Needle felting facts for kids

A cute monkey made with needle felting, holding a banana.

Needle felting is a fun craft where you use a special needle to turn soft wool fibers into cool 3D shapes. You can make realistic animals, yummy-looking food, or even fantasy creatures! It's like sculpting with wool, but without water or soap.

The Story of Needle Felting

Needle felting is a fairly new craft. It started in the 1980s. A couple named David and Eleanor Stanwood invented it. They used special needles from a wool factory. These needles helped them create small pieces of felt. They did this without using any water or soap.

Later, a person named Ayala Talpai learned these skills. She wrote books and taught many others how to needle felt. Today, needle felting is not as common as "wet felting." But lots of people who love arts and crafts really enjoy it!

Tools You Need for Felting

To start needle felting, you'll need a few special tools. These tools help you shape the wool and keep your fingers safe.

Protecting Your Fingers

Finger Gloves

Finger gloves are small leather covers. They fit over your index finger and thumb. Their main job is to protect your fingers. This keeps them safe from accidental pokes from the sharp felting needles. They are very helpful, especially when you are just starting out.

What to Felt On

Felting Cushion

Different types of felting needles.

You need a special cushion for felting. This cushion protects your needles from breaking. It also keeps your work surface safe. Cushions can be made from materials like styrofoam or thick sponges. These materials are soft enough for the needle to go into. But they are firm enough to support your wool.

Colorful wool roving, ready for felting.

The Main Tool

Felting Needle

Felting needles come in many sizes. They have tiny hooks called barbs along their sides. These barbs grab the wool fibers. They push and tangle the fibers together. This is how the wool becomes firm felt.

Smaller needles have finer barbs. They are great for adding tiny details to your projects. Larger needles have thicker barbs. They help you felt bigger areas much faster. Needle size is measured in gauges. A higher gauge number means a smaller, finer needle.

The Main Material

Wool

The best type of wool for needle felting is called roving. Roving is wool that has been cleaned and combed. It comes in long, soft strands. While other types of wool can be used, roving is usually the top choice for needle felters.

How to Needle Felt

Needle felting is a simple process. First, place your felting cushion on a flat surface. Take a small amount of wool. Roll it tightly into a small bundle.

Now, start poking the wool bundle with your felting needle. Stab the wool over and over again. The needle's barbs will tangle the wool fibers. This makes the wool become firm and solid. This firm texture is called felt. To make a simple shape, just keep adding more wool. Then, poke it repeatedly until you get the shape you want.

Images for kids

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  Samples of felt in different colors

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  A Kazakh felt yurt, a traditional tent.

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  Faranji is a Kurdish vest worn by men in winter and early spring

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  A wooden rolling pin used during the wet felting process

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  The needle felting process to create small animal figurines

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  Felt in Maymand, Kerman Province, Iran

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  Russian valenki, traditional felt boots with a waterproof sole