The Best Needle Felting/Fiber Art Books for Beginners
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Needle felting is such a magical craft where you can make almost anything from felted animal friends to felted landscapes. If you aren’t familiar with needle felting, the main thing to take away is that it is a form of sculpting using wool fibers and a barbed needle. It is truly amazing what you can create with just a little wool roving and your imagination. I was captivated by the beautiful needle-felted creations all over Pinterest and decided to try this craft out for myself! You can find my beginner’s guide to needle felting and step-by step tutorials HERE.
While I was able to pick up the basic techniques on my own, I decided it was time to take felting to the next level and pick up a few needle felting books. Below is a list of what I think are the very best books for needle felting beginners that cal also be enjoyed by makers at any skill level.
Needle Felting for Beginners: How to Sculpt with Wool by Roz Dace and Judy Balchin
This is my favorite felting book by far- full of gorgeous projects with true step-by-step instructions. For those of you that love a cute little felted mouse, this one is for you! You will also find a cute fox tutorial, how to felt different breeds of sheep, and even a few storybook looking characters to create. Aside from instructions on how to felt beautiful animals and other artful projects, this is a very comprehensive guide on the craft itself. You will find a breakdown of any craft supplies that you will need and a few pages that act as a fiber sourcebook. The pages have clear photographs and simple instructions that really break down each step of every project-even complete beginners can make them! There is a reason this field guide to felting has rave reviews!
Adorable Felted Animals by Gakken Handmade
This book is a great resource for needle felting realistic , cute needle felted animals. If you’re interested in making a felted version of the family dog or your own menagerie of miniature animals, this is the right book to have in your arsenal. With step-by-step instructions, “Adorable Felted Animals” really breaks down the creative process behind making these happy wool felted animals. It also comes with several patterns to use when crafting your felted animals. Having this guide along with the patterns can help even a total beginner to be well on their way sculpting the most beautiful wooly creatures.
Woolbuddies by Jackie Huang
If realism isn’t your art form, you may want to check out the book “Woolbuddies” by Jackie Huang. Huang is a top felting artist that creates wonderfully whimsical characters that look like they belong in a children’s story book. This guide covers all the basics of needle felting with a more folk art flair. If you’re looking to sculpt some lovable characters for your little ones to play with, this may be the book for you!
“Landscapes in Wool” by Jana Mattson
Needle felting isn’t a craft that is limited to creating 3D art or sculpted animal figures. You can also create beautiful two dimensional art. Using different methods of needle felting, you can essentially use your wool roving to “paint” on a felt background. I come from a painting background, and the thought of using this unusual medium to paint was really exciting. If you are also interested in this, then “Landscape’s in Wool” is a great resource for creating those wool paintings! This book includes many special details like how to use color theory to make beautiful wool blends to find the perfect hue. Definitely add this to your crafting library if you’re looking for out-of-the-box felting projects.
Needle felting is such a magical art to play around with, and it doesn’t have to be complicated! Just grab a few of these wonderful resource books and you are well on your way to creating some amazing needle felted pieces! The sky is the limit on what you can create. Try not to get too caught up in the perfection of the end result, and try to enjoy this relaxing, unusual craft. If you’d like to know more about needle felting or check out some of my felting tutorials, you can check those out HERE. Happy felting!
