Each project is accompanied by clear, step-by-step instructions and beautiful photographs, and there are handy hints and tips throughout the book to help make the crafting process even easier. Detailed guidance is provided at the start of the book on the materials and equipment you need; how to sculpt a basic bear; make your bears' paws, feet and faces; and how to really bring your bear to life by carefully positioning the nose, eyes and ears. The techniques are easy to learn and soon you will be designing and making bears of your own to keep or give. Step Five: Take smaller amounts of wool and needle felt one small amount into a ball for the muzzle. Take another two equally sized small amounts and fold the wool over into a rough ear-shape, and needle felt some ears. Leave a loose part on the underside of the muzzle and on the under-side of the ears for attachment purposes. Search Press supports the Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising of the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada (DAAC), and the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA). To make an evenly shaped ball, keep your eye on one profile edge, felt it into an even curve, turn the shape and then make that edge match. Keep turning and looking at one profile edge. A neat ball will soon form.

I would like to add that, at least with needle felting, smaller does not mean easier. In fact, a roughly hand-sized bear is the easiest size to needle felt, anything smaller is much more difficult since it is easier to poke yourself. Anything larger than hand-sized takes longer due to the larger amount of wool that you need to felt down. Needle Felting Basics: Step Three: Create arms using “logs” of roving. A three to four inch long, narrow strip of roving doubled will usually make one arm comfortably. If you double the roving, the fold is where the paw will be, and the loose ends will help facilitate the arm-to-body attachment. Work up from the top of the legs with your felting needle all the time shaping and forming the torso. Repeatedly pushing the needle in at a point below the belly will cause the body to bend upwards and make your teddy into a sitting bear. Step Six:– Assembling: Needle felt the ears, and muzzle onto the head. Also shape for the eyes and felt the head down a bit more. Then needle felt the arms and legs to the bear’s torso. Try and position the legs and arms so that they are equal. This is also the time to decide if you want your bear to have one arm raised, lowered, and needle felt the limbs into the pose you want. Needle felting is a simple way to sculpt wool into any 3D object you can imagine. Basic needle felting techniques needed to make a bear include, knowing how to make a ball, a log shape, and how to use your needle to do basic shaping. Of course, also knowing how to avoid breaking your needle, or poking yourself, is also beneficial.Each bear measures around 10-12cm (4-5in) tall and can be made in a matter of hours from a bundle of wool fibres, a felting needle and some carefully chosen embellishments. Each bear has its own special character, and they make ideal gifts and keepsakes for friends and loved ones. There's a pretty ballet bear, a cool Christmas bear, as well as a vintage bear, rainbow bear and cute baby bears. Keep needling the head to firm it up and whilst doing so, try to form the ears from the ball by going round with the needle to form the shape. If you can’t form ears this wayadd more felt and needle them on.

Carefully slide the wool off and hold it at the top and bottom so that it doesn’t unravel. It should look like a big marshmallow. Place it on a sponge and begin to poke it all over with the needle. Keep turning the wool. Once you have been all the way around, turn it and begin to round off the top and bottom. Once it is holding its shape, continue to felt it evenly all over. Only stab to the centre of the shape - not all the way through.Form a ball of felt from the remaining wool at the top of the body for the head by rolling it up and felting together with your needle.

Take a small amount of coloured wool fibre and rub it in your fingers until you have a little round pad. Place this onto the ball and very gently felt it, using the tip of your needle, until it is firmly attached. Katie and Rachel will be teaching a series of needle felting and macrame classes at the beautiful Ashridge House this month. Have a go at making the baubles featured here or try crafting baby penguins, macrame snowflakes or Christmas puddings! Now that all the bear's parts are in place, you can start working the wool down to make the features more defined and sized proportionally. Work little by little, don't focus too much on one area, move around keeping the arms, legs, ears the same size. Step Nine: Use your darker colors to add detailing to ears, muzzle, eyes, and paws. Layering dark and light in the eyes can give you a more realistic look as well. Once you have the fine detail done, needle felt colored fiber on as “clothes” or needle felt a flat cloak, shawl, or even a hat.Needle-felting is the art of turning wool fibres into 3D shapes using a specialist needle. It is very easy to master and there are only a few things that you need to know to get started. Wool – Polworth or Coridale roving is preferable. However, as long as the wool will felt you can use whatever you have on hand. I used a hand-carded lot of Romney wool, though commercially prepared roving gives a more uniform result.