This is a needle-felted “painting.” I made this by felting onto a wool canvas, stretched onto a frame.

This is a needle-felted ornament.

What is felting?

Felting happens when wool is shrunk down and turned into material known as felt. Rubbing wool with warm water and soap is called wet felting. Needle felting is the art of sculpting wool with a special needle. Wool roving (unspun wool) is poked repeatedly, until it compacts into a solid shape. You can make animals, people, beads and anything in your imagination. The illustrations in this book are felt “paintings.” The wool is felted onto material stretched on a wooden frame, much like a painter’s canvas.

Where does felting come from?

People have been felting for as long as they have been harvesting wool from sheep. A simple form of felting is to boil a knitted garment until it shrinks and hardens into felt. In the old days, felt was used to make mittens, hats, jackets and slippers because it is very warm and sturdy.

Felting needles come from huge industrial machines. These machines use thousands of needles to pound wool into material. Fiber artists have begun experimenting with single needles to make felted sculptures and other creations.

What is so special about a felting needle?

A felting needle is a small (usually 3-4 inch) metal skewer. The tip of the needle is very sharp. It has tiny nicks that catch the strands of wool and draw them inwards where they get tangled with other strands of wool.

Felting needles come in many gauges and shapes. The gauge tells you the thickness of the needle. Thin needles are for finer work and leave smaller holes. Needles come in 36, 38 or 40 gauge. The higher the number, the thinner the needle. The shape of the needle is also important. Some are star-shaped and some are triangle shaped. A star will have more needle surface than a triangle, so it will pull more wool.

What kind of wool is used for felting?

Roving is raw fleece from sheep, lamas or alpacas. Once the fleece is washed, dyed and combed, it is ready for felting. Roving comes in many textures and is sold by the ounce or the pound. Softer, finer wools such as Merino or Corriedale are better for most needle felting projects. Coarser wools, such as Leicester and Cotswold, are more difficult to work with but make excellent hair and beards.

Where can you buy felting supplies?

Most craft stores don’t stock wool roving or felting supplies, but there are many stores on the Internet for spinners and fiber artists. If you live in a rural area, you might find roving and felting supplies at local sheep farms. Stores that specialize in spinning will have roving and possibly felting needles too. CLICK HERE TO FIND FELTING SUPPLIES ONLINE.

Safety first!

Felting needles are very sharp! Needle felting is suitable for children 8 years or older with adult supervision. Make sure to hold your wool on a thick cushion or piece of foam and poke the needle through to the cushion. Never hold the wool in your hand or directly on your lap.

Wet felting is a fun project for all ages.

Needle Felting Fun

I first discovered needle-felting in 2004, on the Carol Duval show on HGTV. At the time, I dabbled in all kinds of crafts, but the first time I picked up a felting needle and a hunk of wool roving, I was hooked. I knew I’d found my medium. I can’t draw or paint. I don’t like to sew or knit, but needle-felting lets me express my imagination with ease. Felting is sculpting with wool. The results are fun, whimsical and fuzzy. Needle felting is fast becoming a mainstream art. When I first started, I could find only two books on the subject. Now there are dozens of books and chat groups for needle-felters. I hope you’ll give this unique art form a try.

I illustrated Rainbow Sheep with felt ‘paintings’ similar the the picture of Goldilocks above. The book also include complete instructions to make a needle-felted sheep. Here is a short introduction to needle felting (taken from the Felting for Fun for kids activities in Rainbow Sheep.)

Rainbow Sheep

Needle Felting