Questions:

♦What is your recommendation for someone who is a beginner?

♦I am a pretty seasoned crafter, usually make for my own enjoyment, not for sale. I have seen a lot of this craft, your designs are the best I have seen. I am going to order a few beginners kits from you…any special words of wisdom, or encouragement?

♦I’m a beginner – or will be when I order one of your kits. :). If I get a Kit with the needles & cushion, will they last for future use?
Your work is utterly lovely!
Thanks

Answer:

I get asked this question often and would like to clear up any confusion on what kit would be best for you.  My kits are labeled for Beginner and Advanced Beginner.  I should clarify that all my kits are designed with the beginning needle felter in mind.  All the kits go through the basics and explain how felting works and have pictures of every step etc.  The biggest difference between the beginner and advanced is time, patience and sculpting.  The beginner kits have very little sculpting involved while the advanced have more sculpting which takes more time and patience.  I always recommend starting with a beginner and then moving on to an advanced kit.  I have had customers complete an advanced kit as there first project with successful results.   I have listed the kits below in order (in my opinion) of difficulty.

1. Snowman Kit  You can’t go wrong with the snowman.  It is perfect for starting out as it includes prefelted balls to insure the correct size.  You are still learning  with this kit, as it gives you experience in how the wool felts.  Great for kids as well.  About 3 hours to complete this project
2. Sheep Kit  The sheep kit is just a tiny bit more difficult.  You will still be ok with dimensions and size.  The only thing more involved would be the glass eyes and felting the ears.  Still very easy.  I have held classes on how to make the sheep and have seen beautiful results and very happy students.
3. Pumpkin Kit  The pumpkin is easy as well, it takes a bit more patience to felt in the indentations.  
   
4. Penguin Kit The penguin is the hardest of the beginner kits mainly because there are more parts and a little bit of shaping.  It will take more time than the previous kits.  It can still very easily be done by a beginner.
5. Chicken Kit  This fun kit comes in 2 color choices, brown or white.  This felting project is quick and easy to complete, perfect for the chicken lovers in your life.
6. Hippo Kit The hippo kit is one of my newest kits, designed in 2016.  I have taken my knowledge designing kits over the years and made this one extra special.  Quick to complete and super easy to follow directions.
7. Bear Kit The bear kit is the easiest of the advanced kits.  🙂  Is that confusing?  I will try to explain.  It takes more time, there are more parts involved and requires some sculpting.  The directions are good at guiding you with pictures and many have completed bears as their first project.  Keep in mind that it will take a bit more patience and there is the possibility that it might not look exactly like the bear pictured when you are finished.  I have seen many pictures of amazing bears that were completed with my kit.
8. Turkey Kit  The turkey is so fun and colorful and could easily be done by a first time felter.  The reason it is labeled advanced is the time factor.  It takes a long time to make all the different parts of the turkey.  Making all the different shapes are easy, the only difficult part will be the head where some sculpting is involved.  (in other words it is not just a ball, it has curves and such)  There are pictures of every step, with helpful tips to guide you.
9. Dragon Kit This is a fun kit!  A little more advanced than the super easy beginners, but still very doable as a first time project.  This kit is extra fun because you can make your dragon any way you want because dragons can be like that.  Popular with kids!
10. Mouse Kit  With the next 2 kits, I ask that you have some felting experience or confidence in your sculpting abilities.  🙂  The mouse kit has a starter prefelted ball to give you a base to work from.  This helps gage the size.  The mouse is small and detailed and takes time and patience to complete.
11. Bunny Kit  The bunny is adorable and I have seen pictures of several completed projects from my customers that are amazing.  This is my most difficult kit to date.  Can it be done as your first project, yes.  I just can’t gaurantee that it will look exactly like the picture.  The instructions are very precise in showing and telling you how I do it.  The only thing lacking is exact measurements on the amount of wool for each part and completed sizes.  I don’t include exact measurements and sizes because I think that takes away from the experience.   Sometimes sizes need to be adjusted as you go, and I explain this in the instructions.  There is plenty of wool in the kit to compensate for adjustments.  When felting, you start small and work your way out.  If the nose gets a little too big you will have to compensate by making the cheeks a bit bigger etc.

I have sold thousands of kits over the years and have many happy return customers and many more that have moved on from my kits to more advanced projects on their own.  My most popular kits are the snowman, sheep, bunny and bear.  I hope this helps guide you in making the right choice in purchasing my kits.  If you have any questions please ask.  I will of course be designing more kits as time allows.

»The needles and the cushion that are included in the kits will last for several projects, but they do wear out over time. Do Felting Needles Wear Out is an excellent article covering this topic.

You can purchase my felting kits here.

The Bear Creek Needle Felting Academy is also an excellent choice for someone just starting out needle felting. The Academy hosts a library of video courses for beginner and advanced projects. The Academy also has a forum where you can communicate with other needle felting artists as well as me personally. Ask me questions and get feedback on your projects.