What is felting and what types of felting are there? Let's try to answer this question in more detail. In the Stone Age, people noticed the ability of wool to mat. Today, felting (stuffing, felting, felting, felting) is again becoming a very popular type of needlework. The simplicity of the methods used makes it accessible to everyone. Even a beginner can create designer items of clothing, toys, accessories or interior details. They will emphasize the individual style and taste of the owner.

Two main types of felting, dry and wet- are based on the property of natural wool fibers to tangle with each other and compact, forming a single fabric. In both cases, combed tape (merino wool) is used as a consumable material. During the dry folding process, the balls of wool are repeatedly pierced with special needles, which promote the adhesion of the fibers to each other. This results in a three-dimensional product: a toy, souvenir or jewelry. This technology also allows you to apply patterns and decorate ready-made items.

Technique Felting wool is also called felting and felting. It is used to create various decorative items from unspun wool. For example, using felting you can make parts of clothing, toys, jewelry, etc. Felting is performed only from natural wool. The best choices for felting are mohair and alpaca wool. The rest of the yarn may not be suitable. Therefore, before you start felting, you need to check the suitability of the yarn you have chosen. Take a small piece of thread, crumple it in your palm, add soap and water, and rub it in your hands for some time. After this, rinse the soap thoroughly and rub again. If, after five minutes, the yarn begins to shrink and cling to the fibers, then this means that it is suitable for felting, otherwise choose another yarn.

Wet felting involves using a soap solution and straightened strands of wool. In warm water, light massaging movements achieve the connection of individual layers into a common fabric. It is clear that the product turns out to be flat, and clothes, blankets or panels can be made from it. Recently, nunofelting (from the Japanese “nuno” - fabric) has become very popular. This is a type of wet felting that allows you to combine traditional wool with thin or loose natural fabrics. A new type of fabric makes it possible to create scarves, shawls and other designer products.

Secrets of technology

The main thing you need for dry folding is a combed tape and a set of needles. To avoid injury during work, the future creation must be held on a base: a thick foam sponge or a special brush. In order to save expensive consumables, the internal frame is made of cotton wool or padding polyester.

For this type of needlework, needles are used that vary in shape and thickness, as well as in the direction of the notches. Such a tool can be in the form of a triangle, a tetrahedral star or a crown, twisted or reverse. The thinnest needle has a working part diameter of 43. It is used at the final stage of work. The thickest tool with a diameter of 19 is used at the very beginning of felting. If there is a large amount of work to be done or you need to speed up the process, then use a pen holder for 4–7 needles.

For wet felt, in addition to the wool itself, you need:

1. Soap solution (from any bar or liquid soap).
2. Mesh (plastered, anti-mosquito, fine knitwear or tulle).
3. Mat (rubber with a corrugated pattern, bamboo or packaging film with air bubbles).

The wool is carefully laid out on the mat. The first layer is the base layer, then the background and the top layer is the drawing. During the process, wool shrinks, so initially the size of the product should be approximately 25% larger, and the thickness should be 4 times greater than planned. The fibers are evenly laid crosswise without gaps, and covered with a mesh on top. It will protect the pattern from spreading and help fix the layers. The product is moistened with a warm solution (you can use a spray bottle) or gently rubbed with soap.

At the initial stage of felting, movements should be very careful. “Light massage” with your hands or a vibration grinder should be gradually intensified. To make your hands glide better, you can wear cellophane gloves. When the mesh comes away from the fabric, you can remove it, turn the wool over and continue folding. Wool can be crushed, wrapped and kneaded like dough. The finished felt must be rinsed and dried without squeezing while unfolded.

Needles for dry felting are made of steel. Thanks to this, they do not bend during operation. When you stick a needle into wool, the notches on the bottom of the needle catch the wool fibers and push them into the layers below. This results in tangling of wool fibers.

Felting wool, or felting, is a very interesting, fascinating type of needlework that is popular today. Modern craftswomen use this technique to make clothes, shoes, all kinds of accessories and jewelry. Unique toys come to life in their hands. With the help of felting, drawings are made on fabric and felt, paintings and even entire panels are created.

Felting painting

So, what is this type of needlework? Let's figure it out.

Wool felting (from the English felt - felt, felt, stuffing) is a technique in which dense felt is obtained from lush, airy wool. Only natural wool has the ability to mat: the fibers adhere to each other due to their scaly structure.

Do you think felting is a hobby of modern needlewomen that appeared relatively recently? You are deeply mistaken. Felting from wool is one of the oldest types of needlework: people made things from felt already about 8 thousand years ago. Currently, technology is acquiring more and more artistic features; with its help you can create truly amazing things.

Wool beads and bracelet. Photo: inhomes.ru

Felt squirrel. Photo: madeheart.com

Stole with tulips. Photo: livemaster.ru

Felted children's vest. Photo: mbuzgorpolbk.ru

Felted handbag with a cat. Photo: livemaster.ru

Wool slippers. Photo: livemaster.ru

Types of felting

There are two main types of felting - dry and wet. Using the dry felting technique, carried out by piercing wool with special needles, three-dimensional products are most often created: toys, souvenir figurines, jewelry. The wet felting technique, carried out using soapy water and friction of fibers, is suitable for making clothes, panels, canvases, bags - in other words, flat products.

Often, dry and wet felting are used in the manufacture of one product. For example, when making toys, some flat elements are made using the wet felting technique: ears, paws.

Let's take a closer look at dry felting, which is the most fashionable today.

