Dry felting from wool: a step-by-step master class for beginners. Master class for beginners: wool felting, clothes

Ancient crafts have always been of interest to lovers of creativity; thanks to the uniqueness of handmade products, such things have always been in demand. Felting wool, clothing, and its exclusivity represent a new trend in fashion these days. Modern needlewomen create not only clothes and all kinds of accessories from wool. Interesting, bright toys, elegant sweaters, scarves and coats come to life in their hands.

Felting, felting, stuffing - these are clothes that have undergone such processing and are particularly soft and dense.

The creation of felted products involves two methods: wet and dry. Craftswomen, using one method or another, describe it in detail using examples of things they have created.

Limitless possibilities of felt

The revival of the felting technique especially appealed to today's fashionistas. Items made by felting from natural wool are not only fashionable, they are very warm. In addition to clothing items, today's craftswomen felt everything from wool. Any element of the interior, children's toys, everything is in the hands of needlewomen.

Wool felting, clothing self made and many useful things made in this way today represent real art. At the same time, this is an interesting, simple and convenient creative creation of warm, unique wardrobe elements.

For beginning craftswomen, it is recommended to choose wool with obvious properties of good adhesion of its fibers to each other. In addition, this wool must be unspun. You can buy the unspun material you need for your work in specialized stores or using catalogs and recommendations from online stores. As a rule, this purchasing option provides guarantees of the purity and quality of the product.

Depending on the purpose, you need to choose coarse or fine wool. Coarse wool can be used for bags, slippers or home furnishing accessories.

Items of clothing and accessories, children's toys will require the use of semi-fine and fine wool structure.

The portal "Fair of Craftsmen" provides significant assistance to needlewomen: felting from wool, handmade clothes are presented there by master classes of experienced needlewomen with step by step execution products.

Basics of wet felting wool

The essence of wet felting wool fiber is to wet it with a soap solution and then gently smooth it in different directions. The finished product is a dense material - felt.

In wet felting, you should make the necessary increase in the pattern of the product, since wool shrinks up to 40%.

To obtain small volumetric objects, a ball of wool is crushed in your hands. A flat fabric is obtained when wool is used. Clothes and accessories that represent the openwork fantasy of the craftswoman can only be made by rolling the workpiece for a long time or smoothing it with hand effort. Only this method allows you to get a bright thing with all kinds of color transitions.

Necessary and auxiliary tools and materials

The main material for felting is unspun wool. Material used for felting different types. Depending on the planned product, you need to purchase one of several types of wool fiber:

The coarsest wool is the so-called combed wool.
Semi-fine wool.
Very thin.
A flat working surface with certain dimensions.
Polyethylene film with bubble finishing.
Mesh with a dense structure (mosquito).
Soap and water solution.
Water.
Spray.
Accessories for finishing the product.

Wet felting technique

The effort of a needlewoman’s hands is the main tool in processing an amazing material called “wet felting from wool.” Clothing, as a result of using this procedure, allows you to bring the most incredible ideas to life. The basic scheme for implementing this technology:

Formation of a fibrous web of a certain orientation, that is, laying out wool.
The procedure for obtaining a base for felting (prefelt), processing the original material, pre-moistened with a special composition, into a single needle-punched fabric.
Shrinking of prefelt by performing special processing techniques, which results in an increase in strength and highlighting the texture of the material.
Removing the wetting component. Layout patterns largely determine the future range of products.

Stages of work

The modern felting process has many techniques. Wet felting of wool clothes, a master class of one of the options, is presented in the following stages.

Layers of wool are spread in a thin layer overlapping onto the oilcloth with the dimensions of the product marked. The wool is laid out in a checkerboard pattern: horizontally, then transversely. It is necessary to control the thickness of the layer; it should be the same in all areas. In addition, felt shrinkage should be taken into account, increasing the initial wool thickness by 2-3 times.
Moisten the spread out wool with water from a spray bottle.
The wetted workpiece should be covered with mesh material. It is convenient to use for this purpose. The layout is carefully moistened with a soap solution through a mosquito net, avoiding displacement of the pattern.
Gently press the treated product onto the oilcloth with your hands, ensuring that the base is well saturated with soapy water; remove excess solution with a towel.
The process of felting, namely intensive smoothing and friction of each section. Continue felting, carefully rubbing each section, gradually removing the mesh, turning the fabric over.
The fabric is considered ready if, when pulling it upward, the entire layer is removed without separating the strips.
Rinse the resulting felt in cool water until the soap suds are completely removed.
Lay out the fabric and dry it in a horizontal position.

