Cheap VS Expensive beginners Needle Felting Kits

[@remitries]

I just found your channel after getting into this hobby, and I want you to know that I really respect the thoroughness of your videos! I also really enjoy your voice and humor. Thank you, Julie! 💖

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you so much for these lovely comments, it's really good to hear that you like the thoroughness of the videos and glad you like the humour, thanks for watching.

[@donkerengel]

Same here just starting with felting and these vids helped me so much.❤

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you, glad you're finding the videos helpful, thanks for watching

[@dearkorina3157]

Can I just say that I appreciate your videos because there is no music. It makes it easy to understand you and makes the video not overwhelming to listen to. New viewer here. I got a felting kit at a yard sale today and got to it right away. I've made two goofy looking koroks (a leaf character from the last two Zelda games) Anyway I'll be checking in for more tips to get better at this skill. Thank you.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Many thanks for this, glad you like the videos, I do use music very occasionally at the very start but once as you say I think it makes it easier to listen to if there isn't any. I like the sound of your koroks, just googled them, 😊 I can imagine they look really good needle felted. Thanks for your comments and thanks for watching

[@maxinemann2490]

I know this is a few months old but I wanted to comment for others. The cat kit is like several I've bought on Temu. Being new to felting I didn't want to spend $$$ on something I wouldn't continue. WARNING: most of the instructions for the "cat" type kits give you only 4 pics and a QR code. I did have one kit that the 2 QR codes led to general info on felting and not specific to the kit. That said, I have completed several different kits and last night finished a squirrel completely without a kit using a pic. Your videos have helped a lot. Still struggling for those very thin lines but I'll get there.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Many thanks for sharing this and letting us know, I can imagine these types of kits vary a great deal in quality of instructions, that's great that you been able to make a squirrel 😁 I have a video on felting fine details here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqq7cqyBdr2Sl5Y hope it helps with felting fine lines, thanks for watching

[@emma_s.234]

Your videos tend to make me both learn something new and laugh out loud! 😂 Love the kit comparison!

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you for these lovely comments 😊, glad you liked the kit comparison, thanks for watching

[@nobodyqwertyu]

Gosh that panda costume cat is too cute!.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

It is very cute and fun to make, thanks for watching

[@violetm9045]

I was given a cheap kit a few weeks ago, haven't stopped felting since and I think I've found a hidden talent.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

That's great, glad you've found needle felting and are enjoying it 😁👍

[@SarahDeesJournee]

I love your channel so much, you really go in depth and I love that you show comparisons. I don’t know if you guys have TEMU over there, but I’m a beginner and that’s where I’ve been buying my kits for only a few bucks. I agree with you that the instructions aren’t the best, though. I had no idea that you needed to felt until firm and so I couldn’t get details on one of my kits to work at all. You’ve been a great resource!

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you for these lovely comments, glad you've found my videos helpful. Yes we have temu but I've not tried it yet, thanks for the info. Yes the instructions in these cheaper kits don't go into much detail, I hope you manage to get the details to work and happy felting, thanks for watching

[@elliedelacy8193]

Your channel is brilliant. I’ve just started needle felting and your tutorials and tips are really helpful. I did smile to myself when you talked about the importance of instructions. I ordered my first kit from TEMU and was completely baffled. I got 3 colours of roving wool (very small amounts too), a foam mat, a couple of needles and eyes and a nose. The only instructions included were a QR code to a KZbin video with written instructions in Chinese. The only instructions included with the kit was ‘don’t make this too big’. That was it - not even a reference photo! In the end I used the wool to practice on so it wasn’t a complete waste of money. I love your videos, clear instructions and a great sense of humour. Thank you Julie.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you for your lovely comments, oh wow! that's the worst lack of instructions I've heard of! The fact that it just said ' don't make this too big' made me laugh! Glad you were able to use the wool to practise though 😊 and glad you find my videos helpful, and like my sense of humour 😊 thanks for watching

[@FakeDuckling]

Those are some ace dinosaurs 😉 You probably should be sponsored cos I just put the panda cat in my basket haha😂

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Absolutely, Hannah did an excellent job making those dinosaurs 😉🦖 I think they're really cute, and considering the instructions she did really well. Thanks for putting the cat in your basket 😁 I am an Amazon associate so I do get a very small commission on any sales from the link in the description 😊 so thank you for that and thanks for watching.

