Michael's Stocks Needle Felting Supplies

Michael's, the big box crafts store, is starting to carry a wide range of needle felting supplies, from tools to roving to kits.  If you want to try needle felting on your needlepoint, it's a good place to order.  I would order online, though.  In my experience, the local Michael stores aren't likely to have as wide a variety of items as they have available online.  

https://www.michaels.com/search?q=needle%20felting%20tools%20and%20supplies

Hobby Lobby also sells needle felting supplies if you have one of their stores in your area.  Etsy is also a good place to shop for supplies, especially good quality roving.  My advice if you are just trying this is to buy a simple block and a single needle with a handle (makes it easier to hold when you stab the roving hundreds of times) plus an assortment of wool roving colors in animal colors (unless you are creating the hair of a clown or something else very colorful).

Also see "Needle Felting on Needlepoint Canvas" in the tabs above for advice, tips and tutorials.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright January 29, 2026 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sandy Talks Needle Felting

Sandy Arthur has a written guide to needle felting available in her Etsy shop.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/800450547/stitch-guide-needlefelting-on-needlework?click_key=2daed7a132b49e4031eee5baa2648b9bc03742f7%3A800450547&click_sum=5b50c600&ref=shop_home_active_77

Sandy's probably the most experienced teacher of needle felting on needlepoint canvas there is right now, so if you've ever wanted to try this fun technique, her Etsy shop is the place to start.   She recommends the Clover needle felting tools and roving to her students but I think for a beginner any cheap stuff works just fine.  Remember, though, needle felting needles are both sharp and barbed so go slowly and be careful.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright December 17, 2023 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The Bat Needs a Body: Needle Felting Tutorial

Last week I talked about my Debbie Mumm Halloween ornament.  I'm working from the background forward, playing with various dimensional techniques and trying to balance the elements of the design.  Mr. Pumpkin is beaded so he draws the eye, but the bat who has just landed on the cat's head needs to be prominent, too.  I decided I would needle felt Mr. Bat.

Needle felting is quite easy but you do need special supplies.  In the photo above you see a felting needle, a felting block (it's just a square of heavy foam), and some purple wool roving.  If you need to buy supplies, your local big box crafts store may have what you need but I recommend you buy from Sandy Arthur's Etsy shop.  She teaches a lot of needle felting on needlepoint canvas and likes the Clover brand of needle felting tools and felting blocks.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DuoDesignsBySANDRA?section_id=25377073

When I wrote this Sandy was temporarily out of the Clover tools.  Here is what they are like—

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2386202.m570.l1313&_nkw=clover+felting+needle+and+mat&_sacat=0

It doesn't matter what brand of felting needle and block you buy in my opinion.  You can get single needles, multiple needles in a handle, two different kinds of blocks.  The important thing is to use only a wisp of roving.  Put the felting block on a table (with some sort of protection), put your canvas on top of the block, pull a tiny tiny wisp of roving from the mass of wool, and use the needle perpendicular to the canvas to poke the roving through the holes of the canvas.  Go slowly and be careful.  The needles are SHARP and they are barbed.  You don't want to poke yourself by mistake.  In the photo below you see how much roving I used—and it was nearly too much for this small a space.

You don't need much wool roving.  The bat's purple head and body are smaller than my smallest fingernail and my thumbnail, after all.  Cover up his eyes, mouth and fang with roving.  Keep poking it.  On the back side the roving will start to show through and you'll have fuzz front and back.  Keep poking it, remembering to keep the needle perpendicular to the canvas.  Don't worry about damaging the canvas.  As long as you work slowly you won't.  

Here I'm working on the bat's face.  The needle is slanted a bit to show you how this is done, but remember to keep your needle perpendicular to the canvas as you work.  The body isn't finished but I worked body-face-body-face alternatively, just trying to shape the two round areas so that there was a little gap between them.  

I ended up with this—

Doesn't look like much but it's featureless right now.  I added a long bullion for his ears, I padded the wings with long stitches in perle cotton that I covered with black Flair, and I gave the bat two red Swarovski crystals for eyes and a silk ribbon orange bow tie since I decided (the bat's head is tiny, remember?) I didn't have room for eyes/mouth/fangs.

