14 Needle Felting Project Ideas to Try

Needle felting is a fun craft! Here are some creative needle felting project ideas to try. This collection features needle felting projects for beginners as well as advanced fiber artists.

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I started needle felting when I got my first fiber animals, two sweet Angora goats. The first needle-felted item I made was a simple dryer ball which I still use when doing laundry today.

Over the years, I have branched out into making more involved projects with both mohair and wool. Here are some creative needle felting project ideas that you can try. This collection features needle felting projects for beginners as well as advanced fiber artists.

Needle Felting Equipment

Needle felting is a fun craft, and you don’t need a lot of equipment to get started. At the very least, you need some felting needles and wool roving.

A coarser wool like Romney or Corriedale is nice for beginners because it felts readily and holds its shape. Finer fibers like mohair or Merino wool can be used as well but tend to be a little slippery and more time consuming to form or attach.

Other items that are nice to have are a felting tool to hold your needle(s), finger cots for protection, templates for making basic shapes, and a felting mat.

Needle Felting Techniques

Needle felting is accomplished by stabbing natural fiber repeatedly with felting needles to create a desired 2D or 3D shape. As the felting needle passes through, tiny scales on the individual strands of wool or mohair get tangled with one another which locks them in place.

Techniques you might employ really depend on the type of project you are doing. Rolling the roving into a ball is recommended for making round objects whereas teasing the cut end is helpful for adding locks to a felted form.

Whatever technique you use, it is important to insert and remove the felting needle on the same plane every time. Bending the needle while it is in the fiber is a sure way to break the tip, creating a poking hazard.

Let’s get to felting! These needle felting project ideas are organized from easiest to most difficult.

1. Needle Felted Dryer Balls

Dryer balls are a great project for beginners. All you have to do is make a tight ball with roving and compact it with felting needles. Make sure to continuously turn your ball while you are working so that it stays symmetrical. For a full dryer ball making tutorial, click here.

Use these to shorten drying time and reduce wrinkles in your laundry. You can even add a few drops of essential oil to the dryer balls for a fresh scent.

2. Needle Felted Pin Cushion

Use the same steps as making a dryer ball to make a needle-felted pin cushion. Attach the ball in a teacup with hot glue and you have a cute, safe spot to store all your needles and pins for crafting!

3. Needle Felted Garland

You can make beads by needle-felting small balls. String them on twine or embroidery floss to create a festive garland to hang. Choose colors for different holidays or a theme to match your home décor.

4. Needle Felted Ornaments

Make a needle-felted ball, heart, or star to adorn your tree this year. Attach string, twine, or metal hooks to hang the ornament. Make sure it’s lightweight so the branches don’t get weighed down.

5. Needle Felted Holiday Decorations

Make simple 3D objects by needle felting shapes like balls for a snowman or a cone for a Christmas tree. Join pieces together with your felting needles and a little bit of roving that matches in color.

Pumpkins for fall and Easter eggs for spring make adorable felted holiday decorations and centerpieces that can be enjoyed year after year.

6. Needle Felted Animals

If you are feeling adventurous, try making a 3D felted animal. Sheep are a good one to start with. Make individual balls with roving for the head, body, and legs. Add needle-felted locks for a natural curly coat!

7. Needle Felted Wreath

Make a soft, cozy wreath by wrapping a metal wreath frame in roving and needle-felting scoured locks to the surface. For instructions and a video tutorial detailing how I make mohair lock wreaths, click here!

8. Needle Felted Soap

Felted soap is gently exfoliating and lasts a long time. You can add some extra charm to wet-felted soap by needle felting a design on the surface. For more on making felted soap, click here for complete written and video instructions.

9. Needle Felted Coasters

Felted coasters protect your table by soaking up condensation from drinks. Make your own by wet-felting wool over cork coasters and adding needle-felted details. More information for making the sheep scene coasters you see in the picture can be found in this post.

10. Needle Felted Accent Pillow

Make your own accent pillow by needle-felting a design onto cotton or linen fabric. Once the front panel is complete, sew on the back, fill with stuffing, and stitch the opening closed.

11. Needle Felted Vessel

Using a resist, wet-felt a fiber vessel that can hold things. A bowl, glasses case, or bird house can be further decorated by needle-felting details on the surface. For more on making a wet-felted bowl, click here to read my other article.

12. Needle Felted Landscape Picture

You can create a beautiful wool “painting” by needle felting a scene onto a pre-felted sheet of fiber. Purchase a pre-felted sheet of fiber or make your own with soap, water, and wet-felting techniques. For the process I use to make a wet and needle-felted landscape picture, click here.

13. Needle Felted Jacket Collar

I made a removable mohair lock collar for my jean jacket using both wet and needle-felting techniques. It is super soft, warm, and stylish. Click here to learn more!

14. Needle Felted Rug

Natural fiber rugs are cozy, durable, and odor resistant. You can make a unique rug by needle felting designs onto a large sheet of pre-felted wool. I make animal-friendly mohair lock rugs with a combination wet and needle-felting techniques. For step-by-step instructions and the rug making video tutorial, click here!

If you’ve got the felting bug, check out my other list of favorite wet-felting projects to try!