DIY felt toys: wool felting for beginners. Dry felting of toys. Dry felting toys: master class for beginners Making felting style toys

03.04.2024 -

In everyday life, this type of needlework is also called felting or felting. Unique crafts made from felted wool are very popular, and buyers are very willing to purchase such crafts. Felting wool toys with your own hands is possible even for novice craftswomen and allows you to create unique products with your own hands. Before starting work, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with master classes on felting lessons for beginners.

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What is needed for creativity

To make products by felting, special attention should be paid to the quality of the purchased wool and tools. For creativity you need purchase natural wool, which can be bought in all specialized stores for creativity.

In most cases, coarse camel or sheep wool is used to make toys by felting. In stores, such wool is called sliver - combed wool of a sheep without awns. Feather is used as a material for stuffing toys, and merino is used to decorate the product.

The felting technique involves the use of special tools, which can have different thicknesses and different cross-sectional shapes.

How to felt: basic techniques

Using the felting technique, unique handmade products, toys, accessories, and clothing can be made. Today there are several popular felting techniques. A detailed study of the master classes will allow you to make any level of complexity.

The following main techniques can be distinguished:

dry felting;
wet felting;
felting using a washing machine.

How to dry felting

Dry felting is the technique of entangling wool fibers together, resulting in felt. The following items are required for work:

unspun wool, for which the use of carding is recommended;
special needles with notches in the form of triangles or stars;
a working surface, which can be a small piece of foam rubber during dry felting.

The manufacturing process includes stages of sequential application of wool fibers to give the item the required shapes and sizes. In some cases, as The basis for the product can be a synthetic padding polyester, on top of which wool fibers are applied.

When working with needles, you must be careful and careful, as these instruments are very sharp and can cause injury. The creation process begins with the use of a thick needle, followed by the use of a thin needle for more precise work. When working, the needle should always be positioned perpendicular to the product being manufactured.

The following are produced using the dry felting technique:

three-dimensional crafts in the form of keychains, badges, toys;
accessories in the form of wallets, straps;
items of clothing, for example, hats, coats, felt boots.

How to wet felting

The wet felting technique involves working with wool on gauze and film using a soap solution or liquid soap. When using regular soap the solution is prepared as follows:

a piece of soap is ground on a grater;
the resulting shavings are poured with two liters of hot water and mixed well;
after two hours the solution should thicken and can be used for work.

It should be noted that the concentration of soap in the solution must be high, otherwise the wool fibers will not connect with each other and the craft will not work.

The essence of felting is by rubbing the material manually in different directions. The manufacturing process involves the following steps:

an oilcloth is spread on a flat surface, on which gauze is spread;
the base is laid out, the main background and design elements are made;
after laying out the fibers, place a cloth on top, generously moistened with soapy water;
After a certain time, excess liquid is removed using napkins.

An important point is that the fibers are laid out crosswise or in strips. In this case, there should be no holes or gaps in the canvas, and each layer should lie perpendicularly with the same thickness.

How to roll in the washing machine

This felting technique is considered the most a simple way to create items from wool. To work you must have the following items:

dense form for rolling;
durable nylon tights;
wool;
washing machine.

The prepared workpiece is placed in a washing bag and loaded into the washing machine. When washing, a small amount of washing powder is used, and washing should be done on a wash cycle without soaking and drying. The optimal temperature is considered to be 50 0 C. The finished felted base is removed from the washing machine and after complete drying it can be used for creativity.

Felting wool: toys for beginners

Beginning craftswomen are recommended to begin learning the felting technique with a master class on making felt toys of the simplest models, which will allow them to learn the basics of creating products using this technique and avoid unnecessary waste and damage to materials. Using the felting technique you can make a wide variety of toys. Bulk felted toys are environmentally friendly for children, so making them using this technique is considered an ideal option for creating a children's toy with your own hands.

Master class: felting a panda bear using the dry felting technique for beginners

Manufacturing process necessary start with preparing the materials and tools necessary for work:

wool of black and white or other desired colors;
special needles for felting;
eye beads;
glue for attaching eyes.

To prevent scratching by needles, it is recommended to protect the work surface. For convenience, it is recommended to use foam rubber, on which basic manipulations with wool and needles are performed.

The manufacturing process is as follows:

If desired, the toy can be decorated with other elements in the form of a creature on the head, imitation beads on the neck and other accessories.

Master class: voluminous felted hare

Cute felted bunnies can, depending on their size, be used as a decorative pillow or as a children's toy. The technique of dry and wet felting is used in production. Color and size of the finished toy determined by the master himself depending on his own desires and preferences.