Here is Mr. Bat, all finished.  Next time I'll talk about Mr. Cat who is going to be heavily padded in a stumpwork technique using layers of felt covered with satin stitches.

By the way, if you want to try needle felting on your own canvas, I have more information about it in a separate tab.  

https://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/p/needle-felting-needlepoint-canvas.html

 

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright September 22, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

NJNA Visits Nashville Needleworks

Some of the NJNA crew has been in Nashville, Tennessee so naturally they visited Nashville Needleworks.  
https://blog.njneedleartists.org/2019/02/25/nashville-needleworks/

I think the needle felted rabbit that Brenda Stofft teaches is shown here.
https://www.stitchinginthetexashillcountry.com/the_needle_works/artemis-3-d-bunny-by-brenda-stofft/

You can visit the shop website if you don't plan to be in Middle Tennessee soon.
https://nashvilleneedleworks.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 25, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

(Fill in The Blanks) Scares Me to Death

At various places online people tell me that doing _______ (fill in the blank) scares them silly.  Not to worry, my dears!  We have help for the frightened stitcher!

Is beading your bete noire?  Just wander over here and browse the online help for those facing beading their needlepoint canvases for the first time. (Or the millionth—we don't judge)
https://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/p/basketweave-beading-aka-don-beading.html

Is your bugbear needle felting with all the sharp needles?  Fear not, I have a tutorial with plenty of tips.  (Tip #1:  Don't poke yourself with the needle! Otherwise it is really easy.)
https://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/p/needle-felting-needlepoint-canvas.html

What else drives you to drink?  Post a message below in Comments if you have a Google account or email me at chilly hollow at hot mail dot com and I'll try to help.  Needlepoint should be fun, not frightening.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 16, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Medici on Film

Needle Works has posted a video of the dimensional needle felted cat named Medici (after the shop cat) that Brenda Stofft has designed and which Brenda will teach in the shop this September.  It's pretty amazing! I don't usually post about classes but this is so astounding that I wanted everyone to see it.
http://www.stitchinginthetexashillcountry.com/the_needle_works/2018/06/medici-is-in-the-house.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 4, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

How to Needle Felt a Mushroom

Lalabug has a wonderful video showing how to needle felt a mushroom that i thought you'd enjoy.  It creates a dimensional item that could be added to your needlepoint later.
https://www.lalabugdesigns.com/blog/mushroomtutorial

The techniques used are ones used to create this needle felted cat from Brenda Stofft.  Brenda will teach this at Needle Works in Texas next September.
http://www.stitchinginthetexashillcountry.com/the_needle_works/2018/05/medici-is-in-the-house.html

If you are more interested in needle felting onto needlepoint canvas instead of creating a dimensional item, I have helpful information and a tutorial here.
https://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/p/needle-felting-needlepoint-canvas.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 28, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Christmas Reindeer Collage Mystery Class UPDATED

Ruth Schmuff's latest mystery class has started. This one features her Reindeer Christmas Collage.   Like all Ruth's classes, this one includes neat techniques (needle felting the reindeer) and interesting ideas (using a light coverage stitch in a different color for the background).  Stay tuned for more class photos as this mystery is solved!
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2015/11/its-beginning-to-feel-bit-like-christmas.html

UPDATE:  The next lesson is beads and buttons (and more).
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2015/11/the-little-details-matter.html

UPDATE #2:  Ruth plays with stitches and ribbons.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2015/12/more-patches-complete.html

UPDATE #3:  Ornaments and Beads
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2015/12/the-reindeer-are-ready.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 9, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Kelly Clark Demonstrates a Needle Felted Bee

Kelly Clark is stitching her bee skep club that shops are offering and she posted a lesson on how to create a needle felted bee for the fifth canvas (the bee skep in the stone wall) on her blog.
http://kellyclarkneedlepointhandbook.blogspot.com/2015/07/stumpwork-bumble-bees-needle-felting.html

It's a great tutorial on making bees and wings whether you are interested in her club or not.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 20, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Two Squirrels, One Pillow and One Box

