by Debb41
Needle felting can be rewarding. Indulge in a relaxing hobby and make some money.

Never heard of needle felting? It’s a great way to create just about anything with wool using a dry felting technique. All you need is a special needle, foam, and wool.

You can find raw sheeps’ or alpaca wool by searching on the internet. Get medium to fine wool. Purchase the wool straight off the animal or already cleaned and carded.

You need a barbed needle. These special needles are, also, available through a search for needle felting supplies on the internet. Start with a 36 triangle needle. The needles are usually $1.00 apiece.

Needle felt your work on a foam block. This protects you from the needle and gives you a great surface for felting the wool. You can find foam chair pad inserts at craft stores that will work. Your foam needs to be at least 2 inches thick.

Lay your wool on the foam and poke it with the barbed needle. The needle tangles the wool. After several jabs, you will see the wool begin to felt. Keep moving over the surface with the needle until the entire piece is felted. There are needle felting books available to help you learn the technique.

First and foremost, relax! To bring peace of mind, focus on something that you find fun to make. If you’re making something in which you have no interest, you will be uptight and stunt your creativity. Have passion for your craft and it will show in your work and attitude.

Now that you’re relaxed, create! With needle felting, patterns are unnecessary. Just use your imagination for uniquely you projects. You can create almost anything with needle felting. Here are a few ideas to start:

• Hats
• Pillows
• Rugs
• Purses
• 3D sculptures of personalities or animals
• Apply designs to felt and other materials
• Wall hangings

When you get good at needle felting and projects are cluttering your house, then do a little research to see if people would be interested in purchasing your creations. A great place to check is ebay. Do a search of your item, see if others are selling it, and find out the going price. If you will make a profit after your cost and time, then sell your items on ebay or locally. People love handmade crafts.

So, take a deep breath, relax, create, and make some money.

Visit http://www.owning-alpaca.com/needle-felting-tutorial.html for free needle felting projects and information. Debby McCandless raises alpacas and uses the fleece to needle felt three dimensional characters and other projects.

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