Needle Felting
History - Felting is a process of tangling of fibers and is one of the oldest fiber crafts dating back as far as 6300 BC. The felting process predates spinning, weaving, and knitting and for centuries this non woven textile has provide the human needs basics, such as yurts, rugs, hats and footwear. Wool felt has the ability to insulate against heat and cold and will absorb and hold moisture, and that if cut will not fray or unravel.
Traditional felting methods would require a suitable animal fiber such as alpaca, and would be wetted with a soapy solution and lots of mechanical action. Lubrication was provided by the natural grease and oil of the raw fiber, but in today’s methods the use of soap, because of working with washed fiber. The modern friction-creating equipment such as washing machines, bubble wrap, and bamboo blinds are now used in the process, however the basic principles of wet felting remain much as it did as practiced by our forefathers.
In needle felting it was invented for industrial use, to enhance and expand the felting technique to synthetic and plant fibers to be felted. In 1866 the first needle loom came from Bi-Water Company of Leeds, England but not until the 1950s did this needle punching industry start to expand for companies to utilize fibrous wash. It was first used as spring insulators in the mattress industry and later as car carpet. Needle punching is been increasingly used to texture woven and knitted textiles.
In the 1980s David and Elenor Stanwood use barbed needles from an industrial needle felting machine that would lead the way to needle felting as a handicraft. The first to be taught was Ayala Talpai, who in turn continue to promote the technique and as a result needle felting has gained in popularity amongst the handcrafters and artisans.
Wet felting is consider the preferred method by handcrafters to create firm felt and sheets of flat felt, needle felting offers an effective means to shape and enhance felted surfaces and to sculpture fine details. Needle felting greatly reduces the risks of designs and colors from moving around during the wet felting process. In other crafts the uses for felting needles varies, which may include strengthening of yarn joins, blending felt pieces together instead of sewing, thickening thin areas and mending holes in felted fabrics and or socks (knitted). Felting needles does allow one to explore new techniques and ideas in the fiber crafts.
Felting needles are made from carbon steel and are usually either 3 or 3 ½ inches in length. The L shape hook located at the top of the needle if for industrial equipment but in our case provides a method to hold onto the needle, but for more comfort, push the needle through a wine bottle cork to secure the needle. This will make it more comfortable for one to hold the needle while needle punching. The sharp end (point) facilitates the penetration, of which one third of the needle is consider, the working zone. It is typically triangular in cross section, of having three edges that have a series of barbs cut into one or more edges, which will catch and move the fibers as the needle is repeatedly jabbed into the fiber mass. The number, spacing, angle and depth will dictate how the needle works and hence the best use for it. Currently available in the valley is fine, medium, and course gauge felting needles. The number of barbs per needle will dictate the speed of felting process. The fewer barbs allow for more precision. Star needles have a higher number of barbs and are designed to penetrate firm felt rather easily, and working fast and the result in more tensile strength in felting.
Needles on which barbs are spiraled evenly up the working part of the needle will accomplish even needling effect over more depth. To create a smooth felted surface the barbs should be situated close to the tip of the needle. For deeper barbs and more barb angle, this will transport more fiber and it also tends to be more aggressive.
Needles will range in gauge of the working zone of the needle. Course been 32 gauge; Gauge 42 been super fine. When beginning your project start with the coarser needle and work to the finer needle for finishing. If working with coarse fibers use the thicker needles and if working with fine fibers use the finer needles. As the student will usually begin with Merino wools, these wools will tend to easily embrace sculptural detail. Silk fiber can be needle felted although one should be informed that it is quite a challenge to retain the luster and attractive properties of silk.
On the triangular needle there are three working edges, except for the star needles, which have four work edges and is a relative new innovation. When using needles with on one or two working edges it will penetrate denser felt more ready. A needle on which barbs are situated on one edge and in a row will move the fiber reliably and can be used sideways, parallel to the surface of the felting project. Felting needles that have the barbs situated close to the tip are consider surface felters and will generally produce a smoother and more closed surface to the skin.
Lets get started
Safety: When using the felting needle please keep in mind that the working edge of the needle has barbs, and these barbs are angle in such a way to bind the fibers. It you accidentally stab yourself with one of these needles it is quite painful to take out. Consider a porcupine quill as these have barbs on the hair shaft. Therefore before stabbing the felting project keep your eyes on the project to reduce the chance of getting stab yourself. When using the needle please have a piece of ridged foam under the project. This will prevent damaging the felting needle, and will aid in greater depth of the working edge of the needle, and will prevent damage to the working table surface. When completed with the needle, use a coffee stirrer – the ones that are given out at the fast food joints for mixing your coffee with cream or and sugar. Because of the way the stirrer is made, this will act as a sheath to protect the working edge of the needle and for transporting the needle. DO not leave the needle unattended if around children and or pets.
Holding the wine cork which contains the L hook of the needle between your thumb and forefinger jab the working zone into the fiber mass so that all motion is parallel to the length of the needle. Placing the middle finger above the working blade will help to stabilize the needle and give one more control in your work. Sideways pressure or what is known as prizing will usually break the needle. Two techniques in needle felting are.