The following tools and materials are required for work:

For the process of creating a toy, you need to choose a flat surface to work on. When working, a fairly large amount of water is used, so it is recommended to cover the surface with film beforehand.

The manufacturing process includes the stage of creating a blank and the stage of filling the base with padding polyester to give the toy the required volume. It should be noted that when using the wet felting technique, the size of the product decreases as it dries, therefore, taking this feature into account, the pattern should be made larger than the planned size of the final product.

Creating the base:

After this, it is necessary to repeat the cycle of turning the workpiece over with sequential application of dense layers of wool fibers. The total number of turns should be from 6 to 8 times. During manufacturing, you can add a few specks of a different color to give the future toy a more interesting appearance. It should be noted that during the process of applying layers, the fabric base must be inside the workpiece.

After laying the main layers You can start felting:

Adding volume:

using wooden sticks, push the workpiece apart so that the toy can be filled with padding polyester;
fill the internal space of the toy with padding polyester to give the desired volume;
close the lower incision with wool fibers or using a special needle.

The final step will be the creation of eyes and decoration. The eyes can be felted from contrasting wool fibers colors or glue special ready-made parts in the form of button eyes.

Instructions

You can buy wool for felting at a specialized art store. It is packaged in small bags of 100 - 200 grams. This type of wool is completely ready to be used and does not require any additional preparation. Its advantages are that it has a huge variety of colors, as well as a pleasant texture, which allows you to felt a high-quality toy. However, such wool is not cheap.

If you want to save money, buy wool at the market. But in order to start felting from it, you will need to carry out additional processing. Wash and dry the wool well. If it is not combed out, short and coarse hairs may come out of it when washed. To avoid clogging the drain, never wash wool in the washing machine. When washing, wrap the wool in gauze. You can paint the material by dipping it in pre-diluted paint.

For felting using the wet felting technique, in addition to wool, you will need soap (preferably liquid), hot water, a base for the frame (cardboard or plastic is suitable), beads, paints, and pastels. When starting work, draw a blank for your future toy on cardboard. Then cut it out, pack it in a thin plastic bag and carefully wrap it with tape so that the cardboard does not spoil the wool when wet.

Divide the wool into thin long fibers and wrap the frame well in different directions. Carefully knead the resulting product in your hands, tangling the fibers. Wet the future toy in a hot soapy solution. Start by gently, but not too much, kneading each piece with your hands. When you feel the toy getting harder, rinse it under running water and then dip it in the soapy water again. The soap concentration should be higher. Start kneading harder. Be sure to smooth the joints of the parts with your hands to make the toy stronger.

After you have felted the toy, make a small cut on the body and remove the frame. Wrap the product in a towel and let it dry. Stuff the toy with padding polyester and sew up the cut. Embroider the eyes and nose, mark the blush with pastel or acrylic.

If you want to dry felt a toy, you will need felting needles (No. 70-90 for starters, and smaller ones No. 40-30 for finishing). Also take a thick and large sponge. Divide the wool into several fibers - for the body, head, legs, ears. Roll each piece into a ball in your hands. Place the ball on the sponge and start poking it evenly with a felting needle.

To ensure that the paws and ears are the same, felt them at the same time, constantly comparing. When the parts are ready, take a thin needle and felt them together, covering the joints with thin strips of wool. Sew on the nose and eyes; they can be made from plastic or beads.

Instructions

Draw a toy on paper. Create its image in the smallest details, determine the dimensions of all the components of the craft, and how to attach them. To avoid being distracted by measuring the part with a ruler while working, prepare in advance. On thick cardboard, draw the outline of the part of the required size, cut a hole along this outline. During felting, you can place the workpiece in the hole and adjust it to the desired size.

Prepare your work area and tools. Since the wool is pierced through during work, the table must be protected from scratches and the needles from breakage. It is enough to acquire a brush on which to process the parts. If you don’t want to spend money on a special brush, replace it with dense and fairly thick foam rubber. Buy some felting needles. They vary in size. The larger the toy you are making, the larger the needle should be. To work out small details, the thinnest needles are used.

Wool is significantly reduced in size after the felting procedure. Therefore, take a piece that is approximately 2 times the size of the future toy part. Divide the wool into individual fibers, tear them several times to make the mass fluffier. Such material will fall better and more evenly. Roll the fluffy mass into the approximate shape of the part. Place it on a brush or foam rubber and begin to remove it, piercing it over the entire surface with a needle. The needle should enter and exit the wool at the same angle. To make the product even, try to dot the piece of wool as evenly as possible with needle pricks.

