Now that the holidays are over and we're all settling down again (hopefully), I've been thinking about simple crafts. You know, the instantly gratifying ones. I first started needle felting for work last year, and it was so much fun. It's super straightforward- you make a shape you like with wool, then punch it with a needle tool until it's "felted". I made a tutorial featuring a couple of owls to demonstrate the process.
You'll Need:-Wool roving in assorted colors
-Needle Felting tool
-Needle Felting tool
-Scissors
1. Make the owl body shape by loosely forming a "U" that folds in on itself. Being careful not to stick your fingers, punch felt repeatedly until it begins to become more solid. Be sure to punch it on the front and back sides. You can cut or tear off the excess. If there's a spot that's looking a little thin, just break off some extra roving, place it over the spot, and punch it into place.
2. Make the contrast eyebrow-thing (that's a technical term). Pull off a thin line of roving and place it over the V shape at top. I find it works best to twist the roving into a tighter line before placing it. Start punching at the left side and keep going until you reach the edge. Cut off the excess and punch the ends into place.
3. To make the feet, form a simple figure-8 shape with a line of roving. Punch it into shape. Next, place owl body on top of foot shape and punch into place. Remember to punch the backside too- but be careful not to over do it as the darker color will come through.
4. Make little round shapes for eyes. Start by punching one end of a line of roving into place where you want the center of the eye to be, then wrap the yarn around that to fill out the shape. Repeat with another color for the eyeball.
5. Add the beak underneath the eyes and the wings to the edge of the body using the same technique.
6. Now you have a little owl! Make another one and they can be friends.Stay tuned for Part 2, wherein I tell you what you can do with these guys and point you to some other fun ideas for needle felting. If you have any suggestions or tutorials you'd like me to include, feel free to leave a link in the comments.