For a person who has not previously encountered felting, we recommend starting to get acquainted with this technique with a felting kit: fortunately, modern manufacturers provide a fairly wide selection. In the future, you can move on to bringing your ideas to life.

Anna Rybalchenko

felt toy maker

Materials and tools

Whatever items you decide to make from wool by dry felting, you will need the same materials and tools.

Unspun wool

For dry felting, coarse or semi-fine dyed unspun wool is used. It is not advisable to choose wool that is too thin (merino), as it is quickly destroyed by the needle - and this can lead to the product becoming oversize, which is almost impossible to correct.

Semi-fine wool for felting. Photo: realtex-yug.ru

Felting wool is sold in the form of combed strip and carded wool. Combed sliver is wool fibers neatly arranged into a long ribbon. To make the felting process more effective, such wool must be thoroughly tangled before working with it. Carding looks like cotton wool, only wool. Such a mass, consisting of tangled fibers, does not require preliminary preparation and quickly falls off.

Remember that wool shrinks by about a third - so stock up on plenty.

“Some people use undyed wool called sliver (cheaper) as the base of toys, then roll it with warp wool. I would not recommend using a sliver for the base, as it falls very poorly and the toy inside will turn out soft, which will make it worse to keep its shape. If you want to save money, then for the base it is better to use semi-fine Russian wool in a combed strip.

In general, the coarser the wool and the greater the fineness (fiber thickness), the faster it mats, which greatly speeds up the process of creating a product. If you are planning to make a toy with the effect of fluffy wool, then put the same wool in the base as on the surface, because when fluffing the product, the needles will pull up the wool fibers located in the middle of the base.”

Anna Rybalchenko

Needles for felting

Felting needles are special needles with small notches at the bottom. When the needles are inserted into the wool, the fibers catch on the notches and become tangled with each other.

Needles for felting. Photo: saleslook.ru

Needles of different thicknesses are used for work: usually the felting process begins with thicker needles, which are then replaced with thin ones. Thick needles are used for direct felting, that is, compaction of the material, medium needles are used to give the product an outline, and thin needles are used to form the final touches. Thick needles (nos. 30, 32, 36) contribute to rapid matting, but after their use, clear puncture marks remain on the product. It is in order to “retouch” them that thinner needles are used (Nos. 38-42).

Needles come not only in different thicknesses, but also in different cross-sectional shapes: triangular (three-beam) and star-shaped (four-beam). For initial work, triangular needles are usually used; for the final ones - in the shape of an asterisk: the punctures from them are more accurate and invisible.

In order to make your work process easier, purchase high-quality needles, preferably imported ones (made in England, Germany, USA).

“Despite the variety of types and shapes of needles, for felting you most often need needles No. 36 (“triangle” or “star”) for working on the base and needle No. 38 “star” for finer work, sanding and decorating the face of a toy. I would recommend having at least five needles of both types in stock, because even the best quality needles break at first for beginners.

In addition, there is another type of needle that helps create a fluffy fur effect on felt toys - these are the so-called reverse needles. These needles easily enter the product and pull the fur out of it to the surface. To create the fur effect, I advise you to use needles No. 40 reverse: they carefully pull out the fur without tearing the toy.”

Anna Rybalchenko

Felting brush

A special brush for felting will protect the working surface and your hands from needle pricks, which, by the way, are sharper than a regular sewing needle. The brush can be replaced with a dishwashing sponge.

Felting brush. Photo: 9.paraalisveris.me

A piece of wool is placed on a brush or sponge and pierced with needles until it becomes felted.

“If it is not possible to use a brush or mat for felting, then when choosing a sponge, pay attention to the fact that it is hard and does not sag under pressure, otherwise you will not be able to felt on it.

When using a brush for felting, I’ll tell you one secret: to prevent the product from being injured by the bristles in the place where it lies, I put a viscose rag folded in two layers (it is sold in any hardware store as for wiping off dust). Thanks to this, the product does not suffer from contact with the brush, and the needles easily pass through the cloth.

In any case, periodically separate the part from the brush or sponge so that it does not stick to it.”

Anna Rybalchenko

In order to protect your fingers from needle pricks, novice felters are recommended to use special rubber or leather thimbles.

Decorative elements

Ribbons, braid, lace, beads and glass beads, glass eyes and other elements are used as decoration for the product.

“Sometimes when making a three-dimensional product, padding polyester is used: it serves as a base on which wool is applied. I don’t recommend using it, as it practically doesn’t fall off - the toy inside will be soft and easily dented.”

Anna Rybalchenko

Anna's works

When working, the needle should be inserted perpendicular to the product or at an angle, depending on the purpose. Anna Rybalchenko talks about this rule: at what angle the needle is inserted, at this angle it is pulled out. Quick and sharp blows with a needle will speed up the process at the initial stage - this way the product will fall off much more efficiently. However, speed and strength must be combined with attentiveness.

“It is important to constantly move and twist the product so that it falls evenly from different sides. This way, the needle will not be exposed to the wool for a long time in the same place, and the wool fibers will not be damaged. Otherwise, you risk getting wool dust instead of a dense base.”

Anna Rybalchenko

When the needle enters the felted part, a crunching sound should be heard. If the toy starts to “crunch” - continue, you are on the right track!

When creating the base, try to felt the middle of the product well. Start with a small amount of wool and gradually increase the volume by adding wool little by little.

“You don’t need to take a large amount of wool at once and give it a shape - you either won’t get what you planned, or the inside of the toy will be under-filled, which will then affect the quality of the finished product. If the product is dense inside, it will be much easier to shape and polish it.”

