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Published: 2011-07-17 15:51:31 +0000 UTC; Views: 3369; Favourites: 28; Downloads: 43
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First: fav.me/d3jdw7vNext: n/a
EDIT: I would love to continue this project, but sadly, life has intervened. I've lost all of my files and pictures for this, and honestly, I'm not too keen to try remaking them. Maybe I'll make another tutorial later, but for now, just ask if you've got questions, because I don't forsee an end to this series... ever. And I'm happy to answer questions anywho.
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If only I'd known better. If only.
This step actually didn't go as well as I had thought it had... but I only find that out later. So, since I do want this to be narrative-driven, you guys will find out what went wrong later, too.
Uhm, what else? Oh yeah. Resources for buying all this stuff.
Wire: You can find this stuff anywhere. For Mew, I used 16-gauge wire, because of its durability and strength, but that stuff is usually harder for me to work with. Most of my smaller creations have 22 or 20 gauge wire inside. If you're looking for small gauges, go to a craft store instead of a hardware store. It'll be close to the beading section in crafting stores, and for the larger wire in hardware stores, that'll be near the electrical.
Needles: If you're like me at all, you'll break needles a lot. At around 70 cents a pop, that ain't cheap. If you really like needlefelting, consider buying in bulk if you can (some sellers do this on Etsy; some internet stores do this as well). If you're just getting started, though, don't put down that money quite yet. Start off with a variety pack. My local store sells one that has one each of the 36 triangle-points, 38 star-points and triangle-points, and 40 triangle-points. Larger numbers here mean smaller needle diameters, though I don't exactly know how they correlate, and triangle- and star- points refer to the amount of barbs. Theoretically, it'd be better to use a 36 triangle-point for the insides of your work and a 40 star-point for the outside layer, but since I'm a lazy bum and a cheap-o I just buy 36 triangles in bulk. It gets expensive when you gotta buy 50 at a time and pay shipping, but for me, it's worth it.
Felting foam: This, more than anything else, is safety equipment. You don't have any else in needlefelting. It's imperative to get one. Even though I use mine all the time I still harm myself with the stupid needles. But at least my lap isn't bearing the brunt of the pain. I use a foam model, but I've seen plastic-based bristle models too. The upshot of those is you can't poke all the way through them, like you can with the foam and a long needle. Though I haven't seen a larger model.
Roving Wool: If you want to actually make something, this is what you're going to need. Roving wool is carded wool (usually dyed) that's aligned in one direction. You can use uncarded wool, but then you've got to deal with a lot of organic plant matter that's generally pretty itchy. I have a local store that sells this, but a lot of you out there probably don't live close to such a specialty store. So the internet is probably the way to go. Decadentfibers.com has an outstanding selection of colors and color packs. Etsy sellers are often great for little bits of unique colors for detailing. And there are plenty of other online stores that cater to the felting community.
In general, for a beginning needlefelter, I'd recommend Decadent Fiber's Appetizer kit-- www.decadentfibers.com/Felting⦠. It's got everything you need: needles, a felting pas, a wonderful color array (I'm still using mine!) and instructions. It may take a while to ship, but it's worth the wait (mainly because of the amazing colors you get). Plus also you get a nice tidy box to keep it all in.
Ahh, yup. I think that's it for now. How do you guys like the comic format? Still good? I mean, I'm still going do it this way, but constructive crits always help.
Related content
Comments: 26
Aelorn [2012-07-29 19:29:48 +0000 UTC]
This is going to be finished someday, right? I love it!
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k-times-two In reply to Aelorn [2012-07-29 19:32:23 +0000 UTC]
Hopefully! Probably. I recently got a lot of motivation for it out of the nether. My muse is a fickle soul.
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Aelorn In reply to k-times-two [2012-07-29 19:33:34 +0000 UTC]
Take advantage of that! I found your mew project months ago and was really sad when I realized it was last updated a whole year ago and may never have been completed. I'm glad your motivation has returned.
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k-times-two In reply to Aelorn [2012-07-29 20:04:05 +0000 UTC]
Well, see, the thing is with my muse is she's as ADHD as a squirrel on coffee.
There are so many things to do and so little time... But thank you for the support. I'll see what I can do. \o/
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ionakate In reply to k-times-two [2012-09-01 20:19:59 +0000 UTC]
This made me laugh :') But I agree with Aelorn; this project looks too incredible not to finish! *selfish Iona* haha!
