Needle Felting

My boys and I went to NY for our annual 2 week camping trip with my sister and her family.  It was a totally relaxing and wonderful time!!  Along with boating, swimming, visiting Lake George, and lots of evenings by the fire, she taught me to needle felt.  I have found a new passion.

 

I decided to make some capital letters for some new games I'd like to teach the Little's.

 

 First, I took pipe cleaners and made the letters.

 

 Then I took some wool roving and wrapped it around the letters.  I learned the hard way not to wrap to much or it gets to bulky and you lose the shape of the letter.

 

 After you wrap, you take your felting needle and stab at it to connect all the fibers within the roving. The more you stab at the wool, the tighter it gets.

 

 Here is what piece of wool roving looks like after it is pulled from the batch you buy.  I bought mine from Michaels and Hobby Lobby, but that was because I was impatient and couldn't wait for the better wool to come in the mail.  The best place I have found to buy the wool roving in bulk is A Child's Dream.

 

 Here are the letters all wrapped with white roving. To save on the colored roving I bought the white roving, which is cheaper, in bulk and wrapped my letters in that so I didn't have to use to much color in the end.  The only thing you need to be careful is that you actually cover all the white.  My Little's are only 4 and 5 years old, so I know they won't mind a little white poking through.

 

 Here they are all finished!!!  WooHoo!!!  It took a little while but, I finished!!!  Now I am on to the numbers!!!!

 



 

 This guy was my first attempt at a needle felted animal.  It is supposed to be Chester from The Kissing Hand.  We always read The Kissing Hand on the first day of school and I thought having a Chester would be fun.  We'll see if I take him to school.  He's a little out of proportioned, but again, 4 and 5 year olds don't usually mind so much :)

 

Here are the rest of my creations.  I really enjoyed making them  and I hope the Little's like them too.

 

Getting ready to go back to school has been a little nerve racking  but I am excited to bring all the things I have made into the classroom.