Thanks for your interest in needle felting.
I'm going to show you how to create this lovely Hopping Mouse out of wool.
The Hopping Mouse is the last Feltorial in a series of twelve. It is a Level 3, advanced course. Each Sleeping Aussie Baby teaches you more techniques of this wonderful art form.
After completing this Feltorial you will know:
- Single digit creation.
- A new armature technique.
- How to creating a tail with a brush tip.
- To adding hair in the correct direction, on the tail especially.
- How to fake the fingers and toes with three instead of four.
- How to create eyelids and put in glass eyes.
- To use glue to create strength in your sculpture.
- How to shade with permanent markers.
- To use spray sealer to stabilise the Alpaca topcoat and create high detail and smooth surface.
- A new material for realistic whiskers.
To make this Hopping Mouse you will need:
- Light Romney core about 2 gms.
- Raw Alpaca about 5 gms.
- Fake white Cashmere, less than 1 gm.
- Pale Silk Tussah, less than 1 gm.
- Black Silk Tussah, less than 1 gm.
- Cupcake Merino, less than 1 gm.
- Nutlet Merino, less than 1 gm.
- Black Merino, less than 1 gm.
- Raw Gold Corriedale, less than 1 gm.
- 1.5m, 8 amp fuse wire.
- 50cm, 30 gauge florist wire.
- Small section of false eyelashes.
- 2 black glass beads about 6mm.
- 1m strong black thread.
Tools needed:
- Size 32, 36, 38 and 40 and reverse needles.
- Sewing needle.
- Felting foam.
- Hot water bottle.
- Liquid soap.
- Cup with hot water.
- Small paint brush.
- Large dressmakers scissors.
- Pointy tipped scissors.
- Curved nail scissors.
- Fiskar scissors.
- Pliers (curved and cutting).
- Tweezers.
- Clover Brush.
- White and Craft glue.
- Pink Permanent marker.
- Artists Spray Sealer (Matt).
- Optional: Magnifying Lamp.
Did you know you can buy
needle felting kits to make this Hopping Mouse on
www.reenaleecreations.com.au/felting-kits
or purchase some fibre only
Simple Curriculum
"My name is Siobhan Perry and I’m a needlefelting artist living in Tunbridge Wells in England. Although I received a BA Hons in designer craft over 20 yrs ago I haven’t really used my art skills until I recently started to teach art in a primary school.
Researching Pinterest for craft ideas I came across needlefelting. I must have been living in a cave as I had never heard of it before! I couldn’t believe some of the outstanding sculptures I was seeing. I had to try it out and my first felt was a little owl. It took days to make and was pretty basic but I was hooked! That was a year and a half ago and I’ve been felting obsessed ever since. I now make a diverse amount of sculptures for people and have sent them all over the globe. Recently a fairy to Bulgaria, a pig to America, a kitten to France and a little mouse to Australia! My latest, and largest, commission was a life sized cat. I am still learning and experimenting though.
I have used Reena Lee’s pdf tutorial on how to felt a little hopping mouse/behm to help me perfect my little mouse paws. Her techniques were very useful and although I was mostly interested in how she made those remarkable paws, I’ve actually used several other handy tips on how to felt ears and attachment of limbs etc. The techniques transfer to other creatures too.
I keep practicing and those little mouse paws are getting smaller and smaller!
Thank you Reena!."
- Siobhan Perry