To make a large toy, you can use padding polyester. It needs to be torn into fibers, rolled up, wrapped on top with wool of the desired color and then rolled away. This way you will save on material. The longer you process the wool with a needle, the denser, smoother and smaller the piece will become.

To add a splash of color or change the shape of the base, place an additional layer of wool on it and work with a small diameter needle. This way you can “draw” an expressive face on the toy.

Do not process the junction of the part with the base; it should remain soft. During the assembly of the product, you will be able to felt the part so that this area completely “merges” with the shape of the base. If you are unable to line up the joint, try masking it. Place thin layers of wool on this area and press down with a thin needle. Build up layers until the surface is fairly smooth.

At first glance, it may seem that such a hobby for modern needlewomen as felting appeared relatively recently.

However, what can you say about the fact that about 8,000 years ago people were already practicing making various things from wool? Later, entire workshops began to appear, specializing in working with natural wool. Let's see where anyone can start getting acquainted with this handicraft today.

Felting for beginners: master class

It’s too early for beginning needlewomen to make toys or paintings right away. But something simple like jewelry is quite possible. Let's try to do flower brooch.

So, For the “Lilies of the Valley” brooch you will need:

Actually, wool
Thin needles for felting
Thin wire

A thick sponge or brush as a stand for making jewelry
Beads with a diameter of 7-10 millimeters
Acrylic varnish
Scissors
Soapy water
Clasp used to make a brooch

Let's get started:

First of all, it is necessary to form a frame for the leaves. And for this you need wire

Now Take a strand of green wool. It must be placed under the frame and on the brush. This strand is needed pierce with needles

IMPORTANT: Keep in mind that the strand must be larger in size than the wire frame. You shouldn't take it end to end.

The strand turns over, the actions from the previous paragraph are repeated

Tips of improvised leaves wrap up

The result was a blank for a leaf. Now she needs put the wire frame back on

The edges of the leaves are also processed. using felting needles
Now is the time to give the leaf a natural look, shading it with wool green tones

IMPORTANT: In order for the shade transitions to be smooth, it is worth smoothing the workpiece with an iron.

Further leaf outlines are formed- it should not be flat, because it is unnatural. In this case, the twisted ends of the wire stick out from the workpiece
Glue is applied to the above twisted ends of the wire. You should apply a little more green wool to the glue. Wool curls in such a way that the wire is not visible at all, and a stem is formed. Need to help yourself with a needle

Now you can start making branches. Take some white wool and form it into a kind of pancake.
In such a pancake and you need to put a bead, then decorate it with wool. For the best effect, you should help yourself with needles
Now the bead should be immersed in soapy water, and then roll it out in your hands

IMPORTANT: It is worth removing loose hairs using scissors.

One top is cut off, after which 8 cuts are made. The bead is taken out of the woolen cocoon - and Now the woolen blank resembles the outlines of lily of the valley flowers
Received The flowers need to be dipped in acrylic varnish. However, the varnish should be slightly diluted with water beforehand. The workpieces are wrung out and dried
Buds are forming- white and green wool balls
Well now assembly begins- balls are strung on a wire. The wire is twisted so that the balls do not separate from it
Also flowers are strung, and from a piece of wire protruding from the flower a core
All branches are collected, held together with green wool and glue

Now a twig, a leaf and a brooch pin are put together. You can decorate this product with a green ribbon

Next decoration - bright summer beads using the felting technique. For them will come in handy:

Wool. As for the color scheme, it can be very diverse.

IMPORTANT: Make sure that you have wool on hand and not acrylic.

Needle. It is advisable to purchase a coarse regular needle for felting
Waxed cord. Stock up on 2-3 meters
Caps for beads or acorns. If you can’t find acorns near you, you can contact a hardware store
Special felting brush. However, you can replace it with a regular dishwashing sponge or a piece of foam rubber
Various accessories- these are holders for pendants, which are called bails, and locks, and fasteners for cords. However, if you can’t get all this, there is an option to use a waxed cord or a chain from some unnecessary jewelry

Let's get started:

So, first of all, take the wool. Fluff it up, tangle it with your fingers

IMPORTANT: How much material is needed for one bead? It all depends on the size of the beads, but keep in mind in any case that wool shrinks a lot during work. This means that stock is needed.

Wool is curled into a ball. You need to put in more effort as the wool needs to curl tightly.

