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Maker Team member Maddy of @maddywilsonart is baaaaack with a needle felting project for Spring! Grab your wool and make this noble needle felted sheep to use as a magnet or brooch. Don't ewe love her? Maddy is a great teacher and her simple instructions will have you felting up a whole flock of sheep in no time!
This is an easy to customize project and intended for beginner levels. You only need a
little bit of wool and felt as well. Great for any little bits left in your stash you are looking
to use!
Time: 1- 1 1/2 hours
Skill Level: Beginner
Additional Supplies:
Pin Back, for brooch - optional
Directions:
1. Cut a 2 1/2" circle from felt. Cut some bumps into it. This is the Base for the sheep's wool, so no need to be symmetrical.
2. Use a cutting tool to cut pipe cleaner into two 1 1/4" segments for Legs. Take a small segment of core wool and wrap it tightly up and down one of the stems. Stab occassionally to hold wool in place as you wrap - and watch out for wire in the center. I made each leg a little less than 1/2" thick, but any size is fine!
3. Attach Legs to Base by stabbing top of Legs into felt. Position Legs to extend about 1" past Base.
4. Stab core wool onto Base until it is covered and about the same height as Legs. Occassionally lift Base off the felt pad so it doesn’t begin to adhere to pad.
5. Cover front and back of Base in Shetland Corridale Roving and felt into place. To give the illusion that Legs are positioned forward, leave some of the white Leg showing within the wool roving.
6. To create Face, outline a U shape in the center with core wool. At top sides of U, make two little ear shapes. Add height to Face with core wool and round it out.
7. For the Nose, take a small wisp of Shetland roving and roll it between fingers to make manageable small rope/line. Stab into bottom base of Face and begin tacking upward. Create a T shape by making one nostril, looping back and stabbing across to the other nostril. If roving is long enough, go back down the center and felt remaining wool strand into body.
8. For wool on the forehead, make three bumps with Shetland roving from ear to ear. Fill it in until it reaches Body.
9. To make your sheep a magnet (or brooch), use E6000 glue to attach magnet or pin back. Allow glue to fully cure.
There you have it! What I like about this project is how easy it is to customize with just two colors of wool and a small scrap of felt. Little chubby legs? Pink wool with a blue body? Why not? Play around as this project doesn’t take too much time - or wool!
Thanks to Maddy for designing and writing this tutorial! You can see more of her work on Instagram @maddywilsonart and on her website. Stay tuned for more tutorials from the Benzie Design Maker Team!
