If you are just getting started or want to improve your skills then follow my 14 step guide to getting it right first time

1 -Firm is key to successful 3D needle felting. Firm (not hard) but still springs back when squashed – especially legs and head.

2 –Roll body parts quite tightly before beginning to felt – trust me, this will greatly reduce your needle felting time giving you more time to……well, needle felt of course.

3 -Needle felting is a short stabbing motion into your wool. Your needle should not disappear into the foam block and should hardly pierce the foam at all when 3D felting.

4 –Turn as you felt any 3D body part. This will give your structure its shape and prevent ‘dimples’ in your finished product.

5 – Start with less than you think you will need; you can add wool to make your shape bigger but you can’t take it away! The exception to this is limbs; if you have attached the limb/head and it’s in the wrong place, upside down (put your glasses on!) etc. then gently unpick with a pin and re-position or rework. Never try to unpick with your felting needle as I guarantee it will break. Good needles are not cheap and you will spend the next thirty minutes trying to find the end before the dog eats it, or worse, sits on it! The business end of your pet is not the end you want to be messing with…

6- When fully felted your 3D body part will be approximately 30% smaller than the shape you started with; unless you have felted so much you have made a rock which will make it around 75% smaller and turn it into a dangerous weapon…

7 – Only move your needle straight up and down, not at an angle.  If you bend your needle the tip will break off.

8 – Take your time! I know it’s a challenge, but patience is key. Give yourself ample time to learn and improve at your own pace. Remember, mastering needle felting is a journey, not a race. You won’t instantly become a top-tier felter like those wonderful creations you have been drooling over on Pinterest. You’re picking up a new skill, not conducting a medical operation, so try to have fun with it. After completing your first project, you’ll find yourself breezing through the next one!

9 – Usually, your project won’t look much like what you’re aiming for until you’re about three-quarters of the way through. That’s when you might think, “How is this ever going to turn out right?” This is the moment to keep going with strong determination. Things tend to come together right at the end, and everyone, whether they’re seasoned felters or total beginners, feels this way. The real trick is in the details; you can tweak, adjust, and add more to your creation. If you get stuck, it’s okay to take a break and come back later with fresh eyes or new ideas. The internet is like a huge free craft magazine brimming with inspiration so have a look and see what styles of needle felting you like.

WHAT TO DO WHEN IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE YOU IMAGINED?

Sometimes, even when you finish your project, it might not look exactly like what you had in mind. That’s okay—don’t let it ruin your day. Whatever you create is uniquely yours and that’s what makes it special! Those quirky ears or the odd-looking leg? They just add character. Embrace these features and remember all the new skills you’ve learned for your next project.

By the way, every needle felter has a collection of fuzzy ‘Frankenstein’ parts waiting to be used in another project. I like to call them “limbs in limbo”…

NEEDLE FELTING PATTERNS FROM COMPLETE BEGINNERS TO ADVANCED FELTERS

Needle felting patterns are an excellent way to begin, and I’ve been designing and creating them since 2014. I’ve also taught thousands of nervous crafters how to needle felt through my workshops, patterns, and video tutorials, many of which are completely free. These patterns include everything you need to get started: including a materials and wool list, incredibly detailed instructions, and video tutorials to guide you step by step. Projects can range from just an hour to as long as six hours, and with over 60 exciting patterns available, there’s definitely something for everyone, regardless of your skill level or personal taste.

10 – DISCLAIMER:  Needle felting is highly addictive! It can, and does, lead to compulsive creativity. Therefore, I cannot be held responsible for hungry pets, children and other family members.

11 – Housework will become a dirty word…literally (see number 10).

12 – Pets love, love, love wool. The only thing they love more is destroying your beautiful creation that you have invested blood, sweat and tears into. If you don’t want the sad demise of  many a poor ‘feltie’ to become your story then store well away from the little darlings.

13 – Practice makes perfect and I love pieces made with simple shapes; you can do so much with them once you have got the shape you want. Don’t expect to get it right first time so practise getting your basic shapes right before trying a more challenging piece. Please don’t run before you can walk and definitely don’t compare your first couple of makes to someone who has been felting for years.

14 – Take the bull by the proverbial horns and get creative; whether it be colouring books, needle felting, gardening. It really doesn’t matter and, if fear of failure is eating you up then remember this: You will always fail 100% of what you don’t try. Go easy on yourself; what have you got to loose…

Try a Simple Needle Felted Sheep

The head and body of the sitting Herdwick sheep (below) are the same shape, just different sizes. Add basic face features, cover the body with some beautiful curly locks and those simple shapes have turned into something really special!

NEEDLE FELTING VIDEO TUTORIALS TO GET YOU STARTED

There are lots of fabulous needle felting tutorials on my YouTube channel, The Felt Hub. For nervous beginners to confident needle felters, from woodland animals to flowers, gnomes, and fairies, there is a tutorial for everyone! If your needle felting journey is just beginning then these tutorials are the perfect place to start!

Watch The Video Tutorial

Felt along with me, workshop style, with this short, easy to understand video tutorial.