Anna Rybalchenko

When finishing, the punctures should be made as close to each other as possible. Work at this stage takes place on the surface, the needle is inserted onto a pair of notches. Use a needle to carefully remove all irregularities - ideally, there should not be a single bump on the finished product. If in some places the strands are not aligned, you can apply small pieces of tangled wool fibers and thus sand the product with them.

“Remember: when grinding, the size of the product will further decrease, so you need to start this stage when the product is already hard and cannot be squashed with your fingers.”

Anna Rybalchenko

If you squeeze the finished product with force, but it does not change shape at all, then the shrinkage is sufficient. Tap the table with your finger and then with the toy - the sound should be the same.

To connect parts, which occurs by pressing them against each other, it is necessary to leave the joint “loose”. Loose fibers from one part are threaded into another using a needle. The joint is strengthened: it is laid with a piece of wool, rolled up and sanded.

For paired parts (for example, ears, paws), it is recommended to immediately prepare the same amount of wool. It is difficult to measure wool for the second piece if the first one has already been felted.

If the product is made according to your idea, before you start felting, make a sketch of the future product. Do not forget that preliminary preparation is the basis of any work.

Anna Rybalchenko shares her experience in creating toys:

• Felting the base is a long and painstaking process. Therefore, in order to speed up this stage at least a little, I advise using not one, but two or three needles at the same time when working on the base. You can combine two needles No. 36 and one No. 38, for example. This will significantly speed up the felting process.I also fluff the toy with two or three needles at once. If you do this with one needle, the fur on the toy turns out to be sparse, which looks unsightly. The photo below shows how I roughly hold the needles. When the needles are exactly at this distance from each other, they shed the wool best and fastest. The photo also shows how and what kind of cloth I use to cover the bristles of the brush.
• To make the base of the toy dense, I start with a small skein (strand) of wool, twist it into a roller (as in the photo below) and carefully roll it, and only then, step by step, add new wool. Thanks to this method of felting, you will not overdo it with the volume of the base. When working with wool, it is easier to add volume than to remove it.




• Two or even three different colors of wool can be mixed together using two combing brushes, and then a completely new interesting shade can appear that will add zest to your product.
• If you are passionate about the idea of ​​​​creating toys from wool, but do not have artistic skills and knowledge, a detailed study of animal anatomy from photographs can come to your aid. By understanding the basic structure of an animal's body, you will much more easily achieve similarity to the original.

Felting can be a great family activity. Wool is completely safe unless there are allergic reactions to it. This means that even children can be involved in such an activity, instilling in them hard work, perseverance and a sense of beauty.

“Children will find it easy to work with wool using the wet felting technique (felt beads, scarves and other simple things) - this is really a fairly safe type of needlework. I would recommend trying dry felting with a child over 10 years old, because by this time fine motor skills are already well developed, and the child can cope with sharp needles. 54

Felting wool is a very entertaining hobby with which you can create real masterpieces! How to learn this art from scratch and what you need to master the skill.

Handicraft is one of the main women's crafts. For some, it’s just a hobby, a way to meditate and relax the soul. And for some it is also a form of income (additional or main). Look on our website for publications about embroidery with beads and threads, crocheting and knitting, modeling from polymer clay, sewing and patchwork, beadwork, soap making, scrapbooking, quilling. But this article is dedicated to the warmest and fluffiest hobby - the technique of felting wool.

Felting wool is one of the most popular types of handicrafts. Like the mythical Phoenix bird, it was reborn from oblivion and, having flown around the entire globe, gave the craftswomen new opportunities for self-expression. Many felters were captivated by this marvelous material - sheep's wool - and called it “fluffy clay”. But it’s true that a wide variety of products are made from sheep’s “fur coats”. But first things first.

In search of the Golden Fleece: a little history

Several thousand years have passed since man tamed the wild ancestor of the modern sheep. And around the same time, women learned to felt coarse woolen cloth, which covered the floor and walls, and this is where the history of wool felting began.

Later they began to make tents, clothes and shoes from wool. The most popular ancient center of wool felting was the legendary city of Pompeii. His cloth was famous for its finest workmanship and extraordinary softness, worthy only of kings.

Wool was used everywhere, and amazing properties were attributed to it: in war, felt clothing warded off arrows and spears from fighters, and healed the body from diseases. They did not forget to perpetuate the “sheepskin” in the myth of the prophetic ship “Argo”, which, under the leadership of Jason, set off on a long voyage for the Golden Fleece...

Fortunately, we do not need to sail far away to the thirtieth kingdom in order to buy a little (or maybe a lot) wool for needlework.

Main types of wool for felting

In the vastness of the CIS countries you can find 5 main types of wool for felting, which is presented in a wide variety of assortments in specialized stores for creativity or in online stores for needlewomen. This product can be bought even cheaper in Chinese online stores.

Wool curls shorn from Wensleydale sheep

• Sliver. This type of wool is a sliver that has gone through washing and primary cleaning. It can be light or dark (depending on the breed of sheep). Designed for dry and wet felting, suitable as the cheapest base for toys and paintings. Sometimes you come across dried plants and flowers in the sliver - a distant greeting from the steppe, where white sheep graze.
• Combed (unspun) ribbon. Cleaned, dyed or bleached wool that has gone a long way from clipped clumps to smooth, combed strands. This material can turn into a scarf, brooch, hat, toy, blouse, coat or boots...