I am fascinated by finishing and how a different finisher or a different end result changes a design. So I found Ruth Schmuff's latest blog posting about two pieces from her mystery class particularly interesting.  This is Sandra Vargas's "Playful Squirrel" which was one of Ruth's mystery classes last year.  Two of her students have finished their versions and sent them to Ruth's shop for finishing.  It's amazing how different they look even though the designs themselves are nearly identical.  I can see the boxed standup on my mantel piece in the living room while its twin is a cushion for the tall leather chair in the library.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2015/06/finishing-options.html

Great job on Ruth's part, the finishers' and of course her students!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 10, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Four Wizards

Sandy Arthur shows off four versions of the finished pieces from her Wizard of Paws class. This is a design by Brenda Stofft that Sandy's been teaching here and there.  Click on the first photo of Sandy's version and then work through the pictures, admiring the personal touches.  Each piece was finished slightly differently and each was also stitched a little differently.  I don't care if you are working from a stitch guide or lesson plan, each stitcher puts a bit of his or her own personality into their finished design, don't they?
http://sandyarthur.blogspot.com/2015/05/wizard-of-paws-brenda-stofft-design-aka.html

These are so fun!  Thanks, Sandy!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 25, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

What Blog's Been Up To

Periodically I post about what I've been doing with Blog and with the CH Stitch Guides blog.  After all, none of us have enough hours in the day, so keeping up with the "furniture rearranging" I do on my two blogs is not something you are likely to do.

Recently talented stitchers have posted about needle felting they learned in class on Facebook's Needlepoint Group, so there have been lots of questions about books and videos on needle felting needlepoint canvas.  Sadly, there are no such resources.  (At least right now--Robin King, I'm looking at YOU!  Get that video camera rolling!!!!)   There are lots of needle felting videos but they are all about needle felting onto sweaters or wool felt purses or about creating needle felted 3-D animals with the single exception of Amy Bunger's "How'd You Do That" DVD  that has a passing reference to it.  That's not really what folks are looking for.  So I did my best to collect all the needlepoint--needle felting information into a tab here on Blog.  You'll see the tabs running across the top of the page just under the header.  Click and there it is!

I've also made a new tab for the Chilly Hollow Stitch Guides blog that has contact information for stitch guide writers.  If you know so-and-so wrote a guide for that fabulous project you own, visit the stitch guides blog (Just click on the magic carpet photo in the right hand column of Blog and Poof! You are there!) and look for that tab at the top of the page under the rabbit geisha header photo.  Hopefully I have accurate and current contact information for everyone, but if you spot an error or know about a guide writer I haven't listed, please let me know.  You can add a comment here or if Blogger doesn't let you comment, just email me at chillyhollow at hotmail dotcom and I'll post the comment for you.

I've also been updating the tab for Classes and Events so folks know about great exhibits or classes in their areas (these are listed by date) and have been keeping the Monthly Clubs and the TNNA Winter 2014 trade show tabs up to date as new items and clubs are listed by the various shops and designers.  Keep an eye on those because if folks stop visiting those areas, I'll remove the tabs eventually.  You may not have a lot of free time but I don't either.  I can't afford to maintain Blog items that no one uses.

Those are the main things I've been doing lately, if you do't count shoveling snow.  Hope these changes are helpful to you.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 20, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

How to Needle Felt a Tiger: Adding a Face

The final step to needle felting the Imari Timeless Tiger from Leigh Designs was working the face.   I dithered about what to do first but I finally decided to work the sections of the face separately.  You know from last time I needle felted the right side jaw first.

Eyes and Nose Done, Toupee In the Works

Then I put the wool roving and felting needle away and stitched his nose and eyes as I would have done if I wasn't needle felting the tiger.  The nose is padded satin stitches and the orange in the eyes is glow in the dark orange Neon Rays Plus.  Real tigers' eyes glow in the dark in the wild.  Doing the non-felted areas before felting around them seemed to work well.  After the eyes and nose were in, I started on the forehead, making sure it had more wool roving layers on top than the jaw did.  I thought that it would be natural for the forehead to be more prominent than the jaw because of the way the tiger was painted.  You are looking down on the top of his head, after all.  It looked like the tiger was wearing a toupee!  Not to worry, the more I needle felted the forehead, the better it looked.  (To see the tiger in his hairpiece, look down two photos.  They are out of order as I am talking about the logical way to proceed but took the photos as I experimented so I did things in ways I wouldn't recommend now that I have a little more experience.)

