How I Start a Needle Felt Painting: From a Photo to Wool

In this video, fiber artist Cathy Disbrow takes you into her head to show you how she starts a needle felt painting. She has never felted this picture before, which gives you a true sense of her thought process when creating a wool painting. This is not a full tutorial, but will get you well on your way to thinking about your own needle felt paintings.
Cathy takes us on her journey of choosing a photo of a flower, how she transfers the outline to a felt sheet, her initial the wool color choices, and stabbing the wool into the felt sheet canvas while figuring out what colors she will use.
Intro: 0:07
Outlining the Photo: 2:01
Wool Color Choices: 9:52
Felting the Petals' Colors: 12:53
Felting the Stigma Colors: 28:39
Felting the Stem & Leaf Colors: 46:48
Final Thoughts: 57:14
BRAND NEW to needle felt painting? Watch my Basics of Needle Felt Painting video: • Felting 101: Basics of...
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[@recreepy]

Your dedication to your craft is evident in every video

[@WoollyDoodles]

Thank you. 🙂

[@NasoMessina-g8q]

Great tutorial, I'm glad I found you. I've never done needle felting but you have inspired me to have a go. I think the flower is an Echinacea. Best wishes from Australia.

[@WoollyDoodles]

Thank you, I'm glad you found me too. Yes, it is an Echinacea flower. :-)

[@adorablerepurposals6745]

I love the painting! I love it!!! Remember, you’re doing a teaching tutorial. You haven’t worked on it, nearly, as long as the video. The colors are perfect. And this is one of my favorite flowers. Great tutorial!

[@WoollyDoodles]

Thank you. :-)

[@jwcreates23]

This is very useful, thanks. I will be looking out for more. Want to move onto the background!

[@WoollyDoodles]

I'm glad it helped you. I'll have more time to record and edit videos in 2024 and will make sure to record one on backgrounds. Happy felting!

[@susiea1419]

Beautiful. I learnt such a lot!

[@WoollyDoodles]

Thank you. I'm glad it helped.

[@annwalker4142]

Hi I am so happy to see this video, I am just starting felting, I am not getting on very well with the animals. I was thinking landscapes or free felting, may be better for me. So this could not have come at a better time for me. This is my assignment for tomorrow. My biggest worry is which type and size needles to use, difficult for beginners. Hope this is the first of many. 😍

[@WoollyDoodles]

I'm glad I could help. For animals, I recommend pencil sketching the ones you want to felt. It will help you get a great feel for what they look like. If you can sketch them in-person, even better. There will be more videos in the future!

[@janetwatley9773]

That is a beautiful flower ❤

[@WoollyDoodles]

Thank you. :-)

[@bonniebccanada5113]

Did you felt the owl in the background? It is beautiful. Thank you for this video I am just slowly getting into felting and this was very helpful.

[@shepherd4406]

This was very helpful thank you.

[@WoollyDoodles]

You're welcome. Glad it was helpful for you.

[@gurudeepajeancorry5730]

Great video ! I can't wait to try this. Can this be done on a felted bag, hat or slippers?

[@CathyDisbrow]

Yes you can, as long as what you're needle felting on to is made with wool or material blended with wool. Happy felting!

[@WoollyDoodles]

Yes you can!

[@kayconstable3716]

I love your videos- you are a very good teacher! I know you were not finished but how do decrease the appearance of the holes?

[@WoollyDoodles]

Thank you for watching and for the lovely compliment. I usually scratch the holes with my fingernail to hide them. But if you have larger holes, I would recommend using a finer gauge needle (40 triangle or 40 star) and checking to make sure the wool is connecting to your felt sheet and not loosely hanging on to it. Send me a direct message if you want to send me a photo and I can better help you.

[@kayconstable3716]

Thank you!

[@broteam9529]

Would a reverse needle work for the centre?

[@WoollyDoodles]

It probably will. I've never used the reverse needle in needle felt painting, but it should give you some form of texture. Time to experiment. :-D

[@donnarichey144]

Using that piece of felt, is it one you get at craft stores like joanne's? I was trying to see and they are not wool. Where do you buy your pieces?

[@WoollyDoodles]

I always use 100% wool felt sheets. If you want to experiment and play, you can use the acrylic sheets like they sell at JoAnne's Fabrics or Michaels, they will work. I buy my 100% wool sheets from a supplier in Canada, Fibrecraft.ca, who does ship to the U.S. And note, they are NOT pre-felted wool but wool felt sheets 1.2mm.

[@sandyr.733]

It’s a CONE flower.

[@WoollyDoodles]

Yes, one of Echinacea's common names is a Coneflower and in the Daisy family.

[@anamanam2202]

But you are really boring...😢

[@WoollyDoodles]

I'm sorry you feel this way. I hope you can find needle felting videos you do enjoy. Take care.