Needle Felting Lesson Plan

Needle Felting Projects

One of my favourite lessons I teach to my grade 8’s is needle felting.  They work through this process quickly and the results are always so fun. Most students are able to complete two projects in our time frame.  Here is the lesson I have come up with that works in my class! 

Materials: 

• Wool roving in various colours 

• Felting needles 

• Sponges 

• Bandaids 

• Thread 

• Key-rings 

• Needle 

Procedure: 

1. Students find a reference photo of the project they would like to make after going through their assignment slides and a short instructional video.  They attach the photos to their google classroom so they can refer to it as they work. 

2. They all start with a white coloured wool to create their main body parts and head.  I encourage them to make sure their felting holds its shape but isn’t formed too solid at this stage.   

3. They fluff the wool, then compress into a round shape on a sponge and begin felting by stabbing their needle into the wool.  They have to move the wool often, trying to keep the shape even and keep it from felting into the sponge.  This is easiest through trial and error, and most find it intuitive.   

4. Once they are happy with their main shapes, we get coloured wool and begin attaching the shapes and covering with colour.   

5. They will create smaller body parts, like ears and legs using their coloured wool.  Leaving the ends un-felted will help the limbs attach easier and more securely. 

6. After limbs are attached and don’t pull off, smaller details can be added, such as extra colours and eyes.  Less is more with details, a little wool will go a long way! 

7. After their projects are completed, they can use string and a needle to add a key ring to turn them into keychains.  They push the thread through to the top of their project, loop the ring, and then tie the thread at the bottom of the project.   

Tips: 

• Bandaids are needed because students will poke their fingers at some point!  I keep disinfectant on hand as well. 

• Make sure to take the needle out the same way it stabs in to avoid breaking the end of the needles.  Especially as they get further into the process, the wool becomes more compacted and breaks happen easier. 

• Encourage students to start with easy animals or characters for their first try.  I get them to pay attention to the amount of limbs and attachments as each one adds more difficulty and time.   

This is such a fun lesson for my students and most say it is their favourite all year.  I hope you get a chance to try it!