Needlefelting
For today's tutorial, you will need specials tools ......
a felting needle (available from craft shops or online) and a block of foam - I bought a foam seat pad from an upholstery shop and cut it up. You will also need some wool tops and some old wool jumpers which have been felted - give them a hot wash (include old towels or jeans) then a hot tumble dry ...... of course you may have accidently felted a jumper, so here is a chance to put it to good use.
The first thing I made was a brooch - I started with a flower shape cut from a felted jumper, and added some wool tops which I needled onto the centre
needle felting is a great antidote to stress - you just keep stabbing the needle in - the barbs on the needle make the wool and the fabric mesh together (but please be careful not to stab your fingers - the needles are very sharp!)
Next I added a ring of another colour
and then another
I cut two leaves from another felted jumper and needled them in place on either side of the flower
I thought the flower looked a bit plain, so I added some lovely textured yarn ......
....... and added beads in the centre and round the edge. I finished by sewing a brooch pin to the back.
For the next project, I started with a piece of organza and a selection of wool tops
I arranged the wool in a rough pattern on the organza and started needling it into place
I raided my stash for this jazzy yarn
and added little bits
I then needled this onto a piece cut from ..... yes, another piece of felted jumper (look for cheap woolies in charity shops). I added some little spirals, by twisting some wool, then needling it into place
I finished by sewing on some beads
I haven't yet decided what to do with this piece - I think I will probably make it into a book cover.
This afternoon, I was having a final play - I started with a lovely piece of thick felt in shades of lilac (I bought this felt!). I needled some green along the bottom, then twisted some more green to make tree trunks. Finally, I mixed two greens together to finish the trees
I hope this will encourage you to have a go at needlefelting!