New Book on Needle Felted Pictures
I am so sorry, I have been rather derailed since surgery. Last week I had the post-surgery oncology doctor visit. All reports have come back good so maybe I will stop stressing and shaking. I did get to work on my moose bag landscape while waiting for the appointment to start. Glenn, who was my driver, just had a nap. I am pretty sure, even so stressed before the appointment, I had more fun felting than he did napping. Today is the end of week 5(?) so at least 3 or more weeks to go, just in time for spring?
1)Picture of bag in progress (there is still more to do but it’s looking like a landscape now!)
To cheer myself up, I ordered a new needle felting book I had spotted online and a clover tool, since I could not find where I put mine. I found it after I ordered a new one, it was at the bottom of the moose bag…. What was it doing hiding there?
What I had spotted: Create Beautiful Needle Felted Landscapes, everything you need to know to create stunning needle felted pictures, by Helen Winter. The cover looked good, but I know you are not to judge a book by its cover. The reviews looked good too, so maybe the cover is correct? I ordered the paperback edition and went back to bed. It arrived Feb 22 before my appointment. Let’s have a look. Although this book focuses on 2D pictures, its introduction also mentions needle felting 3-D as well.
2) Cover of new book
To give you an idea of the scope of the book, let’s look at the index
The Index:
Page 1 Introduction
Page 3 About This Book
Page 5 To Get You Started
- Why Needle Felting?
- Get Comfortable To Needle Felt
Page 7 Understanding the Needle Felting Process
- What Is It?
Page 9 Tools And Equipment
- Types Of Felting Needles
- Identifying Needle Felting Needles
- Other Needle Felting Equipment That Will Help You
Page 12 Different Types Of Wool
- Choosing The Right Type Of Wool For Needle Felting
Page 15 Colour Theory And Composition
- Understanding Colour Theory
- Colour Wheel (Needle Felted Wool)
- The Role Of Light And Shadow
- Composition Techniques
- Practical Application In Needle Felting
Page 19 Tips And Techniques
- Needle Felting Action
Page 22 Projects
- Warm Up – Blue Surf
- Sunset Over Sulby
- Ballaugh Curraghs
- Port Erin Bay, Isle Of Man
- Smaefell From Agneash
- The Headlands, Peel
Page 115 Embroidery Stitches
- Straight Stitch
- Back Stitch
- French Knot
- Chain Stitch
Page 118 Mounting Suggestions
- Embroidery Hoop
- Pieces Of Driftwood
- Wooden Frame Without Glass
- Wooden Box Frame
- Professional Mounting And Framing
Page 122 Frequently Asked Questions
Page 124 Resources
- UK Suppliers
- USA Suppliers
Page 125 Next Steps
Page 126 Acknowledgements
As you can see, she has an overview of needles and other tools, wool options, and a quick overview of colour.
For Needles:
She has a quick overview of the most common shapes that are presently available. A bit more info on gauges and when to use which needle would be helpful if included at this point. It’s a good start on needle information, and later in the book she does list what needles she uses as she explains the projects.
Fiber and Fiber prep:
3) diagram of fiber
Looking at one of her photos, again there is an odd interpretation of what is “Roving” which seems to be confused with combed top. She is a very good felter, she may not be a spinner who has used combs for fiber preparation. The problem of inconsistent vocabulary goes back to those who are selling/re-selling prepared fiber. We have been told by sellers that Roving is a rope like fiber preparation, and all long rope like preparations are roving. Unfortunately, there are two rope like presentations of prepared fiber. If you are a spinner or felter you will quickly notice there is a big difference. The spinners likely have been taught the difference between the two.
Combs produce a strip of parallel fibers which, when spun, will create worsted yarn (smooth, think of the fabric in an expensive men’s suit). While carding (whether on a drum carder, hand carders or pet brushes) will create more disorganized fiber, and when spun will produce a woolen yarn. Think fluffy sweater yarn.
When needle felting, the disorganization of Carded fiber will make fiber entanglement easier. Combed top can be used, but if you disorganize it (use one of the carding tools or hand blend it), the fiber entanglement will happen much more quickly. If you are trying to create a sculpture with a long fur coat, then combed top such as alpaca or blends with silk will work wonderfully since the fiber is less inclined to felt to itself and can be added in shingle like layers to build up an outer fur coat. So don’t write off combed top as useless to us, it just takes a bit more persuading to felt and some fiber types can make beautiful fur for sculptures.
Projects:
She has found inspiration in the Isle of Man and its diverse landscape. There are examples of sky, sea and land. At the start of each project there is a note about the image, what tools will be needed, and wool colours will be required. The step-by-step instructions for her project are full of explanatory pictures, which are clear and should be easy to follow. There are also good descriptions of what she is doing and why. She suggests working with small amounts of fiber in layers, which is similar to the watercolour like effects I tend to work with in wisps of fiber.
4.1-4.5) a few examples of photo instructions, they are clear and give a good indication of what she is doing.
Sewing Embellishments:
6)Sewing Embellishments
There are a couple of pages of embroidery stitches and examples of embellishing your picture with stitches. She also includes a list of suppliers for the UK and the US to get us started. I hope, in the next edition, she will include some of the Canadian suppliers too. (Olive Sparrow and Fiber Craft spring to mind, but we have other sellers in other provinces too.)
If you are interested in Picture needle felting, this book is worth a look, and probably adding to your library. It would be a helpful resource, to those reasonably new to needle felting, as well as inspire those who have been felting for a while. Although I probably will not create her Isle of Man landscapes, she has inspired me to look around locally for inspiration. I am glad I have added Create Beautiful Needle Felted Landscapes, by Helen Winter to my library.
Other books you may want to investigate if you are interested in this topic, check second hand or local book store to find a copy:
