{"title":"How to Needle Felt a Small Animal: Easy Sheep Bauble","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/other-crafts/how-to-needle-felt-a-small-animal","category":{"slug":"other-crafts","name":"Other Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"Felts By Philippa ","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk4Zj1DLlgIbApcahKa90VQ","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HPTNFpRUpQ"},"tldr":"How to needle felt a small animal: a wool body, legs, head, face and ears, then a curly coat. An easy beginner sheep bauble to hang or gift.","quickAnswer":"How to needle felt a small animal: a wool body, legs, head, face and ears, then a curly coat. An easy project: about 2 hours 30 minutes. Materials cost about $5 to $12. You need 13 things, including white carded wool, core wool and black wool roving. The 10 steps start with roll Core Wool Into a Firm Sheep Body Ball, roll White Wool Into Needle Felted Sheep Legs and needle Felt the Legs Onto the Sheep Body.","totalDurationSeconds":661,"videoDurationSeconds":661,"difficulty":"easy","project":{"difficulty":"easy","projectMinutes":150,"waitMinutes":null,"totalMinutes":150,"estimatedCost":{"currency":"USD","min":5,"max":12},"yield":"1 sheep bauble"},"tools":["felting needles (36, 38 and 40 gauge)","triple needle holder","foam felting pad","small scissors","sewing needle","finger guards"],"materials":["white carded wool","core wool","black wool roving","pink wool roving","curly wool locks","ribbon","strong thread"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Roll Core Wool Into a Firm Sheep Body Ball","text":"Take a handful of core wool and wrap it up tightly into a ball, holding it together with your fingers. Stab it all over with a triple needle tool, turning it as you go, until it holds a round shape. Squeeze it now and then to check. It should feel firm with a little give left, not rock hard. This ball is the body, the biggest piece of the sheep."},{"number":2,"title":"Roll White Wool Into Needle Felted Sheep Legs","text":"Pull off a small piece of white carded wool and roll it into a tight tube. Hold one end and felt the other end round, since sheep legs have soft rounded feet. Leave the top end fluffy. Roll the leg back and forth on the mat as you felt, then roll it between your palms to smooth it. Make four legs the same size so the sheep stands even."},{"number":3,"title":"Needle Felt the Legs Onto the Sheep Body","text":"Hold a leg against the underside of the body and felt the fluffy end into it, working all around the base. Felt firmly. You want these legs on for good. Angle them out a little and hold each one in place while you felt, and it will stay there. If a leg ends up in the wrong spot, pull it off and try again. Needle felting forgives you."},{"number":4,"title":"Shape a Cone of Wool for the Sheep Head","text":"The head is bigger than a leg. Think of a cone with the tip cut off and rounded. Make it a bit wider at the top where the eyes go and narrower at the nose. Hold it up to the body to check the size. These sheep are cute, not realistic, so there is no wrong size. Felt the head fairly firm, since the face needs a solid base."},{"number":5,"title":"Needle Felt the Mouth and Nose on the Sheep Face","text":"Switch to a fine needle, around 40 gauge. Twist a thin wisp of black wool. Felt one end at a corner of the mouth, then the other corner, then work along the line. For the nose, felt the middle of a V first, then take each side up and cut off the extra. Felt gently. Too much stabbing pulls the face back into the head."},{"number":6,"title":"Add Tiny Black Wool Eyes to the Sheep Face","text":"Point your needle at the face to find where each eye should go. Take a very small amount of black wool and felt it in gently. Start smaller than you think, since big eyes look odd. To line up the second eye, push a needle straight through the head from the first one. If one eye ends up smaller, add a few fibers. A dab of pink on the nose finishes the face."},{"number":7,"title":"Felt One-Piece Ears Onto the Sheep Head","text":"Make both ears from one long strip. Lay a piece of wool on the mat, round off each end and fold the edges in with your needle. Felt both sides, lifting it off the mat now and then so it does not stick. Fold it gently in the middle and felt it across the back of the head. One piece is quicker than two separate ears and sits nice and even."},{"number":8,"title":"Needle Felt the Head Onto the Sheep Body","text":"Hold the head against the front of the body, using the fluffy fibers left on the back of the head. Felt all the way around the join, going deep. Push the needle well into the body so the head is held firmly. Check that the head points where you want it before you lock it on. A head that faces slightly to one side looks more lively."},{"number":9,"title":"Sew a Ribbon Hanging Loop Into the Sheep Bauble","text":"Fold over the ends of a length of ribbon so they are firm. Find the middle of the sheep's back and sew the ribbon on with strong thread, stitching through the wool several times. Take a few stitches right through the body and out the other side so the thread sits deep. Hold it up by the ribbon and check that it hangs fairly level."},{"number":10,"title":"Felt a Curly Wool Coat Over the Sheep Bauble","text":"Lay curly wool locks over the body a few at a time and felt each one on with a fine needle, working around the ribbon. Cut and pick the curls you like best. It takes a while, and that is what makes it look like real fleece. Add a tiny lump of wool at the back for a tail. Go over the coat once more so every lock is held."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-10-29T20:44:08.191Z","published":"2026-10-29T20:44:07.967Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}