Wet felting of wool is completed. The product or canvas can be considered finished.

Dry felting option

The essence of the technique is to tangle and compact wool fibers with special needles with notches. Felting begins with processing the fibers with the thickest needle. During the process of compacting the felt fabric, the needle is replaced with a thinner one.

Those who are starting to felt their first product need to remember that the wool changes in volume during the process, decreasing by almost three times. Therefore, for felting, a novice felter needs to take wool in a much larger volume.

The difference between wet and dry felting is the replacement of the soap solution with special needles, which are used to perform the felting procedure. Wool is not recommended for beginners: clothes and items require the use of a flat felt cloth. This type of felting experienced craftswomen used for making voluminous accessories, jewelry and toys.

Many craftswomen have turned felting into an opportunity to have in their wardrobe not only warm, cozy clothes, but also accessories for them. In addition, for some, felting began to provide a good income for the family budget.

Tools and auxiliary materials

The dry method of folding wool fibers is unique and has its own characteristics. For dry felting, you will need special tools to perform the process of felting the wool fiber. These include:

Special needles of different sizes for dry felting, made of high-quality hardened steel, with high strength, sharp edges and durability. When working with wool, needles, thanks to the practical notches located in their lower part, capture the fibrous mass well and push it into the depth of the layer. This operation ensures that the fluffy layers are tangled, matting and compacting them.
Level, smooth working surface.
Foam or rubber backing.
Accessories for decorating the finished product.

Stages of dry felting

Creating beautiful three-dimensional things will require a detailed study of such techniques as dry felting from wool. Clothes, a master class on how to make them - all this is described in detail by experienced felters. With their help, it is possible to manufacture products of any complexity.

Preliminary preparation is the basis of any work. Before you start felting, you should make a sketch or pattern of the future product:

The wool, distributed according to the prepared template, must be pierced often and a lot with a serrated felting needle, achieving felting and compaction of the material.
The resulting felt fabric must be constantly rotated, achieving uniform density, repeatedly treating each area with a needle.
As you work, you can add new pieces of wool, creating the planned composition and ensuring it matches the pattern.

In the production of any items and toys, you can combine dry and wet felting, adding finishing elements such as lace, ruffles, beads, beads, braid and ribbons. This creates additional opportunities to obtain unique, creative items.

Dry felting requires a lot of time. However, after spending a little time studying the master class of a couple of small toys, you can start making a larger thing. The work will be crowned with success.

Each product made from wool fiber has certain nuances that require additional refinement and correction. During operation, sometimes things require repair, so craftswomen share their experience:

Some rules should be applied to products in the manufacture of which two technologies are combined: the semi-finished product must be absolutely dry. This will avoid its deformation, tearing and breaking.
It is better to start dry felting with blanks of fibers of greater thickness: carded, combed tape. Use fine wool to finish the product.
A thin needle must be pierced very often, to a shallow depth. Deep punctures will leave an unsightly mark on the surface of the product; rare punctures will create bumps on the surface of the felt.
It will help to replace hands in wet felting on which the workpiece is laid out. The rug is rolled into a roll and rolled in different directions, achieving dense matting of the wool.
In your arsenal of tools and equipment, towels will not be superfluous to collect excess soapy water.
Plastic bags will be required for additional protection of the working surface, as well as for use as spacers between the elements of the product. This measure will prevent them from sticking together.

Felting is a very interesting, fascinating type of needlework, which is popular today. Unique, warm, cozy clothes It is very comfortable to wear, caring for it does not require special procedures, since it practically does not get dirty. A regular clothes brush is enough to clean them. Washing and rinsing in cool water easily removes heavier stains.

Handicraft is a world of wonders and flights of fancy. There are many techniques and ways to create a masterpiece. Each master has his own favorite type of activity in this area, but there are hardly those who are indifferent to wool felting. Cute little animals, felted from soft material, instantly captivate hearts. They also inspire you to try your hand at working with wool and beyond.