The list goes on and on. “Trinity” wool and “Semenovskaya” wool are very popular in Russia, which is imported to Ukraine and other countries. The more expensive Australian merino "Wensleydale" is no less popular. As well as wool produced in England, Italy (mostly the most delicate “baby alpaca”) and Germany.

Another type of combed tape - multicolors(wool of different colors or shades of the same range) and blends (wool + mulberry silk). Want to felt a rainbow scarf? These sets are made especially for you!

IMPORTANT!!! Wool in combed ribbons is divided into categories: coarse (28-24 microns), semi-fine (24-18 microns), fine (18-14 microns). The finer the wool, the more expensive and convenient it is to work with. Do not use fine wool in combed strips for dry felting of toy bases, it is only suitable for final finishing.

• Carding. Beautiful multi-colored wool - this is how this type of wool can be described. Very convenient for dry felting: thanks to its structure, there are no “bald patches” on the products, which so often spoil the appearance. In wet felting, carding is also very convenient: the product falls faster, and less effort and time are needed.
• Curls. They are perfect for doll hair, will successfully decorate felted items, can be easily dyed with vegetable dyes (for example, henna or batik)... This is a real treasure for creating designer and original items.
• Tips. They are mainly used for doll hair. Natural tips are very expensive, so only professional puppeteers can afford to purchase them.

Set for dry felting (filting): wool, needles, decor, brush

The modern felter has a few more secrets for creating unique products. We are talking about additional decor that transforms the product and makes it original. Most often used for wet felting:

• threads of viscose, silk, hemp, bamboo, linen (for creating beautiful watercolor stains);
• an Indian sari, which was skillfully torn into thin shreds in order to delight you and me with another opportunity to transform a felted product;
• boules or silkworm cocoons are useful for creating voluminous bulges on the product; they are also easy to dye with batik;
• silk scarves create unusual effects on products, and, painted with hot batik, they are indispensable for the most daring experiments;
• fabrics with a sparse texture for nuno-felting (silk, chiffon, sometimes gauze is used);
• thin silk ribbons, torn lengthwise, will save any product from being too “boring” and “correct”;
• delicate lace has always helped craftswomen to the rescue in the most hopeless situations, when there is simply no other decor at hand, but these same hands are “itching” to felt something;
• multi-colored skeletonized leaves have become a bestseller, because no felter can resist the beauty of nature itself, and skillfully felted leaves refresh the product in an autumnal way.

So, we’ve dealt with wool, now it’s time to talk about materials that make the felter’s work easier. Along the way we will get acquainted with wool felting techniques. And there are only two of them: “dry” and “wet”.

Wet felting: felting or nuno-felting

Felting(from the English felt - felt) and nuno-felting(from Japanese nuno - fabric) - the most ancient way of turning shapeless scraps of wool into neat felt boots, a carpet or a lampshade. What captivates beginners with the wet felting technique is the almost instant result. Agree that seeing the fruits of your labors after just half an hour of active work is much more pleasant than after many, many days.

Another house from Olga Artvanil

The technique itself has not changed over thousands of years: its main ally is water, preferably hot; “Nuno” appeared recently in Japan, when the inventive craftswomen of the Land of the Rising Sun first combined fabric and wool.

A nest house for a cat, made using the wet felting technique on a template, by German craftswoman Suzanne Karg

Remember the labels on new sweaters, they indicate the washing mode: “only by hand” and “only at 30 degrees”, and drying “only in a horizontal position”. We comply with these conditions so that the new item does not “shrink”. In felting, on the contrary, you need to felt the wool as tightly as possible until it becomes dense.

It’s just hard and time-consuming to wallow with water alone, so they come to the rescue:

• • Soap(household, liquid or special with olive oil and glycerin). The water fluffs up each of the hairs, creating a herringbone effect. And the soap (alkaline) solution helps these “Christmas trees” cling to each other. Add mechanical movements with your hands, and you get felt.
  • Spray, small sprayer, special watering can, bath sponge. All of the listed “helpers” serve one purpose - to properly moisturize the wool without leaving a dry place (otherwise the product will be felted unevenly). Which is better to use? There is no definite answer, since each craftswoman chooses the most affordable option. Although, the most convenient is a small 1-3 liter sprayer: it makes the work much easier.
  • mosquito net. It is used for lathering the workpiece after the wool has been spread out and moistened, and for the initial felting of the upper layers. The mosquito net can be replaced with mesh fabric. IMPORTANT!!! The mosquito net should have small cells. During operation, you should lift it frequently to avoid sticking to the product.
  • Orbital grinder/surface grinder(HSM or PShM). This unit was invented to level the floor during renovation work, but who forbids us to use force in the name of beauty?! With a “vibration grinder” the felting process is reduced to several hours (if you need to make a simple product, for example, a scarf or stole). There is no point in purchasing an overly expensive machine; a cheaper option is quite suitable for handicrafts. IMPORTANT!!! Do not use a PShM (VShM) at the initial stage of work! This can damage the layout of the coat, resulting in unsightly “bald spots.”
  • Pimply (air bubble) film. The anti-stress film we all love has found its application in felting. Its air bubbles work like thousands of little fingers, turning the wool into a single product. It is better to buy such film not in handicraft stores, where its price is “slightly” inflated, but in construction supermarkets or stores for summer residents.
  • Underlay for laminate. To felt a voluminous item, for example, a hat, mittens, felt boots or a house for your beloved pet, we need a template. Just cardboard will not work: you need a strong, durable and flexible material. Once again the construction department comes to the rescue! It is best to buy the cheapest transparent (foamed polymer) backing with a minimum width of 3 mm.
  • Plastic pipes. However, for a simple felter, one pipe 1 m long and 5 cm in diameter is enough. What this device is needed for is for felting such large items as outerwear. The half-matted piece together with the template is wound onto a pipe, secured with a rope or cord (preferably synthetic) and rolled on bubble wrap (remember rolling out dough). These manipulations will help shrink the wool. IMPORTANT!!! For uniform shrinkage, it is necessary to “roll” the workpiece the same number of times, winding it alternately along and across.
  • Washboard. It is used for the same purpose as a plastic pipe - to shrink the product. The only condition for its use is that all layers of wool must be well felted to each other.
  • Bamboo mat. Typically, it is used together with a plastic pipe, wound over a wool blank. When making small products, you can do without a pipe. If purchasing such a mat is problematic, you can use any clean towel.
  • Gloves and fingertips. To protect your hands from excess moisture and soap, you can use rubber fingertips and gloves of all types. It’s just that the most important sense in them is dulled – touch. If this method of protection is not to your taste, stock up on rich hand and nail cream. This is the best product for skin that is dry and degreased by soap.
  • Wooden molds and blocks. These devices are designed specifically for shrinking hats, felt boots, slippers, and clothing. Some plastic shapes can be used for felting in the washing machine.

