Felting is the perfect project that anyone can do, regardless of crafting experience or skill. The process involves stabbing wool fibers, called roving, with needles to form it into various shapes, designs, and patterns. You have the choice of working by hand using a felting needle or investing in a needle felting machine, which makes the project much faster.

Some felting projects and applications include:

Appliques. If you are new to the art, try creating an applique for your first felting project. Use a piece of fabric or garment as the foundation and carefully punch the wool roving down into the fabric with precise needle pricks. Use different colors on top of your felted area for details, such as to outline your motif.

Apparel. Another great way to use felting is with apparel fashion accessories such as a cell-phone case that involves squares of cut craft felt as a base for roving. Purses, bags, headbands, and vests are a few examples of easy felting projects that are also useful items that you can use every day. Look for high-end wool felt for these projects, as you want to make sure that your project will hold up to laundering later on.

Toys. Felting is probably most used in making toys and plush figurines. You can form and shape the roving into any figure or character, and create effects with the needle-punching that results in distinctive, detailed plush toys.

Bedding. Finished felting projects are soft and sumptuous, which makes it the perfect platform to create unique pillows and quilted bedding. The most efficient way to create larger pieces is with a needle felting machine, which ensures precise, even punches without the time and labor of doing it all by hand.

Art. Artistic wall hangings are the ideal project for beginners and skilled felting enthusiasts, alike. There are so many different approaches that you can take with your wall hanging, including felting stretched canvas or squares of crafting felt to create landscapes, portraiture, or any design that you choose. This is also excellent practice for your new felting machine or when you want to hone your needle-punching skill.

Consider the many ways that felting can enhance your current projects and open up many new opportunities to get creative. Visit online crafting retailers or sites to find high-quality roving, felting needles, and tutorials, and to check out needle felting machines. If you are a serious crafter, investing in a machine will be money well spent!