Little Needle-felt Animals

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Don’t worry if your animal doesn’t turn out exactly as the one in the photograph. The wonderful thing about needle-felting is that it is such an expressive craft; that each person brings their own touch, and no two styles are the same. There are no strict rules. Follow the patterns, try the techniques, but most important, have fun!

Needle-Felting Tools (#ulink_147a9856-b1ef-5c03-a2f3-4b063903b5cb)

Make sure you have all the tools and materials you need before you get started with needle-felting. With each pattern I recommend how many needles and what size to use for the best finish, but work with whatever you feel comfortable with.

Wool

You can use any wool to needle-felt – coarser wools stick together more quickly, but I always use merino as it gives me the fine, tight finish I prefer. Roving (or tops, as it is also known) comes in long lengths that are usually about 4cm wide.

The measurements of wool that I give in the patterns are fairly precise, but don’t worry if you are a bit over or under; things usually turn out fine, I’ve found.

Felting Sponges and Mats

Always work on a protective sponge or brush mat, especially when beginning a piece of work. If you try needle-felting on your lap without a mat, you will stab yourself as well as your work, which is very painful! Felting sponges should be firm and tight-grained. If you are unsure whether needle-felting is for you, buy sponge for cheapness. For longevity, though, invest in a felting brush mat, which will last for years. I recommend covering the bristles with a thin, smooth textile covering, otherwise the wool sticks directly to the brush.

Needle Holders

There are all kinds of holders for needles. The one I use all the time is the pen holder because it holds the needles very close together, making it more efficient in matting the wool and better for small projects. Other kinds work well, too, and are preferable to simply holding a needle in your hand, which can cause cramps. The fitting end of all needles is the same (see the needles on the right in the photograph) and fits any holder.

Needles

Needles come in a variety of sizes and shapes: the larger the needle size, the finer it is. They range in size from very thick (size 32) to ultra fine (size 43). The needle stems can be cross-shaped, star-shaped, spiral or triangular (the most popular).

I don’t use many types of needle. The majority of my work is made with one or two size 40 triangular needles, though I also use sizes 42 and even 43 for surface finishing. While it’s tempting to try larger gauge needles for quickness, they are not as effective with fine wools such as merino. The really important thing to remember about any size of felting needle is that they are very sharp, so be careful when you are working! They are also very thin, so if you stab too hard or bend them too far, they will snap.

Extra Tools

I use all kinds of extra bits and pieces when working:

• Pliers for bending wire.

• Wire cutters.

• An awl, for so many things; I could not do without mine. Before adding ears to a head, I drill holes so that the ear sits more deeply in the wool. I also make little eye sockets before sewing in the eyes, so that they sit within the head instead of resting on the surface.

• A variety of needles for stitching.

• Long doll needles for thread jointing.

• Beading needles for sewing on seed beads.

• A pair of fine-tipped tweezers, mostly for picking out rogue-coloured fibres from whatever I’m working on.

• Scissors, small and large: I often use the large ones for shearing the fuzzy haze from my work in the final stages (see here (#ulink_b11772fb-fc33-5770-a014-9f4561433cec)).

Threads

I can never have enough threads, as they are all so useful in their own particular ways. Look out for:

• Gutermann polyester threads, which are strong and useful for tying in eyes.

• Thick waxed cord in various colours for tails.

• Thick black cotton thread for noses.

• Sturdy cottons, which are good for thread jointing.

• Coarser linen threads, which are nice for simple rustic pattern stitching.

• Standard embroidery floss, pure silk threads and the vibrant cotton ‘Flower’ threads are all also great for a variety of decorative stitching.

• And my favourite, Anchor Pearl Cotton, has so many gorgeous colours for stylish embroidery and for making beautiful cords for dangles.

Beads and Findings

I like to have as wide a variety of beads as possible. On my larger pieces I usually use the traditional looped black ‘English’ glass eyes. They range in size from the very tiny (2mm) upwards, but black glass seed beads also make good eyes and I often use them on smaller projects. Jewellery findings, such as clips, dangles, brooches, or hat pins, are useful for adding different ways to use your creations.

Sketch Before you Stab (#ulink_d779b2f1-9326-5941-887a-f874708691b1)

Before my workshop students begin needle-felting, I encourage them to do a little pre-sketch of what they want to make. This usually produces groans of ‘I can’t draw!’ But it only has to be the roughest of doodles. Drawing an idea not only gives a visual guide to the finished size, but also helps fix the image in your head as you work, making it easier to create the design you have imagined. I very rarely start a design in my hands – it usually starts on my sketchbook page. My stock of drawings is invaluable for storing ideas – every crafter should have one.

Repeated Elements (#ulink_319638a7-f69b-5cb0-9949-f1eee96c2c65)

Needle-felting is really a form of free sculpture, but here are some tried and tested methods I’ve perfected over the years. These will help you achieve good results, whether follow the patterns or work on your own designs.