Dry felting: felting or felting

Felting (from German filz - felt) is a dry felting technique from wool, it was invented relatively recently. It is fundamentally different from “wet”, which means that it requires its own, special materials. The most important tool for felting is a needle. But not simple, but with notches.

They are the ones who mat or, to put it in professional language, fold the wool together. Felting needles are classified by appearance, and its number indicates its purpose. By the way, the smaller the needle number, the coarser and thicker it is.

Click on the picture to go to the tutorial on how to create this elephant

The best needles for felting are produced in Germany, the USA, and the UK. Chinese and domestic instruments are cheaper and significantly inferior in quality and, accordingly, in durability. Externally, the needle looks like a metal rod 7.8 cm long with a small L-shaped “tail” for fingers.

IMPORTANT!!! Do not buy needles with rubberized or plastic handles: they are expensive, break quickly, and you cannot replace the shaft. It is better to buy a wooden holder with one or more holes for needles.

Triangular

The most common and most versatile needles. The name suggests that their cross-section is similar to a triangle. The notches in these needles are staggered along the entire length of the working area. Designed for all types of work: forming the base for dolls and toys, felting wool, final finishing of the finished product, felting patterns and hair fibers.

Asterisks

Just like the triangular needles, these needles can do all kinds of work with greater efficiency. But their main purpose is grinding and final finishing of the finished product. Their cross section resembles a quadrangular star, the notches are arranged in a checkerboard pattern along the entire length of the working area.

Twisted

The working area of ​​such needles is twisted along the axis, which makes it possible to perform final finishing of products (triangular needles) and initial “rough” work (star needles) without much effort.

Crowned

Crown needles have serifs located almost at the tip of the point. They are very convenient for rolling doll hair and patterns. All work takes place on the surface of the product, which means the wool will not be visible on the reverse side. These needles are also used for pressing patterns on woolen and felt clothes without the risk of ruining the reverse side.

Forks

These needles are for pinning hair only. Like crown ones, they work on the surface, but, thanks to the bifurcated working area, the wool fibers are fixed more firmly.

Reverse

If you want your cute, freshly felted animal to also become fluffy, work with a reverse barbed needle. The “reverse tooth” pushes the fur outward, creating a shaggy effect. By the way, these needles can be used to mix different shades of fur on the surface of an animal toy; to do this, it is enough to alternate working with a triangular or star-shaped needle and a reverse one.

IMPORTANT!!! When working with felting needles, you must be careful: the needle may prick your finger painfully (the wound inside will be torn). Be careful to ensure that the needle angle at the entry and exit points is the same when filing. Otherwise, the work area may break.

Types and sections of needles for felting

We wrote above that needles, regardless of cross-section and purpose, have numbers that correspond to working with a certain type of wool. Now is the time to say that:

№19 – the thickest and most durable needle. It is convenient to work with very coarse wool (sliver). Suitable for initial work. However, not every felter is able to cope with such “heavy artillery”.

№ 25 - slightly thinner than a No. 19 needle, it is much more convenient to work with. Used to form the basis for dolls and toys.

№32 – is considered a universal coarse needle. Also intended for initial work.

№34 - medium size needle. Suitable for creating the base of dolls, toys and balls for beads.

№36 – medium universal needle. It is chosen for felting the surface of the base of the toy, the initial stage of felting brooches on the frame, felting patterns and hair.

№38 – the most popular medium-sized needle. It is used for felting colored wool on toys, forming patterns on beads (also woolen), and felting hair for dolls.

№40 – a thin needle is intended for final finishing of the surface of toys, embossing elegant patterns.

№42 - a very thin needle. Used for finishing and sanding work.

№43 - super fine needle. Its purpose is to delicately polish the finished toy.

IMPORTANT!!! Do not use only one universal needle for felting large items. Firstly, this is impractical, and secondly, it will lead to rapid wear and breakage of the tool.

So, we have chosen the tools for felting, and we have also decided on the wool. The only thing missing is a work surface. It is needed to prevent needles from breaking on a hard table and to protect your hands from damage from the same needle. And wool, laid out on a special device, falls easier and more beautifully.