White Cheeks and Ears Added

I switched to the white wool roving and worked his cheeks next.  Ruth Schmuff says to work the light colors first, then the dark ones and finally the medium colors but doing the white last worked well even though I was worried I'd accidentally felt white onto the orange areas.  Using a single needle is key.  It keeps you from accidentally poking the tiger's stitched nose instead of the roving or from pushing white roving into orange areas.

The Needle Felted Ear and The First Layer of Wool Roving on Forehead

The next to last area is to add the ears.  If you watch YouTube videos of needle felted dimensional animals being made, you'll soon notice that features like arms and legs are made separately, then needle felted into place.  So I pinched an extra large bit of orange wool roving and worked it on my foam needle felting pad to create a dimensional oval with a wool roving "tail" sticking out at the base.  Once you have the right size, pinch the ear down the middle, felt the wool roving tail onto the forehead until it is secure, then poke down the ear crease to attach the main part of the ear.  In the photo above you see that I started my forehead with brown wool roving, then added orange on top.  Then the ear went in and more orange wool roving was added after I had the second ear in position.  You can use all orange wool roving, of course.  I wanted a color change between the forehead and the rest of the face, however.

The Timeless Tiger Finished

Finally, stem stitch the forehead stripes and whiskers through the layers of wool roving using thread and a sharp needle.  I will be finishing the rest of the design as a Leigh Designs model with stitch guide in the next few weeks and will write a complete How to Needle Felt on Needlepoint Canvas guide shortly.

But this should help anyone willing to experiment needle felt their own canvas.  Good luck!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 9, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tooling Around in the Convertible in Nashville

Sandy Arthur's on the road at Nashville Needleworks. Don't miss her report on all the fun she had!
http://sandyarthur.blogspot.com/2014/09/nashville-needleworks-adventure.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 30. 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

How to Needle Felt Backbones

Now that the Imari tiger has a tail, it's time to work on his back. This goes faster than the tail because it's not a narrow area. You can use the needle felting tools with multiple needles without fear of overshooting the area--with one exception.  Let's look at the bare canvas again.
http://www.leighdesigns.com/Sgl6291.html

Back Without Stripes or Backbone

The tiger is seen from above,  If you look at the body you see that we are looking down on the tiger's back.  There are stripes running along either side of his backbone.  In order to give the backbone a little dent, you have to work the body in two sections.  One is narrow and one is broad, so I worked the narrow side first with a single felting needle.  Once it looked good, I worked the other side of the backbone, this time using my needle felting pen that has two needles instead of just one.  It looks something like this although mine's another brand.  You can take off the top and add or remove the needle felting needles so you can use one, two or three at a time.
http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/knitting/yarn/Clover/FeltingNeedleTool.asp?specPCVID=55046&advSourceID=9&gclid=CJCPgNGnh8ECFSkA7AodMyUACA

I ended up with two sections of body that almost touched. It's a little tricky to make sure that you have the same amount of wool roving on both sides of the backbone, but once I was certain that the sides were pretty similar, I added a thin layer of wool roving on top of the join, working it down the middle of the join, then poking either side of the backbone join to mat the wool roving on top of the layers already felted.  Then I went up and down the backbone with a single needle, denting the backbone to create a spine,  Then I stem stitched my stripes on either side of my spine dent.