For dry felting, natural unspun alpaca, camel or llama wool is used. Due to the special structure of the animal's hair, it becomes tangled, forming so-called tangles. It is this property that allows the scraps to be given a certain shape.

Felting, as felting is often called, is an interweaving of wool fibers to create a dense fabric structure. There are several felting techniques: dry felting, wet felting, nun-felt method and felting of knitted fabrics.

The most popular today is the dry method. It is quite simple and allows even novice hand makers to create real masterpieces. You don't need complicated tools for the job. The master's arsenal is simple and laconic.

Equipment for work

To dry felt wool, a beginner will only need a few tools. It is important to take into account that the work tool is very sharp, so it is better for children under 12 years of age to do needlework under adult supervision.

What you will need:

Scissors and other cutting objects are not needed for work. The wool is pliable, so it can be torn off by hand. In addition, a cut tuft loses its structure, while a torn tuft keeps the hairs intact.

Since the felting needle is quite dangerous, it is better to choose a radio as background noise when working. Being distracted by TV can cause you to cut your hands. Wounds caused by metal barbs take a very long time to heal.

Master class for beginners

The wool felting technique allows you to create real masterpieces. These are toys, brooches, and even appliqués on clothes. But in order to learn how to create beautiful things, you need to learn the basic points of working with a needle.

Before starting work, you should find a comfortable place with a flat surface. A desk or kitchen table is ideal.

It is recommended to learn how to felt wool by starting with simple shapes. For example, from a ball:

To get ahead of the readiness of the figure, press on it with your fingers. If the lump does not change its shape due to this, then it is felted enough.

To felt a flat part, a ball of wool is flattened on foam rubber and rolled onto a sponge, periodically turning it over to the other side. Felting flat elements can be compared to drawing on a sheet of paper: you can apply a design only on the front and back of it.

To give a flat element a certain shape, you can use paper patterns, to which the workpiece is periodically tried on during work.

Woolly good monster

Having become familiar with the dry felting technique, hand makers will definitely try to make felt toys with their own hands. For beginners, step-by-step master classes may seem simple, but working with a needle requires experience and dexterity, so you should understand that the first creations of a newly minted master will be far from masterpieces, but you should not give up. It’s better to try to dump a hero who will only benefit from absurdity. For example, a cute monster.

Any creative task begins with creating a sketch. The future hero is drawn on a sheet of paper, observing approximate proportions, but without going into small details.

When the sketch is ready, it is divided into main parts. In the case of a monster, the process is divided into creating the torso, limbs and decoration.

In the proposed example, the head and body of the monster smoothly flow into each other, so there is no point in laying them separately. If the sketch requires a clear and graceful neck, you can break up the diagram differently.

Torso and head

Work on the monster begins with the largest detail. To do this, pinch off a large ball of wool and roll it into a ball. You shouldn't make your debut work too miniature. Small parts are difficult to work with.

So, the body is rolled up. Now its outlines are beginning to form. Sticking a needle in, they make a small pear. To do this, as the ball narrows, more and more injections are made.

At the stage of forming the body, a flat surface is not as important as the density of the element. It is important to knock down the tight pear-shaped lump, in which there will be no cavities.

To form a small belly for the monster, a ball with fluffy edges is made from a small tuft of wool of the same color. Using a needle, roll it onto the pear, paying attention to the edges. The contour of the belly should not stand out.

To level the surface of the future body, the thinnest needles are used.

Preparation of symmetrical limbs

The limbs of the future hero must be the same, so they are rolled simultaneously from equal lumps of material. If you completely form one leg, it will be difficult to find the right amount of wool for the second.

Felt two identical pieces of wool. Periodically, the workpieces are turned over and compared in size.

The upper parts of the arms will be attached to the body, so there is no need to knock down the hair in these places. It should be fluffy and fleecy. The shape of the hands can be any. The master class suggests making long paws with large palms. The limbs are made from large locks of wool so that they are elastic and not “dried.”

After the outline is formed, the fingers are drawn. To do this, longitudinal grooves are made along the edges of the workpiece.

All small details are worked out at the preparation stage. Forming fingers and other indentations on the arms attached to the body will be very difficult. Therefore, before fitting the limbs, they are detailed as much as possible.

