Curious as I was to wade into making Maxwell, I decided to have a few attempts at simpler shapes. It would also let me see what happened to the wool fibres as I worked and get me, more accustomed to using the felting needle.

NOTE TO SELF:-
The more you felt and mould the shape it slowly becomes something recognisable.

As a guard to saving my fingers as I felted, I decided to use the advice from one of the tutorials I watched. I got a cookie cutter in the shape of a star and sat that on top of my foam mat. Stuffed it with some mixed fibres. And hey presto, stabbed at the fibres till they matted together into the shape of the star cookie cutter. I then bravely took the felted shape between two fingers and poked the edges of the star with the needle, then got a wee pair of scissors and trimmed any straggly fibres to make the edges of my felted shape neat. I even decided to find a matching button to attach to the centre of the finished felted star !

My next challenge was to make a 3d shape without using a cookie cutter as a guide. So I decided to try and felt a heart shape from a bauble of red fibres.

I am amazed at how the fibres shrink as you work. A non-descript clump of wool becomes a small matted shape. The more you felt and mould the shape it slowly becomes something recognisable.

THOUGHT
I wonder if everything I needle felt is going to end up so small ?

And here’s the finished heart. I was rather please with this attempt even thought it’s minute !