Here are 10 tips for felting faster – Save your fingers and your time!
Let's be honest for a moment - needle felting is amazing, but it takes time. A lot of time. That's why we've put together some tips that can help you felt faster and more efficiently, without compromising on quality.
1. Hold, fold, and roll – a solid start is half the battle
One of the most important tricks to speed up your felting is to make sure the wool is properly folded or rolled before you start felting. The more compact the wool is to begin with, the fewer stitches you will need to get it felted and hold its shape. This can save you a lot of time, especially if you are working on larger projects like the head and body. On the head/body you need to hold firmly and you need to avoid large air spaces inside the felted ball.
2. Quality needles and quality wool – an investment in speed/time
Don't underestimate the power of good tools! Quality needles and quality wool can make a big difference in how quickly you can felt. Poor wool can be harder to work with, and cheap needles tend to lose their sharpness faster (or not be sharp to begin with), bend and break. If the gauge of the needle is not stated, this can be a warning sign of poor quality needles. When the needle is sharp, it slides more easily through the wool and the job goes faster.
3. Get multiple needles going at once – twice as fast, twice as fun
A smart way to increase your speed is to use multiple needles at the same time. You can use a needle holder designed for this purpose, or simply hold several needles together with a rubber band. This way you can cover larger areas in less time, saving both energy and stitches. Just watch your fingers – more needles also means more risk of unfortunate stitches! We have designed our own needle holder in 6 beautiful colors so far. We have made a separate blog post about the needle holders here.
4. Flat felting punch – your new best friend
When it comes to flat felting, a 7-needle puncher is an absolute game changer. Instead of spending time stabbing with one needle at a time, you can felt large areas in a fraction of the time. Perfect for projects that require larger, flat areas, needle felting on seating mats, slippers, mittens, figure clothing, ears, etc. We don't like using the Puncher for 3D, but we do use it for ears and clothing.
5. Use the right needle – coarser first, finer later
Start with a coarser needle when you start a new project, or several finer ones. Coarser needles felt the wool faster and grip the wool better, finer needles you will feel just slide through without gripping the wool. When it gets heavy to felt or the needle does not enter the work easily you can switch to finer (or fewer) needles. This takes some experience to feel, but you will learn this quickly.
6. Roll in your palms – for an extra felting effect
Once you have shaped an arm or leg, for example, you can roll it in your palms to further compress and felt it. This simple technique can help shape the piece more quickly, especially if you need a smooth and firm surface.
7. Is the needle sharp enough? Time for a needle check?
Check that your needles are sharp. A dull needle will slow you down and require more effort to achieve the same result. Compare with a new needle – if you see or feel a difference, it's time to change. A sharp needle means less work and faster results. We only use quality needles and have used several needles for many years without them going bad, replace when they break😊 but you can check if you feel it is worn out.
8. Use felt underlays that provide good resistance
When working with needle felting, the substrate you use is important both to protect you, the table and the needles, a firm base provides good resistance, which allows the needles to penetrate the wool more easily and effectively. Foam blocks or brushes are common choices, but make sure the base is not too soft - then you risk losing a lot of the energy in each stitch. The felt base must be replaced after a while, they collapse (puncture) and do not provide good resistance. Our felt bases are a full 5 cm thick and we are super happy with them.
9. Work in layers
Divide your project into layers or sections. Start with a rough felting of the main shape, and then add details layer by layer. This allows you to work more systematically and quickly, rather than trying to achieve everything at once. The layer-by-layer technique is especially useful for complex projects that require both structure and detail. When working with, for example, the head or body, you should have several layers on top so that you have many chances for a nice surface in the end, you don't have to think about it at first.
10. Use a reference image
Do you have a clear idea of what the end result should look like? Use a reference image! This helps you stay focused and makes it easier to follow the correct proportions from the start, which in turn reduces the time you spend correcting mistakes later.
If you follow these tips, you should be well-equipped to increase the pace of your felting without losing any of the magic that makes this hobby so rewarding. It's no secret that needle felting can be time-consuming, but with these tips I hope you can pick up the pace while still enjoying the process.
Do you have any tips or tricks of your own for faster felting? Feel free to share them in the comments – we're always looking for more great ideas! Unfortunately, we can't reply to comments here, BUT we read them all and take note of tips and things you want us to write about.
Happy felting!