Dry Needle Felting

Little in the way of materials or equipment is required to begin dry needle felting by hand.

dry needle felting materials you absolutely need:

1. Felting Needle
2. Wool Roving/Felting Wool
3. A Felting Mat OR Foam Pad

You may not know exactly which dry needle felting materials you want to use when you start out, I didn't, so I ended up buying several tools that I actually don't use very often.

For example, I use a foam pad most of the time and a hand held single felting needle.

However, the felting mat (clover brush type), I find is really handy and easier to use than the foam when needle felting 'onto' a piece of material or when needle felting a mold shape.

If you have already watched the dry needle felting video techniques, you will know that felting needles come in a variety of sizes.

• The thicker felting needles are for getting your wool started and for fixing parts together.
• The smaller gauge needles are used for the finer details of your needle felt craft project.

Some dry needle felting artists recommend that you poke or stab your needle straight up and down into and out of your felt project. The reasoning for this is to make sure that you keep the needle straight so as not to break it.

But, you can stab or work on an angle, as long as you remember to bring your needle out of your work at the same angle as you stabbed it in! (thereby keeping your needle straight).

Working on an angle is more comfortable for me, but you will want to work in a way that is both the most comfortable for you and the safest. Stabbing your finger hurts :-)

As you can imagine, and you see from the above packs of wool roving, you can buy colour themed packs of felting wool, and they are all very enticing!

To avoid getting carried away and spending your total craft budget by buying every color that takes your fancy, especially if you are trying out this craft just to see if you like it, you might :

1. Buy just one pack in the color theme that will nearest match the needle felt project you want to make
2. Buy just one plain color wool as practice felting wool, whilst you get used to using the tools
3. Buy a needle felting starter pack of your choice (see below)

Or to get you started so you can achieve a fully finished felt item, buy one of these Animal dry needle felting kits which comes with everything you need to make that particular felt animal.

You may have guessed by the color of my little needle felt mouse, he's the same color as my honey pot bear, that I'd bought some practice wool rather than several bags of tempting colors. As I know I'm going to continue with this craft, even on an occasional basis, I've bought other colored felting wool packs. All gorgeous of course.

Tip your hat with me to all dry needle felting craft makers out there!

Have you any idea how long it takes to create a needle felt animal? I lost count of the number of hours it took me to needle felt this little duck, but he's still cute and my little great nephews love it.

Needle felting is indeed a very relaxing and creative craft, but I certainly didn't realise when I began, just how long it can take to make each animal. I expected to be slow at the beginning, and I was. I expected to become faster at it with practice, and I was.

It's also very addictive and I guess with lots of practice you would become very fast at creating needle felt items.

Dry needle felting is one craft that I will continue with purely for relaxation. I enjoy making things and it's great for me to do when in bed with flu or whatever. It's a craft that doesn't involve mess or require lots of equipment, so its ideal for keeping you occupied, even while watching TV, as long as you don't stab yourself with the sharp needle!

If you are considering buying a handmade needle felt craft item - please do treasure it - and appreciate the hours of love, care and attention to the smallest detail that the artist has put into each work of art!

Needle felt artists must have to do this 24/7 to make enough just to cover their costs, in materials if not in hours of work.

Hats off to you for your dedication to your craft.