Finding the SECRET TO NEEDLE FELTING A SMOOTH FINISH

[@janicemacdonald6000]

If nothing else, I am very impressed at your commitment to counting stabs, Wow....really, a lot of stabs so thank you! Your videos are absolutely brilliant and I appreciate you taking the time (and stabs) to make them so informative. I find you are very clear and concise in your explanations with a great sense of humor that makes them fun and easy to watch. Thank you for helping me to become a better felter.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you for your lovely comments, yes the counting turned out to be a big commitment 😂 really appreciate your feedback, it's so nice to hear that you find them helpful but fun, thanks for watching 😊

[@MrBirdmanTakesPhotos]

Absolutely brilliant. Thank you very kindly for taking the time and energy to create these videos to help us newer folks along.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Thank you for this, you're very welcome 😊 glad you liked it

[@beccamaroney3782]

The fact you brought the Great British Stab Off into it made me chuckle .

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Glad you liked it 😊 thanks for watching

[@NovasYouTubeName]

I like that you act like there are different people doing each thing “our first contestant is going to…”. Fun

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Thanks for this, glad you like it 😁 thanks for watching

[@debgriffiths6357]

You are a star! Thank you for all your hard work, diligence & patience. A very scientific approach!! The humour? As fun too😊

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you for your lovely comments Deb, glad you liked it 😊 thanks for watching

[@noah1502]

thank you julie! i love your videos and artwork. i also love the clear ways you explain, and great editing too! im starting to fall in love with needle felting!!!

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Hi Noah, thanks for the lovely comments, I really appreciate that you like my editing and glad you like the videos. Good luck on your needle felting, you'll soon be addicted to it 😁

[@MsPudwina1367]

This video is so incredibly helpful to my beginner status. Thank you!

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Really glad you've found this helpful, thank you for the lovely comment 🙂

[@gingerninja1953]

I appreciate how your videos are the perfect mix of fun crafty passion and geeky analysing. Just my cup of tea! Thank you ❤❤

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

I love this description 😁 very glad you like them, us crafty passionate geeky types need to stick together 😁 thanks for watching ❤️

[@angelakeal944]

I have only just started needle felting and have found your video's so useful and very practical. I feel very much more confident about trying other things now. Thank you

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you for these lovely comments, glad you've found the videos helpful, happy felting and thanks for watching

[@danielhalverson406]

This is so helpful! Subscribed! I started needle felting today and you are the most helpful and entertaining mentor out there! 🙏🙏🙏

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you so much for your lovely comments, so glad you are finding them helpful 😊

[@Hawk_Leigh]

You videos have been so helpful for me as brand newbie to needle felting! I really appreciate your professional and methodical approach when giving needle felting advice! Your videos are succinct, and you explain things clearly and practically which I also really appreciate! :D

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you for these lovely comments, I really appreciate your feedback, really glad you've found them helpful 😁

[@nfh688jfnie]

Wow if there was a medal for felting you certainly would deserve one. Thank you so much for you incredible dedication to detail and your humour!!!🎖🎖🎖

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you so much, so glad you like it, lovely comments like this make all the work worthwhile 😊 thanks for watching

[@cherylharasti1103]

I see all these needle felted items and they are so amazing but when I try to make a simple ball or egg shape it looks like crap. I love finding you videos because you are telling me you have stabbed these things 1000 times I know I have not done that. I need to start small. thanks for posting these videos.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Thank you for your comments, that's really interesting to hear, it is hard to tell just how much you have to stab the wool from the videos as in order to try to keep them interesting a lot of the stabbing gets cut out, but I'm glad you found my counting helpful 😊

[@jeangibsonmedley]

This is such a big help! Thank you for taking the time to do this.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

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

[@hebelson444]

Oh my goodness....I commend you on your scientific approach ! You must have a background in engineering or statistical analysis 😅. I would like your review on the material you bought from Amazon. Great video.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Thank you for the comments Hugo, my background isn't quite that scientific 🤣 but I do like a good Excel spreadsheet, one day I might work out how to get one into my videos 😂 thanks for letting my know you'd be interested in the wool I bought off Amazon 👍

[@hebelson444]

@@juliesfeltedfriends Hi Julie, What is the difference between Corriedale wool vs Merino wool? Is Corriendale better suited for base material like shaping the body and then covering with colored merino wool.?- (total novice here).....I just ordered my first kit from Amazon. Thanks for the inspiration. - Hugo

