The stages of creating a 3D needle felted object in pictures.
Have you guessed yet?
What about now?
My first attempt at a Hawfinch, I hope you enjoyed the pics.
Needle felted birds
Needle felting is a fun method of felt making and lends itself very well to creating birds.
Start with a basic bird shape and then begin to add some markings.
They don’t have to be true markings just use your imagination.
It looks quite sweet in the garden
I’ve just used dark wool for eyes on this bird but you could easily use glass beads.
Why not try it for yourself, there’s still spaces on the workshop next week.
Spider pod
You may already have guessed from all the felt rolls that this was going to end up being a spider. My daughter is really not keen on this she thinks it’s both creepy and weird. I was just going to make a straightforward bird pod but when I read the Canopy Art submission details it had to be something I’d find in a canopy so it became a spider pod.
It’s made from Black Welsh fibres which I wet felted initially but then I firmed it up with some needle felting, I love Black Welsh for this kind of work it goes so firm.
It really does stand up because I wired the legs and it’s also the mechanisms for attaching it to walls, plants etc.
I don’t think it’s good enough to submit to canopy art so it may just become a bird nest hiding in my climbing hydrangea. It’ll probably give someone a scare at some point too. Hubby said it was cruel to think about suspending it above our Daughter’s bed!
Phoenix
As usual, I thought I should take photos of this as it went along. As usual, I failed. However here is a picture from when this bird was fist made.
It’s one of the test pieces I made when doing a commission for the RSPB, it’s sat quietly in the cupboard waiting for it’s day to shine. A Phoenix was an obvious thought for the upcoming exhibition so I dug it out, carded some fibres and set to work.
I covered the whole bird in flame colours. Made new pieces for the head and seven more for the tail. At which point I thought it was done except for that little niggle at the back of my mind.
I went back and needle felted a curly gold design all over and was finally satisfied. I knew I wanted to attach it to wood and spent a few happy minutes rummaging in the wood pile. Attaching it was somewhat problematic. In the end, I went for the simple approach and hot glued it in two places, it’s surprisingly stable.
I do enjoy 3D work.
Charlie and Dave
Charlie and Dave have given me even more fun this week as people have tried to guess what they are. I won’t keep you in suspense any longer, they are chipmunks. Well, the instruction in the book was for a chipmunk and they were sort of following instructions, it’s just that laughter got in the way.
You can see why I didn’t show you these picture before, as fuzzy (or good, remember Grandma’s never done this before) as the shape may be I think the markings would have given it away instantly. My daughter actually got quite upset during the making because it wasn’t looking like the picture in the book, but once she realised that actually it didn’t matter, it was a fun day, she really got into the mood of things. The fact that I kept muttering about mutant chipmunks and used Grandma’s chipmunk as a gun, was nothing to do with her little wobble (or was it?)
Kate is the lucky person who’ll be receiving a flower brooch for her pains and I have to say that even if she hadn’t guessed it, I may have had to reward her persistence! Well done Kate, let me know your address and I’ll send you your well earned goody.