Robins are everywhere this time of year, whether they’re adorning Christmas decorations or hopping from branch to branch in your garden. So today I thought I’d share how to make your own needle felt robin to perch in your Christmas tree. Needle felting is such an easy craft, you don’t need many materials and once you’ve got the hang of stabbing and shaping the wool roving you can create anything you like! I originally wrote this tutorial for Workbox magazine a couple of years ago (you’ll notice the step-by-step photos are taken in our old flat) but I took some new ones of him on the Christmas tree this year and thought it was time to share the step-by-step with you. You will need: Needle felting wool, also known as ‘wool roving’ in dark brown, light brown and red A needle felting needle A piece of foam Polystyrene shape (optional) Decorative items (optional) - beads and thread for eyes and wire will all come in useful Most good craft shops should carry all of the above and you should have plenty of wool leftover to make into other things or more robins! I’d also recommend buying more than one felting needle as it is possible to bend and even break them. Oops. How to make a needle felted robin: Firstly, try to plan your process and design. I had an ipad with pictures of both real robins and toy ones open throughout, to keep me on track. I used a polystyrene egg shape from a local craft store as the body, but you could easily go without this and make the body from the needle felting wool. To begin lay the wool in place over the polystyrene shape and then it’s time for the exciting bit - start felting it with the needle by stabbing it into the polystyrene. It feels a bit strange at first, but just keep going! I’ve found the shaping and speed needed for felting comes with practise and like most other crafts once you get into a rhythm it’s really therapeutic to do. Use the dark brown for his back and base for his wings, once this is in place make his head by twisting the wool roving into a ball shape and felting together, it’s best to do these bits on top of your foam – so there’s less chance of a needle related injury. Once you have a head shape felt this onto the body and then cover the rest of him in robin colours, a light brown for this tummy and of course a bright red for his chest! Once the whole shape is covered you can start to build up the layers and tidy up the felting, I found that laying a thin layer of felt flat on top of the robin and felting this in gave a nice finish and stopped him looking overly fluffy. For his tail felt a rectangle and leave some wispy bits of wool at one end, use these to felt the tail on to your robin. Next, make some felt triangles to use as wing tips and felt these on top of each wing, but leaving the tips free to stand slightly away from his body. For the feet, you could use pipe cleaners, but I went for wire and twisted several strands together to make it nice and strong. Include a loop one end of the wire and push a pin through this into the polystyrene to attach his feet. Felt a small bit of wool over the top of the pin heads to cover them. Then it’s time to add his face, and here’s where your robin will really come to life. There are no rules – I opted for black beads as eyes and sewed them on, but you could use black felt. Use the dark brown wool to felt a beak and felt this on to his head. And there you have it, a little needle felt robin. TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN' | PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM | RSS
HOW TO NEEDLE FELT FOR BEGINNERS – DO’S AND DON’TS Make your creative dreams come to life with free needle felting tutorials, downloads, tips, ideas, and inspiration. Start your needle felting journey today!
Learn how to make a cute little mouse using needle felting techniques and wool fibres with this easy, beginner friendly tutorial.
Needle felted basic shape – Video tutorial #A simple video tutorial to help you get the basics right before you start your project. https://youtu.be/n4zEf0rKNlQ Website Etsy Store
Needle felting is a captivating craft that allows you to transform raw wool fibres into stunning works of art like needle felted landscapes.
Learn to Needle Felt a Picture – Super Easy Tutorial! #Learn to paint with wool with this detailed needle felted picture tutorial suitable for beginners onward and featuring my favourite Herdwick sheep.
HOW TO NEEDLE FELT FOR BEGINNERS - Super easy video tutorials. My straightforward needle felting tutorials will quickly set you on your creative path.
Needle Felt A Basic Body Shape #VIDEO TUTORIAL WRITTEN TUTORIAL See photographs below: 1 & 2: Start with a long length of wool and roll into a TIGHT rough oval/cylinder shape, stopping and tucking in the ends as you go; to get it really tight, push down into the foam pad or whatever surface you are using. Do not start to
What is Felting? Discover all about the wonderful fiber art of Wet and Needle Felting with wool in this Complete Beginner's Guide
A curated list of beginner needle felting projects! Fun ways to learn how to needle felt with wool roving.
Try your hand at needle felting, and make these birds with tutorial from Joe & Cheryl.
