Yeah, I’ve beaded, I’ve sketched, I’ve crocheted, I’ve made softies, all the craftsy stuff. But my eye kept being drawn to needle-felted creatures on Etsy. I never bought any because, well, I’m cheap/frugal/broke (however you want to look at it) and I can’t bring myself to buy anything I could conceivably make myself. Not that I was actually making it myself, nor did I know how; the point was that if I were so inclined I could learn.
Then I came across Vampire Bun by Woolykins, and fell in love.
As fast as you can say “PayPal,” Vampire Bun was on his way to me. And – to keep it from happening again – so was a box of felting supplies from Joann.com. $30 for everything I need to create a whole freaky forest of little animals? Can’t beat that! (I’m still cringing from the amount of money I spent on beads. Oh, and the seven rolls of real wool yarn I got for a crocheted vest that I never wear.)
This little Totoro was my first creation. It took me about two minutes to get the hang of the process, and from wool to whiskers, he was completed in about three hours. And therein I discovered the wonderful thing about needle-felting, which is this:
YOU CAN’T MESS IT UP.
Seriously. If it sticks up, you can poke it down or rip it off. If it doesn’t stick up enough, you can fluff it up, or add more. If it’s totally wrong, you can shred it apart and put it back together until you like it.
It’s like modeling with clay. Except fluffy.
In short, perfect for an impatient perfectionist like me.
I’ve already had a couple of people ask if I’ll be making more of these. The answer is yes and no. I won’t be making Totoro characters for sale, because they’re trademarked by Studio Ghibli and I have this unfortunate belief in intellectual property. I will however be making felties of my own design available on my Etsy page, Laurelcrown Art. To get updated when new items get posted, become a fan of Laurelcrown on Facebook. Nothing spammy, I promise.
If you’re interested in needle-felting, check out this video. It was really all I needed to get going.
Maybe if more people start doing it, Joann’s and Michael’s will start stocking the supplies in their stores.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it!