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

@@hebelson444 hi Hugo, thanks for the question, the types of wool refer to the different breeds of sheep, I like to think of it as some sheep have thick hair and some have fine hair, bit like us humans 😊 Corriedale is a breed that produces quite thick wool that felts quickly with a thicker needle, something like a 36 gauge needle, so this is ideal for forming the initial shape. So yes I tend to use this thicker wool to form the base then coat it with a layer of fine or thin wool like Merino wool (coloured) or any finer coloured carded wool. Some felters just use all Merino wool, which is possible but I find thicker wool easier to shape, I talk about this a bit in my 'when to stop stabbing' video. Hope this helps and good luck with your needle felting, I'd recommend just having a play and see what you can make 😁

[@eleanorporteous766]

I'm new to felting so your videos are fantastic for me thank you for your hard work x

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you, glad you like the videos, thanks for watching

[@doriskarloff964]

If I counted stabs for quality comparison I'd end up doing it all the time!😄 Thank you for such detailed investigation 💖

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

😂 yeah best not to start counting 😁 you're welcome, glad you liked it, thanks for watching

[@Tracy-f3x]

You are informative and adorably hilarious at the same time! Thank you so much for all your research--very grateful for the time and energy you save all your viewers. Amazing video. =D

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you for your lovely comments, glad you found it helpful and entertaining 😊 thanks for watching

[@flux.aeterna]

For some shapes I’ve found that gently rolling / massaging them has helped to distribute the fibers enough to cover any holes!

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Thank you for posting this tip, it confirms something I'd suspected that the more I handle and rub my item the less holes are visible, great tip 👍 thanks for watching

[@marthamalik1542]

You are AMAZING! Thank so much for explaining everything so well & for taking the time to do all these experiments that is fun & educational. ❤❤

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you 😊 you're very welcome, glad you found it fun as well as educational 😁

[@rosie2290]

Your videos are brilliant, thank you so much,

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you for the lovely comments, thanks for watching

[@norahg2011]

You are just brilliant.. so entertaining and inspiring I afraid to think I just found a new addiction……..❤

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you for this glad you find them entertaining and inspiring 😊 thanks for watching

[@sleepiestleah]

Another helpful one! Trying to make keychains and I worry the fuzziness will just undo with use… going to double check they are firm enough!

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Thank you for this, good luck with the keychains, hope you manage to get that to work, it's not something I've tried I'm afraid

[@neridaneuman9534]

You are a genius. Thank you for explaining.i am new to this.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you 😊 glad you've found it helpful thanks for watching

[@nonnie2seven403]

I love your commentary on your videos, that are extremely helpful. Thanks

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Thank you for this, glad you find them helpful 😊

[@ArtristoCat]

Wow the time you take for these is remarkable, thank you for the dedication. I am waiting for my very first kit and am binging on your tutorials❤. Just a question, has anyone used hairspray to secure the smoothness afterwards? I'm just thinking it wouldn't hurt to give it a light spray😂 but I am sooooo not in the position to add anything yet. Have a lovely day, my kit arrives today from Shein, I want to make small items for a diorama❤

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you for your lovely comments, I love the hairspray idea! I think it might well help, I'd never thought of that, so thanks for the idea, I might have to try it out 😊 I'm intrigued by your diorama, that sounds cute 😊 hope you have fun felting your kit, thanks for watching

[@remremenge8141]

Thank you so much, it was extremely helpful! ❤

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Glad you found it helpful 😊 thanks for watching

[@bethmegansmith4642]

thank you for this very helpful. Happy felting xxx

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Glad you found it helpful, happy felting and thanks for watching xx

[@bethmegansmith4642]

@@juliesfeltedfriends 🥰

[@jesslinlee6957]

Thank you! I've been wondering if I could use scissors to trim the doll

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Yes definitely, glad you've found it helpful, thanks for watching

[@saraharris2699]

I would like to see you test out crown and reverse needles.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Thanks for this, I recently made a video exploring lots of different types of needles including crown and reverse felting needle which is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmaXq2tpf5ygrpo I test the crown needles in the chapter on a smooth finish, and in the chapter on adding long fur. There's also a chapter on reverse felting. Hope this helps and thanks for watching

[@Owl_fredo]

Okay AMAZING VIDEO, second, how many different types of needles are there? Follow up question, what do each of them do?

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thank you, there are quite a few different types, too many to list here I'm afraid, suppliers tend to have a description of what they are good for, however I find that I only use a thick 36 gauge triangular needle for felting thicker core wool, a fine 40 gauge triangular for felting finer Merino wool and for finer details such as eyes and mouths and then a 42 gauge triangular needle that is good for getting a less fuzzy finish and less needle holes. Hope this makes sense and helps, thanks for watching

[@Owl_fredo]

@@juliesfeltedfriends that helps a lot! thanks for all the tips!

