Needle Felting Next Steps 3D Christmas - Mansfield Central Library - Adult Learning

Build on your basic needle felting skills to explore more advanced techniques in 3D needle felting. You will create an animal of your choice, using wire armatures and core wool to shape the body, before adding more realistic textures and details with surface felting. You will learn how to wrap and shape a wire armature, add a basic body shape using core wool, and then create fur, feathers, paws, beaks, and other features using a combination of needle felting techniques. You will use reference images to help with proportion, colouring, and textures.

This course is ideal for learners who have completed a beginners' needle felting course or have some experience with basic 3D needle felting techniques. By the end of the course, you’ll have created your own felted animal figure with a more realistic finish and built confidence to continue your practice independently.

What will you achieve by the end of the course?

• Construct a basic wire armature to form the structure of a small animal.

• Wrap and shape core wool around the armature to build a solid and balanced body.

• Use needle felting techniques to add realistic surface textures like fur or feathers.

• Sculpt and attach small details such as paws, beaks, ears, or tails using fine control of needle felting needles

• Use animal reference images to guide their proportions, colours, and details.

Needle Felting Wool in a selection of different colours (think about what creature you want to make during the course and what colours might be needed to create them!) If there are choices of types of wool, Carded Wool or types like Corriedale are good options.  

Core wool – this is often called lambswool and is cheaprer, rougher wool that felt quickly to give the basic body shape.

What you will need to bring to the course:

Needle Felting Needles; (size 38/medium) but a selection of sizes is useful

Garden wire or pipe cleaners to create a wire armature. 

Foam, dense sponge to felt onto. An offcut of blue upholstery foam about 15cm square and 5cm thick (6 inches square and 2.5 inches thick) is ideal.  

If you struggle with grip or dexterity in your hands, a felting needle holder (for single or 3 needles) can be helpful.