The finished arms and legs should be fluffy on top and dense at the ends. Then they begin to roll them to the body. To do this, they place the fluffy fur of the monster’s hands in the right place and begin to insert the needle, piercing it approximately to the middle of the body.

Gradually, the edges of the limbs will begin to merge with the main part. There should be no sharp transitions or joints.

Design of the character's face

To complete the craft, you need to choose a facial expression for it. The monster's face in the instructions is kind and mischievous. It was performed by attaching woolen eyes to the hero’s head, and also by embroidering the mouth with thread. You can use other techniques, as well as combine them.

Step-by-step design of the toy's face:

You can give any accessories to the monster. They are made from the same wool or other materials. How the craft will be decorated depends only on the imagination of the needlewoman.

If inaccuracies were made during work, you can hide them with a toy outfit. The same felting from wool will help you create a wardrobe for your character. The clothing is formed from thin sheets of felted wool. By pinning it over the entire surface, you can dress the toy in pants or a sweater. A crocheted suit will also work as clothing.

A toy with a secret filling

From felt you can create not only cute animals, but also other interesting crafts. But some toys are too bulky, so it will be difficult to make them from wool alone. Even if the needlewoman acquires a sufficient amount of material, it is possible that the needle simply will not pierce large parts to the required depth.

Therefore, to create three-dimensional crafts, the filling method is used. As a filler, you can use synthetic winterizer or foam blanks. Soft padding can be used to form any curves, but foam elements can only be wrapped in a woolen shell.

Working with fillers is as simple as regular dry felting. With the help of a needle, the pile becomes tangled, penetrating into the workpiece. The finished felted product resembles a whole woolen craft and does not give away its secret filling. At the same time, the weight of the toy will be small.

Wool in combination with polystyrene foam is often used to make Christmas tree decorations and other round things. You can purchase the blank at a craft store. Decorate ready-made craft the craftswoman can use any technology - beads, patterns, rhinestones or artificial snow.

Felting wool will help you make unique ones for the holiday. Easter eggs and felt chicken. The nest for the composition can be made from real straw.

Felting is an activity that wins hearts. Therefore, you need to be extremely careful, because the first toy on the shelf is very insidious, because it will definitely “call” its comrades with it, and the hand-maker will wake up, having already created a whole zoo of cute woolen animals. And dry felting ideas for beginners will help him with this.

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 a fighter, 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 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. Perfect for doll hair, they will successfully decorate a felted product, and are easy to dye. 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 with a length of 1 m and a diameter of 5 cm is enough. What is this device for - for felting such large products 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 the best remedy for skin that is overdried 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 according to appearance, and its number indicates the 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 allows special effort perform final finishing of products (triangular needles) and initial “rough” work (star needles).

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 mixed different shades wool on the surface of the animal toy; to do this, it is enough to alternate working with a triangular or star 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 preschool and younger children 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 the fingers and 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 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 in in 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 good 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.

There are many different types of needlework. One of the most unusual types of craftsmanship that helps create beautiful but also practical things is wool felting. Several techniques have been developed that make it possible to obtain material from it for further work, so those who want to master this type of needlework will need to carefully study them and then choose the best option for themselves.

One of the most unusual types of craftsmanship that helps create beautiful but also practical things is wool felting.

So, if you want to know how felted wool products are created step by step from scratch, read our article.

The simplest and most understandable for a person who has not previously been involved in this type of work will be dry felting.. The technique, thanks to its convenience and ease of learning, quickly gained popularity, becoming one of the most popular.

In order to begin the process of turning wool into crafts, felted figures, toys or decorative elements, you will need:

Natural wool;
Needle intended for felting (notched, curved or triangular);
Patience and perseverance.

The simplest and most understandable for a person who has not previously been involved in this type of work will be dry felting.

It is very important to remember that the process requires maximum attention, rushing is not allowed, therefore children who are under 10-12 years old should not be involved in it. The felting technology is reminiscent of the process of creating a sculptural composition, where the object of the work is wool.

The technique involves separating the unspun sliver from the wool. Then you will need to rub the material between your palms a little to tangle the fibers.

