Member Reviews
I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook.
These are absolutely the cutest things I have ever seen. I have never made needle felting before but this are fairytale cute. Highly recommend and the instructions seem easy to follow with beautiful photos.
Very easy to follow, I liked the photos the artist included in the book. I love the whimsy of the projects, from fairies to mushrooms and gnomes.
I have recently started learning to needlefelt and so when NetGalley offered an ebook galley of The Complete Starter Guide to Needle Felting: Enchanted Forest, I was happy to request it. I really like the first section where they introduce the supplies and techniques needed to complete the projects in the book. The language is clear and concise for easy understanding. Photos accompany each item. I have not attempted any of the projects yet. I'm taking my time and trying to learn all the skills needed. (This must be maturity kicking in. I usually rush ahead with new things.) The enchanted forest theme means there are gnomes, fairies, unicorns and woodland animals to create as well as trees, mushrooms, and flowers. The style is cute and whimsical as you would expect. I would recommend this book to any crafter who wants to give needlefelting a try or already does needlefelting. I'm planning on buying a copy myself.
Needle felting feels a bit like magic to me. You take some wool, poke it a lot with a special needle and it becomes somewhat sturdy and can be transformed in to a shape! It's quite a relaxing thing to do, but I've never been any good at it. So when I saw this book, I was curious to see if it would contain tips to help me out.
This is a really nicely done guide, well structured, with projects ranging from easy to difficult. The step by step photos are clear and the instructions are easy to follow. I haven't attempted a difficult project yet, but my first attempt at a mushroom was decent! Overall, it's a very helpful book and it's a good source of inspiration.
Extra kudos for the author to make sure that for example within the fairies there is some variation in hair style/colour and skin colour. This may seem like basic things, but within these forest-fairy-magic craft projects, it's still not so common to make sure more people feel included and can identify with the imagery. I mean, it's all made up anyway, so why not include everyone? Real big thumbs up!
Well executed! Many thanks to Netgalley and Landauer Publishing for access to this digital ARC. I loved how informative and clear this book was. I have experience with needle felting but as with any art there are a thousand ways to reach the same result. I was happy to see how nicely the author laid out the myriad of tools that can be used in needle felting, when I first began felting years ago, I found it overwhelming to figure out what tools were recommended vs actually needed to accomplish the project. This title made sure to clearly list what materials and tools would be needed for each project. The photos were exceptional and easy to follow. The included projects cover a wide variety of styles which I appreciate in a beginner title, it gives everyone a chance to find a path in the hobby, its not all figures and wool sculpting! Full recommendation for anyone interested in trying needle felting!
The Complete Starter Guide to Needle Felting: Enchanted Forest is a good start to learning or improving needle felting skills in the creation of figures from an enchanted forest. The book begins with necessary supplies, information about wool and fibers, techniques and adorable projects. These projects include a mushroom family, felted pine trees, woodland fairies and a unicorn. I can't wait to get started on these projects!
Recommended! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this digital ARC.
What a complete and utterly adorable guide! I've always wanted to try felting and this books give step by step instructions from supplies, to dying wool, property tools, and most importantly the patterns with photos to guide your way. The title says it all. I can't wait to pick up my supplies and give this book a go.
As someone who has never done needle felting this was very informative. The author provides very detailed info on what tools you will need and step by step instructions with photos. Also the designs where very cute!
I've never done needle felting, but I've heard of it and I was curious to learn something about it. This book takes the beginner from learning about exactly what felting is through several projects for an enchanted forest. The projects are absolutely adorable. Doesn't everyone love gnomes and unicorns these days? The fox and mushrooms are so cute! And Finger puppets!
There is an explanation about buying wool, a section on tools, and very detailed photos of the step by step instructions. One of the somewhat more advanced projects is a gnome. The photos show the beginning of the project, from a wire and wool all the way, 25 steps later to a detailed and beautiful gnome. Each step shows the gnome emerging from the raw materials. The author provides projects from the easiest to the more complex and you can make an easy gnome and floral garland to the most detailed animals like bunnies, fairies and birds sitting on nests with eggs. Also provided are some templates so that you can get the sizes right.
You can make one project or spend a lot of time on creating an entire enchanted forest.
As a beginner needle felter, I have been intimidated by other books that do not break down step-by-step instructions for creating a felted plant or animal. This book too each step, with photographs, to explain how to achieve the desired look of the felted animal or plant you are creating. I would definitely recommend this book to those who are searching for a simple way to learn the needle felting method.
I really enjoyed this book. I've been looking for something similar to help expand my skills and this was absolutely perfect to achieve my goals.
Complete Starter Guide to Needle Felting: Enchanted Forest is enchanting. I have felted quite a bit and I found this book fantastic!
Claudia Lenart the needle artist for felting has created a guidebook with a lot of photos of step by step to make the reader feel confident to take on many charming creations. She even teaches us how to dye the wool for some of the projects one might not be able to find the colors that you need and for in the future which is so helpful to understand. So we don't have to have not being able to find a color we need stop us.
Claudi gives us a photo and list of supplies we need and also the step-by-step photos that I mentioned. Each project has its individual list of supplies needed. I think the only feedback I could add that would be helpful that wasn't included is the approximate amount of time needed to complete each individual project.
Some of the designs are advanced and intricate so the starter guide could be a bit misleading but don't let that deter you that you could take these enchanting project on.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Fox Chapel Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Complete Starter Guide to Needle Felting: Enchanted Forest by Claudia Lenart.
This was a super informative guide to needle felting. Straightforward instructions with step-by-step photos to show the progress.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
I am not a novice needle felter, but I am definitely not an expert either. This book is a great way to get started on needle felting and has all of the introductory information about supplies, technique, etc. that you would expect in a starter guide. In fact, I found the introduction very solid, providing the right amount of information and photos to show someone who has just started to needle felt the basics.
The actual enchanted forest instructions and designs are set up with different levels of complexity and to build on the basics with things like armature and realism. They are all themed around, you guessed it, an enchanted garden or forest. And there is definitely a set of instructions for all readers. If you like fantasy, then you can build a fairly or a gnome, but if you tend to prefer realism you can focus on trees, foxes, and other animals of the forest. You can also use each of the designs as a way to kick start other work. Like removing a horn to have a horse instead of a unicorn .... Lenart is very skilled and she really hits her stride when she is demonstrating the more detailed and realistic figures like the unicorn and the rabbit.
If you are looking to learn how to needle felt or simply want inspiration and some tips to expand your skills, this is a great book to pick up and thumb through. The instructions are clear and include images of detail work, and the ideas are definitely fun. I also think it would be fun to put them all together into a scene of sorts.