Yesterday I talked about felt, and today I'm taking a step backwards to briefly share about the material that felt is made from. Well, wool felt, anyway. Wool roving is wool that is combed and slightly twisted. You can use moisture and heat to bind the fibers or you can use a needle...it just sort of depends on what you're making. The delightful thing is that the three-dimensional possibilities are nearly endless.
But let's pause.
This is the latest issue of Country Woman magazine. I got really excited about it because of the vintage ornament display on the cover, which is where I've been going with my ornaments for our tree (and in my shop...but I've been working in felt, rather than glass).
When Country Woman offered to mail me a copy of the issue, I was quite excited, and opening the pages, I found lots of great ideas for food, decorating, gifting...and of course crafts. That sort of thing always excites me!
The needle felting projects jumped out at me, and I decided that I needed to share. So, the wool roving post was born.
I've done a bit of needle felting in the past, and even took a class! It's truly enjoyable, and I want to make more things with this soft supply. Maybe a kit like this would be what you or I need to get going?
If you're lucky, you may find wool roving locally, but Etsy has a nice selection in so many colors and types of wool. Country Woman's tips mentions that coarser wool felts faster and I can attest to that! The finer roving is softer, but I enjoyed working with the coarse variety much more. Also, Clover makes a felting tool, which is great for felting flat panels and pieces, but for sculpting, go for a regular felting needle. Soooo much easier!
And just to give you an idea of a few other fun needle felting applications, check out this Gingerbread Ornament, Felted Sheep, and a teeny Needle Felted Penguin!
Or, if you are just in need of a light read and some inspiration, pick up a copy of Country Woman!
This looks like an interesting magazine to look at addition to the Christmas designs. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm just getting into the world of needle felting and loving it, thank you for all the links :)
ReplyDeleteHave you been to Esther's Place in Big Rock? I went with my boyfriend to stock him up on needle felting supplies, and while we were there met one of the yarn makers (She's the shepardess, spinner, and dye-er!) I loved it, and they offer all kinds of fun classes :) http://www.esthersplacefibers.com/
ReplyDeleteYes! That's where I took a felting class! They are so sweet out there.
DeleteThat looks like fun! I have so far resisted the temptation to try yet another craft. I'll just admire your works from afar. :)
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