Needle Felting

Sculpting with a barbed needle

Needle felting works without water, glue or stitching. A barbed needle repeatedly stabbed into loose wool tangles the fibres until they lock together, so you can build a solid three-dimensional shape out of nothing but wool and time.

You need three things to start: wool tops in your colours, at least one felting needle, and a foam pad or brush mat to work on so the needle has somewhere safe to land. It suits small sculptural makes — animals, decorations, brooches, characters — and it is easy to pick up and put down. The needles are genuinely sharp, and a finger guard is worth having.