Dry felting of toys. Felting toys: a master class for beginners

Each craftsman, keen on needlework, tried to create toys. There are many techniques for performing such products. Among them, there was a wide popularity of dry felting of toys. This technique is also called filtering or felting.

Technics of dry felting

In ancient times carpets, decking, clothing, headgear wore from the wool. Now needlewomen are fond of creating decorative objects, toys, ornaments and souvenirs from felt. In the process of filtrating, the fibers of the wool become entangled and form a dense lump, which in the hands of the winglets acquires the desired shape. The main thing is to take into account that initially taken quantity of wool will fade 2-3 times when felting. Therefore, creating toys in the technique of dry felting, you need to stock up on the necessary amount of material.

If irregularities are formed in the product, they can be sealed by padding additional pieces of wool. Often, dry-felting toys are created from several parts that are made separately and then combined by tilting one element to the next with small pieces of wool.

Tools for felting

This kind of needlework, like the dry felting of toys, does not require special equipment. In the initial set, it is sufficient to have needles of different diameters and cross sections. It will take another sintepon, from which the work on felting begins. It is inexpensive, so for making large toys, it is taken as the basis of the future product. Still need a coat for the top layer, which turns the prepared part from the sintepon and falls to the base.

Many use such a tool as the needle holder. It is a plastic or wooden handle with holes, which holds several needles at once. The needle holder accelerates the work process, helping to capture a large part of the area.

Dry felting of toys can not be performed on a hard surface. The needle piercing the product through, from the impact on the table can break. To avoid this, you need a special mat for filtering, a brush or foam rubber sponge.

More on felting needles

The entire process of filing is done with needles of different sizes. Needle for felting does not have an ear, its shape resembles a poker and can be up to 13 cm long. Needles are classified by the number and shape of the section. The thickest are marked # 32-no. 36 and are used at the beginning of work, but leave behind large punctures in the product. Therefore, sealing the parts, the needle is changed to the middle one with the number 38. With its help, depressions are formed, the main work and decoration of the toy are performed. Needle number 40 grind the product and modify the decor. The needle should be changed when it enters badly the part of the craft. If you do such needlework as a dry felting toy, for beginners it will be enough to have three needles of different diameters, having a triangular cross section. This form is the most common and can be used at all stages of work, only the needle number changes. There are some that have a stellate section. They are used for polishing the product. Crown needle helps to attach decorative elements without deforming them. There is also a needle of the reverse section, which rips out the inner layers of the base. It is used by professional masters to give the toy a natural color from different shades.

The process of working with a needle

In the process of felting, the needle continuously sticks into the lump of wool, penetrating deep into and grabbing the fibers. At the same time, the villi are tangled and kneaded until the workpiece acquires sufficient density.

Needles for filing are very sharp, so they need to work extremely carefully. During felting, do not be distracted, otherwise you risk seriously injuring yourself. When working with a needle, the felted product can not be kept on weight, it is necessary to put it on a special device that can not be stalled. When working, the needle can not be tilted and wiggled, but you need to keep them perpendicular to the craft, since they are very brittle.

Variety of wool

Toys in the technique of dry felting are made of sheep wool. The wool of Australian and New Zealand Merinos is particularly valued, which has its differences.

From coarse sheep's wool felt boots and toys are created, which are obtained with shaggy fur.

Bleached, which can be easily colored at home, is called a whitewash. It is used as a basis or for creating a light background.

Ohes is called sheep wool of small hairs, left after carding. It can be used when stuffing toys.

Sliver is the cheapest unpainted wool. It is used as a filler, on which the main layer of the desired color is tied.

Semi-thin wool of merino sheep. It is used for finishing products.

Also, dry-felting toys are made from camel and goat wool.