1.) Stabbing – in which the working zone of the needle is fully withdrawn each time the needle is stab into the fiber mass. Vigorous stabbing works fibers over a greater depth and gentle stabbing tends to make smaller puncture marks, which will result in a smoother surface.
2.) Jiggling – where the working zone is jabbed into the fiber mass and jiggled up and down several times before being withdrawn. Jiggling is the more effective use of energy and tends to felt faster but a drawback to this is it tends to create more pronounced holes.
In creating your project, some will like longer needles and different gauges of needles. It is to your comforts to which needle and length that one chooses, and this I will leave to you for your choice. For instructional classes contact Christiana Elizabeth Constable (AKA B. O’Neill) for sessions and cost.
Holding the wine cork which contains the L hook of the needle between your thumb and forefinger jab the working zone into the fiber mass so that all motion is parallel to the length of the needle. Placing the middle finger above the working blade will help to stabilize the needle and give one more control in your work. Sideways pressure or what is known as prizing will usually break the needle. Two techniques in needle felting are.
1.) Stabbing – in which the working zone of the needle is fully withdrawn each time the needle is stab into the fiber mass. Vigorous stabbing works fibers over a greater depth and gentle stabbing tends to make smaller puncture marks, which will result in a smoother surface.
2.) Jiggling – where the working zone is jabbed into the fiber mass and jiggled up and down several times before being withdrawn. Jiggling is the more effective use of energy and tends to felt faster but a drawback to this is it tends to create more pronounced holes.
In creating your project, some will like longer needles and different gauges of needles. It is to your comforts to which needle and length that one chooses, and this I will leave to you for your choice. For instructional classes contact Christiana Elizabeth Constable (AKA B. O’Neill) for sessions and cost.
Applications for Needle Felting
Needle felting can be done with a fill method in designing embellishments and ornaments. The simplest method is to needle felt within a cookie cutter form. Make sure that the cookie cutter form is open on top as some of these may be close on top. Take the color raw wool that you wish to work with and insert ample into the cookie cutter form to about a large quarter of an inch thick. With the felting needle you will stab the mass till it has become solid. After solid on one side flip over and stab the mass again. The next step (optional) is to add another color or two to the mass. This is were the flicker will come in as you will pull the mass into a finer mass, which will be added to the the semi finish project. This where one can get creative and create different types of ornaments and embellishments.
The cookie cutter is a form of an armature, and one may wish to create there own armature to create the pattern for multi embellishments of the same pattern and size. Since there is no grain in felting, and you wish to freelance a pattern, one may do so, but may be required to use scissors to final shape the embellishment.
Three dimensional - Take a mass of wool and rough shape by hand the shape you wish to create the project of your choosing. This is where one can use undyed white wool fibre to create the core of the three dimensional project. Once shape stab the mass till the mass become solid, checking occasionally that it is the shape that you wish to make. Note round balls (example grapes) are the hardest to make. Once the core is made used the flicker and choose a color that you wish to surround the core with and stretch the wool mass before applying to the core. Again Stab the through the color wool to the core. You can choose other color wools and apply in the same method.
Either of these can be made into an ornament, and this is simply done by stabbing a piece of wool string on either end to the project to create a hanger. If attaching to fabric, for the two dimensional stab the periminter of the embellishment with the felting needle to secure to the fabric
Suppliers: For supplies in needle felting – they are ready available in Kelowna, British Columbia at Art of Yarn (they do have a brick and mortar store for those that wish to what they are getting and a web site. Felting needles, wool worte, flickers and other supplies are ready available. The felting needles cost is usually around the $ 2.50 ea, and are usually sold in sets. These sets can be from 3 to 5 and are available in fine, medium and course. A decent flicker is about 25.00 dollars, and wool worte is usually around 10.00 per 100gram bag. Another tool that may be of interest in needle felting is a multi felting needle felter. These will hold six needles and usually cost in around the 25.00-dollar mark.
To find more suppliers for wools go to the http://clothiersguild.blogspot.com/ and for other instructions click on the link under Instructions - Embroidery and Embellishments
Source
www.wizpick.com/about_needlefelting.htm
Suppliers: For supplies in needle felting – they are ready available in Kelowna, British Columbia at Art of Yarn (they do have a brick and mortar store for those that wish to what they are getting and a web site. Felting needles, wool worte, flickers and other supplies are ready available. The felting needles cost is usually around the $ 2.50 ea, and are usually sold in sets. These sets can be from 3 to 5 and are available in fine, medium and course. A decent flicker is about 25.00 dollars, and wool worte is usually around 10.00 per 100gram bag. Another tool that may be of interest in needle felting is a multi felting needle felter. These will hold six needles and usually cost in around the 25.00-dollar mark.
To find more suppliers for wools go to the http://clothiersguild.blogspot.com/ and for other instructions click on the link under Instructions - Embroidery and Embellishments
Source
www.wizpick.com/about_needlefelting.htm
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