Notes for Needle Felters
To "core" or not...
This is the question of whether to use a "core" white, coarser fiber inside ...or not.
So 23 or 24 years ago when we first started offering needle felting here, the instructor from NY that taught our first classes here had participants sculpting the body parts out of a coarser and poorer quality white wool she called the "core" first. And then we covered the "core" with the color we wanted on the surface.
As I recall (tho' it was a long time ago so I could be wrong) her rationale for using a different "core" was that she had a coarser and cheaper fiber and figured it would save money to use that as the "filling" rather than use the dyed fibers throughout. There may also have been some consideration that as a coarser wool, the use of this "core" made for a denser/harder end product, but as I said it was over 20 years ago and techniques evolve with experience.
I stopped using a "core" wool decades ago, myself. I realized that because I was needling small things (no life size sculptures of people here!) the cost savings might have amounted to twenty five cents, at most, per project. And I always thought it was a pain, as well as a time drain, to have to cover the white core with the desired surface color! Especially if the surface was a dark color!
So I haven't used a core for at least 15 years! The kits I have stocked (three different brands over the years) and those that I looked at recently at a fiber show did NOT use a different "core" wool either. So I actually think that using a "core" is a pretty dated, out of use technique at this point.
n my experience, the hardness or softness of the finished product has more to do with how it is wrapped to begin with and whether it is fully needled, or not.
And frankly, I needle to the intended use of my piece! So if I'm needling a mushroom that is going to sit on a shelf it doesn't have to be a hard as if I were needling a pet toy.
What about "staple length"?
As you can see from the photo here, these four wools have different lengths. "Staple" refers to the length of the fleece when it is shorn off the sheep.
Generally....shorter staples are better suited to needle felting than longer staples. But too short (as in the orange example) can be difficult to needle felt and too long (dark green example on the left) can be a challenge for needle felting, especially for detailed areas like eyes, mouth, etc.
The two most favorite fibers for needle felting are the two to the right - they are both short stapled and in "batt" form (more about that below), but not as short as the orange. Between these two fibers, I carry 86 colors to choose from.
About half of my needle felters like needling the fiber represented by the orange bit.... but the other half of needle felters that have tried it do NOT like it. I offer 22 colors of this super short merino fiber (KAP wool) and since it is not as universally appreciated by needle felters (I stock it for wet felters) I recommend you purchase a small bag to try out in case you are one of the half that don't like it!
When it comes to the longer stapled fibers (of which I have over 110 colors in stock-not all are online becuase its just too much!) these are not ideal for needle felting, but can be used. If you physically break the fiber into smaller lengths by pulling on opposite ends firmly and then jumble the orientation of the fibers up so they are not parallel, it is fine for needling. And doing this is super simple (check out the section below on "blending" as I used some of the long stapled Corriedale I stock at the store for this example and it is really easy to physically break and jumble into shorter wool).
Top, roving or batt?
Most new needle felters don't know there is a difference between these fiber preps.....many just ask for "wool for needle felting". But some ask for "roving" without knowing that "top" and "batt" even exist. And while it might not matter whether you use roving, batt or top....it could.
So if you use a term like "roving" or "top", we are likely to ask a few follow up questions to ascertain whether you truly need one or the other or just are using the term generically.
So here's the difference:
Generally speaking, fleeces shorn from sheep with long wool (depends on the mill's equipment, but 3" or longer is a generality) are usually processed into a form called "top". Technically, "top" has all the fibers aligned in a parallel fashion. It looks like a "snake" (in the photo to the left, both the white and the orange are "top" and show what I mean by "snake"- its sort of a long cylindrical shape).
What is confusing to many, is that "roving" also comes in a "snake" formation and unless you look closely or know the difference you might think what is "roving" is "top" and vice versa.
Technically, 'roving" is usually the prep the mill makes from shorter wool fibers. Both "top" and "roving" look like a "snake". The difference is in the alighment of the fibers - in "top" the fibers are parallel and in "roving" the fibers are all a jumble - and in the length of the wool fibers in the preparation (top has longer fibers and roving, generally, shorter).
As I mentioned in the section above, felting is easiest if the fibers are jumbled, rather than aligned. This is why wet felters layout their top at 90 degree angles or criss-crossing!
"Batt" is another form wool comes in that is often made from fleeces with shorter wool lengths, like "roving". The "batt" form looks like a big sheet (in the photo it is the gold piece) and can measure 4-5" deep/thick and as much as 6-10 feet long and 100" wide! That's sometimes the size we get and so then split the batts down into smaller sizes since most needle felters don't want to purchase that much of a color! The fibers in a "batt" are all a jumble, which is good.
Depending on the type of felting you are doing (needle, wet or nuno) you may want a shorter or longer fiber AND the preparation (snake vs batt) may matter.
You technically can use any of these three forms of wool for needle felting, but there are certain characteristics that make some better than others - more about that below.
Micrometer count/type of wool?
There isn't a particular breed of wool you should seek out or avoid for needle felting. Frankly, the majority of wool available is a blend of breeds anyway. Instead, I think it is more important to consider the staple length and color selection.
BUT....how fine or coarse a wool is (i.e. merino is a breed you've heard of that has very fine wool/very fine micrometer count) will affect the final surface texture AND definitely, what needle you should be using (see next topic for more about that).
A coarser wool, especially if not needled to the nth degree, may appear "fibrous" on the surface. Maybe a bit "hairy". Whereas a fine wool will appear smoother, more like suede surface.
Generally speaking, finer wools that are breed specific (i.e. merino) tend to be more expensive. So while the extra cost is worth it for nuno felting garments that will be worn next to the skin and so you want them soft, most needle felting projects are fine with a wool blend or some of the coarser wools like Romney, Corriedale, etc.
