I need a more practice, but I learned a few tricks during my first few attempts.
I recently tried using a needle felting kit for the first time. There were a lot of items included in the kit, making my first attempt fun to do!
In case it's helpful, below are the topics covered in this post:
Package Contents
This needle felting kit was listed on Amazon.com with a decent coupon around Prime Day in October 2022.
Even without the coupon, this kit seems to be worth the listed price of about $30 USD. I may be wrong about the kit's value, but it did not cost much more than a few other needle felting kits that included fewer items and accessories.
The package contents included:
48 different colored wool
1 clear storage box (two levels)
1 needle felting instruction sheet
1 Styrofoam pad
1 felt cloth
1 needle holder (for single needle)
1 awl
2 leather finger gloves
12 needles (various sizes stored in a tube)
4 fabric glue sticks
1 pliers
1 scissors
1 tweezers
1 metal ring
5 felted stencils
4 bags of small 'bits and pieces'
The bags of small 'bits and pieces' included:
Metal pin-backed buttons
Metal bar pins
Plastic carabiners
Keychains
Rope chains
Bells
Eye pins
Dust plugs
Jump rings
Plastic eyes
There are plenty of items for many needle felted projects!
Before I opened the package and dabbled in the craft, I also bought a few other items in case I needed it:
Three Things I Did Repeatedly
I am a beginner and do not have any tips or tricks to share now. I watched tutorials before starting my first figure, but I forgot everything I learned once I held needle and wool in my own hands.
My first-time needle felting was trial and error. I simply wanted to learn the basics.
By my third figure, I realized there were three things I did repeatedly to help me create some simple mini figures:
Rolling the wool.
Folding the wool.
Stabbing/poking repeatedly.
Rolling allowed me to start with a basic shape for my mini figure. After stabbing/poking the wool several times for the wool to maintain its shape, folding allowed me to refine the shape further.
The more I stabbed/poked the wool, the more compact and firmer the mini figure became.
Although I made mini needle felted figures about a half inch wide and less than two inches in height, it took a lot of time and patience. Time was necessary for figuring out the basics.
I feel comfortable attempting something better than the few mini figures I recently made.
Tools and Accessories I Wished I Had
While this kit is great for beginners like myself, there were four tools and accessories I later learned about that could have made needle felting a bit easier and more enjoyable:
Punch tool that holds multiple needles.
Non-Styrofoam pad.
White wool.
Black wool.
From what I learned watching tutorial videos online, a multi-needle holder or tool would make part of the process quicker. It may be best used for creating the initial shape like a body or head.
Little Styrofoam pieces found its way into my mini figures. Pulling those unwanted pieces out of the wool was annoying. In some cases, I could only bury the pieces into the wool so it would not be seen. Any pad that is not a solid Styrofoam block would make for a cleaner needle felting experience.
I was surprised to see that white and black wool were not included in the set. It was not something I thought about until I wanted to make a ghost and black cat. The kit included cream and dark gray colored rolls of wool. However, I would like to have a more natural white and black colors for future projects.
Other than the four things I noted, the kit came with everything I could need or want. Of course, I am just starting out and do not yet know what else is available for needle felting projects.
My Thoughts
I finally got to do one of the Craft Projects I Wanted to Try! I watched many needle felting videos online and enjoyed what I saw. I then enjoyed trying the craft for myself.
As I hoped, needle felting was a great way to relieve stress by stabbing the wool repeatedly. Making the three mini figures felt therapeutic following a series of unfortunate events. I struggled to get through a depressive state until I picked up a needle and wool. I omitted all negative thoughts from my mind as I focused on not stabbing my fingers.
My mini figures are awful. They will either disappear to the bottom of a storage compartment or make its way to a donation bin with other unwanted items.
Since I enjoyed the craft so much with my first attempt, I will continue needle felting to improve my skills. Hopefully, I will get better with practice.
What's Next?
Spooky season is almost over, and I have a couple more Halloween-themed projects I want to finish. Check back another day to see what I have to share next!
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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