By Show Me Step by StepPublished
Based on a video by Felts By Philippa .
A small needle felted animal is the best first project once you can make a firm wool ball. This guide follows Philippa of Felts By Philippa as she makes a hanging sheep bauble: a round body, four little legs, a head with a stitched-on face, ears, a ribbon loop and a curly fleece coat. The same build works for almost any small animal. Change the colors and the ears and you have a pig, a cow or a bear.
Most beginner animals are a few simple shapes joined together. A ball for the body, tubes for legs, a cone or egg for the head, and flat pieces for ears. Make each shape on its own, then felt them together through the fluffy ends you leave on each part. Those loose fibers are what lock the pieces on. Felt a piece smooth all over and it has nothing to grab.
| Needle | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Triple needle holder | Firming the body fast |
| 36 gauge (coarse) | Shaping, joining parts, moving wool |
| 38 gauge (medium) | General felting and legs |
| 40 gauge (fine) | Faces, eyes and the final coat |
Philippa's rule: if you need to push wool to a new spot, use a thick needle. A fine needle will not move it.
Any wool works for the hidden core, even scraps. Use a light color inside a white sheep so it does not show through. Carded wool felts faster than roving or tops. For the fleece coat, curly locks like Wensleydale or Blue Faced Leicester look the most like a real sheep. Fluffed up white carded wool also works.
Felting needles are very sharp and barbed. Stab straight in and straight out, and keep your fingers away from where the needle lands. Leather finger guards help, and so does working on a thick foam pad. Store needles out of reach of children. Little ones can choose the colors and watch, and an adult does the stabbing.
Felt a black face and legs for a Valais Blacknose, grey wool for a Herdwick, or leave off the ribbon for a shelf sheep. A little pink inside the ears and on the nose adds a sweet touch. These make lovely Christmas tree ornaments and small gifts.
New to the needle? Start with how to needle felt for the basic ball. Then try felt acorns, or a no-needle version of a woolly animal from a yarn pom pom. For more ornaments see how to make Christmas ornaments, or make a crocheted animal with how to crochet amigurumi.
10 steps · about 11 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.
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.
Tip
Rough or scratchy scrap wool is fine here. Nobody sees the core.
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.
Tip
Lay the four legs side by side to compare them before you attach any.
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.
Tip
Attach two legs on opposite corners first, then fill in the other two.
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.
Tip
Leave fluffy fibers at the back of the head. They help it attach later.
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.
Tip
Dark brown or dark grey wool works too if you want a softer face.
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.
Tip
Use a thick 36 gauge needle to nudge an eye that sits too high.
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.
Tip
Add a little pink wool inside the ears for color.
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.
Tip
A coarse 36 gauge needle grabs more fibers and makes a stronger join.
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.
Tip
Do not worry if the join looks messy. The fleece coat covers it.
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.
Tip
No curly locks? Fluff up white carded wool and felt it on lightly.
Keep going
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