Needle felting animals on needlepoint canvas means you often have areas that touch each other but are different.  Look at Ruth Schmuff's squirrel tail and how it meets the squirrel's hind quarters.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/07/fuzzy-fluffy-and-everything-in-between.html

Wendy Harwood's squirrel has a head separate from the neck and shoulders.  Wendy also used shading to differentiate the head from the rest of the animal.
http://stitcherie.ning.com/photo/img6683needle-felting?context=user

Brown Roving on Bottom, Rust Roving on Top

Which brings me to my last point today--using different colors of wool roving to create depth and shading on your animal.  Although I haven't mentioned it until now, my tiger was created from a bottom layer of brown wool roving and a top layer of rust wool roving.  That's why you see a brown shadow along the edge of the tail.  Once I finished the back of the tiger I pinched off some brown wool roving, rolled it between my fingers into a long line, and needle felted that along the back of the tiger's head to create a shadow line.  I could have done the tiger stripes this way but I thought stem stitches would be both faster and easier.

The next part of the tiger will be his face and ears.  As you see in the first photo above, I did his right jaw first.  Next time I'll explain how I worked the tiger's eyes, nose, whiskers, mouth, forehead, cheeks and ears.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 29, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

How to Needle Felt a Tiger's Tail

Things have been hectic in Chilly Hollow in August and September, what with Destination Dallas deadlines, a vacation, and more. So I am late talking about needle felting on needlepoint canvas. Sorry!

But I knew you'd wait patiently just to find out how one needle felts a needlepoint canvas.  I'm using my coaster sized Timeless Tiger from Leigh Designs' new Imari series to explore needle felting and then report back to you.  I'm doing this as a model for Leigh so there will eventually be a stitch guide that has full instructions for this particular piece.  The things I've learned while working this piece will work for any canvas you want to needle felt, though.

If you've not read my previous articles on needle felting, they are collected here.
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/p/needle-felting-needlepoint-canvas.html

I used a single felting needle and the foam type felting block.  I took my canvas off stretcher bars but you don't have to do that.  I thought it would be easier to reach the various parts of the tiger if the bars weren't in the way.

Holding the Roving in Position

I started with the tail.  This is a narrow, curving area so I used a single needle since the multiple needle felting tools won't work here.  To needle felt, pinch off a small amount of the wool roving.  By small, I mean a nickel -ized piece that is thin enough you can see through it.  It will be wider than the tail but that's ok.  Just fold it in half to make it approximately the right width. Hold it in place with the fingers of one hand while you needle felt it with the other.   I started at the outside edge of the design but where you start doesn't really matter.  Lay the wool roving on the tail and poke it with the needle into the center of the tail, moving up and down perpendicular to the canvas.  (Holding the felting needle at an angle makes it easier to break.)  Remember to watch what you are doing so you don't poke your fingers with the needle!

Afraid of splitting your needlepoint canvas threads?  Don't be.  Practice poking the roving first with a regular tapestry needle.  You will notice that if you hit a thread, the needle will slide down into a hole.  This also happens with the barbed and sharp felting needle as long as you are not whaling the tar out of your canvas.  In other words, take your time.  Speed is not your friend here.

After you think your wool roving is stuck to the canvas somewhat, pinch off another bit of wool roving.  Fold it to fit and lay it on the tail, making sure it overlaps the first piece of roving.  Now use the felting needle again.  Once the second piece is felted, you can start to move the needle nearer the edge of the tail.  At this point, you can angle the needle and poke the wisps that are laying over the tail margin into the tail area.  Go slowly.  

Repeat this process up and down the tail, adding another pinch of wool roving as needed.  This will take far longer than basketweaving the tail but I think of it as doing background.  It takes time but is worth the effort.  To check that the wool roving is secure, flip the canvas over.  You will see the fuzz on the back side.  Like this--

Wool Roving on the Back Side

When you are happy with the look of the tail, check to see if there are any wisps of roving sticking up or out.  Poke those into position with the needle felting tool or trim them with sharp scissors.  You can use the needle to push down into the edge of the tail at an angle which helps secure it but go slowly as angled pokes are more likely to break the needle.

The final step is to stem stitch the stripes on top of the wool roving using a sharp needle.  It's really just like stem stitching on top of an already stitched area.  The sharp needle helps the thread go through the wool roving smoothly.

