#felting techniques

[myarmcanfly]

do you have advice for starting on making pieces like yours? I've been trying to take up needle felting, but I struggle with my pieces never being nearly as dense as I feel they ought to be, and they always still have.... Lines? From where the felt was folded or wrapped around

I think the biggest tip I have to offer is that if you think you've stabbed enough, keep going! Firm cores make it easier to build up smooth colors, so I aim for about the same feel as a tennis ball. Start small and build up bigger in layers rather than trying to start large, that makes it way easier to ensure that everything is felted all the way through. If you start with a really thick piece of core wool, it's hard to get your needles into the center and you end up with a squishy middle even if you get the outside fairly firm.

For colors, to eliminate those striations, I take a pinch of the color I'm working with and pull the fibers apart and stack them back together at a few different angles so that the fibers are laying all different directions. Put the thickest part of that 'patch' over the line you're trying to hide, and it should smooth out - if not with the first layer, do it again!

Ultimately, needle felting takes patience and most of the time the answer is "more felting"! I also recommend drawing out your plan before you start so you have a good idea of where you're headed, then you can focus on the execution and not worry about designing as you go.

[myarmcanfly]

Hello! I’ve done a few needlefelt creatures for fun and was astounded that your creatures are so smooth! How do you get them like that where they’re not so fuzzy when you’re done with them?

Hi there!

I recently joked on stream that "the answer to almost all felting questions is more stabbing, unless you've stabbed your hand, in which case: stop."

But it's true! The keys to a smooth surface are a firm core and a lot of patience. I aim for at least tennis ball firm bases on all my pieces to give the surface colors a nice tight, even shape to go over, and work from large (36) needles to small (40 twist or 42). I rarely shave my surfaces to smooth them out - it's all just additional stabbing. Finishing with smaller needles will give you smaller needle marks in the surface, but it's also important to work up to them gradually, since they move a lot less fiber and are slower.

So in short: just keep stabbing! Take frequent breaks and look after your wrists, but at the end of the day it's all about the time investment.

[myarmcanfly]

hi! i quite like the minotaur you made! how were you able to get her to balance on her hooves? (i struggle making digitigrade characters stand) thank you in advance!

Thank you! Part of what helps her stand is the shape of the hooves themselves, which are fairly large for her overall size and sanded dead flat on the bottom. The other key, though, and the thing that I think helps the most, is the way the leg joints are angled. Each joint is mirrored by the next one, so that the hips and up directly over the feet. Same thing for the spine - the head, which is the heaviest part of the whole thing, sits directly over the hips, which are directly over the feet. Centering the mass that way allows her to balance well, despite the angles of the legs.

The material also helps. As I've mentioned before, felted wool is quite dense and firm, and as a result the joints have limited flexibility. While this makes posing harder, it really helps with balance, because the knees and ankles CAN'T buckle - they're way too stiff for that! The hips have almost no movement. So what limits one aspect (poseability) really helps with another (balance). Something with more joint flexibility will have the opposite, with stronger pose options but more difficult balance.

[fibercurious-blog]

Wet felting for beginners - your step by step guide to wool felting

Wet felting for beginners – your step by step guide to wool felting

Try this free wet felting project for beginners tutorial if you are new to wet felting. In this tutorial you will learn the basics of wet felting while creating a beautiful wall hanging that can be framed or used like a piece of fabric to create anything you like. I will cover what equipment and materials you need and go through the step by step process to complete this simple wet felting for…

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[myarmcanfly]

Hi I really like your felted dolls how did you make the chimera head? I like to needle felt but I always end up with a lumpsided face do you have any tips ?

Thanks! I really enjoyed working on chimera, and the free-form head shape was one of my favorite parts :)

As far as how the shaping was done, they key is to build it up slowly. For the chimera, I started with a featureless ball and attached it to the body before adding anything else. I actually used a piece of blue tailors chalk to pick out a center line and an eye line, the same way you would on a drawing.

Then I made a few small pads of wool with loose edges and pinned them in place with regular straight pins to check that they were even and where I wanted them. First I added pads for the cheeks, then the ridge above the eyes, and the muzzle last. After checking the placement of each addition, I felted them into place and then repeated as necessary to build up the right shape.

For indented areas like the eyes and the indent of the mouth, I use a very coarse needle (usually a 32) to push deep holes and then smooth them out with the 38 star that I do most of my work with. If there are still a few ugly divers at that point, they all disappear when you add color over top and smooth it out!

Finally, the ears were done by cutting out the shape from a sheet of felt and felting roving on top to thicken it up a bit. I usually go over the whole ear piece twice on each side to smooth it out nicely. To attach, use the loose ends of the roving to blend into the head and add a little extra inside to felt down through the sheet and into the head.

I hope that helps, and have fun felting!