I just got my felting tool in the mail, & have tried it out a little & it seems great– I’ve also read many positive reviews on crafter’s websites. I think this is probably going to be a handy & pleasant tool to use. My one problem with it is that Clover wants you to buy their special brush felting mat to use with the tool, for another $16 or so. Now, you do need something to felt onto, but I’ve just discovered that using a tightly-wound ball of scrap yarn (mine’s wool, but I don’t know why acrylic wouldn’t work–cotton might be too hard & break the needles) works fine as a surface to felt into, as long as your applique isn’t very big (because it’s a curved surface & it might get tricky to felt something big–though I guess you could just do it in sections? I’ll be experimenting… 🙂 Anyway, hope this tip helps someone out. Note, though, this WILL ruin the ball of yarn, so it should really be scrap!
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This review is from: Clover Felting Needle Tool (Kitchen)
Clover is a basic, no-frills brand that I’ve trusted in the past for bamboo knitting needles. This product seemed like a great idea. It’s got 5 needles instead of 1 to increase your felting ability. It also has a clear plastic cover which slips down over the needles after each “stab” to prevent injury. The needles are extremely sharp, so a built-in safety measure seemed a great idea, particularly for younger kids (age 8 + is recommended) who are learning to felt. But after about 15 minutes of use, 4 of the 5 needles bent and two broke off completely. I’m not particularly heavy-handed, they just snapped off. The steel is thin and brittle. Maybe we just got a bad batch? I am going to replace them once and see if the same thing happens. An update will follow…
March 15, 2013: I did purchase another of these multiple needle tools and tried slowing down a lot and going straight into the wool (not at an angle) as two helpful commenters suggested. But these really are fragile… it’s the nature of the beast, I suppose. Ultimately, I’ve concluded that it’s better to use one single felting needle, which offers greater flexibility and 4 fewer chances for breakage. Stands to reason that it’s easier to poke one needle straight into the wool than 5. If you’re a very gentle person and have particularly gifted hands, you could probably use this tool with success, but I really can’t recommend it for children. I’m an illustrator and a decent cook and craftsperson with reasonably good fine motor skills, but this tool didn’t work for me.
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This review is from: Clover Felting Needle Tool (Kitchen)
If you’re new to needle felting as I am, and you’re looking for beginner supplies on Amazon, this is probably not the right tool for you. It’s for flat felting on fabric, but can be adapted for 3d sculptural needle felting – except that it’s not the best tool for that and it’s too expensive. There’s a needle set by Wistyria here on Amazon that’s more suited for sculptural needle felting, at about half the price.
That said, this tool is well made and easy to use – the guard helps prevent accidents (felting needles are sharp!), so if you’re only doing flat felting, then go ahead and get it.
I wish I had done more research before jumping into needle felting – I ended up spending more money than I should have for the wrong tools. Yes, that’s my fault, but I hope you’ll learn from my mistake.
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Cool little thing! Only downer is pricey accessories–but see my tip.,
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|Extremely fragile.,
It’s got 5 needles instead of 1 to increase your felting ability. It also has a clear plastic cover which slips down over the needles after each “stab” to prevent injury. The needles are extremely sharp, so a built-in safety measure seemed a great idea, particularly for younger kids (age 8 + is recommended) who are learning to felt. But after about 15 minutes of use, 4 of the 5 needles bent and two broke off completely. I’m not particularly heavy-handed, they just snapped off. The steel is thin and brittle. Maybe we just got a bad batch? I am going to replace them once and see if the same thing happens. An update will follow…
March 15, 2013: I did purchase another of these multiple needle tools and tried slowing down a lot and going straight into the wool (not at an angle) as two helpful commenters suggested. But these really are fragile… it’s the nature of the beast, I suppose. Ultimately, I’ve concluded that it’s better to use one single felting needle, which offers greater flexibility and 4 fewer chances for breakage. Stands to reason that it’s easier to poke one needle straight into the wool than 5. If you’re a very gentle person and have particularly gifted hands, you could probably use this tool with success, but I really can’t recommend it for children. I’m an illustrator and a decent cook and craftsperson with reasonably good fine motor skills, but this tool didn’t work for me.
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|Probably not the right tool,
That said, this tool is well made and easy to use – the guard helps prevent accidents (felting needles are sharp!), so if you’re only doing flat felting, then go ahead and get it.
I wish I had done more research before jumping into needle felting – I ended up spending more money than I should have for the wrong tools. Yes, that’s my fault, but I hope you’ll learn from my mistake.
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