Best Beginner Books on How to Needle Felt Little Animals

Learn to needle felt with book tutorials.

When I first discovered the potential of needle felting while browsing the shops of talented Etsy artists, I was enthralled and I knew this was what I had to do. But I didn't know how to get started. So I did what I always do when I want to learn something new -- I found a book. Wool Toys and Friends: Step-by-Step Instructions for Needle-Felting Fun
The book included lots of pictures, and instructions for a variety of animals and dolls, including some very cute finger puppets. I don't think I followed the instructions to make any of the specific designs, but it helped me understand the process and how to add legs, arms, etc. After that book, I became consumed with needle felting and taught myself.
If you have a desire to sculpt  little needle felted animals, start with a book. Here are some recommendations for books easy to follow needle felting instructions:

Wool Toys and Friends: Step-by-Step Instructions for Needle-Felting Fun

This book includes patterns and many ideas including a sock monkey, finger puppets and a prairie dog. It also includes some instructions on wet felting.

Little Felted Animals: Create 16 Irresistible Creatures with Simple Needle-Felting Techniques

This book has 16 simple animal designs and really cute photography. It has some very nice step by step tutorials that make the process very clear.

Adorable Felted Animals: 30 Easy & Incredibly Lifelike Needle Felted Pals (Gakken Handmade)

This book includes 30 step-by-step instructions for making cute realistic pets including dogs and cats.

Making Needle Felted Animals: Over 20 Wild, Domestic, and Imaginary Creatures (Crafts and family Activities)

This book is especially lovely with 22 wildlife designs, detailed instructions and beautiful photography. I also like that they include a trouble shooting section, "felting bloopers."

Wild and Tame Needlefelt Animals: 24 Adorable Animals to Needlefelt With Wool

This book offers quite a variety of animals, both wild and tame, as the title suggests, for a total of 24 designs. There are many basic instructions such as "separating wool roving" that are very helpful to beginners.

The Natural World of Needle Felting: Learn how to make more than 20 adorable animals

I love that this book goes into great detail in the first chapter on choosing needles, adding color and creating structure. The photography is superb. It includes 20 designs with clear instructions.



Good luck on your needle felting adventure. Be sure to check out my tutorials on this blog including:

• How to Needle Felt a Tiny Cardinal or Tiny Bird

Needle Felt Book Illustration — The Next Big Thing

When I first embarked on this journey to illustrate a book in needle felt, I did a Google search to see if anyone else was doing this. After searching with a few different terms, the only illustrators I found were Cozy Classics.

The Cozy Classics author/illustrator team of Jack and Holman Wang created a series of board books for little children, based on classics like War &  Peace and Jane Eyre. Each book has just 12 words, and endearing needle felted characters posed both outdoors and in miniature settings.

Pride & Prejudice from Cozy Classics

I wanted to illustrate a book for author Jewel Kats almost completely in wool with wool backgrounds and characters. It was uncharted territory. Hansel & Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist is the second book I illustrated for Jewel. Loving Healing Press will publish the first later this year.  And, the third book is in progress. I am still in awe of Jewel who saw my needle felt animals in my Etsy shop and surmised that I could illustrate her book. 

Hansel & Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist

This week, I was thrilled to see some needle felt illustration make its way into the mainstream with the announcement of the Caldecott Medal Winners.  Caldecott Honor Winner 2015 Yuyi Morales includes some needle felted characters in her book Viva Frida. Morales, who is an innovative illustrator and accomplished artist, uses a variety of media to tell the story of artist Frida Kahlo. 

Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales

I was also delighted to discover that Viva Frida and Hansel & Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist  have something in common. Both books include a needle felted deer.

Another wonderful surprise this week, was the Google Doodle. While working in my Chrome browser, I noticed the doodle and immediately recognized that it was needle felt. The Google Doodle celebrating Laura Ingalls Wilder’s 148^th birthday was created by Cozy Classics. What a thrill! The Doodle page also has a nice explanation of how the characters were created, which is similar to how I created mine. 

I was speaking to Loving Healing Press Publisher Victor Volkman about the trend of needle felt illustration this week and he had an interesting perspective. It's all about the 21st century revolt against mass-produced products and return to the handmade ethos,” he said.

The needle felt characters have a special quality. I think creating with fiber gifts from animals gives life to the characters.

Illustrating with needle felt is a slow process. Hours go into creating each character. The backgrounds I created are akin to creating little movie sets. When it’s all done, the photography is quite a project. More hours go into posing each character perfectly, a slight twist of the head can change a smile into a frown. But the process is invigorating and be sure you will see more from me.

And a side note: Cozy Classics is working on a Star Wars series with Lucas Films/Disney. Looking forward to that!