‘This book is dedicated to the life and dear memory of Andy Macauley, 1971–2013. My forever love.’
CONTENTS
Introduction
FINISHED MAKES
Woodland
Birds
Sea Life
Pets
Wild Animals
Small Creatures
Barnyard
GETTING STARTED
Needle-Felting Tools
Sketch Before you Stab
Repeated Elements
PATTERNS
Moon-Gazing Hare
Olly Otter
Suzie Squirrel
Freddie the Fox
Happy Hedgehog
Milly Mole
Country Bun
Percy Pelican
Little Owl
Roly-Poly Robin
Marching Penguin
Mrs Quacky
Slinky Seal
Dolphin Dangle
Happy Whale
Little Fish
Whimsical Westie
Blue Kitten
Mustard the Dachshund
Baby Ella
Jolly Giraffe
Victor the Lion
Lucy Ladybug
Rainbow Mice
Busy Bumblebee
Chunky Funky Snail
Frog Princess
Trundling Tortoise
Penelope Pig
Sally the Sheep
Suppliers and Links
About the Author
Copyright
About the Publisher
I discovered needle-felting five years ago, when someone sent me a kit as a present. At first I was confused; what was it? How did it work? But from the moment I began stabbing and shaping the wool, I knew that here was my craft. My first piece was a toy rabbit based on one of my own paintings. The delight of making a small creature that could sit in the palm of my hand was captivating, and needle-felting soon became my day job. There is something magical about taking a simple length of wool roving and sculpting it into a three-dimensional form. It’s a craft that doesn’t require you to memorise stitches or use expensive tools. You just pick up a couple of felting needles and begin. It is lap friendly, and the kit is easily carried around.
When I started out, needle-felting was still fairly unknown in the UK, but word has spread and more people are discovering it every day. The patterns in this book range from the very easy to the more challenging, and I hope there is something for everyone to try. I am thrilled to be given this opportunity to share my designs and techniques with a wider audience and hope that it encourages many more people to enjoy this unique and versatile craft.