Place the ball on the stand- brush, sponge or foam rubber. Do not forget to hold the ball with your fingers, as at this stage it may well fall apart. into it a needle sticks in to secure the shape, and you need to start from the place where the wool is fastened

Now you need to use a needle to treat the entire surface of the ball- this way it falls better, becomes denser and better in outline

Similar procedure carried out with the remaining beads

To complete the wool felting process, it is recommended pour hot water into a bowl, dissolving shampoo or liquid soap in it. Balls are thrown into this bowl

IMPORTANT: Before dropping all the balls, you should make sure that the wool will not shed. Otherwise, there is a high risk of getting a spotted product.

Each ball is taken out and rolled out between the palms as if you were working with plasticine, that is, in a circle. At first the pressure should be weak, but then it should be increased. If you press too hard right away, unsightly creases may form. Don't be surprised if sizes decrease by up to 30% or even 50%

As soon as the bead becomes denser and smaller, it rolls out between your palms like a sausage. This action must be carried out until the bead is will resemble an egg

Beads should be rinsed in order to remove the soap solution. Then they need to be squeezed out and laid out to dry.

And at this stage you need process the collected acorns. You must first separate the caps, then the tails from the caps. Holes are made in the caps. These parts are thoroughly washed and dried. You can optionally treat the bead blanks with varnish

IMPORTANT: If you purchase special caps for beads, then the step of drilling holes is, of course, not necessary.

A piece is cut from the waxed cord, folded in half and tied with a loop

Now the task ahead is more difficult - pull a loop through the acorn cap. If she doesn’t want to get threaded, you can resort to a little trick, namely, thread a thread through the hat, hook a loop with the thread, and then thread it all into the hat

Pull the loop through so that the knot rests on the cap. Another knot is tied on the inside of the hat. so that the loop does not move anywhere

Add to the bottom of the improvised hat a small amount of glue

Now to the glue the bead is pressed

IMPORTANT: You need to press the bead firmly, but not for long - a few seconds are enough.

The final stage - putting all the loops with beads on some unnecessary chain or on a waxed cord

Materials and tools for felting wool

IMPORTANT: Whatever technique is used, the same materials are needed.

So, first of all, this is a special unspun wool. Density, hardness and colors have no restrictions - their choice depends purely on tastes and the desired result. You can purchase it in special stores for creativity. Beginners are advised to buy so-called “melange” sets with matching shades

wool for felting is varied

Needles- must also be special. Ordinary sewing tools should be left for other activities, since felting tools are sharper. They have special notches that help the wool fall off. Thick needles are used for felting, medium needles are used to create outlines, and thin needles are used to form the final touches.
Brush- can be special for felting, purchased at a craft store. However, it is quite possible to replace it with a piece of foam rubber or a dishwashing sponge

IMPORTANT: You should not refuse this item, as it protects the table and hands from needle pricks.

Sintepon- recommended if you are planning something voluminous. In this case, the base is formed from it, and wool is applied on top
Decor elements- beads, ribbons, beads, accessories, glass eyes

Wet felting from wool: technique

This technique makes excellent bags, scarves, mittens, slippers. The peculiarity is that It is necessary to use a soap solution in which pieces of wool are placed. At the same time, the wool shrinks significantly, which implies the need for harvesting several times larger than the desired dimensions of the product.

So, First of all, you should prepare a soap solution. To do this, pour a piece of soap grated on a coarse grater with boiling water in a volume of two liters. The soap is thoroughly mixed until completely dissolved, the solution is infused. As an alternative, you can use liquid soap

IMPORTANT: The solution must be infused until it thickens. As a rule, it takes two hours.

After the solution reaches a state of readiness, you can proceed directly to the needlework itself. Cover the surface with bubble wrap, since it is reusable many times, it prevents fibers from sticking. Please note that the film is spread with the bubble side up

First thing a base layer is placed on the film, then a background layer, and then a layer with a pattern. The layers must be thin, overlapped and perpendicular, otherwise gaps will appear. Particular attention should be paid to ensuring that the thickness of the layers is the same everywhere.
Use a spray bottle to spray the workpiece with water.- this will help not to move the drawing. After this, it is worth covering the workpiece with a nylon cloth and wetting it in soapy water.

And now you can start rubbing the canvas by hand. Moreover, the directions must be different to achieve the best result.

Dry felting from wool: technique

A person who has not previously encountered felting should start with dry felting, as it is less labor-intensive. Using this technique you can create the most interesting toys, flowers, beads.

