A new obsession

It started, as things often do, with a Christmas gift. 

I purchased a needle felt kit for my niece. 

And immediately had gift envy. 

But, I’m not one for spending money on myself really so I sought out a cheaper alternative to the pre-packed gift kits. Pinterest is my go to resource for all things creative and I soon found a list of basic requirements (I’ve added useful pins & links to the bottom of this blog!). 

My ADHD means that I’m generally dreadful at following instructions that are longer than 3 bullet points so, as usual, I freestyled it with great aplomb!

Initially I chose to work on 3D felt objects. My first project was a Christmas pudding ornament.  

 

At the time I was ridiculously proud of it and, as any proud child would, I gave this special item to my mummy. She dutifully told me it was beautiful, thanked me with the enthusiasm that only a mother can muster & hung it at the back of the Xmas tree! 

In hindsight I now know that this pudding will be a fuzzy mess by the time the tree is dressed again next year. I felted too thickly and too loosely. That means the fibres didn’t catch and bind. 

I was not deterred though. My next creation were all Christmas gifts (we do not have children but I don’t think that should stop us cashing in on the cheap home made gift scene! My finger paint fairies are just as good as a 5 year old’s!) 

Trial and error led me to use tighter felting but I was still free styling and I’ve no doubt that some of these gifts won’t last the year. Eventually my ND brain slowed enough for me to watch a few tutorials on TikTok and YouTube (links below). This led to the creation of a miniature world of creatures & flora/fauna. I still had some learning curves (I have some very pathetic looking bunny ears in my wool box!) but learning to create specific shapes and limbs made the whole process easier! 

Links: 

https://pin.it/5Su7o9va8 - felt animal tutorial 

https://pin.it/6haId4ycS - toadstools and mushrooms 

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeaKvwrJ/ - directional felting 

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeaKskhA/ - easy mushrooms 

https://thefeltbox.uk - everything you need to get started. There are cheaper versions places like Temu and Amazon but these guys guide you to exactly what is what and the quality is great!