Quite often, beginning felters use thick foam rubber or sponges (bathroom or car sponges) as a working area - this is a cheaper option. Experienced craftswomen do not disdain them either. But the choice of professionals still falls on special brushes for dry felting.

The fact is that foam rubber wears out over time, crumbles and sometimes gets stuck in the product. The brush will last much longer. Many needlewomen are stopped by the price, but once they choose the largest brush in area, they will not exchange it for anything.

Let's play around and not be a fool: where to start and how to make money on a new hobby

Felting wool, regardless of the method, is such a pleasant, warm, fluffy, soft needlework that it is impossible to distract yourself from it! Believe me, learning to felt is much easier than it seems!

For children of preschool and primary school age, pediatricians and speech therapists recommend wet felting (napkins, small pictures, beads). This felting technique for beginners is ideal because it is less traumatic for fingers, develops fine motor skills, teaches you how to work with color, and the end result is achieved quite quickly.

Some child psychologists who are passionate about this handicraft also practice felting bulky toys in their classes using the wet method, explaining that a small child does not prick the future animal with a needle, but constantly strokes it with his hands.

Quite often, beginning wool felting masters think about how to find their circle of clients and get not only pleasure from their favorite hobby, but also. How to achieve this?

Step 1. The surest way is to master the techniques perfectly and make your own changes. Come up with your own style, unlike the others.

Step 2. Participate in various competitions, fairs, exhibitions. And don't skimp on business cards! As they say, be more visible.

Step 3. Create your own website, blog, community on social networks. Active communication is encouraged.

Step 4. Invite beginners to master classes. Just don’t copy other people’s secrets, but come up with something of your own, add a twist.

Step 5. Sell ​​products online abroad. This is very profitable, since Russian felted items are valued more expensive precisely because of the quality of workmanship. Overseas needlewomen nervously bite their nails...

Unfortunately, it is impossible to embrace the immensity. Therefore, for successful sales, choose your niche in felting. For example, create only animal toys with cute faces, or only dolls, or paintings... The larger your collection of felted products of the same type, the greater the choice, and demand will not be long in coming.

We wish you creative success! Go for it!

Author of the article: needlewoman, beauty and very nice girl - Olga Artvanil. If you liked her work, order a designer toy, decoration, painting, house for an animal, beret or something else warm, cozy and soft!

Do you want to talk about your passion and show your work? We will be happy to publish interesting material and a link to your coordinates absolutely FREE!

And if you don't have a hobby yet, find one by checking out our other posts right now.

Felting from wool.

Felting or felting is an interesting needlework technique that is gaining momentum. Using the dry felting technique, you can create unusual figurines, souvenirs, jewelry, decorative items and accessories. Felting is an original mixture of sculpture and needlework, allowing the master's creative imagination to unfold to the fullest.

(Master Kristina Mayorova)

Dry felting tools

Let's look at what we need for dry felting for beginners.

• Needles

For dry felting you will need special serrated needles. Because when such a needle is inserted into wool, pieces of wool fibers get caught in the notches and become tangled with each other. There are several different needles for different types of felting and stages of work:

The cross-sectional shape of the needle is triangular, three-beam and four-beam (stars)

If you noticed, then on each edge of the blade of a felting needle there are special serrations, and thus, the more edges, the more serifs, and the faster the felting process occurs. It is worth adding that the accuracy of the holes left by it depends on the cross-section of the needle.

According to the direction of the serifs, there are straight and reverse felting needles

Forward felting needles push the fiber inside the product, and reverse felting needles pull the wool fiber out of the product, this serves to make a felted product and correct it.

Felting needles also vary in number. For example, the higher the needle number, the thinner it is. So felting needles numbered 30,32,36 are coarse, these needles are used at the initial stage of felting. Thick needles for felting have a thicker blade, due to which they cover a slightly larger area, and quickly pull wool fibers into the depths of the product, thereby quickly matting the dense base of felting, however, they leave behind distinct, large puncture marks, which are unacceptable on the finished product. Therefore, to avoid traces of punctures when felting, use thin needles numbered 38 - 42. Also, for finishing sanding the product, you need to use star-shaped needles, because the punctures after them look neater and less noticeable.

• Felting support

Needles for dry felting are very sharp and quite long; during felting, they can easily pierce a felt product through and through, and accordingly, the work surface, for example, a table, will be scratched. Therefore, in order not to injure yourself or break the needle on the hard surface of the furniture, use a special felting backing or felting mat.

Most often, an ordinary thick foam sponge is used as a felting mat. The disadvantage of using a washcloth: during the felting process, the notches at the end of the felting needle pull pieces of foam rubber out of the washcloth, which later get stuck between the felted wool fibers. This, as you understand, causes significant damage to the wool product.

Often in work you can find felting mats, or so-called “felt mats”, which are made of polyethylene foam. Such felting mats are much more durable and of higher quality than the washcloths described above. A big plus: each side of such a felting mat has a surface intended for felting wool of different types.

For beginner needlewomen using the felting technique, we recommend using polyethylene foam film, in which ordinary household appliances are packaged. If your passion for the dry felting technique grows into something more, change the felting support to a more professional one.

Another option for a substrate for dry felting is a brush mat. It is quite expensive, but the felting brush mat is the most convenient for use as a backing for dry felting, because the special synthetic fiber bristles do not interfere with the movements of the needle and at the same time prevent the felting needle from coming into contact with the hard surface of the work table , thereby preventing damage to the needle.

