I learned a new fiber craft yesterday evening – needle felting! I took a class with Earth Mama Fiber Studio. The owner and operator does a lot of 3 hours classes on making birds, little animals, mushrooms – that sort of thing. I’ve had my eye on her schedule for a while, and finally a class was happening when I could get there, so I bit. The instructor had a lot of the projects she teaches laid out so we could see all the different classes available. I want to do some mushrooms, and maybe a bird, and definitely that little fox!

• 

• 

• 

• 

This class, though, was on the bunnies!

She started with a quick lecture on the equipment (three graduated sizes of special felting needles, thick foam pad to work on, patience) and the materials – wool batting and a bit more patience. Once she demonstrated, we each sat down with our chosen bunny color and our equipment, and started stabbing.

For the bunny, you start off with a wad slightly bigger than your fist, then roll and fold it up to start compressing it. Then you take your largest size needle and start poking the wad. The needles have little barbs on them, and the trick at this stage is to make sure you are stabbing deeply to get the inside felted thoroughly. You also want to go at each area from a lot of different directions. The first stages for a bunny are an egg shape for the body and a smaller one for the head.

Then you connect your head and body, paying attention to the angles you are attaching them at. Next you make ears, a tail and legs, and attach them.

One of the neat things about the class is how different everyone’s bunny looked. Some people tried for more realistic, some for more cartoony. One lady went for chocolate Easter bunny. Once the basic form was done, then you start adding personality. Patches of different color, shaping, and a face.

And then you have a bunny!

I went for semi-realistic with extra cuteness added in just for fun. I was happy the one-ear-up configuration worked 🙂

So I learned a new craft, had a good time at the class, and have a cutie little bunny! All in all a pretty good Sunday 🙂

I don’t think needle felting is going to take over as my new favorite craft, but I would definitely do it again. On the one hand, it’s pretty satisfying, and also it costs very little to equip yourself and be ready to needle felt. On the other, it’s definitely a decorative craft. Which is totally fine, but something I would only do once in a while.

I think there’s room in my life for a few more felted creatures, though 🙂 My Mom and I already have plans to go to a class together once she comes up for the summer, and I am looking forward to that! Do you have a kind of impractical craft you sometimes do just for fun?