Do you ever wonder how professional textile artists achieve a smooth, even finish to their needle felted artwork? Does your work look a little fuzzy, blobby or matted in comparison? Read on for three effective tips to get you felting like a pro.1. Stab Sensitively!Have you ever looked at your work and though "that looks a bit...stabby"? Have the holes made by your felting needle really left their impression on your work? The chances are that this is because when you stab down with your needle, y
Get more from Midjourney prompts & Ai art on Patreon
Needle felting artist Teresa Perleberg shares some of her needle felting secrets that she has learned over the years felting everyday.
These beginner-friendly needle felting kits are a great way to learn the art of needle felting. You'll love these cute felting projects.
This free felting tutorial, on how to make a vessel, involves felting on an inflatable rubber ball to create a hollow felted sphere. These step by step instructions are beginner friendly easy to follow, and takes about 4 hours to complete.
How to Needle Felt for Beginners. Learn how to create easy Needle Felted Fabric with Colorful Wool Roving and Cookie Cutters
cheese grater I just have to tote the wonders of my handy-dandy cheese grater! I recommend this trick all the time to my felting classes, but I highly recommend it now! Yesterday I was felting in my Wonder Washer an all-cream sheep for a customer, and I wasn't liking how it was felting. I had felted it, stuffed it with fiberfill and as it dried the stitch definition returned. I knew this yarn was capable of felting better (by past experience). Normally I would pull out the stuffing and throw the piece back into the wash for another cycle or two, but I was concerned about the sheep's leg holes felting shut making it difficult to insert the leg wires afterwards. back and forth against the grates In a panic, I pulled out my ordinary cheese grater, hoping for a miracle. I wet the sheep with soap and water and rubbed the stuffed body vigorously back and forth against the smallest grates (bumpy-side up), and it felted beautifully! No stitch definition what so ever! I was relieved and so pleased. Using the cheese grater gave me precise control over particular areas as well as broader ones as well. Great for those items that just need a little extra felting help. I encourage you to try it, if you haven't already. You'll love the results! Happy knitting!
If you've been wanting to craft your own alpaca, you're in luck! Today we're showing you how to make your own needle felted alpaca in just 7 steps.
I was always intrigued by needle-felting. I found this tutorial on Pinterest and I loved the idea, but I had never tried this technique before, so I didn't dare just giving it a go without reading more about it first. As I couldn't find the original post online - the link just led me to a Polish "Pinterest-alike" tool - I had to look for information else where. Luckily, I am a member of Crafty Creatives and one of the monthly kits contained a pretty good "how to" for beginners with no previous experience on needle-felting. So below are my thoughts on this tutorial. I am not sure about the elbow pads, but I absolutely adore the idea of adding textured shapes to plain cotton fabric. The possibilities are infinite! What you will need: - Wool roving (this is wool that has been twisted, attenuated and freed of foreign matter in the stage before its conversion into yarn. It is more refined than wool batting). - Felting needle (Caution! Felting needles are covered in tiny barbs - these are what tangles the wool together - and it really hurts if you stab your finger with it, a lot more than with a normal needle or pin). - A foam pad (you can easily find this at Amazon or Ebay and they came in different sizes, make sure you get the ones specifically designed for needle felting, mainly because of its thickness). - For this particular tutorial a cookie cutter is used to help with the shape. Although it is not essential, it does help first timers. Things to keep in mind: - This process of needle-felting through another fabric is slightly different then just making shapes using your wool straight agains the foam pad. - Remember to work with layers and to keep your bundles about 1cm thick. You can always add bits here and there as you will see in the next pictures. - With the wool in place, start stabbing it. Remember you don't need to stab it too far in the foam. The barbs are the the tip of the needle. Last but not least... - After working a few layers, remove the cookie cutter (if you're using one) and work your edges. Use the needle to perfect your shape. - Once you've finished, use an iron to help fixing it. Remember to do it both ways (inside and out). I learnt that spraying some water over it before ironing helps make your shape denser.
When I learned to needle felt, I tried the simple (but very impractical) technique of using a cookie cutter as a template. A cookie cutter template (literally) sounds good on paper. It turns out it…
Brighten up your christmas with these easy to make colourful needle felted christmas tree decorations. Fun to do and they make the perfect gift! Last year I gave these to friends instead of cards and they loved it.