[@SelemaTatsuhiko]

My parents got me a kit from Craft Company over a year ago. It’s a hedgehog as they’re my favorite animal and it had the beginner label on it. I admit I haven’t touched it because I’m still too intimidated to start it but seeing this video (along with your other beginner tip videos) puts me more at ease. It’s hard not knowing if the instructions really reflect the time and quality of the materials even in the hands of an amateur. I get so in my head that I’m going to make a horrible creature lol

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you for this, I really want to encourage you to give it a go, if it's a craft company kit it will have good wool to work with, and probably plenty of it and hopefully good instructions that will help you. Needle felting is a very forgiving craft, so even if you go a bit wrong you can correct things. And so what if you go a bit wrong, it'll make it unique to you 🫂 we all make mistakes when trying something new 😊 hope you'll give it a go, and have fun felting, thanks for watching

[@joeyotten2091]

I hope you made everyone their own panda bags 😉 delightful video as usual!

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

I'm going to have to now, they keep nagging me 😉 aw thanks for the lovely comment and thanks for watching

[@myfabulouslifewithlupus]

the results surprised me, thanks for another great video.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thanks for this, can I ask in what way we're you surprised? Was it that it was a close run race? I'm being cryptic as I don't want to spoil the end for anyone 😁 thanks for the lovely compliment and for watching

[@myfabulouslifewithlupus]

@@juliesfeltedfriends I was surprised that the more expensive kit did not score higher. I guess this proves that more money doesn't necessarily mean more quality, Thanks again for such a great video.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Oic, thanks for replying, really appreciate it, yes I found it interesting and was a bit surprised too, but overall the crafty kit company mole was a good kit. Glad you liked the video 😊

[@sionnach8]

Thank you Julie for the detailed critique of the two kits! The dolls are so lovely. I myself have tried a few: a dolphin (my first ever wool felt piece), a panda brooch and a snowshoe rabbit. I got the first two kits at a dollar store (not sure if there's such in the UK); the wool quality wasn't too bad and the instructions were easy to follow. The rabbit kit was a little more expensive (more material, and instructions too) and the wool was softer so a little challenging for me to manage, especially when doing detailed areas. I've yet to try out other animal kits, as I find them to be good practice exercises and reference for future work. *By the way, perhaps you can make another mole (Mr. Mole Jr.?) with the leftover wool! :)

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Thank you for commenting, no we don't have a dollar tree but we do have pound shops or similar style stores (called "Home Bargains" and "B & M") that do sell cheap felting kits, glad you found those kits were ok and easy to follow. Good luck with your animal kits, they are a good way to learn techniques and good practise, I enjoyed making the two kits. I really like your idea to make a Mr mole Jr 😁 thanks for watching

[@AbqIlona]

My first attempt at needle felting was with the Crafty Kit Company bunny kit for beginners. My bunny came out okay but I did struggle quite a lot with knowing what the size should be. I do think that the CKC has really nice kits with nice wool. They are also generous with the amount of wool they give you. However, I have noticed that the instructions could be better at times and they are not always consistent. Some kits have better instructions that others. I do think CKC kits are good for beginners. Still, I have learned the most from watching KZbin videos like yours. Keep up the good work!

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Thank you for this, glad you managed to make a crafty kit company bunny, sounds like you had a very similar experience to me, the wool is lovely, the instructions do vary a lot in kits don't they! Thank you for your lovely compliments and thanks for watching

[@bethmegansmith4642]

Love your video .. made me smile...I personally stay away from kits I use books just ordered two from Amazon on Friday . Oh I do love your ruler it is super cool Pandas xxxxThanks for sharing xxxxxxx

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Glad you liked it and it made you smile 😊 the panda cat was quite good fun to make. Glad you like the ruler 🐼 hope you enjoy the books you've ordered, thanks for watching

[@bethmegansmith4642]

@@juliesfeltedfriends I hope so too .hahahaha

[@tanyablencowe6568]

Love your videos, thankyou for the humour! I already have that panda kitty kit🐼🐱😻 havent attempted it yet! But i normally find a youtube video of someone felting those kits, usually a different language or just a demo with background music. I have to look really hard but gives me a good idea! Ps just finished watching and saw you mentioned about the demo kit video😅 pps i love Needle Nerdy time ❤xx

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thanks for the lovely comments, glad you like the videos and my humour 😊 hope your panda cat kit goes well, it was fun to make and she is cute. Yes the video that came with the kit is very helpful, seems like you watched all the video 🙂, so thanks for that as it is a long one 😁 glad you like needle felting nerd time! I put these things in and wonder if it's just me that finds them funny 🤣 so thanks for the feedback xx

[@patphares6258]

Extremely interesting video chock full of good beginner tips. Production value stellar! Thank you…. ❤

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thanks for this, glad you found it helpful and thanks for watching

[@craftykat]

I just found your channel because I was sent some needle felting kits and haven't needle felted in over 10 years and have forgotten how, lol. My goodness, your channel is delightful! I'm so glad I found you. Both of your items turned out so well! I tried to get that cat kit but they were out of stock so I have a cute little pig wearing a bunny hat instead, lol.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thanks for these lovely comments, glad you like my videos and that you've come back to needle felting 😊 hope you have fun belting the little pig and thanks for watching

[@goodeystudio7155]

I had similar experiences with kits. As a true beginner it was very frustrating! In the very first place it would say something like you need two inches of wool but didn’t even tell you how to properly pull the wool apart! Tiny details were explained how to etc. and the photos were often once the step was done vs in progress so I couldn’t guess based off of that either. I love the idea of doing more kits but I don’t think it’s worth it if they’re all like this. I’ll just follow tutorials or do classes till I’m ready to really do my own stuff!