Joining Parts

Wool sticks to itself as you work, so joining is easy – no thread, no glue, just the wool itself and your needle. Here’s how to do it:

1 Loosely shape the arm or leg, leaving the fibres loose where it is to join the body.

2 Splay the loose fibres apart so that they spread evenly over the join area. You can use a spare needle to hold the limb to the body while you are working, then remove it once it is attached safely.

3 Finish shaping the wool so that it becomes a natural part of the body. You may have to add small amounts of extra wool to fill in awkward-looking gaps, but that is fine.

Attaching Eyes

I use a traditional toy maker’s method of sewing in eyes, which can be used with specialist looped glass eyes (commonly used for miniature teddy bears) or seed beads. A strong thread, such as that made by Gutermann, is best. Where possible, use a thread that matches the colour of the piece you are working on. Eyes are a vital part of your animal or bird and will instantly give it life. The size of the eye can change its character, so experiment with different sizes. The position of the eyes is also important, so before you actually sew them in, use a pair of black-headed pins to judge where the eyes are going to go and play around with them. Large, wide apart eyes give an innocent expression. Front-facing eyes are a sign of a hunting type of animal, whereas bird eyes are often small and on the sides of the head. Look at real creatures to see what a variety of eyes there are in the natural world.

Front-Facing Method

1 Using an awl, drill a hole where each eye is to go; this makes a little socket for it to sit in.

2 Thread each eye singly with a good length of strong cotton. Thread a long needle with the first eye, take the needle into a socket and bring it out behind the head, around the back of the neck. Draw it through, pulling the eye snug into the face.

3 Repeat with the second eye, bringing the thread out at the same place as the first thread, on the back of the neck.

4 Tie the two loose threads together, tugging gently to ensure that the eyes are tight within the felt, and finish off the knot.

5 Rethread the needle with all four strands of thread. Take the needle back into the body so that the threads emerge some distance away from the knot; this is to avoid the knot untying and loosening the eyes. If needs be, patch and tidy (see here (#ulink_49762424-5d93-5f56-ac16-5aec9acf0305)) the little area where the knot is.

Sideways Method

1 Using an awl, drill a hole on either side of the face where the eyes are to sit. Thread a long needle with a good length of cotton and take it from one eye socket through to the one on the other side.

2 Unthread the needle and put an eye on to one of the cotton strands. Rethread the needle and take the needle into the socket, bringing it out at a point behind the head to ensure that the eye is sitting neatly in the socket.

3 Repeat on the other side, bringing the cotton out at the same point.

4 Pull the strands tight, without breaking them, so that the eyes sit snugly in the face. Tie off the strands, rethread them on to the needle and take the needle back into the body, bringing them out some distance away from the knot, as for the front-facing method. If needs be, patch and tidy the little area where the knot is.

Adding Beaks

Roly-poly Robin (#litres_trial_promo) and Marching Penguin (#litres_trial_promo) both have small, pointy beaks. The technique to make beaks can be quite fiddly, so use a spare needle as a guide. This is a great way to get any tiny beak made – simply adjust the amounts of wool to suit the bird you’re working on.

1 Position a guide needle in the spot where the beak is to go. Take a very small amount of wool and, using another needle, anchor one end of the wool into the body.

2 Wind the wool around the guide needle and carefully stab at it until the beak is strong enough that you can remove the guide needle.

3 Finish firming up until you have a nice pointy beak. How easy was that?

Stitching Noses

1 To stitch a nose, preferably use thick cotton or a waxed thread. Thread a long needle and knot one end of the thread. Take the thread in at the side of the face, a little distance from where the nose is to be.

2 Make four to five stitches where you want the nose to be. Don’t pull the thread too tight in the felt or the stitches will be distorted. They should just nestle snugly together.

3 Take the thread out at a point away from the nose and snip off carefully.

Making Ruffs

Ruffs add extra cuteness. You can make a ruff from ribbons, lace or textiles, but bear in mind that you will need at least four times as much material as the circumference of the neck. Here I have used wire-edged ribbon, which holds the creases nicely.

1 Take a length of thread and begin creasing the ribbon into a concertina. As you work, catch the non-wired side on a long needle and hold it on the needle until you have finished.

2 Remove the needle and tie the ruff securely around the neck of your creature, wire edge on the outside. Rethread the needle with the loose thread ends and take the needle down into the body, so that the ruff is fixed in place.

Attaching Seed Beads

Seed beads (or any other kind of bead) are another great way of decorating a project. Use invisible thread or one that closely matches the colour of the bead. Make sure you have a long length of thread, so that you don’t have to keep rethreading.

Sewing on Clips

Clips can turn any small bird or creature into an instant decoration. Crocodile clips come in various sizes. When sewing them on, make sure the tooth side is flush to the body to give the thread something to grip to: if you try to sew over the flat side, it will slide out.