This blog will give you a quick overview of the main tools you need to start needle felting and links to some simple starter projects.
You will only need a few materials to get started:
-Wool roving (often known as tops or wool sliver in New Zealand)-Felting needles
-Mat or pad
There are also a few other accessories that may be useful such as finger protectors and needle holders (that can hold multiple needles). Finger protectors are a good idea if you are worried about needle pricks.
Wool roving
Wool roving has been cleaned, carded and is sometimes combed to make all fibres go in the same direction. You can felt with many types of fibres. Popular sheep wools for felting in New Zealand include Corriedale and Romney, Romney in particular makes a fantastic 'core wool' for projects, shop here for wool roving.
Felting needles
Felting needles have barbs that when you push it in and out of wool it 'knits' the wool together. There are many felting needles to choose from with different shapes and gauges to choose between depending on the project. The lower the gauge the thicker the needle and the higher the gauge the finer the needle. Higher gauges are best for finer detailing and finishing, they are also good for finer wools such as Merino. Lower gauges are best for beginning a project and for coarser wool such as Romney. There are also many shapes including triangle, star, reverse, crown, spiral star spiral, and triangle being the most popular of them. A good all rounder to start with would be a 36G or 38G triangle needle, you can find our selection of felting needles and tools here.
Felting mats
When felting it is best to have a protective surface to felt your project on. You can use many things such as felting pads, the most common being wool mats or foam. We sell wool mats only, as they tend to last longer and are biodegradable. You can find our selection of wool mats here.
Once you have your materials it is good to start with creating basic shapes, click here to see needle felted ball tutorial or needle felted bowl tutorial.