NEEDLE FELTED WINGS

This page is a tutorial for needle felted wings. Making fairies or angels requires wings. The fun part about making wings is you can let your imagination go wild and make some incredible wings using alpaca fleece or other wool and your felting needle.

These needle felting instructions are just one way to make wings with your fleece. Experiment and find out what you like.

• Wire - 18 and 26 gauge. Cloth covered wire is easier to work with.
• Carded fleece
• Felting needles - 38 gauge triangle for the major work and 38 gauge star for surface work
• Foam pad
• Bamboo skewer
• Scissors and/or wire cutters

1. Cut wire a little longer than what you want your final wing length to be. This wing uses the 18 gauge wire but you can use the 26 gauge if you are making a smaller doll. Cut matching wire lengths for wings for each side of the body (for purposes of this tutorial only one side is shown). Cut wires for however many wing pieces you want your fairy or angel to have.

2. Wrap the carded fleece around the wire starting a short distance up the wire so that one end is not wrapped. It is easier to turn the wire than to wrap the fleece.

Wrap the fleece up the wire until you reach the other end. Let the fleece extend over the edge of the wire and fold this over back onto the already wrapped wire to cover the end. Finish wrapping. If your having trouble getting the fleece to stay wrapped on the wire, jab it a couple of times with the felting needle and roll it between the palms of your hands. It should slightly felt and stay in place.

3. Attach more fleece with your felting needle to the wrapped wire and shape it how you want it to look.

5.Wrap flesh colored fleece around the bottom of the wire where you left it uncovered.

6. Position the wing on the doll back where you want it to lay.

7. Lay loose carded flesh color fleece over the wrapped end of the wire and needle in place.

Be sure and add some loose fleece between the body back and the wing to stabilize and hold in place.

8. Add as many wing pieces as you like. This wing has 3 pieces. Make each section of wing the same way. You can wait and attach all 3 at the same time, if you like to keep the bulkiness down. Also, trimming down the wires helps.

9. Cut a 26 gauge wire to desired length, wrap it with fleece, and curl it on a bamboo skewer. Add it to the back of your felt doll in the same manner as described above.

Step back and admire your set of wings.

Needle felted wings can be done in any shape, size, or color you can imagine. So...go for it!

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