Next steps:

Roll the workpiece into a cylinder (tight);
Seal it by inserting a needle;
Next, you need to carefully rotate the cylinder, achieving uniform fall.

As a result, the workpiece will be compacted and the surface will become smooth. The process can be completed when the deformation of the wool during compaction stops.

Gallery: wool felting (25 photos)

In order to felt wool as efficiently as possible, you need to follow the following recommendations and listen to the advice:

The relief is created as follows - process a certain area with a needle 5-6 times;
Before the main work, be sure to rub the wool with your palms - this will speed up and facilitate matting;
In order to work with large products, you should use trimming padding polyester or sliver (preferably) for the inside.

It is important to remember that you do not need to felt very tightly, as the fibers will begin to tear.

Using this material you can decorate products or hide a flaw that appears on them. This is quite simple to do - you need to roll the required amount of fibers onto the existing base, observing the shape and size. The ideal foundation are clothes made of thick fabric, shoes made of felt. This kind of work is called creating an application.

Felting wool for beginners (video)

What crafts can be felted: a variety of options

You can make a variety of crafts with your own hands. These can be things that can decorate the interior, make it special, cozy and homely. You can also learn how to make themed decorations for holidays and important events.

Having learned a certain technique, you should move on to creating more complex crafts - toys. They have to be made using additional elements, such as a base, a pattern; decorations or decorative elements can be added that will help achieve the intended result.

You can make a variety of crafts with your own hands

Also, crafts can become part of decorations for dishes, shoes, furniture - the needlewoman is limited only by her imagination. Any matted elements can be attached (sewn or glued) to the chosen base, which will help to “revive” or complement it.

Felting wool: how to make a toy for the interior

You should start working with wool with simple crafts, but after learning the art of felting, you can move on to more complex and voluminous ones. Among them, toys and figurines are the most popular, as they can be used both for decoration and for play.

In order to correctly create all the elements, you must first select the main material - wool. Step-by-step instruction for any option suggests that you should start by drawing all the details so that you have a convenient diagram before your eyes.

You should start working with wool with simple crafts, but after learning the art of felting, you can move on to more complex and voluminous ones.

The large parts are made first, then the small ones. The colors and shades of all materials are also selected in advance. Many works use different kinds wool - hard, soft, you can also always felt an additional part to the finished element, if the idea requires it.

In 95% of cases, such fragments of the toy as the head and body are created in one piece - this is more convenient and easier to achieve the desired shape. It is better to create small details (paws, tail, ears) separately, since they require less time to work, but more concentration on it.

In order to carry out the process of connecting all the parts of the future toy, you should leave loose strands of wool in the places where they will be attached. This is necessary to make it easier to felt each element and not to use other materials in the work. The connection is carried out as follows - the strands of the attached part are superimposed on the existing base (torso and head), fast movements All available wool is placed inside the product.
How to felt Hello Kitty toys, step by step lessons - in the training video:

Is it easy to learn felting?

Felting or felting is a process that is easier to learn than it seems.

The work is carried out in several ways - for beginners, the dry option will be optimal, and for those who have a certain skill, the wet option (using ordinary water).

Wool felting lesson for beginners: a little about techniques, tools and materials, as well as photos of finished works for your inspiration.

You're probably good at knitting, sewing or embroidering... but want to learn something new? Many of us prefer to devote ourselves to one type of needlework in order to achieve true mastery in it. You cannot be the best in everything - professionalism is determined to the greatest extent by knowledge and experience. However, there are techniques in which even a beginner is able to create real masterpieces, if he is not deprived of imagination and is ready to put his soul into each of his work. These techniques rightly include dry and wet felting of wool: for beginners, both of them present no difficulty.

Indeed, felting (other names are felting or felting) is very simple. To turn wool into felt, you just need to knead it a little in a certain way. You are not required to be as precise as, say, when working with polymer clay. Any flaws in the craft can be corrected casually, simply by rolling small pieces of wool in the right places and attaching new parts. I'll tell you how this is done later - but for now let's learn the basics.

Technologies and tools for wool felting

As mentioned above, felting can be dry or wet. Each method has its own tools. For felting wool you need very little.