Place a piece of wool on the sponge, and then, using a needle, begin to form a product from this piece - that's all the technology. Please remember that The wool shrinks by about a third, so you will have to stock up on a large amount.

IMPORTANT: Punctures should be done carefully, otherwise either the needle will break or your hands will be injured.

Craftsmen usually start working with thicker needles, and in the process of compacting the material, replace them with thin ones. At the same time, the needles kept perpendicular to the product to avoid breakage. The material must be located on the surface, and not float on weight.

Felting wool toys: master class

First, let's try to make a cute little sheep using felting. It is made as follows:

The first thing you need to do is work on the foundation. An L-shaped roller is created from carded beige, white, brown or any other natural colors. It should be dense, for which it should be thoroughly felted

Now you need to form a head from part of the base. It is formed by adding wool - this is how the cheeks, front and top parts with all their reliefs appear

IMPORTANT: If you suddenly feel that the volume of your head is becoming smaller than it should be, do not panic! Just add a little more wool - fortunately, carding allows you to do this. The main thing is to create good density.

It's the peephole's turn. Using a thick needle, two notches are formed. A needle with a thick thread is threaded through the neck into one of the corners of the eye. A bead is then strung on it, after which the needle is threaded into the other corner of the eye and out into the next eye hole. Next, the same algorithm as with the first eye, after which the needle is removed in the neck area

It is important to give the muzzle its final look by attaching corners in the form of a nose and mouth. It is worth adding a jumper between them. These parts are fastened with a thick needle and processed with a thin one.

The body is being formed with the help of a cadoches. The silhouette must be made drop-shaped

IMPORTANT: Use a thick needle to create the body.

In order to create the legs of a sheep, It is necessary to twist two rollers from the carding card. In this case, the ends of the rollers should remain loose

Now form the felt boots from brown wool, first thick and then thin needles. Excess hairs are carefully cut off

The legs are attached to the body, and the joints are covered with small pieces of carding. You can add more wool to create a belly and hips.

Arms are created in the same way as legs, but only the rollers are smaller this time. The ends of the hands need to be wrapped in bright wool - these are mittens. Don't forget to form thumbs on the mittens

IMPORTANT: To work on the mitten you will need thin needles.

Ears are being made in the form of oval pieces. One end of the pieces should be loose - this will make it easier to attach the ears to the head
The fur is finally formed reverse needle. The entire figure is processed except for the legs and face. In this case, the surface must be well dried in advance, otherwise the toy will fall apart

Reverse needle The junctions of the arms and the body are also masked
Ears connect just like your hands

If you like to knit, cast on 7 stitches on thin needles and create a scarf for a toy. Approximately 15-17 centimeters is enough

The eye area needs tinting. However, like the lines of the muzzle and ears. It is recommended to tint with dark pastels, but eye shadow is also suitable

The sheep toy is ready!

Felting paintings

The uniqueness of paintings created using felting lies in the fact that the master does not have to be a painter at all. And the result is very similar to watercolor paintings.

There are several techniques:

Laying out It is considered the most convenient technique for beginners. No need to use soap, water or needles. Wool fibers are simply laid out in layers

IMPORTANT: In order for the work to hold, you need to press it down with glass.

Wet technique Requires the use of soap and water. At the same time, the fibers adhere so well that they are barely distinguishable and turn into a single whole.

Mixed media consists in the fact that wet felting is first used, and then dry fibers are applied. For the wet part of the work, the main shades are taken, and the dry part adds additional shades. In the latter case, needles are used

IMPORTANT: Whatever the technique, remember that you should not expect quick results. The work may take several weeks, otherwise there will be a lot of shortcomings.

The nuances of creating paintings using feltig:

A toothpick or needle is a must for better detailing of small details. The work also works well if you use wool when laying out tweezers
Apply glass to the painting from time to time- this way the shortcomings will be better visible. Since many works end up being stored under glass, it is better to immediately check the appearance of the painting. It will immediately become clear how dense the layers are in relation to each other. In addition, wool under glass tends to become flattened, which is why the part increases in size
Variety of shades- an indispensable condition for creating a picture. Highlights, spots, shadows make the work naturalistic. And creating them is very simple if you replace layers

IMPORTANT: You should, however, be careful when replacing layers, otherwise the painting will lose its lightness.

Felting is an excellent family activity. Wool is absolutely safe unless there are allergic reactions to it. This means that even children can be involved in such an activity, instilling in them hard work, perseverance and a sense of beauty. Improve yourself over and over again with felting!