Learn to Needle Felt with Confidence
Step-by-step online courses, personal guidance, and a welcoming community to help you create needle-felted animals you’re proud of.
Whether you have never picked up a felting needle or you are ready to bring more detail and personality to your sculptures, the Bear Creek Needle Felting Academy gives you a clear place to begin—and a path to keep growing.
Inside, you’ll learn how to choose the right wool, build firm shapes, create realistic details, correct mistakes, and understand why each technique works.
You don’t need to be naturally artistic.
You just need good instruction, the right materials, and someone to guide you along the way.
Monthly and annual memberships available. Cancel anytime.
You Found Needle Felting. Now You’re Ready to Really Learn It.
Maybe you have completed a few kits but still feel unsure when you try something on your own.
Maybe you have watched free videos, collected wool and supplies, and ended up more confused about where to begin.
Or perhaps you already love needle felting, but you want your animals to have better proportions, smoother shapes, more expressive faces, and the details that make them feel alive.
You may find yourself wondering:
- Am I using the right kind of wool?
- How firm should this part be?
- Why does my project look different from the example?
- How do I make both sides match?
- Can I fix this without starting over?
- What should I learn next?
Those questions are a normal part of learning.
You do not need to keep guessing your way through them alone.
The Bear Creek Needle Felting Academy was created to help you move from following instructions uncertainly to understanding what you are doing—and feeling proud of what you create.
More Than Another Project Tutorial
A finished project is exciting. But the real value of the Academy is everything you learn while making it.
Each course helps you develop skills you can carry into future projects, including:
- Choosing the best wool for different parts of a sculpture
- Building firm, well-shaped foundations
- Creating balanced proportions
- Attaching pieces securely
- Using wire armatures
- Making expressive eyes, noses, mouths, and faces
- Layering and blending colors
- Applying fur and hair
- Creating smooth surfaces
- Combining wet felting with needle felting
- Recognizing when a piece is felted enough
- Fixing mistakes and adjusting shapes
- Working more efficiently without sacrificing detail
Instead of simply copying a project, you will begin to understand how needle-felted sculptures are built.
That is when your confidence—and your creativity—really begin to grow.
Guidance from Someone Who Knows the Entire Journey—from Sheep to Sculpture
Hi, I’m Teresa Perleberg, the artist, teacher, shepherd, and founder of Bear Creek Felting.
I have been needle felting for almost 20 years, and I have helped more than 10,000 people discover this wonderful craft through my kits, classes, courses, and retreats.
I also raise the sheep that grow the wool used in many of my projects. Our wool is grown on our North Dakota farm and processed in our own fiber mill specifically with needle felting in mind.
That experience has taught me that successful needle felting is not only about artistic talent.
The wool matters. The needle matters. Firmness matters. The order in which you build your sculpture matters.
And having someone explain those details clearly can make the difference between feeling frustrated and thinking:
“I can’t believe I made that!”
Inside the Academy, I teach the techniques I use in my own work. You can also ask questions, share your project, and receive personal guidance when something is not turning out as expected.
I want you to understand what you are doing, enjoy the process, and create something that feels unmistakably yours.
Video Courses
Access video courses perfect for beginner and experienced needle felters that offer in-depth tutorials to creating realistic felting projects with realistic details and personality.
Community
Receive real-time feedback from your felting peers, attend virtual “felt-alongs” for motivation, and access our community feed to share ideas and inspiration with other needle felters all over the world.
Discount on Supplies
Receive a 15% discount on Bear Creek Felting supplies (including felting needles, and wool), kits (including patterns and wool), and course kits (kits only available to Academy members).
A Clear Path from “Where Do I Start?” to “Look What I Made!”
The Academy is organized to make it easier to find what you need and choose your next step.
Start Here
New to needle felting or new to the Academy?
Begin with foundational guidance that helps you understand your tools, wool, needles, firmness, basic shapes, and essential techniques.
You will not be left staring at a large course library wondering what to do first.
Skills Library
Need help with a particular technique?
Visit the Skills Library to learn and review important techniques such as armatures, facial features, fur, shaping, attaching pieces, smoothing surfaces, and troubleshooting.
These lessons are especially helpful when you are working on your own designs or want to improve a specific part of your felting.
Project Studio
Choose from a growing library of more than 40 step-by-step needle felting courses for different interests and skill levels.
Create animals and projects such as sheep, bunnies, bears, foxes, penguins, chickens, horses, giraffes, moose, bison, puppies, Highland cattle, birds, and many more.
Every project gives you another opportunity to practice familiar techniques while learning something new.
Community Hub
Share your work, ask questions, celebrate progress, and connect with other people who understand why wool, needles, and a new project can be so exciting.