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Aelorn In reply to k-times-two [2012-07-29 20:35:00 +0000 UTC]
I'll be keeping an eye out for it!
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Kitsure [2012-04-29 08:02:21 +0000 UTC]
There's a little yarn store where I buy my wool, and they have an absolutely wonderful pink that'd be perfect for Mew... but it took me AGES to find the blue that I see in your tutorial! /jealous
And agreed, foam is the absolute best. I tried the brush and styrofoam, and the less said on those, the better.
I don't have a tool. I haven't gotten to the skill point where I feel that it'd be worth buying one. I just buy the refilling needles and do it by hand. ^^
Watching this with interest, definitely liking the format! Thanks!
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k-times-two In reply to MewLightKitten [2012-02-06 20:00:13 +0000 UTC]
Eeeeeeventually? Probably? If enough people bother me about it?
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MewLightKitten In reply to k-times-two [2012-02-06 20:41:12 +0000 UTC]
okay then π: 0 β©: 0
*bother bother bother bother*
Jacqueline-Victoria [2011-11-04 19:05:19 +0000 UTC]
=3 once you post the rest of how to make a needlefelt mew, i would love to post all the tutorials in my group but not until they are complete ^^ dont want people trying it and then not being able to continue
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k-times-two In reply to Jacqueline-Victoria [2011-11-04 19:11:05 +0000 UTC]
That's fine. ^^ Be warned, though, I am not currently working on finishing this...
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Jacqueline-Victoria In reply to k-times-two [2011-11-04 19:25:30 +0000 UTC]
alright but when you do, it would be a great addition to our tutorials. not many needlefelting pokemon tutorials out there ^^
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k-times-two In reply to MewLightKitten [2011-10-09 00:40:42 +0000 UTC]
... Sadly, probably not anytime soon. I've got a lot of other work on my plate right now.
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Grassangel [2011-08-28 15:29:15 +0000 UTC]
Oh god, I can only imagine the trouble you had with the pink wool. My palm-sized bird I made used a surprising amount of felt, and while I had enough of the base colour left over, I had scraps left of everything else. (I also totally cheated and used flat felt for the details.)
The end project is amazing enough, but so looking forward to seeing how you tackled things like the leg bumps.
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k-times-two In reply to Grassangel [2011-08-29 09:11:08 +0000 UTC]
Haha. Yep, wool can be a pain sometimes. I had much more trouble with the pink than anticipated.
And I'm glad, stay tuned.
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TheHarley [2011-07-17 17:13:21 +0000 UTC]
Hehe I love the comic format!
It's a very cute and interesting way to explain the process. I think I like it more because it lets me "see" inside of your head while you're working/planning.
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k-times-two In reply to TheHarley [2011-07-17 18:21:19 +0000 UTC]
Well, then that's perfect. I wanted to do something a little more engaging than the typical tutorial, and if you can see inside my thought process, then I must be doing something good. Next up is the actual how-to on needlefelting. Uuuurh, I have to draw a lot of that. DX
Thank you for the thoughts.
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TheHarley In reply to k-times-two [2011-07-18 14:42:23 +0000 UTC]
Most tutorials are in the basic boring style and usually aren't enjoyable to read. I think that's what really sets yours apart, it's entertaining and informative! I can't wait to see what you do for the next part and special techniques, or even simple methods, you use while needlefelting.
You're welcome ^^
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k-times-two In reply to TheHarley [2011-07-18 18:57:50 +0000 UTC]
Special techniques? I , well, don't think I have any of those. Except maybe vast amounts of patience.
^^
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TheHarley In reply to k-times-two [2011-07-19 15:15:18 +0000 UTC]
Perhaps you do, but never realized it because you don't have anyone to compare yourself to.
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k-times-two In reply to TheHarley [2011-07-19 16:42:24 +0000 UTC]
Possibly. Needlefelting's rather straightforward... I guess I wrap loose strands of wool around the needle before stabbing sometimes, if it's helpful. And recently I figured out how to successfully get all of the shiny fiber I use to keep from fraying everywhere.
I need to keep thinking like this. Gotta write this all down.
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TheHarley In reply to k-times-two [2011-07-19 18:56:13 +0000 UTC]
Yes, yes, you're in the zone!
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k-times-two In reply to TheHarley [2011-07-19 21:32:27 +0000 UTC]
So much in the zone that I actually finished my embroidery queue for the day! Yaaaay!
stupid flowers. so many stupid little flowers.
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