Using the dry felting technique, crafts of complex shapes are made - in particular, toys. Using a felting needle, you pierce with a twist and knead the ball of wool, giving it the shape of the desired part. Needles are very different. Using thick ones, jagged along the entire length, they perform rough work, and thin ones, with a jagged tip, bring the product to perfection at the final stage. Some instruments have a triangular cross-section, others have a star or crown shape. The triangular needle is your main tool, while the others serve a more “narrow” purpose: to create flat elements (for example, a colored pattern on some part).

For beginners who are just learning how to felt wool using the dry felting method, two or three needles of different thicknesses of triangular cross-section are quite enough. Besides them, you don’t need any other tool - unless you can also purchase a holder (removable handle). It is more convenient and safer to work with it. Why am I talking about safety - because the needles are very sharp and also jagged. If handled carelessly, you can very unpleasantly injure your hand, stain the felt with blood and ruin your work without ever finishing it. To avoid scratching the table with tools, lay a thick foam or rubber mat.

Wet felting requires no tools at all. All work is done by hand: you lay the wool on a hard base and rub it with your fingers in different directions. The felt is flat and denser. All kinds of handbags, hats, house shoes, as well as amazingly beautiful wall panels are made from it.

If you need to get not a flat piece of felt, but a figured product made from felted wool (say, you decide to felt a real seamless Victorian top hat or bowler hat), you will first need to make a mock-up mold. Professional hat makers have dozens of them: usually carved from wood. One is enough for an amateur. You can build it from polystyrene foam, or even from polyurethane foam, removing the excess with a knife - but working with such models will not be as convenient as with wooden ones, due to their low weight and less strength.

Wet felting is called wet because the wool is in soapy water during the process. I highly recommend choosing the right soap - non-drying and hypoallergenic: the skin of your hands ages before us if you don’t take care of it. The best soap for wet felting - baby felting, no dyes or smell. It is better to take boiled water, hot - but not so hot that it burns. In addition, for convenience, the mock-up form is covered with a rubber or woven cover. But still, the main tool for wet felting from wool is your hands. The final result depends on how “not crooked” they are.

Materials for felted wool products

Used for various felted wool products different materials: To make it clearer, let's classify them by purpose.

Decorative items, felt clothing, and shoes are traditionally felted from sheep wool. In craft stores you can buy so-called fine wool for felting - very beautiful, soft, dyed in all the colors of the rainbow. It is ideal for making toys and any home decor from it: the products will be as pleasant to the touch as the material itself. There is also semi-soft wool - as the name suggests, it is a little coarser than soft wool, and is used primarily in wet felting. Hats, handbags and other accessories are made from it. Shoes are felted from guard wool - it is prickly, but this type of felt holds its shape best. Tow is a soft type of wool, reminiscent of cotton wool: it is used to make felt. It is rarely used in needlework, but if you really want to, you can find it on sale. Finally, the last variety you need to know about is sliver. These are combed but not dyed wool fibers. They are used for stuffing soft toys, and in dry felting - to form the base of the product.

Let's now try to lie around a little. Let's master felting for beginners with a simple craft - from beads, and make them using dry technology:

Necklace made of felted balls - original decoration for a little girl who is too early to wear real beads. Such accessories are also worn by adult women, fans of eccentric handmade jewelry, “warm lamp types” and simply lovers of cozy things.

To felt a bead, take a not very thick strand of wool about 10 cm long, roll it into a ball, roll it a little between your palms and place it on the foam. Gently holding the workpiece with your fingers, prick it from all sides with a felting needle, slightly turning it in one direction, then in the other. When the ball compacts and decreases slightly in volume, put it aside and form the next one - until we get as many beads as you need.
The balls may come out a little different: one is a little larger, the other is a little smaller, the third is not a ball at all, but some kind of ellipse... the next stage of work is to equalize them with each other. Choose the largest bead, it will be an example for others. We wrap everything that does not grow tall with thin strands of wool, and poke them with a needle again until each ball becomes the same as our standard one. We correct uneven and insufficiently round beads by rolling felt onto the “defective” sides.
We're done - now let's decorate our beads with embroidery. We take floss, a needle... I suppose there is no point in describing this stage in detail. We coped with this too - we string the balls on a thread and wear them, not forgetting to tell our admiring friends that you made this wonderful creativity with your own hands.