Читать книгу Lovable Felted Animals - Yuko Sakuda - Страница 9
ОглавлениеHOW TO MAKE THEM
Step-by-step instructions for each project
MATERIALS
A Core wool batting (also called core wool and core batt)
Used for figure bases. A natural off-white is used most often in these projects.
B Organic wool batting
This is the type typically used for filling stuffed animals. In this book, we used it to create the alpaca hair/fur.
C Solid wool roving
Wool roving is available in a large variety of traditional colors.
D Mixed wool roving
4 to 5 different colored wool fibers are blended to create roving with interesting color variations and depth.
E Natural blend roving in bright colors
4–5 wool roving fibers are blended to evoke vivid hues.
F Natural blend roving in earth tones
Wool roving in assorted nature-inspired colors.
G Wool felt sheets
For the flower pot projects (p. 28).
H Linen fabric
For the pictures projects (p. 29).
I Fabric for Hedgehog needles
Mohair hedgehog fabric (9 mm pile)
J Magnet
For the magnet projects (p. 34)
K Plastic safety eyes
For the animals’ eyes. In this book, we used eye pieces with 2–4 mm stems.
L Brooch pin backs
For the brooch projects (p. 32–33)
M Ballpoint pens
For the pen covers projects (p. 26. We recommend non-retractable pens.
N Size 25 Embroidery floss
6-strand embroidery floss to be used for the brooch projects (p. 32).
O Flexible plastic (millinery wire or similar)
For the foundation of the deer’s body.
P Sewing machine thread (invisible)
For animal whiskers. Clear beading monofilament can also be used.
Q Floral wire
For animal tails. Crafting wire can be used as well.
* The felt used in these projects was made by Hamanaka, a brand with limited availability outside of Japan
TOOLS
a Single needle felt puncher
Ideal for needle felting eyes and other detailed parts.
b 3-needle/2-needle felt puncher
Speeds up the felting process. Some models are adjustable to two needles or a single needle. It’s useful to have multiple punchers on hand for easy switching from 2-needle to 3-needle tasks, and vice versa.
c 5-needle felt puncher
The extra needles enable larger area coverage when needle felting. Useful for the tray project.
d Brush-style felting mat
The bristles minimize resistance and allow for a smoother felting experience. Use for projects requiring flatter surfaces like the picture fabric board.
e Sponge felting mat
The firm sponge holds its shape during needle felting. The projects in this book mainly utilize this type of mat.
f Felt puncher replacement needles.
These can also be used without inserting them into a needle puncher, but may be less comfortable to work with for extended periods.
• Regular needle—Standard gauge for needle felting. We use this type predominantly.
• Heavy-duty needle—Thicker needle for adding indentations or hollowing out certain sections.
• Finishing needle—For smoothing out surfaces and general finishing techniques. Also used for adding delicate design details.
g Hand sewing thread
For stitching fabrics and connecting parts.
h Hand sewing needle
For stitching fabrics and connecting parts.
i Craft glue
For attaching plastic safety eye pieces and so on.
j Awl
For creating preliminary holes in which to insert eye stems into figures’ heads.
k Oil-based pen (black, extra-fine point)
For markings and for adding whiskers.
l Craft scissors
For cutting wool roving.
m Pliers (long nose)
For shaping and cutting wires.
BASIC TECHNIQUES
• Make the base out of batting
Prepare batting (1 g)
Gather the batting with your fingers and poke with a regular needle (2-needle puncher). To prevent the needles from breaking, pull the needles out from the same direction they were inserted.
Rotate the piece as you poke liberally to create a spherical shape. Poke deeply and harden from the center section.
Aim to poke about 600 times to achieve a desirable hardness. As a final step, if you use the 3-needle finishing puncher to poke lightly on the surface, it will have a smoother texture.
• Add color with wool roving
Take a thin piece of wool roving and spread out evenly.
Wrap around the base.
With the finishing puncher (3-needle), lightly poke. Needle felt the colored roving uniformly.
When all the loose fibers of the wool roving have been felted, it is complete.
• Adding small colored details
Take a small amount of wool roving and roll into a cord. Further rolling the cord between your fingers will make it even easier to handle.
Felt with a regular needle puncher (single-needle). For even smaller parts, consider using the thinner finishing needle puncher.
The color has been successfully felted and incorporated into the larger piece. There is no need to force the entire cord into the larger piece; you can simply trim off the excess roving with scissors.
This is how it looks once the excess roving has been trimmed off. Use this method to create facial parts and other details.
• Blending different wool roving colors
Align two roving colors.
Pull them apart simultaneously with your fingers.
Layer the roving pieces and pull apart again.
Repeat previous steps several times until the two colors are blended.
ALPACA
MATERIALS
Base—Batting
Wool roving—White, black, dark gray Organic batting
Other materials—Plastic safety eyes (3 mm)
TOOLS
Felt puncher—Single-needle, 2-needle and 3-needle
Felt puncher needles—Regular needle, finishing needle
Sponge felting mat
Oil-based pen (black, extra-fine point)
Awl
Craft glue
Craft scissors
• Make the face
Using the template, felt the batting (1 g) with the regular needle puncher (2-needle).
Shape batting (0.2 g) into the nose (refer to the template).
Attach nose to face.
• Insert the eyes
With oil-based pen, mark eye positions.
Punch holes at the markings with an awl.
Dab craft glue on the tip of the eye stem.
Insert stem into eye hole.
• Make the eyelids
Lightly roll 4 pieces of batting into balls.
Repeat the same steps for the lower left eyelid. Do the same for the upper and lower lids of the right eye.
• How to make the eyelid (above left eye)
① Place the lightly rolled batting on top of the eye piece.
② Poke the upper portion of the eyelid (the shaded area) with the single-needle felt puncher (regular needle).
③ Poke from below as well, as if you are flipping the eyelid up.
④ Secure the entire piece above the eye by firmly poking into place.
ACTUAL SIZE PATTERN PIECES
• Add color to the face
Use the 3-needle felt puncher (finishing needles) and felt the entire surface of the white wool roving.
Switch to the 2-needle felt puncher (regular needles), then shape a piece of white wool roving into the lower jaw (refer to the pattern piece) and attach beneath the nose.
With the single-needle felt puncher (regular needle), add colored wool roving in the order listed. For ②, outline each plastic safety eye with black wool roving (eyeliner).
Colored wool roving has been added to face.
• Make the body
Make the body out of batting (8 g) using the 2-needle felt puncher with regular needles (refer to the pattern piece).
Lightly roll the batting (1 g each) into two small balls and attach to the body to create the bottom (refer to the pattern piece).
Form batting (2 g) into the neck (refer to the pattern piece).
Connect neck and face.
Connect neck and body.
• Make the legs