The Academy community is a welcoming place to:
- Ask for help when you feel stuck
- Receive encouragement and feedback
- Share finished and in-progress projects
- Participate in community activities and felt-alongs
- Find motivation to begin—or finally finish—a project
- Learn from what other members are creating
Information & Help
Find important Academy information, materials guidance, course resources, and help using the community.
Everything is organized so you can spend less time searching and more time felting.
Learn at Your Own Pace
There are no deadlines and no required class times.
Start with a short foundational lesson or choose a complete project. Pause whenever you need to. Rewatch a step as many times as necessary. Slow the process down and work alongside me from your own felting table.
You can access the Academy on your computer or through the Mighty Networks app on your phone or tablet.
Your membership gives you immediate access to the complete course library for as long as your membership remains active.
Some members complete projects regularly. Others work slowly, returning to a course whenever they have a quiet afternoon.
There is no correct pace.
This is your creative time.
Use the Wool You Have—or Make It Easy with a Course Kit
You are always welcome to use supplies you already own or purchase your materials individually.
Each course includes a materials list so you know what you will need before you begin.
For added convenience, many projects also have optional Academy Course Kits containing the wool and specialty materials used in the lessons. These kits are available only to Academy members because the video instruction is provided inside the Academy.
You are not required to purchase a kit for every course.
Choose the option that works best for you.
Check Out What Our Members Are Creating!
We’ve helped over 10,000 crafters develop their needle-felting craft – what will you create?
TESTIMONIALS
Don’t Just Take My Word for it!
“The tutorials are unparalleled! She breaks every step down and demonstrates it. If you have to stop the tutorial, it is very simple to pick up where you left off. My end product is getting better as I practice. I watch her video each time I make the woolen creatures and see something more that builds on my learning.
The Romney wool I’ve bought from Bear Creek is easier to use than the wool bought from a couple of other places.”
Still Wondering if It’s Right for You?
“Do I need experience?”
No. Complete beginners are welcome.
Start in the Start Here area, where you will learn about wool, felting needles, firmness, basic shapes, and the foundational skills you will use throughout the Academy.
More experienced felters can begin with a project or visit the Skills Library to concentrate on specific techniques.
Do I need to be artistic?
No.
Needle felting is a skill that can be learned. The lessons break projects into manageable shapes and steps so you can focus on one decision at a time.
As your skills grow, your confidence and personal style will grow with them.
What kinds of projects are included?
You’ll find a wide variety of projects including animals (like sheep, foxes, bunnies, llamas, bears, penguins, and more), seasonal decorations, felt pouches, ornaments, and even wool painting. There are also technique-based lessons for things like open mouths, smoothing fur, and more.
Are the courses live?
The main courses are prerecorded so you can watch them whenever it works for you.
Pause, rewind, repeat a section, or return to a course later. The Academy may also offer live sessions, felt-alongs, challenges, and other community activities.
Do I receive access to every course immediately?
Yes. You receive access to the complete course library as soon as your Academy account is activated.
You can explore the courses before deciding which course kit or materials you would like to purchase.
Do I have to purchase a course kit?
No. You may use wool and supplies you already own or purchase materials individually.
A materials list is provided for each course. Optional members-only course kits are available when you prefer to have the required materials gathered for you.
How long do I have access to the courses?
You have access to the courses and community for as long as your membership is active.
When you cancel, your access continues until the end of your current paid membership period.
What happens after I sign up?
After joining, you will receive an email invitation to the Bear Creek Needle Felting Academy on Mighty Networks.
You will create a free Mighty Networks account to access the courses and community. Your Academy login is separate from your Bear Creek Felting store login.
You can then use the Academy through a web browser or the Mighty Networks mobile app.
How will I know which course to begin with?
The Academy includes a clear Start Here area and projects for different skill levels.
You can also introduce yourself in the community, share your experience level, and ask Teresa for a project recommendation before purchasing materials.
Does my membership include a store discount?
Yes. Academy members receive 15% off eligible Bear Creek Felting kits, wool, needle holders, and select supplies.
The member discount cannot be combined with other coupons or promotional discounts.
Can I switch from monthly to annual?
Yes. You can begin with a monthly membership and switch to the annual option when you are ready.
Can I cancel?
Yes. You can cancel your recurring membership at any time.
You will continue to have access until the end of the membership period you have already paid for, and you are welcome to rejoin in the future.
Your Next Project Can Teach You More Than You Think
You do not have to master everything before you begin.
Choose one project. Learn one new technique. Ask one question. Make one adjustment.
Little by little, the uncertainty begins to disappear.
You start recognizing the right firmness. You understand how shapes fit together. You know which needle or wool to reach for. You stop seeing every unexpected result as a failure and begin seeing it as something you know how to fix.
Most importantly, you begin creating animals that carry your own personality and make you proud to say:
“I made this.”
Join the Bear Creek Needle Felting Academy and let’s begin your next project together.