What gauge needle to use?
The most commonly used needles are as follows:
Coarse needles (36 gauge), medium (38 gauge), 40 (fine gauge), 42 (extrafine gauge) and Reverse Barb.
There is also a "spiral" which I haven't found to offer me any advantage, so I haven't been stocking them.
The important thing to think about is that the coarser your wool (i.e. Border Leceister, Lincoln) the coarser the needle gauge to use; the finer the wool (merino, cormo, etc) the finer gauge (40-42) you should use!
If you use a coarse needle on a fine wool, you may leave behind poc marks and won't get a smooth surface. Now this might be what you want....I once needle felted a witch and used a lime green extra fine merino for the face and used a 38 gauge needle because I wanted her skin to have texture and NOT be smooth. The more pock marked it was, the better, I thought!
And if you're using a coarse wool and a fine needle, it will take you a lot more needling to get anywhere!
Since when I needle I MOSTLY use the fibers I think are best for needle felting, both of which are blends of medium to fine wool counts, I sometimes rough out my shape with a coarse needle but do most of the building with a medium 38 gauge needle. Then I move to a finer gauge when I'm working details around the eyes, nose, mouth etc because you need the level of detail that a fine gauge gives you to achieve the little details in those areas. This also makes a smoother survace.
A "reverse barb" needle is great for blending colors - so if you are needling a watercolor scene and want to blend colors more, the reverse barb will blend the color from the layer below with the color on the surface. Reverse barb needles can also be helpful when you are creating a coat on an animal as it can help create a brindle or heathery look.
Blending colors....
So all in all....between roving, top and batts in all the different types of fibers I stock (actually not even counting them all, but just the ones that you COULD use for needle felting) I offer 260 different colors of wool fiber here at the shop. Actually, I even forgot to count the wools hanging from the display above the KAP wool, so its even more!!
Anyway, when I have a customer in as I did on Saturday, spend an hour looking at the fibers and then leave frustrated saying she couldn't find the "right color of tealy green" for her needle felting project, it reminds me to point out that it is SO EASY TO BLEND your own color if among the 260 colors I offer, you can't find what you want!
So if 260+ colors is not enough for your particular color sensibilities, then consider how easy and wonderful it is that, with a little imagination and creativity, you can blend fibers to create your own color palette!
As a needle felter, you don't even need any equipment - for the relatively small amount of wool that needle felters use, simply finger blending is so easy and takes only seconds. I blended the gold with the orange in two different proportions (bottom row in the photo) with just 20 quick finger blends. And the white with the orange to make the middle color in the top row with just 15 finger blends! Quick and simple!
If you are doing a larger project, hand cards (which we also stock) or a blending board (which we also stock) might be worthwhile. And, while I'm currently out of stockof the small hand brushes for needle feltters to blend with (but have them added to my next accessory order), you could even just use a pet brush if you were in a pinch!
I want small bits of lots of colors....
I hear this a lot.
I offer the 13 color packs of animal/skin tones (as shown in the photo here) as well as four color packs of the most favorite needle felting wool.
AND....you can purchase the Corriedale by the yard in a huge range of colors!
And, as I mentioned in the section above, it is good to have lots of colors at your fingertips so you can blend eall the gradations between two colors!
So offering "smaller bits of lots of colors" BEYOND what I already offer, just isn't something I'm going to do.
Here's why....
I aim to provide a good value. Packaging lots of small bits takes more labor. At $21/hour, plus another 15.6% in payroll taxes and another 15% in my unemployment insurance per hour worked, that would make these bits a lot more expensive for what you get!
Here's an illustration of that point which I came across at the Fiber Festival in MA a couple of weeks ago. One of the vendors, who sells on ETSY, offered one of the exact same wools I do here, packaged in 1/8 ounce "bits". Each 1/8 ounce "bit" was $7.00. I offer 2 ounces of this same wool for $7.99. So you can see the difference in "value" that offering small "bits" will cost you. So it would cost you $28 and you'd only have 1/2 ounce of 4 colors that way whereas here you only spend $11.99 for 2 full ounces of 4 colors here!
And... the fiber doesn't go bad the way, I'm guessing, some of the big put ups of food you get at Costco and don't use before it goes bad, does!
And... the more needle felting you do, the more you will discover that having more colors at your fingertips helps feed your creative energies and gives you lots of opportunities to blend the "in-between" colors!
And....having a bit of extra fiber on hand means you can invite a friend, a grandchild or a neighbor over some afternoon to needle with you!
To wet felt after, or not?
If you needle felt a flat or 3-D piece, you do not NEED to wet felt it afterwards. But you MAY choose to.
You may choose to wet felt afterwards because the intended use of the piece means that it will need to stand up to some rough handling and wet felting it will make it sturdier. Another reason to wet felt it afterwards may be because you aesthetically want to wet felt the surface for a smoother finish. For whatever reason, just remember that wet felting it will change it a bit.
So if you want the piece to be durable, as I did this needle felted church (homage to Van Gogh) rug because I created it to be a decorative floor covering for my first dog Chloe's kennel, you will want to consider that wet felting will dull/mute the colors. I hadn't really thought that thru when I vigorously wet felted the church rug and I was SO VERY disappointed when it was done that the vibrant, electric colors that it had been were all muted and dull!
Of course that means that wet felting would be a great choice if your final needle felted piece came out too vibrant or bright for your tastes and you therefore wanted to tone it all down!
Wet felting, if done vigorously, will also shrink your piece. But you can wet felt just the surface to make the "skin" firmer and more durable without having it shrink much.