How to connect parts correctly

If you did not work with wool, and you were interested in dry felting, it is important for beginners to know how to connect individual parts to each other. After you piled up the details of the toy separately, the main thing is to attach them correctly to the trunk. The place of stalling should not be as tight as the whole product. Working with a needle, you need to bypass these places, leaving them loose. The wool of the part to be joined must fall deep inside and be firmly fixed inside. We pin the element to the body with the pins and find the correct position. After that, with a thick needle, we straighten the wool of the part inside the body, achieving a strong joint. Having convinced that the detail sits strong enough, we level the surface and close the seam with separate bundles of wool with a medium-sized needle. Having fixed the joints, they can be ground with a thin needle.

How to fluff the product

A toy made of wool can be fluffed in two ways:

- with the help of a reverse section needle;

- by attaching individual bundles of wool.

The craftsmen basically spread out a ready-made polished toy with all the attached details. Pushing the back needle into the body, pulling the fibers of the wool out. Try to make punctures close to each other, so that the toy has a thick fur without bald spots. Depending on the size of the product, it can take several hours to dissipate. After the work is completed, the fur can be trimmed with a model, giving the toy a finished look.

The second way of fluffing involves external tugging on a craft of fine wool strands. Starting from the bottom of the toy, we put the middle of the string to the body and attach it with a needle No. 38. Thus, we increase the fur around the product. Then we lower all the strands down. The next bundles are tilted, receding upwards from the lower row of 1 cm. The work will be finished when you fan all the surface planned for the fur.

Mix colors

If you want to make toys yourself, dry felting makes it possible to make the animal as natural and alive as possible. To give the toy a natural color will help mix six different shades. This can be done both at the beginning of the work, creating details of the future product, and by adding a coat of different colors.

If you choose the first method, the lump of wool of one color is taken as a base and slightly tilted, then turns into the color of the future skin of the animal and also lays down. The color will be mixed at the stage of working with the needle of the reverse section. The needle will release the wool inside, and partially exfoliate the outer layer. During the process, the toy will acquire an interesting, close to a living shade. The main thing is to choose colors that are close to the animal's coat.

To create strips, a method of fluffing by stitching is suitable. Only in this case it is necessary to increase the fur, alternately changing the color of the strands at a certain distance. This method is suitable for toys with long hair. To create short-haired animals, the string should be firmly welded along its entire length, creating a schematic arrangement of strips on the corpuscle. Then sweep back the needle.

Dry felting toys: a master class of felting toys on a frame

The process of felting is a very fascinating activity. It calms and gives the opportunity to ponder and fantasize.

Consider for beginners a small MK. Dry felting of toys can be performed using a frame. Create a doll of wool. To work, you need a chenille wire, from which cut pieces 8 and 14 cm long, wool for felting different colors - it depends on the imaginary image. Needles of triangular cross-section No. 38 for the initial stage, No. 40 for full compaction, and stellar No. 40 for grinding, felting sponge.

To create a frame, fold in half a piece of wire 14 cm long, it will serve as legs. In the loop, poke the second piece of the hands. Twist the wire several times, forming a trunk. Then leave 5 cm of wire free for the legs. Depending on what position the pupa will take, bend the skeleton. This can be the folds of the knees, feet, elbows and hands. Wrap the entire frame of the product with the wool strands, gradually fixing it with a needle for felting. In the area of the trunk and brushes, wind a little more hair, increasing the volume.

To make a head, you need to form a wool ball and stick it with a needle, achieving a diameter of no more than 2 cm. Then tear off the long and wide strand, wrap it with the head of the doll, if necessary stitching it and fix it with a small scrap, creating a neck. The hanging hair is distributed in front and behind the trunk, attach the head and secure the strands to the frame.

Next, you need to put on a doll dress. To do this, take the wool of the desired color and begin to tuck the strands vertically to the waist line, creating a skirt. Privalav locks around the entire body of the pupa, cut off the ends, so that the lower edge of the skirt was even. To form a top, wrap the trunk of the doll with locks, fixing them with a needle number 40.

In the same way, you can make a ballet choker or sleeves. Handles can be bent and placed in the palms of the flower. Finish the image by creating the appropriate hairstyle.

Choosing as a needlework dry felting of toys, you should know that this work is very laborious and requires perseverance and patience.