Basic Needle FelTiNG iNsTrucTioNs

using a wire armature

CAUTION needles are EXTREMELY SHARP! Keep out of reach of children and pets, NEVER put a needle down without putting it back in the envelope, into the foam or in a sealed container. If you have children or pets ALWAYS put the needles away. I looked away from a project I was needling and just that quick one of my Siamese cats appeared and took a needle. If I hadnt caught him at that moment who knows how much damage the needle might have done. Needle felting requires all your attention especially where your fingers and eyes are concerned. The needles are made of highly tempered steel, which means they are very sharp and brittle. Needle in and out in a straight line. Never bend the needle or use it to pick or pry with, such as to pick out straw that is in the wool - the needle will snap. When you break a needle and you will, ALWAYS find the pieces! Wearing glasses or goggles is a good idea. Update your tetanus shot next time you visit the doctor. I have Color Coded the needles I sell, enclosed in the envelope are 5 needles: 36 Triangle - yellow; 36 Star - green ; 38 Star - red; 40 Star - orange; 40 Triangle - blue; (in sets with 6 needles, 42 Triangle - black). T or Triangle is the shape of the needles tip, this needle has 3 edges that are flat on the shaft end in a triangular shape.
Triangle Edge

S or Star is the shape of the needle tip, it has 4 edges and it has a concave groove between the 4 edges. It also has more Barbs than the triangle and needles faster.
Star edge

Felting needles are sized or gauged by the thickness and shape of the needle. The lower the number the thicker the needle and the larger the holes in the felted surface. The higher the needle number the finer the needle or the smaller the hole it leaves in your creature. Lower numbers for beginning, higher for finishing. Barbs are cut along the needles shaft. When the needle is poked or pushed into the felt, the barbs pull the fibers down locking or hooking them together. Wool has natural barbs and needling it locks it together more quickly. The needles barbs are cut in one direction so that felting of the fibers will occur when the needle is pushed in and not when it is pulled out.
Barb or notch c Copyright 2004 Neysa A Phillippi

Felting Needle

36 triangular, 36 star, - a beginning needle used when starting your project. 38 triangular, 38 star, - good for detail work 40 triangular - good for fine detail work 42 triangular - good for very fine detail and a very smooth surface, I believe this needle is optional

You may at a later date use a Sculpey, Fimo or Crayola Model Magic to create a knob on the top of your needle (over the Allen key L shape or the colored head). This will make the needle more comfortable while holding it for long periods of time. Believe me you will get hooked and spend hours felting. Bobbie Ripperger recommended Crayola Model Magic. I used this, it dries but has a spongy feel - not hard like Sculpey or Fimo. I purchased a Deluxe Variety Pack containing 9 colors. The variety pack was cheaper than buying the colors separately. I then labeled the knob with permanent markers as 36 T, 36 S, 38 T, 38 S... etc. (You may just want to purchase one color of Crayola Magic or Fimo and label the knobs with permanent black marker). I find reaching for a color is easier than reading needle tops, mine are numbered but after working with them for a time you will recognize the needle by color. Felting needles as I have said are straight with barbs cut along the needles shaft; made of high gauge steel, sharp but brittle if bent. When the needle is poked or pushed into the wool batting or polyester, the barbs pull the fibers down locking or hook them together. Wool has natural barbs and needling it locks it together more quickly. The needles barbs are cut in one direction so that felting of the fibers will occur when the needle is pushed in and not when it is pulled out. The felting process condenses or reduces the mass of wool batt or polyester. The barbs on the needles sides or edges on a triangle or star shaped needle push or condense the fiber into itself. The wool batting or roving will lock together and hold the fiber firmly in place. It is almost impossible to pull the felting apart. Polyester acts the same way as wool batting, polyester makes a great base fiber or core for your creation. Using polyester as a base fiber saves your wool for the final finishing layers of your project. Polyester alone makes a great polar bear. I use Monterey Mills Quality A polyester stuffing, it feeds out in a continuous coil that is carded. Some people recommend using silver a form of wool roving as the base fiber, polyester in my opinion is just as good and cheaper.

c Copyright 2004 Neysa A Phillippi

I prefer when making a three dimensional critter to use 22 gauge floral wire and make an armature to felt around. I find that using an armature keeps my creation to a specific size and shape. I form the wire in the shape of the critter Im making. Depending on how hard I felt my critter the wire armature will make him posable. Start your wire armature at the head, the head I have drawn on the right I find works best its just enough to work around. Add the neck, go down one front leg then back up wrapping the wire around the established leg. Repeat with the other front leg. Wind your wire around the top of the legs and Neck and extend it to make his back. Make the rear legs as you did the front, wind the wire around the top of the rear legs and back and add a tail. Cut the wire, curl the end back into itself. Now shape or form the armature into a standing or sitting position, note how the arms and legs bend, bend the armature the same way.