An inexpensive alternative to a professional mat brush is a regular bristle brush. This brush option is quite suitable for beginners to experience dry felting.

Rule: Before using the mat brush again, carefully remove any wool fibers that remain between the bristles, otherwise there will be wool mixed in the next product.

• Thimbles for felting

To protect your fingers from punctures when felting wool, use leather or rubber thimbles

• Wool for felting

For dry felting, natural felting wool is used. Felting wool varies in thickness - the lower the number of microns, the finer the wool. Wool can be fine, semi-fine and coarse . Semi-fine dyed wool is best suited for dry felting; you should not take merino wool that is too thin, it will quickly be destroyed by a needle, leading to a distortion of the product, which is almost impossible to correct.

For the basis of toys, in order to save money, they often use cheaper undyed wool of low quality, this wool is called Sliver. Then it is rolled with the main wool.

• Comb tape

Combed tape is straight, elongated wool fibers neatly laid into a long strip in one direction for felting.

The wool must be thoroughly tangled before felting. The better the fibers are mixed up, the more efficient and accurate the felting process will be, this can be done using an animal brush or by repeatedly pulling and placing the fibers “cross to cross”.

• Carding (wool wool)

Carding is a ready-made mass of wool for felting, consisting of tangled fibers, due to which the carding quickly falls and saves the master’s time due to the absence of the need for preliminary preparation of wool for felting. Great for beginner needlewomen.

Here are some useful tips and rules from felting master Kristina Mayorova.

• Use quality needles.
• Insert the needle perpendicular to the surface to be felted
• Take your time when working
• Remember that the needle goes much deeper than you think
• Quick and sharp blows with a needle do not speed up the process. This causes the needle to break and damage the wool fibers.
• Insert the needle deep into the center, try to pull the wool fibers inward, then first it will create density inside the wool craft, and the outer layers of the product will gradually become denser.
• When the needle enters a wool product, you should hear a sound similar to a crunch.
• A product is considered sufficiently felted when it does not change shape at all when pressed. To do this, knock on the table with your fingers, and then with the product, if the knocking sound is the same, then the knocking was a success.
• When sanding the product, use a thin star-shaped needle, the punctures should be close to each other
• Remove all uneven areas where you cannot drop the strands, apply small pieces of tangled wool and sand the product.
• When processing with a reverse needle, you should also carefully make punctures close to each other
• The parts of a wool product are joined by rolling them together; to do this, it is necessary to leave the joint fluffed up, then we tuck the loose fibers of one part into another part using a needle. After this, we strengthen the junction of the parts - lay it with a tuft of wool, fill it up and sand it
• When working, take into account that the wool falls by about a third
• For paired parts, immediately prepare the same amount of wool for felting

Master class on wool felting for beginners video

Text prepared by: Veronica

Wet felting from wool is a special type of needlework that allows you to create paintings, jewelry (bracelets, earrings, hairpins, necklaces), shoes (slippers, booties, sandals, felt boots), accessories (handbags, clutches, wallets, brooches, scarves, hats ), toys, souvenirs (magnets, key rings). This type of creativity is suitable even for those who do not have artistic abilities.

Wet felting for beginners: the basics

When wet felting you will need the following materials and tools:

Materials

• Needles. Special needles with barbs or a tool with numerous needles, which, when piercing the wool, causes the hairs to fall together. They are usually used when felting dry, but when felting wet, in some cases they will help speed up the compaction of the fibers, shape or secure the wool. There are coarse (up to 32 numbers), medium (No. 36) and fine (more than 38 numbers) needles.
• Bamboo mat. This bedding allows you to evenly felt the wool into felt and strands without much pressure. Some craftswomen replace it with a rolling pin or propylene pipe.
• Sander. Due to numerous vibrations, such a tool allows you to speed up the process of felting wool significantly. Worth purchasing if wet felting from wool has become a profession.
• Felting brush. They put wool on it, begin to pierce it with needles and dump the warp. Many craftswomen replace it with thick foam sponges (automotive, kitchen).
• Impregnation (acrylic varnish, adhesive varnish for decoupage on fabric, cellulose granules, wallpaper paste, shellac, salvitose). Used to secure parts and strengthen the product during frequent use. Purchased at craft or construction stores.

Wet felting: master class on making balls

The ball shape is used everywhere - for bracelets, beads, berries, flower centers, doll parts and more. They roll it in different ways, but the ball must be crack-free, smooth, and hard. Some craftsmen simply tear off several layers of woolen skein, crumple it into a ball, soak it in a soap solution and roll it into a ball.

Others take wet felting from wool more seriously, because even making balls requires care. To do this, tear off several layers of skein of the same length. Please note that you should hold one edge of the wool with your left hand, and grab the ends of the skein with your right fingers, press it with your palm and pull the fibers. You put them on top of each other.

Then turn the skein towards you with the even end and slowly, carefully tuck the wool, placing the left and right edges in turn. Having reached the end, wrap the ends around the lump. Remember: you can’t turn it around and redo it, it will already be a defect.

Next, place the dry lump in your palm into the soap solution and wet it several times and squeeze it out. Then you roll the ball for a long, long time until it becomes impossible to separate the wool fibers from the product. Rinse the finished balls in contrasting running water, wipe with a towel and dry on a radiator.

Wool flowers

Now let's see how to make three-dimensional flowers from wool (wet felting).