Next time I'll talk about needle felting the tiger's back and starting his face.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 26, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

I Haven't Forgotten

Timeless Tiger from Leigh Designs' Imari Series (coaster size)

No, I haven't forgotten the Imari tiger and the needle felting tutorial I promised. I have just been very busy with Real Life things, plus the small Imari Tiger has been on a trip.  The piece went to Destination Dallas to wow the shop owners.   However he's back at his lair and I have started working on the piece again.  Expect the needle felting tutorial to pick up again next week.  Until then, the photo above shows the coaster sized Imari Timeless Tiger as he appeared at Destination Dallas.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 24, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Needle Felting the Imari Tiger: Tools and Sources

Tiger, Wool Roving and Tools

My small version of the Imari Timeless Tiger has arrived from Leigh Designs!  I put him on stretcher bars and pulled out all my wool roving colors to try and find the best match to his rust coat color.  What you see above are the best matches.  I unrolled the dark brown on the left so you could see what wool roving looks like better.   (Before I forget, the design itself is six inches in diameter on 18 count canvas.)

I am not sure you can tell from the photograph but the labels of the wool roving brands read Dimensions and FeltWorks.  Those two along with Artiste are the brands available at the big box crafts emporiums in my area.  The unlabeled baggies were a gift from a knitting friend (Hi, Marj!) who picked them up at a crafts fair, I think.  

Disclaimer:  I know nothing about any of the sites I am mentioning in this article (except for Dharma Trading which has a good reputation among those who dye their own threads, and Thread Gatherer which is well known as a source for wonderful threads), so buyer beware. 

I can't tell any difference in the wool roving sold under the various brand names, but the hand dyed wool my friend sent me is much nicer.  It is softer and the colors are better.  Etsy is a good source for good quality wool roving if you really get into needle felting in a big way or if you have to mail order your supplies anyway and want a less common color.  Here is the first Etsy shop I came across with a nice selection of wool roving but there are quite a few more.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/woolgatherings

The Thread Gatherer also sells packets of wool roving that are overdyed if you want a more subtle look without having to blend two or more colors on your own.
http://www.threadgatherer.com/Black%20Sheep%20Page.htm

This website seems to cater to the needle felting and spinning enthusiast.  It has an amazing range of fiber sources!
http://www.paradisefibers.com/spinning/wool-roving.html?gclid=CNbIpZf1078CFSdp7AodgG8AYw

I asked Sandy Arthur about the tool brand she prefers since she has a lot more needle felting experience than I do.  Sandy says she likes the Clover brand the best.  Clover tools come with a felting block (the thing you put under whatever you are going to felt to protect your table) that looks more like a brush than the styrofoam-looking thing I own.  They also come in single and multiple needle forms.  Here is the multi-needle tool. It comes with a "finger guard" to keep you from needle felting yourself.
http://feltingsupplies.livingfelt.com/Clover-Needle-Felting-Tool-8900_p_352.html

Here is the pen style with multiple needles.
http://feltingsupplies.livingfelt.com/Clover-Pen-Needle-Felting-Tool-8901_p_353.html

Here is the single needle tool.
http://www.the-quilt-rack.com/browse.cfm/clover-single-needle-felting/4,5884.html

Here is the Clover felting mat.
http://feltingsupplies.livingfelt.com/Clover-Small-Felting-Mat-_p_355.html

As you can see my needles are set into a plastic handle which helps grip it with less hand cramping while you poke and prod your wool roving.  Many needles are bare, though.  I think a handle of some sort is a good idea myself.  But be careful buying needles. You want the ones with a barbed point that will go through the holes in 18 count canvas.  Some felting needles are designed for needle felted 3-D animals and they have star shaped ends, not points.
http://feltingsupplies.livingfelt.com/-Felting-Needles-Variety-Pack_p_16.html

I think from my experience with the small single felting needle that the tools with multiple needles will make needle felting go faster but I will stick with my single needle because my tiger's tail is small--about five threads wide and six threads high.  That's about a third of an inch.  I don't want to keep punching the canvas on either side of the tail with the bare needles.  So if you are considering needle felting a piece with small detailed areas, you might want to use single needles.  If you are interested in speed and have a large area without much detail to needle felt, the multiple needle set will work well.

