Needlefelted Eggs for Easter

 Eggs

I am working on some owl faces as needle felted eggs to hang on my white tree.

      

   Chicken themed decorations

                                                         

Needle Felting Instruction Books

  Needle Felting is becoming a popular craft and one that I enjoy doing .It is a way of sculpting with wool which can be done at home without making too much mess or huge expense. I have bought a number of books about it ,I have divided up the books that I own  as follows 

• Detailed instructions of  animals  and birds, seasonal items such as Easter Eggs and Christmas novelties, mainly for beginners

• Sculptures of the human figure

• Painting pictures using wet and dry techniques

• Apparel , scarves, slippers, hats.

These are books that I bought in my first category ,small items mainly for beginners  .

Roz Dace and Judy Balchin are two of the best known authors on the craft of  needle felting .There are detailed descriptions of the kind of wool that can be used and clear photos of the equipment that is needed to carry out the crafts and designs shown in the book. There are templates at the back of the book which indicate scale and detail .I found the easiest thing to make was the poly bunny and the cat shown in the picture using a  polystyrene egg base.

                                                         

     

   I bought Wool Buddies because I thought the figures would be simple and adapt to making Easter Egg shapes. The only thing that I made from this book was Eunice the sheep. I found the designs a bit too funky for my liking  and quite complicated in some cases.                                                 

 

I have only just bought this book, the designs are charming and there are instruction for small things like brooches and magnets which make nice little gifts. I am looking forward to making the hedgehog design and have sent for some of the hedgehog spine fabric which is needed for a realistic look.

                                                                    

Rachel Austen is another popular author of needle felting design books .I bought this one just before Christmas, owing to a late delivery I only had time to make the Holy Family trio and an angel. They were much admired and I shall work on making the whole nativity scene , shepherds, three kings sheep and so on ready for next year.

                                                                           

                                                                                     

Sculptures of the Human Figure

Moving on to making  three dimensional wool sculptures is a step up in from basic skills. These are not toys and are not suitable for children to play with. The most comprehensive book that I have is :-

                                                                            

There is a lot of detail in the book and making some of the figures take a long time. Needle felting is not a craft to be rushed ,much of the pleasure comes from handling the wool and watching your work take shape.

There are a number of useful websites from which instructions may be down loaded for less than buying a book.

The Woolly Felters have instructions for making popular figures like this one of the late Queen .

http://woollyfelters.com

                                                                       

I am looking forward to receiving the newly published book

 Needle Felting Dolls by Roz Dace and Judy Balchin

Painting Pictures with Dry and Wet Felting

Using needle felting techniques to create paintings is a move into producing works of fine art. I have only used dry felting, the books that I have provide plenty of inspiration , once you have understood the techniques it is easy to move to using photos or drawings of your own.

Landscapes in Wool gives examples of impressionistic work, layering the wool and attaching to a base of felt.

                                                        

Moy Mackay is well known for her lovely textile landscapes, she adds detail with sewing by hand or machine stitching to give extra depth to the work. Details and examples of how to do this are included in Felt and Stitch.

Garments and Apparel

I have not yet tried making anything to wear but for fabulous ideas about what can be achieved have a look at

www.etsy.com/shop/SkyWool

 

Needle Felted Vikings

 

St Giles Church in Cambridge UK has some lovely stained glass windows and at Christmas members of the congregation decorate the window sills.

This year I have done St. Clement. I have made some needle felted Vikings to illustrate the Vikings who settled to trade in the area now known as Quayside.They  became Christians and built a Church devoted to St Clement.

St Clement was martyred by being thrown overboard  with an anchor around his neck and is the patron saint of seamen.

                                                 

   

Needle Felt Pussy Cat Portraits

 

 This Alley Cat portrait  in wool and felt was popular at a local craft exhibition I have just taken part in.

                                                

Alley Cat

              A companion for the ginger cat I did a while ago

                                               

                                   

                                            

Needle Felted Christmas Baubles

 

                                               

                  Christmas is coming, time to start making things. 

                                               Christmas Baubles

Legend has it that in Pagan Times in Northern Europe The Fire of The Gods was stolen and given to man by Snake Lightning which lit up The Tree of Knowledge that granted consciousness to man. In order to appease the Gods men hung offerings of apples, bread rolls, and flowers on the branches of a tree. The tree would be set on fire in order to return the gift of fire to the Gods. This tradition was adapted to the Christian faith in the 8th Century.

St Boniface used the triangular shape of fir trees to introduce the concept of the Trinity. Apples were used to decorate the trees until a harsh winter killed many apple trees in 1858.Other forms of decoration were invented such as glass balls  and the Christmas bauble became popular as the use of fir Christmas trees as a decoration spread around the world.

I use needle felting which uses wool to make baubles ,replacing my old plastic ones for a natural substance.

Traditional forms may include the fir tree, the candy cane, candles, wreaths ,bells ,stars and more recently birds, and snow men.

                 

                                                        

                                                

                                                                         

Needle Felted Broody Hens

 More needle felting with some hens on nests .Getting ready to use these with some eggs in the nests for an Easter display at home.

                                          

                                          

A Russian Gun in Ely

 

            This cannon was captured from the Russians in Sebastopol in 1860 and given to Ely City by Queen Victoria after the Crimean War in recognition of the successful formation of the Ely Rifle Volunteers.

It has been decorated with the flag of Ukraine. 

Ely Cathedral has been a place of prayer and pilgrimage since the 8th Century.