Needle Felting Supplies — Starter Materials

I often describe needle felting as the ideal craft– it has a quick learning curve, requires minimal supplies and can be done almost anywhere.  For this post, I want to go into the minimal supply aspect and talk about the three things that you’ll need to start needle felting.

1. Wool
2. Needle felting needles
3. Felting pad

WOOL

Lots of different types of wool will work for needle felting, but some types felt quicker than others, which ultimately means less stabbing time for you.  My go-to wool is Corriedale (or a Corriedale blend). These fibers are thicker and springier, qualities that allow the fibers to tangle more easily than a thinner, softer wool like Merino.  But if you happen to have Merino wool lying around the house, you can still use it for needle felting– it will just take you a little longer to form the shape that you want.  To save $ on supplies, I first create a “core” of white wool (less expensive) that I then cover with dyed wool (more expensive).

Here is a great sampler pack of dyed Corriedale wool for under $40, and here is a pound of white carded wool from an Etsy seller for under $20.

FELTING NEEDLES

To get started, all you need are a few size 38 gauge felting needles.  You can purchase them online here  (4-pack) or here (bulk-QTY 30).

You may also want to consider the Clover Pen Tool.  The pen holds three felting needles at the same time, which can moves your project along at a faster pace.  But you wouldn’t want to use the pen tool for finer detail work.

FOAM PAD

And lastly, you will need a surface that will be able to standup against the sharp needle felting needles but also doesn’t break the needles.  Most people, including me, use a foam pad.  Something like this would provide a great work surface.