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Yes I've definitely found that some kits really don't give enough detail in their instructions, thanks for this, it's good to know that I'm not alone in wanting photos during the process etc. Happy felting and thanks for watching

[@charbabyFNF]

Recently found your channel after I bought my first kit from hobbycraft, the sausage dog kit. The instructions were so hard to follow! Only written, no pictures and the wool was a different colour than the picture. Fair to say the dog turned out very wonky with a shorter leg than intended and a long snout 😂 However, there is plenty of wool left over so I'm going to find a template and make my own dog! Definitely dont recommend the hobby craft kits purely for Institutions. Thankfully these videos have been helpful as a beginner.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Yes the instructions seem to be the thing that vary the most in kits, thanks for sharing about your experience of the Hobbycraft kit, the wool being a different colour is a bit naughty! Glad my videos have been helpful, perhaps you have seen my older videos particularly the one on shaping which may help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYG0n553ZZinnZosi=e_g-ip_b5GBScE85 thanks for watching.

[@Sans-b2z]

I got a kit sorta like one of these as a kid and it was nice overnall but it was recommended for kids but had pretty hard steps 😅

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Oh wow yes I'd say the cat kit is quite tricky for adults learning needle felting, so would be tough for a kid 😬 thanks for watching

[@MissMASMRRoleplay]

I just ordered the cat one and similar ones.. I am excited to try them but little nervous that they wount look as cute as in the picture... hopefully they will turn out ok... it has been awhile that I have needelfelted anything... so I might be "rusty"... thank you for the video. 👍

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Hope you manage to make some cute cats and have fun felting, glad you liked the video, thanks for watching

[@Wompwomppwomp]

IS THE FELTING WOOL IS NEED RO BE KINDA SOFT LIKE HARD SOFT ???😅 I FELT FOR 18 MIN QND ITS WAS STILL HARD SFOT

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Different people needle felt to a different firmness, personally I felt fairly firmly as this makes it easier to add eyes, mouths etc. I felt the wool until it gives slightly when pressed, a bit like a squeezing a tennis ball. I hope this helps, I'm not sure what you mean by hard soft 😊 you might want to watch my video called 'when do I stop stabbing? Needle felting for beginners' here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYOQg5-Bm9GBatk thanks for watching

[@abijahdixon2771]

Could some small felted things be made as keychains, or would they be too fragile? I was thinking things without eyes or glasses etc., such as simple things like names.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

You could try this, if you felted them quite firmly they would be more robust, but they might get fuzzy if handled or in a pocket. But if you just hung them on the outside of a bag they'd probably be fine. Hope this helps, thanks for watching

[@D3DBATZ]

Have you seen. The cheep kits in Home bargains?

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

I've seen them in the past but not recently, do they look any good? Is it something you'd like to see me do a video on? Thanks for watching,

[@D3DBATZ]

@@juliesfeltedfriends I have used them. I wouldn't recommend them for beginners though (mainly because of the instructions) 😅 the one I done was the Pumpkin one (and I added my own spin to it.). I Think your review of them will be pretty funny

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Yes I can imagine the instructions are, to put it politely, challenging! 😁 Thanks for this 😊 I like that you put you're own spin on the kit, I'll see if I can get one, thanks.

[@D3DBATZ]

@@juliesfeltedfriends especially of. The instructions are basicly one page and one black and white Image. I mostly used the wool for a different project 😅

[@mirthy8219]

I love the jingle Xd

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thanks, glad you like it 😊 thanks for watching

[@dodosmamma1692]

The Crafty Kit Company's costs go into their very attractive packaging and they are quite generous with the amount of wool. That said, I find their instructions very vague which is really annoying. It would be nice if they could provide stencil or template information for us to use as reference when measuring dimensions. I've given up on them, I find them poor value for money and I was unable to finish two kits that I purchased using their instructions.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Many thanks for sharing this, yes I was quite surprised by the instructions for this mole, they could make them a bit more beginner friendly, good to hear you're experience of their kits, thanks for watching

[@OmarShaarani]

The language is Chinese I got mine from China

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Thanks for this and thanks for watching