[@dilyssewell1907]

All that counting would send my OCD into overdrive! 🤪

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

😊 it did send me a bit 🤪 after making that video I swore is never count my stabs ever again, but I probably will! 🤣 Thanks for watching

[@adelecain1163]

New subscriber here, excellent video!! Thank you!!

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thanks for the sub and for watching 😊

[@clarebrophy8474]

Really interesting. I've been desperate to get a smooth finish..I was wondering if using beeswax balm would work?

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Thanks Clare, you could try beeswax balm, but it might not set? Also I'd imagine it would possibly give a shiny finish, maybe ok for noses it hooves? Maybe I need to do another video on using wax and other beeswax products? 😊

[@hrgdane]

What about possibly wet felting the item a bit after needle felting? I've been wondering about that.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Hmm, I hadn't thought about doing that! That would be an interesting experiment, I might try that one day, thanks for this, I'd be very interested to hear how you get on if you try this 😊

[@genevievedupre219]

Thank you so much

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

You're very welcome, thanks for watching

[@jahmocha9542]

I have to admit, those little sausages covered in brown wool look remarkably, uh, fecal. 😂

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

🤣 uh, sorry hadn't thought about the little sausage arms for the bear in that way 😁 thanks for watching

[@TLRB86]

2 things I do to get a beautiful finish.. #1, use a beard trimmer/dog trimmer AND #2, lightly singe with a lighter

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Ooh thanks for these tips, I've not tried either of these, I'd imagine you need to be careful with the lighter, wouldn't want the whole thing to go up in smoke 😁 thanks for watching

[@maryblencowe]

I am late to the party I’m afraid but would be grateful if you tell us where you bought your carders from? They look an ideal size for those of us who don’t want to card large amounts. I know you can buy carders from pet shops which are cheaper than craft shops but if truth be told I want YOURS!! 😂

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Thanks for watching, yes they're a really nice small size. I bought them on Amazon here in the UK, they are actually two cat brushes that I use as small carders and can be found here: amzn.to/3H2NxXM Please note this is an Amazon Associate link which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase these items from the above link, this does not cost you anymore and I'd be very grateful if you can support my channel in this way. In case you are in the US and this link doesn't work the description of the item is "Ancol Ergo Cat Slicker Brush" and I bought two of them. Hope you manage to buy a couple.

[@maryblencowe]

Thank you Julie. I have ordered two from Amazon (I’m in the UK) and they are arriving on Saturday. Absolutely love your tutorials - it’s like having a friend round for a cuppa and a chat about needle felting! Happy felting!

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Aw thanks for this, that's a lovely compliment 😊 glad you like the videos, hope you find the carders useful 😁

[@juegodecollage7861]

Por favor pon la posibilidad de traducción al español.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Hola, deberías poder hacer que KZbin lo traduzca automáticamente al español si mientras miras el video haces clic en la rueda dentada de configuración ⚙️ y luego haces clic en subtítulos, luego en traducir automáticamente y seleccionas español, entonces debería darte subtítulos en español. Espero que esto te funcione, feliz fieltro 🙂

[@juegodecollage7861]

Lo conseguí... gracias 😊

[@avishemingway7826]

Has anyone tried lightly torching the wool?

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Personally I've never tried this, I'd be very careful about burning wool, I would be concerned that it might all go up in flames! And be a fire hazard. One method I haven't tried that might help is using a fabric shaver, sometimes known as a debobbler 😊 this would save time instead of trimming with scissors. Hope this helps, thanks for watching.

[@clareellis4906]

I'm not sure, but id say you can probably get AI to count your needle stabs.... a programe like Gemini could potentially do it id say

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Hi thanks for this, I hadn't thought of using ai, but I've just checked and at the moment Gemini is saying that it's not possible to upload video to it, but I'm sure at some point soon it'll be possible 😁 thanks for watching

[@clareellis4906]

@@juliesfeltedfriends fair enough, Gemini is brand new, so I think it will probably take a little while to iron out the kinks and get set up properly... but judging from the demo version of it, i think it would be capable of it, maybe they will ad a feature like that for regular people to use in the future:) i guess keep an eye out:)

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Yes it looks good, I'll definitely have a play and see what it can do, I'm sure it'll get better, thanks for mentioning it, really appreciate it 😊

[@snejanaliapi6478]

It is best to use a spiral needle. She doesn't make big holes.

[@juliesfeltedfriends]

Yes a spiral needle works well too as long as it's fine, but I've found that a fine triangular needle such as a 40 gauge or 42 gauge, if you have one, can also get a nice smooth finish 😊 thanks for this and for watching

[@danielhalverson406]

"The Great British Stab-Off" 😂❤️✨🫖☕️