How to make needle felted animals

How to make the head

Take a 70cm (271⁄2in) length of wool in your chosen body colour. Muddle it into a loose ball, teasing the fibres apart. Begin working the wool with two or three needles, turning as you work, to ensure roundness.

Continue working to shape a wide, oval head about the size of a large satsuma, approximately 7cm (23⁄4in) wide and 5cm (2in) high. When the texture is firm but still has some ‘give’ in it, then add the ears.

If you’re making the puppy, add a round muzzle to the head, before adding the ears. To make it, use a pinch of wool and needle it directly onto the face using one needle.

For each pet, use two equal-sized tufts of wool. Shape them loosely on the felting mat using one needle, then join to the body.

For the bunny ears, double over two lengths of wool to create ears that are 3-4cm (11⁄4in) tall. Add a scrap of pink wool to each inner ear.

To make the kitten’s ears, take a small pinch of wool and shape it to make two little cones about 1cm (1⁄4in) in height. Use one needle to add a tiny wisp of pink wool to the inside of each cone, for the inner ears.

To make the puppy’s ears, take a pinch of wool and work it into two teardrop shapes measuring about 5cm (2in) long. Work the ears onto the top of the head positioned at the sides, so that they hang loose.

Take a length of wool roving measuring 25-30cm (101⁄2in). Tease into a loose ball and shape it using two or three needles. Make a small, flat-bottomed hump, like a little hill. It should be 4-5cm (11⁄2-2in) tall and roughly 5cm (2in) across the circular base.

To create the flat base, use your thumb and forefinger to hold the wool in a loose circle as you work and carefully needle until it holds the shape. You can use one needle for fine-tuning the edge. When the body is shaped and quite firm, add the paws.

Use two equal-sized pinches of wool for each pet. Double over and shape them loosely on a felting mat using one needle, before joining them to the body. Use the photograph below as a guide for positioning the paws onto the body.

Tails are easy! Just use a small tuft of wool for each tail – a little more for the bobble tail on the bunny. Use one needle to shape and attach the tail to the body.

Use a spare needle to hold the two body parts together while you work. Take several short lengths of wool, 10-15cm (4-6in) long, and work them onto the neck area to fix the head to the body. The wool should lie vertically, across the neck join, from head to toe.

Continue this process all the way around until the head is firmly attached to the body. Needle in the ends of the loose fibres, wrapping them around the rest of the body.

If you want your character to have a winsome tilted head, then simply hold the head at an angle while you work.

Use wisps of wool and one needle to add the body markings. The puppy and kitten both have white tummies that are made using a fat tuft of wool.

Make the bunny’s tummy patch by shaping a heart from pink wool roving and working it onto the tummy using one needle.

Drill eye sockets using an awl. Use two lengths of black thread to sew in the eyes. Sew in the first eye by threading the two loose ends onto a long needle, insert into the eye position and take the thread through to the back of the head, pulling the eye into the felt. Repeat with the second eye, bringing the threads out at the same point.

Tie all the threads together with a good, tight knot, making sure that the eyes are sitting tightly in their final positions. Rethread the needle and then bring the ends of the threads out of the body, away from the knot.

Use a scrap of wool to make the wool noses, using one needle to needlefelt
the nose in position on the face. Use pink embroidery thread to sew on the mouth with two straight stitches.

Or, you can add super-cute noses and mouths using pink embroidery thread and a few simple stitches.

To make the flower, shape a little pinch of wool into a ball on your felting mat, then sew a small bead to the centre. Needle it into position, then finish off the shaping.

To make the kitten’s ball, loosely sculpt a ball on your felting mat, before needling it onto the body and finishing off the shaping.

Use a skinny strip of wool about 20cm (8in) long to add a smart collar to your pet; wrap it around the neck a couple of times and fix it on using one needle. Sew on a sweetheart tag to finish it off.

To get a smooth look to your characters, carefully go over the surface of your pet using one needle to even out any bumps and crevices. This takes a little time, but it is well worth it for a professional finish.