How to add fur and needle felted detail onto amigurumi, using Atlas the Lion Cub or any other crochet pattern
Easy Needle Felted Picture! Learn To Paint With Wool #Learn to paint with wool and needle felt this dramatic picture. A great needle felting project for all abilities, even the most nervous beginner!
HOW TO NEEDLE FELT FOR BEGINNERS – DO’S AND DON’TS Make your creative dreams come to life with free needle felting tutorials, downloads, tips, ideas, and inspiration. Start your needle felting journey today!
These colourful needle felted butterflies are crafted from the tiniest bits of wool scraps I had collected, leftover from previous proj...
The first time I made this blanket, I got a very interesting response - no-one could figure out how it was made! At our Hobby-X convention, I asked people to guess whether it was crocheted or knitted. The answers were all over the place! From “definitely knitted” and “definitely crocheted”, to “possibly woven”, “maybe tunisian crochet?” and many “no clue” answers in-between. The secret is out: It is “definitely crochet”! One thing stood out though, it was an absolute show-stopper! Everybody stopped to touch it and ask about it. Whether you make it as a baby blanket, a housewarming gift or for a college dorm room, it is guaranteed to have that Wow!!-effect. It is an easy blanket to make and is made in one piece with very few yarn ends to weave in. The pattern has many different size options and detailed information on yarn substitution as well. Lots of step-by-step photos are conveniently placed at the end of the document, so that you can print the written instructions only if you prefer.
Learn how to needle felt a picture and create your own stunning 2D needle felted Cornish seascape, bursting with colour and character.
Inside: Find out 3 easy ways how to trace pattern on felt or fabric that will make your life and craft projects easier. These pattern transfer techniques will work great for quiet book patterns, DIY and craft, sewing or quilting projects. Have you ever thought that there must be an easier way to trace pattern
Are you on Instagram? Do you love needle felt? If the answers are yes and yes, then here are 5 fabulous felters to follow right now! Check out some of my
How to needle felt for beginners, with a list of needed supplies. Needle felting is easy and fun, and you only need a few supplies!
INSIDE: The best tips for sewing felt for beginners, from what needle for sewing felt, what thread, to how to cut felt and how to wash felt. For a while, you've been planning to start a new sewing project using felt. You've been gathering materials, colorful felt sheets and matching thread. You've gathered enough inspiration,
Stem Stitch is my favorite hand embroidery stitch, because it is so versatile and so attractive. The poor stem stitch doesn’t get the attention it is due, in my opinion – most folks tend to stitch lines today using backstitch, running stitch, and chain stitch, more than they do with stem stitch. But stem stitch ...
Simple tips for framing felt art work professionally at home.
This video shows you how to make a simple needle book out of wool.
Babies love crinkle. I don’t know why exactly but they do, luckily crinkle toys aren’t hard to make. Follow this simple tutorial for a fun crinkle starfish no baby on land or sea can re…
Japanese felt artist Atsuko Sasaki is an art teacher and by night a genius felter. Atsuko makes fascinating creations with felt with a level of perfection
The Pay It Forward (PIF) gifts should have arrived, so here is my tutorial to share with you. There are a lot of needle keepers out there. This is just my version. I made it big enough for the b…
Is there a reality in which I have the real courage to wear these? So cool, and cute.
I make realistic looking birds using crochet, needle-felting and a bit of embroidery, because I really like birds and couldn't persuade any real ones to come indoors. Each bird takes between 1 and 4 weeks to make. I make them out of pure wool yarns and fill them with lamb's wool - which makes them feel quite alive - and each one is tagged with a year-coded metal leg ring.
My fabulous friend Andie* of Red Roving made this amazing felt pocket sloth and totally said I could share it with you guys. Clearly everyone needs at least one pocket sloth in their lives. Yo…
How to make a cute simple needle case from felt
I make realistic looking birds using crochet, needle-felting and a bit of embroidery, because I really like birds and couldn't persuade any real ones to come indoors. Each bird takes between 1 and 4 weeks to make. I make them out of pure wool yarns and fill them with lamb's wool - which makes them feel quite alive - and each one is tagged with a year-coded metal leg ring.
Learn how to make felted wool dryer balls with this DIY sheep tutorial. Dryer balls are little eco-friendly static fighters that prevent clothing wrinkles. This easy 5 step craft project will green up your laundry game. They also make great gift items to sell at farmers markets. Get more great sheep craft ideas at SHEPHERDLIKEAGIRL.COM