Remember, these needles are thin and barbed.  Not only are they dangerously sharp and barbed, they break easily.  If you are trying to choose between the brands of kits available to you,  a kit with spare needles is a good investment.
http://www.dharmatrading.com/tools/clover-felting-needle-tool.html

My thanks to Sandy and Marj for their help and advice and Ruth Schmuff for her tips on needle felting.  No stitcher can tackle something new without the help of their friends.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© July 20, Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tiger Tiger's Needle Felting in Public: Other Resources UPDATED

Folks who are interested in needle felting need only look at the late Wendy Harwood's work for inspiration.  Look at her interpretation of the John Johannsen animals in a boat piece.  The chipmunk and squirrel are needle felted.
http://www.livingwithneedlepoint.com/2013/05/12/melissa-shirley-designs-john-johanssen-canvases-for-needlepoint-part-2/

Here is a closeup of the squirrel.  I believe Wendy's stitch guide is still available from her shop (second link below).
http://stitcherie.ning.com/photo/img6683needle-felting?context=user

http://www.aristeianeedlepoint.com

I am told Amy Bunger discusses needle felting in her How'd You Do That DVD series. Look for the "Closet Full of Stitches: video.  If you are a visual learner you might find it helpful.
http://www.amybunger.com/catalog/item/6256888/6064867.htm

The new master of needle felting is Sandy Arthur. Her Wizard of Paws (designer Brenda Stofft) is terrific!
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/search?q=sandy+arthur

You can pick up the stitch guide from Sandy's Duo Designs website.
http://duodesignsinc.com/wpsite/stitch-guides-only

Sandy has needle felted a dog, too. But not just any dog--a 1960s advertising executive who is a little overly fond of martinis.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/04/our-very-own-mad-man.html

The canvas and guide are available from Bedecked and Beadazzled as a package deal.
http://www.bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/Boston-Terrier-Cocktail/

Both Sandy Arthur and Amy Bunger say to use only a little wool roving at a time.  Remember this when you start your first (or next) needle felting project!

Barbara Elmore has also experimented with wool roving on her mixed media projects she teaches.  Here is "Coyote in the Afternoon" in the EGA Seminar class description.
http://www.egausa.org/index.php/classes/4-day-classes-monday/452-405-coyoteafternoon

UPDATE:  Ruth Schmuff just published her needle felted squirrel (this is her current mystery class) with her four quick and easy rules for needle felting.  You can sign up for the class now or do it later. Ruth's mystery classes are available after the class ends and the mystery is "solved."
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/07/fuzzy-fluffy-and-everything-in-between.html

http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/08/all-those-beautiful-colors.html

http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/09/fall-furries.html


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 18, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tiger Tiger's Needle Felting in Public: Introduction

Belleza's Needle Felted Flower Center

Since I plan to needle felt the small version of Leigh Designs' Imari Timeless Tiger in public here on Blog, I thought we should go over the materials needed and the basics first.  I have needle felted a simple shape before, the orange flower centers on my Tapestry Fair Day of the Dead Halloween piece, Belleza.  The materials I used are described here.
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2012/09/learning-to-needle-felt-simple-shape.html

I had no clue how to do this but it wasn't as hard as I had thought.  There are two things to keep in mind, however.  The needles used to needle felt are very sharp with barbs on the end.  Therefore, you have to needle felt carefully and choose a time when you aren't distracted or likely to be interrupted.  You DO NOT want to needle felt a finger!  The needles are also thin, so if you stab your wool roving at an angle instead of straight up and down, you are more likely to break the needle.

Here is how I needed felted in my first attempt.  Note that I needle felted onto a piece of wool felt, cut out the shape from the felt and appliquéd that onto canvas.  It worked very well for me, but for the Imari tiger, I plan to needle felt directly onto the canvas.    The photo above is a close up of one of my needle felted flowers, just to the right of her earrings.  It turned out very well.  The red-orange petals are beaded, by the way.
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2012/09/learning-to-needle-felt-simple-shape_27.html

Next week we'll look at other examples of needle felting on needlepoint canvas and discuss some tips from the experts.  Until then, study the photos and video and start assembling your equipment if you have a canvas you'd like to needle felt.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 17, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.