• Lay the oilcloth on the table.
• You tear off several layers of wool and form a petal. If you need a pointed shape, then pinch the skein into “tails” on both sides. Triangular wide petals are obtained by folding the skein and twisting the ends of the fibers from one edge. Simply form a rounded petal from a skein, connecting the ends in a circle.
• Place the formed petals into a flower. Lay out all the flowers on oilcloth.
• Cover with a net. Spray with soapy water.
• Blot all the flowers.
• Then begin light stroking (soap suds help to mat the fur). When fibers appear on the mesh, stop and remove it carefully.
• Continue wet felting with wool until the flowers become stiff. They can be crushed, rubbed, squeezed.
• Rinse in contrasting water.
• Dry with a towel, shape (tie with thread) and then leave on the radiator.
• While the petals are dry, sew on the core (the balls made in the first master class can be useful here).
• In some cases, the parts are joined immediately using special felting needles.

Wool paintings

Very interesting paintings made of wool. Masters create real masterpieces, as wool gives unusual shimmers when mixing incompatible colors. Let's look at wet felting for beginners using flowers as an example.

• Lay down the bubble wrap.
• Place paper cardboard that shows the borders of the picture.
• Cover the top with transparent cellophane.
• Lay out the first layer with white wool, pull out the fibers from the skein and fold them in one direction tightly to each other and overlapping. That is, the new row is superimposed on the previous one (like fish scales). There should be no gaps; if necessary, add another layer.
• Next, make a background along the edges of the border of the future painting. Try to leave the middle for the plot.
• Then lay out the grass, stems, leaves. This will be like a background; you will correct the details on the foreground a little later. If necessary, compact the layers of wool with a special needle (not too much, otherwise wet felting will not work).

Forming the foreground of the picture

• Form flowers. In the first option, you dry-felt them, then apply them to the picture and fasten them with a needle. In the second case, you make poppies from petals, arrange them in a picture, and add fibers of a different color. Then distribute the core and form a box (do not compact the ball too much).
• Roll the flagellum lightly, make stems out of it, put sepals and leaves on top.
• Lightly tamp with a needle. Spray with water.
• Cover with a net. Wet it well with soapy water.
• Blot the painting, then begin to lightly stroke it.
• Systematically tear the mesh off the canvas, cover it again, and press down.
• Remove the mosquito cover after there is no longer any risk of the wool pattern shifting. You start to feel the picture too much.
• You can knead it, roll it, squeeze it, that is, make all the movements as with dough.
• If the fibers do not move away from the painting, then it is rinsed in contrasting water.
• Wring the fabric lightly with a towel.
• Leave to dry near the battery.
• You can take the canvas to a framing workshop or stretch it onto the frame yourself.

To get a beautiful drawing, keep the original plot near you, and make some details (leaves, flowers) according to templates.

Clutch handbag

Thanks to wet felting, you can create a whole felt, from which you can make bags, appliqués for clothes, dishes, souvenirs... The advantage of this needlework is the production of seamless things. Let's look at the basic process using the example of creating a clutch. How is wet felting used here? A master class on making a handbag is presented below.

• Place a clutch shape made of polyethylene or foam on the bubble oilcloth. Keep in mind that after felting the template will shrink by 20-40%.
• Lay out the skeins on the template in the same way as for a picture (at the edges, go 2.5-3 cm beyond the boundaries of the bag). Do not skimp on layers of wool, as this will determine the density of the bag, but the wool fibers should be thin and uniform.
• Moisten it with soapy water, cover it with a net and start felting.
• Remove the film and turn the workpiece over. Bend all ends without folds onto the template. Cover it with dry wool. Moisten with water, cover with a net, and continue felting. If a large amount of soap appears, dry your hands and the surface of the table with a towel.

Continuing the making of the clutch

• Remove the mesh. Lay out a pattern of dry wool on the “face,” cover it, wet it, and felt it again. A vibration sander will speed up the felting process.
• As soon as the fibers are difficult to detach from the surface, use scissors to separate the lower half of the clutch and pull out the template. Continue felting inside the product, pulling out the back part.
• Switch to heavy felting when you begin to squeeze, roll, and wrinkle the bag from all sides (use a rolling pin, mat, or washboard). The fabric on both sides should be dense, and the product should decrease in size. Don't forget to felt the edges.
• Shape the product and leave to dry.
• Then sew on the strap and clasp, and the clutch is ready.

This felting process is the same for large bags, hats, scarves, and blankets. If you need to make a product in parts (patterns), then felt the parts according to the templates, and then, ready-made, fold them with another part on foam rubber, put a dry strand of wool of the same color on top of them and use a needle to connect them. Some wool toys are made according to this plan. Wet felting allows you to make things with more complex shapes, but it is better for beginners to acquire the skill through simple lessons.

Wool slippers

Slippers, sandals, felt boots, shoes, boots, booties - all this can be made by wet felting. The method is the same as for making a clutch handbag.

• Cut out the foot, enlarging the template by 40%.
• You also lay it out with wool, felting it on one side.
• Turn it over, bend the ends, and do the same operation on the other side.
• When the outer side of the slippers is ready, make a cut (depending on the model) and pull out the template.
• You begin to felt and at the same time shape the slipper.
• Rinse the finished product.
• Insert special mold holders and leave to dry.
• You decorate dry slippers with flowers, berries or patterns using sewing or dry felting.

Making such things requires a lot of time and patience, so many craftswomen combine wet felting with other types of needlework. It is better to protect wool slippers with rubber soles (you can ask a shoemaker for help). Try to master the practice on small simple things, and then move on to more complex work.