Needle Felting Tools I use and would recommend

Following on from my previous blogs on the subject of needle felting, here are details of some of the tools I use and would recommend.

The multi-needle tool is a very useful tool for your needle felting kit. It is great when felting larger areas because of the multiple needles which maximises each punch. It makes light work and greatly speeds up the process. Some multi-needle tools have a built in safety cover that protects the needles when not in use. It also protects fingers while felting, as the cover moves up and down as you punch so the needles are always covered while you work. Your fingers will definitely thank you for this investment!

Why not try the pen style felting tool. This tool is designed to be held like a pen with a grip that is very comfortable and eases fatigue when in use. It is very useful for smaller areas as it can be adjusted to hold one, two or three needles. The needles can also be adjusted within the tool to be long or short. If your project is quite deep then it would be best to use the needles to their full length as the wool will be felted deeper and more firmly. If however your project is more delicate and with less depth then you may want to adjust the needles to be shorter.

Another favourite tool in my kit is the needle felting claw. This is a very ingenious tool. It has flexible wires at one end that are prefect for holding the wool roving in place while you needle felt. It is also ideal when you are applying motifs to your project, as it holds them perfectly in place while you felt them on. Your needles pass easily through the wires without the risk of breakage. At the other end of the tool is a clever little comb that is useful for cleaning your felting mat of wool fibres so as to avoid “contaminating” your colours with ones previously used.

When I was first introduced to needle felting I used a foam pad as a base to work on. This works very well but one disadvantage is that your work tends to get felted to the mat and when you lift it away you leave wool fibres stuck in the mat. The back of your work then needs attention to felt in all of the fibres that have pulled away. Also the foam is subject to wear and tear and has a tendency to break off in little pieces, which can then end up felted to your work! I now prefer to use a brush style felting mat. It has firm bristles fixed into the plastic base and is used with the bristles pointing upwards. Your project is then placed on the bristles and supported while you work. Your needles pass through the wool and into the bristles with ease. This tool is very robust and if looked after will last a lifetime.

If you’ve never tried needle felting and would like to give it a go then I hope I’ve given you a little insight into the craft and some information to help get you started. Happy felting and thank you for following my SambrookBears blogs!