what is needle felting?

Are you wondering exactly how needle felting works?
I've taken what i've learnt from my own experience, added a little bit of research and come up with this page. I hope it will shed some light on the history of needle felting and how it all works. If some of your questions on needle felting still isn't answered, please let me know and i'll do my best to clear it up here for you.

The history of needle felting.
Felting is one of the worlds oldest fibre crafts and dates back as far as 6300BC. Felting needles were first invented for industrial use and were used in machines to create large sheets of felt. It's these machines that are responsible for the felt rectangles you see in your local craft stores. The form of needle felting was developed in the early 1980's by two American artists who took the felting needles from the industrial felting machines and created the technique of felting on a smaller scale.

How does needle felting work?
Needle felting is the process of interlocking wool fibres. The barbs of the felting needle catch the fibre of the wool and causes it to tangle. Using a stabbing motion, a felting needle is repeatedly pushed straight up and down into the fibre. The fibre begins to firm up as it tangles. As the fibre creates it's own bond, you are able to make 3D sculptures without the use of adhesive or sewing...it's simply a matter of adding wool where you need it and stabbing it into place with a felting needle.

How do you create a sculpture?
Creating a sculpture is fairly easy. It's all a matter of creating shapes and attaching them together. I always start with the head when I make an animal. I get a handful of fibre and roll it into a tight ball. I hold the ball in place on my foam pad and while keeping my fingers out of the way, stab at it with a needle. I keep rotating the fibre after a few stabs to make sure I keep the round shape and also so it doesn't stick to the foam pad. Eventually the fibre will firm up and start to hold the shape on it's own. It's basically all a matter of patience, rotating the fibre and repetitive stabbing that will give you the desired shape. Keep an eye on the tutorial section for more indepth instruction.

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what is needle felting?


	navigation - About AussieFelts - Latest Work - Adoptions - Kits - Gallery - Needle Felting? - Needle Gauges? - Tutorials - Facebook - Awards - Publications - Mailing List - FAQ'S - Links - Contact - Home link to us statistics Owner: Narelle Opened: 1/06/08		what is needle felting? Are you wondering exactly how needle felting works? I've taken what i've learnt from my own experience, added a little bit of research and come up with this page. I hope it will shed some light on the history of needle felting and how it all works. If some of your questions on needle felting still isn't answered, please let me know and i'll do my best to clear it up here for you. The history of needle felting. Felting is one of the worlds oldest fibre crafts and dates back as far as 6300BC. Felting needles were first invented for industrial use and were used in machines to create large sheets of felt. It's these machines that are responsible for the felt rectangles you see in your local craft stores. The form of needle felting was developed in the early 1980's by two American artists who took the felting needles from the industrial felting machines and created the technique of felting on a smaller scale. How does needle felting work? Needle felting is the process of interlocking wool fibres. The barbs of the felting needle catch the fibre of the wool and causes it to tangle. Using a stabbing motion, a felting needle is repeatedly pushed straight up and down into the fibre. The fibre begins to firm up as it tangles. As the fibre creates it's own bond, you are able to make 3D sculptures without the use of adhesive or sewing...it's simply a matter of adding wool where you need it and stabbing it into place with a felting needle. How do you create a sculpture? Creating a sculpture is fairly easy. It's all a matter of creating shapes and attaching them together. I always start with the head when I make an animal. I get a handful of fibre and roll it into a tight ball. I hold the ball in place on my foam pad and while keeping my fingers out of the way, stab at it with a needle. I keep rotating the fibre after a few stabs to make sure I keep the round shape and also so it doesn't stick to the foam pad. Eventually the fibre will firm up and start to hold the shape on it's own. It's basically all a matter of patience, rotating the fibre and repetitive stabbing that will give you the desired shape. Keep an eye on the tutorial section for more indepth instruction.