What is needle felting? It is a dry felting technique. You don't have to use soap and water as in the traditional method. You use a special barbed needle, a foam pad, and raw wool to create wall hangings, pillows, three dimensional characters, and more.

The special barbed needle is plunged into the wool fibers. The fibers lock together and felt the wool. The beauty of using a single needle is that you have a lot of control over shaping and layering your project.

How can needle felting be calming? Because the needles are sharp, you must pay close attention to your work. While felting your project, you are focused on what you are doing and this keeps your mind free from worry. As your mind disconnects from everyday problems, your blood pressure decreases and your body relaxes.

How can needle felting make you more creative? Just relieving stress will help get the creative juices flowing. With this art form, you use touch and sight to create a project which stimulates creative thinking. Felting with a needle allows you to experiment with colors and shapes. Experimenting helps you to be more creative because you never know the outcome until your project is finished. Layering wool provides you with the option of creating your own shapes and sizes.

If you try three dimensional felting, you can really let your personality shine through in the characters you create. Characters are fun and you can create critters only you have seen in your imagination. Making something you have imagined is the ultimate in creativity and, with a little practice, you can easily create characters.

Needle felting is an inexpensive, simple hobby to learn. Focusing on your project will have a calming effect. Relieving stress will get the creative juices flowing. Needle felting allows you to be creative with wool. Give needle felting a try and add a little calm, creative fun to your life.