Needle felting for beginners. Advice or suggestions.

[LostHorizon1]

Hi. I am interested in needle felting and would love to know more about it.

Can anyone recommend a website or book for a beginner in needle felting? Do you know if there is a starter pack or kit I can buy, or should I buy the tools separately?

TIA x

I recently used needle felting to mend moth holes in a wool jacket, bought an excellent starter kit form here.
https://thefeltbox.uk/collections/starter-kits?srsltid=AfmBOooENeirm80QvpKNPu6ZTA8Gw-7WJM3F0QQC5Jf2aGhSnz74jU71

I also rang them to discuss as wasn’t usual needle felting of making animals or shapes, she was v helpful.

There are loads of good kits out there.

Try Hawthorm Handmade? I did their otter one.

Just get a kit and go for it, it's surprisingly easy to produce something that looks good.

If you have cats, keep it well away from them though - my needle felting career came to a rapid end when the cat shredded all my work.

@BamberGirl Thanks for the link. It's great they offer a choice of kits. I do like they have everything in one box, for beginners.

@bridgetreilly Hmm.. more choice.
The animals are so cute. It's great they have needle felting tutorials on YouTube.
Overwhelmed by choices..

@AnnaMagnani Thank you Anna. Sorry to hear about what happened.
Did your cat shred all your work? Were you able to salvage any of it?
I hope you have find a new craft in your life.

Thank you all.

Hobbycraft have needle felting kits. Cheap too.
Just mind your fingers. The needles are barbed and they hurt like a bitch.

Thanks. Yeah, I'm worried about the needles. Hope the stabbing technique is easy to do.

I teach visible mending and always keep needle felting until last. If I don't we spend the whole session stabbing stabbing 😁

Grab a kit, flat or 3D whichever floats your boat. By the time you are done you will be expert enough to be able to evaluate websites, books workshops etc

Have 😁

Everyone stabs their finger at least once... hurts like a bitch kitty for a short while.

Just remember to breathe and to slow down

Seriously. Those are the 2 of the 3 main instructions

Remember to breathe
Slow down
Keep the needle upright

@SamphiretheTervosaur Thanks for your advice. Much appreciated.

Visible mending looks interesting.

I will start small and explore. I will buy a kit that suits my needs. When I feel confident, I will build myself up and move up to the next level. I want to see improvement, no slacking. 😀
Well, the stabbing, stabbing.. I will let my emotions out! Lol.😂
Thanks again. x

DD has been doing kits since she was about 9yo, saw it in hobbycraft and wanted to give it a go, she’s made some really lovely little birds and a few flat pictures that are in embroidery hoops on her wall.

I’ve never really given it a go, but enthusiastic and confident stabbing does seem to be the trick. Just keep going and be convinced that if you keep stabbing it will come together.

Thanks for a lovely reply.

What you have written contains encouraging words. It gives me the confidence to try it out.

I tried it for the first time a few weeks ago. I used one of the Hawthorn Handmade kits that someone linked to above. It was surprisingly easy! I was thinking "how on earth am I going to turn a load of fluff into two Robins??" But it worked! The kit was great because it comes with everything you need - the wool, right kind of needles and a foam block to work on. I got mine from ebay or vinted, so worth a look there if you want to try something a bit more cheaply. I would recommend trying a simple kit to begin with I.e one that doesn't involve too many patterns or colours.

@ThumbTowers, thank you.

I will get a simple kit that is not complicated. I am wondering if I can produce a cute animal or a useful item out of fluff, wool fibre. I'm still worried about the stabbing technique. I have more time to shop online and go shopping next week when I'm more relaxed since Christmas is over.
Already took some info/details from the websites.

It’s worth trying a workshop if you can find one near you. I’ve done needle felting and wet felting and both very enjoyable. Needle felting is probably quicker xx

Try https://www.themakerss.co.uk/
The Felt Hub
Heidifeathers.com

Have fun!

There are various Facebook groups that are worth joining. I like https://www.facebook.com/groups/needlefeltingtutorialsandinstructions/

Also, you can get leather protective things for your fingers that prevent the needles stabbing you. Best needles I've used are the Heidi feather ones. They are colour coded so easy to choose the right one.

Loads of really good YouTube videos too.

I'm still very much a beginner but have managed some surprisingly good results. I use ChatGPT sometimes to create patterns. The one thing I'm still struggling to understand is what wool to use and where to get it. Apparently some sheep are easier to felt than others.