If you’re curious about starting a new creative hobby, needle felting is a simple, soothing craft with endless possibilities. Plus, “granny crafts” are all the craze now. Whether you’re hoping to make whimsical animals, wool “paintings,” or ornaments, it all starts with the right needle felting supplies. With just a few basic tools and some colorful wool, beginners of all ages can dive into this fun fiber art at home. In this guide, we’ll walk you through exactly what you need to get started—and share a few beginner-friendly projects to inspire your first creations.
What Is Needle Felting?
Needle felting is a fiber art technique that uses a special barbed needle to sculpt wool into shapes, figures, or flat designs. As the needle is repeatedly poked into the wool, the fibers tangle and compact, allowing you to mold the material into anything from tiny animals to textured wall art. Unlike wet felting, which uses soap and water, needle felting is a dry process that gives you precise control, making it ideal for both 2D and 3D creations. It’s a calming, low-mess craft that’s easy to learn and endlessly customizable.
All it requires are a few supplies, but the outcome of the craft is so incredibly versatile. It’s something that the young and young at heart can both enjoy equally, and the creative opportunities are truly limitless. If you can dream it, you can felt it.
Essential Needle Felting Supplies
- A variety of felting needles. These are needles specifically designed for needle felting that have barbs on them that help tangle the wool and keep the fibers in place.
- A felting pad or mat. This allows you to poke the wool into shapes/other felt without poking it into your skin or another surface. You can purchase pads/mats, but I personally use thick pieces of Styrofoam packaging that arrive inside of my delivered items.
- Wool. Find wool in various colors to create the designs of your choice. There are non-wool fiber options that are less expensive than real natural wool, but I find it to be more difficult to work with and that it overall results in a less desirable finished product.
- Finger gloves. Finger gloves aren’t required but they are helpful with the comfort of your fingers when poking the needles repeatedly. It also makes the craft a bit safer for the little ones.
- Scissors. Useful to cut various sizes of wool as needed while crafting.
Choosing the Right Felting Needles
Felting needles come in different sizes and are used for different details in the work. Thicker needles are used for large background coloring, while the thinner needles are used for finer lines and details.
Coarse Needles (32–36 gauge):
These thicker needles are ideal for quickly shaping large pieces of wool or building the basic structure of a 3D figure. They felt fibers together more aggressively, which makes them great for the initial stages of a project.Medium Needles (38–40 gauge):
Versatile and beginner-friendly, medium-gauge needles are often used throughout the felting process. A 38 gauge triangle needle is a common all-purpose option that works well for both sculpting and adding surface details.
Fine Needles (40–42 gauge):
These thinner needles are perfect for finishing touches, fine lines, and delicate detailing. They’re less aggressive, so they won’t distort your shape or leave large holes in the wool—great for refining facial features, textures, or smooth surfaces.
Some felters also use specialty shapes like star, spiral, or reverse barb needles for unique effects such as blending colors or lifting surface fibers for a fuzzy texture.
Why Needle Felting Is the Perfect Homesteader Craft
This is the perfect craft for the homesteader, being that it’s pretty low cost (especially if you have your own sheep!), the creations that can be made are truly limitless, it’s the perfect family craft since everyone can work together on their own project while spending time together and it’s ideal for such a wide range of ages including felting with children. I find the craft to be incredibly relaxing and one that’s easy to put down and pick up at a later time without missing a beat. With the number of supplies being rather limited, it makes needle felting easy to take on trips and on car rides.
Beginner Felting Projects to Try
Once you have all the supplies, here are a few excellent beginner project videos:
Needle Felting Inspiration & Resources
For those looking to get more into fiber arts, I recommend following fiber artist Dani Ives. I have her book, Painting with Wool: 16 Artful Projects to Needle Felt, and have taken her online classes with my daughter. She has wonderful classes you can follow along with on her website, and if nothing else, just check out her page to be inspired by all that can be done with wool and a needle – you’ll be blown away. Another favorite resource for supplies and project ideas is Felted Sky – I love the colors of wool available at this shop.
Needle Felting: Final Thoughts
Needle felting is one of those rare crafts that’s both accessible and deeply satisfying. With just a handful of simple supplies, you can create artful pieces or playful wool characters in no time. Whether you’re a homesteader looking for a portable, relaxing pastime or a parent seeking a creative activity to share with kids, needle felting is a rewarding choice. Once your needle felting supplies are gathered, the only limit is your imagination.
This article about needle felting was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.
