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Textile/Fabric Art Projects

Dry (Needle) Felting a Jester

Needle (or punch) felting is a soap and-water-free way to make fantastic felt art works.

Contemporary fibre artists and felt makers have adapted this commercial process to be used by hand. Using a Felting Needle, it is now possible to make elaborately detailed, well controlled, two and three-dimensional pieces of art from Merino Wool Tops that would be difficult to achieve using traditional wet felt making.

Felting needles are made from hardened steel, usually with a triangular profile, and are very sharp. They have tiny barbs or notches near the point of the needle. The brittle needles are likely to break if they are flexed, they require a straight up and down action into the loose fibre. When the needle is repeatedly poked in and out of a mass of loose wool, its "barbs" tangle and interlocks the fibre and eventually makes felt.

Needle felting doesn't require strength, but it does require patience and concentration.

The needles are very sharp, so a block of foam rubber is an essential piece of equipment to prevent the needle pricking the artist’s fingers.

Suitable for:

Primary levels

Materials:

Felting Needle, Chenille Stems, Felt Squares, Merino Wool Tops, Paper Magiclay, Folley Bells 10 mm, Jug Beads, Arbee Craft Glue & Foam Rubber block

How to Make a Jester by Needle Felting

Body

1. Use five Chenille Stems to create the armature for the body as shown in the diagram.

2. Use lengths of Merino Wool Tops to dry felt the body, arms and legs around the Chenille Stem armature.

3. Dry felt the shoes and hands separately and then attach them using the Felting Needle to the appropriate limbs.

Costume

1. Choose three colours of Felt and cut out three rectangles, one in each colour and three different lengths. 12 x 20cm, 12 x 24 cm and one 12 x 28 cm. Fold each on in half and cut away triangles from and across the short ends.

2. Dry felt some Merino Wool tops in a pattern on the shortest rectangle.

3. Lay the three rectangles of felt on top of each other from largest to smallest, with the patterned piece lying on top. Fold all three felt rectangles in half together and cut (on the fold) a small semi circle of felt away from the mid point of all three rectangles.

4. Keep the three folded together and slip them over the loop of the Chenille Stem neck.

5. Use the triangles of felt that were cut away from the rectangles to glue around the neck as a collar. Glue on beads or bells to the front of the costume on to the point of each triangle.

6. Glue a strip of Felt to each side of the costume under each arm to keep the back and front of the costume together.

Head

1. Use a small ball of Paper Magiclay to model a head and neck, exaggerate the nose, eyebrows and lips.Keep the neck hollow for the Chenille Stem loop to nestle into.

2. Lightly paint with a flesh coloured paint.

3. Glue on beads for eyes.

4. Glue on tufts of Wool Tops for the hair.

Hat

1. Use the Felting Needle to create a hat and decorate it with bells and beads.

2. Glue the hat on to the Jester’s Head. Use a Hot Melt Glue Gun to attach the head to the Chenille Stem loop of the body. Tuck the loop up into the hollow of the neck and glue it into place. Glue the neck of the costume around the Magiclay neck.

 

© Copyright Zart Art 2009. Activity and teacher notes written and designed by Zart Education.

Key words: Art, craft, activity, activities, children, kids, school art activities, textiles, sewing, wool tops, clown, jester, character