Cat head

Cat tail

Wind around the top of the legs

Try wrapping floral tape around the armature, your first layer of batting or roving will stick to the taped armature and be more stable to begin your project. The only disadvantage is the first layer felts slower as you have to be careful not to break the needle. The tape ads another hard object to felt around. Try with and without the tape and see which you prefer. When needle felting, be sure to keep your fingers out of the way. As I have already said, when was your last tetanus shot? Just kidding, but really not a bad idea when you consider you are working with steel and wool fibers. When needling be sure to lift your project often as it will begin to stick or needle into your foam work surface. When making a three dimensional critter you must keep turning and needling all the way around your project. Add batt or roving as you needle. The longer you needle your item, the harder the felting will be. Within a few minutes, it will be sticking together. The longer you needle the harder it will become. Move your project often on your work surface. The foam will deteriorate eventually, moving your project around will lengthen the life of the foam plus you have more sides dont you? When making a three dimensional critter, use a 36 T or 36 S gauge needle to start and poke or needle the fiber into itself, when you have a fairly firm base you will begin to add batting in layers needling it into itself as you go, be sure to turn your project often. After a few layers and a

c Copyright 2004 Neysa A Phillippi

reasonable amount of time you will want to change to your 38 T or 38 S needle, now it will begin to look like something. As your project progresses you will start to add details such as muscle structure, eye brow ridges, cheeks Now you are getting somewhere. Dont be surprised if it takes hours to get to the point where it looks like something. This is not a quick art form. I have found that I spend a minimum of 12 hours on each critter I make. Needle felting is like sculpting with clay, you add layers or slabs and work them into the piece you are creating. Sculpting takes time so does needle felting, be patient, if you are getting tense and things dont seam to be going right, set it aside and go have a piece of chocolate. All will look better when you have stepped away and then return. Chocolate does work wonders! I start needling the head first, when it is almost the shape I want when finished I add the muzzle. I lay a piece of batting or roving on my foam base, folding it in half (A.) and then folding it over twice from the other direction (B.). Needle the top or folded end 2/3 of the way, leaving the last 1/3 unfelted (C. & D.). Shape the muzzle, hold it in place where you want it on the head and needle the muzzle in place. The unfelted end will be felted into the head, anchoring it into place. Needle the muzzle itself into the head. Continue to shape the muzzle (E.). Now you can add batting to the head, even if your muzzle is a different color. Create a line or shape defining the muzzle. Add more felt to the head and continue to shape it.

Now wrap batting or roving around the neck, needle just to anchor it to the head. Needle around the neck, adding layers as you work. Needle felt around the legs, back (and tail if it has one)... Needle each appendage, adding layers. When you have your piece almost to the finished form start to add muscle tone and contours. Add small pieces of batt to the shoulder area. Create shoulders, buttocks, a hump if he is a bear... and so on. I like to look at photographs in books for the creature I am creating. Animal books with good photographs or resin sculptures are great references in creating your needle sculpture. My first book Whimsical Teddy Bears 15 Patterns and Design Techniques under the source section lists some great books on bears. All would work well as reference books for needle felting. My second book Cats, Rats & Other Creatures 15 Patterns (to release soon) will list other animals books, chickens included that will work as well. 4
c Copyright 2004 Neysa A Phillippi

When your critters body is almost to perfection I go back to the head. To make the eye socket keep needling with a 36 or 38 S needle into the same spot, as the eye socket forms you can move your needle to shape it (F.). Take white wool or polyester and needle in a very small amount into the eye socket - now you have the iris. You can now stitch in a bead for the pupil using regular sewing thread, weave the thread back an forth through the head to anchor the bead; or needle in a small bit of black batting or roving for the eye. You can add batting or roving to the eyebrow ridges to farther shape and define the eye. Needle along the muzzle to create a nose refer to the dotted lines in (F.) This gives your head more character. To create the ears follow the instructions for shaping the muzzle. Leave enough loose batt to attach the ears to the head. If you wish to create an open mouth or tail follow the same instructions. I use regular sewing thread to make the nose. Start out by weaving the thread back and forth through the head and out where you wish to start the nose. Stitch as you would a nose on a mohair bear. Anchor the thread when you have finished the nose as you did when you started it. To finish my critter I needle on paw pads and stitch in claws the same way I did the nose by anchoring the thread. I highlight the muscles and face by using Prisma Pencils for shading. Start with your darkest color working to the lightest you want to use. I will pencil in black into the ears and on the belly. If the critter has an open mouth I will take pink or red and add some color to represent his tongue or needle in a tongue with batting or roving. Sometimes I stitch black thread around the mouth. Happy Felting!

c Copyright 2004 Neysa A Phillippi

deFiNiTioNs - industry related

BATT ... layers of carded fibres that have been prepared for felting using wool that has been cleaned. BATTING ... fibers of wool or polyester used for felting and spinning fabrics. A textile filling material consisting of a continuous web of fibres formed by carding, air laying or other means. Wool batt looks similar to cotton batting used in making a quilt. The fibers can be pulled apart and work well for needle felting. ROVING ... fibers, that have been drawn or rubbed into a single strand, parallel and with very little twist. In spun yarns, the product used just prior to spinning. Roving is one step beyond batting in simple terms. FELT ... fabric characterized by the densely matted condition of most of or all of the fibres of which it is composed. Wool and some other animal fibres possess a natural tendency to felt or mat together under the influence of heat and moisture. Wool fibres in wet and soapy conditions are milled until they are interlocked and matted and then pressure applied. In this way, webs of wool fibres can be consolidated into a fabric. This process is wet felting. FELT ... a pressed, matted fabric made by heat, water and friction, causing the fibres to interlock FELTING .... The matting together of fibres using soap, water and friction. Or the process of dry needling with a felting needle the batting or roving by poking the needle into the fibre and locking the batting or roving into itself.

Needle Felting Supplies available please visit my web site- www.purelyneysa.com. Needles, foam work base, 112 different wools: naturals, colors and combinations. Ayala Talpais book The Felting Needle from Factory to Fantasy also available.

Neysa A Phillippi Purely Neysa 45 Gorman Avenue, Indiana, PA 15701-2244 USA Tel. 724 349-1225 Fax 724 349-3903 Mobile 724 388-3598 Email neysa@purelyneysa.com www.purelyneysa.com

c Copyright 2004 Neysa A Phillippi