Needle felting is like embroidering on easy mode, especially with amigurumi- it also has the added benefit of helping to shape and sculpt your amigurumi. Even with no experience, it’s not a difficult skill to pick up and after a few practice jabs you’ll be good to go. If you’re a novice and would like to learn a basic method of needle felting with yarn fluff, this tutorial is for you.
What you’ll need:
- Yarn
- Scissors
- Slicker brush (cat brush)
- Felting needle
- A cute amigurumi model to work on – I’m using Imogen!
Note: Natural fibers will work better than synthetics!
Snip a few pieces of yarn, hold them together and brush them out with the slicker brush. Start brushing at the tips and work your way up the length. The fluff that gets caught in your brush is what you’re going to be using for the felting. You don’t need much – a tiny ball goes a very long way.
Separate a small tuft of fluff to work with; pull the fibers and twist them a little so they clump together making a strand. Lay your strand over the area you want to felt and stab it in a few spots to hold it in place. You can also use pins to hold the fiber in place.
I’m doing a very basic V for Imogen’s nose, and little arches with 2 eyelashes for the closed eyes.
Tip: you can pin a paper template next to your felting to use as a guide, and count your stitches and rows to check if the features are symmetrical.
Working slowly and gently, keep stabbing until all the fibers are interlaced with your amigurumi. Fold the fluff back on itself when you reach the end of the line you’re felting, and continue working it in. Add more fluff as needed, and trim off any excess when you’re done, making sure to work in any stragglers.
That’s really all there is to it!
You’ll notice that the felted areas of your amigurumi will become indented, which is handy for shaping noses and plumping cheeks. As you get more comfortable with the technique, you can use multiple colours and make more complex designs like I did on these two plushies that I made a while back.
If you would like to make your own Imogen bunny for Easter, her pattern is available in store! Scroll down for the link.
Did this tutorial help you? Let us know!
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Get Imogen the rabbit’s crochet pattern here:
