A couple of months ago, Laura Ashley invited me to an afternoon of crafts in Glasgow (you can see what they got up to here) but I was unable to make it. I really liked the look of their Needle Felting Kit however, so I had to try it at home. It’s currently reduced from £35 to £18.90, so get in there quickly if you want one.
The kit has everything you need to get started with felting. There are ten coloured felt wools, a felting tool with spare needles, a felting brush and instructions. It looks really easy at first, but it isn’t. The instructions don’t go into much detail so I sat for a good while, broke lots of the needles and watched several YouTube tutorials before I worked out what I was supposed to be doing.
The process of felting itself is a laborious one, and you definitely need a lot of patience. I don’t think it’s for me! I did manage to make a flower brooch however, so all was not lost. You start by taking a small ball of the felt wool and place it on top of the brush. You then need to work it with the needle pen so that all the threads entwine and you get it into the shape that you want. I made a small pink circle for the centre of the flower and four larger purple petals. You have to press the needles in and out while turning/twisting at the same time- it’s quite a tricky technique to get the hang off and it definitely gives your finger muscles a work out.
Once you have felted (is that a word?) all the pieces you need to assemble the brooch, you need to sew them together. Choose matching thread so that the stitches are invisible. I added a little button to the centre of the flower as I think it looks cute. Finally, sew a safety pin onto the back and you have yourself a flower brooch.
Does this look like a craft that you would like to try?
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