Making Felted Friends: 25 Toys & Gifts

Unusual book

Twenty-five funky, fuzzy and fleecy felted toy projects feature in this book. It s not just the making of the toys that this book covers but also the process of felt making. I really enjoyed reading the introduction in this book, which provides us with a background on felt making. Did you know that it dates back 8,000 years and it may be one of the original textiles people used? It was discovered before weaving and spinning. So when you start felt making after reading this book you will probably get a feeling of earthiness being able to make something fantastic out of something so basic. The cover of the book and its brightly coloured felt animals immediately drew my five year old son s attention to the book as he wanted me to read through the book with him to show him all the different characters oblivious to my lack of skill in felt-making he asked me if I could make him some felt toys. I spent the whole weekend devouring the book and reading up on the Getting Started chapter, I was unsure whether I would be any good at this craft but from the clear instructions I purchased the materials needed. The materials included wool, soapflakes, wire, pipe cleaners, pliers, wool carders (like a dog brush) and a bamboo mat. Next weekend I progressed to following the chapters how to make flat felt and how to make pre-felt. This was great fun and I never realised how easy it was to make felt. My son loved felt making. I d definitely recommend it as something to keep kids really occupied. The instructions were really easy to follow and I felt very proud of myself and very grateful to the author by the end of the day. I felt as if I had learnt a very ancient craft. On the Sunday we decided to attempt to make a creature from the book. We had 25 options some of these being: Alphabet panel with pockets Fancy Fish Shaker Snake Simple felt picture Bird Exotic Bird Village Duck Groovy Cat Spotty Dog Sausage Dog Percy Pig Funky Monkey House Mouse Spotty Spider Porcupine Dinosaur Armadillo Butterfly Mobile Spider mobile There were variations on many of these projects that you could choose but we opted for a brightly coloured dinosaur. I must add that my son spent about 20 minutes looking at all the pictures as he thought they were all so wonderful and couldn t choose. I was very happy making the project, as the instructions were so clear. Every few sentences was combined with a step-by-step photograph, so at no point was I left wondering what to do. There s nothing I would have changed about this book apart from a whole chapter dedicated to needlework as my sewing leaves a lot to be desired but I think I managed quite well despite my lack of ability in that area. We were really pleased with our first attempt at felt-making and are looking forward to creating some more felt wonders from the book shortly! --Sarah Cooper, Bookbag

If you read the review of Cendrine Armani s book Felted Bags, Boots and Other Things then you might be wondering what else you could do with your felt. How about a bevy of colourful soft toys? Indulge your inner child, and learn how to do a few slightly more advanced things with this versatile material. Aimed at the more experienced feltmaker, this book might mean less tramping the stores looking for gifts to give to younger family members as well as some great ideas for sales of work. Feltmaking is explained from the beginning, but in less detail than a book for beginners, so think of it as a refresher course. There are many other techniques explained instead, such as how to make a wire skeleton (so these are not toys for very young children), mold parts like beaks, ears, crests etc and add color. Learn about different types of felt such as needlepunch, flat and needlefelt and above all have fun. Projects include mice, a dinosaur, spiders, octopus, fish, snake (or draught excluder), monkey and pig. At the back is a long list of suppliers for all who live in the States - crafters elsewhere will have to look elsewhere. This aside, this is a good book for learning how to do something not often covered in craft books. --Rachel Hyde, MyShelf

I must confess I have never contemplated either making felt or 'animal friends'. However this book in 25 steps will enthuse anyone who does. The introduction is attractive and is clearly illustrated and so colourful. It explains the different procedures clearly and the list of tools and equipment needed, although long, includes many everyday articles. --Kathleen Toms, West Country Embroiderers Newsletter 67