Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when you hear ‘felt’ is primary school crafting or a material grandma might use when she’s moved on from her knitting project. But it seems to me that felting could easily become as big a craze as any young adult crafting material has blossomed in recent years. Granted it is more of a fiddly one, but just as satisfying to complete and produces a more durable creation.
The advantage of felting small creatures is that only one material is needed, unless you wanted to add some beady eyes or perhaps give your furry friend a little knitted hat. There is also no need for a hard-to-decipher pattern – just the ability to either copy an image, or use your noggin to visualise the shape as you go, so felting can be picked up by a total novice. It can be relatively cheap, as a pack of coloured wool roving and needles costs anywhere around £8-£14.
Now, I’m acting as if this was an easy project that I created in my sleep, but that would be a sneaky lie. These two sweet beings are actually the work of my boyfriend, which took a fair amount of attention to detail and a few pricked fingers. So I’ve decided to report on his felting story, rather than steal the credit!
They were made with a simple stabbing technique with the felting needle – like a human sewing machine - which can easily create any shape, and the slow process means less chance of ruining it. The only caveat is when too much wool is used, but that can be cut simply with scissors.
He used pictures of panda cubs and a felted panda from a useful Instagram page, as inspiration for the small bear. For the corgi, he referred to biological diagrams of corgis to make a template of the dog before starting, allowing him to put the model against it while moulding it into shape.
If you’re of the patient kind, then this activity would definitely suit you – as a newbie and a perfectionist, the panda took roughly 20 hours, and the corgi more like 35+ hours. And does he have any regrets? Of course – what artistic being doesn’t?! He would have chosen to make the panda’s legs and arms shorter, and given him some real eyes. For the corgi, he would have liked to make the fur more realistic, had he been allowed more time (before my birthday!).
So all in all? Felting could indeed be the project for you if you can’t resist a creative challenge (or a sweet addition to your dressing table). It is also very therapeutic, where you can be on autopilot and relax into the technique, and escape from the world of overthinking. Just be aware of where you’re aiming the needle though!
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