Fuzzy Needlefelted Bumble Bee Tutorial

Who got her act together and made a tutorial for you? MEEEEE!!!!

The supply list:

Needlefelting wool: you'll want cream, yellow, black and some core wool would be handy.

Needlefelting needles
Thin but firm wire (I used florist wire)
Black acrylic paint
Wings: Bee Wings digital download,  Printed Bee Wings on Transparancy, or source your own

Hot glue
Super/Crazy/Instant glue

A few notes:
• start with the medium sized bee... seriously, its the most fun and least pain in the bum
• for the largest bee I wet felted around a foam egg shape to use as the base
• if making a large bee you'll need to create a support for the wings or print it on thick transparency
• the smallest bee was actually the most difficult to make
• you could create a cut into the felted bee to insert the wing ends if you want to camouflage all evidence of glue.
• the leather finger protectors I wear in the video tute are really great. If you you poke yourself too often I recommend!

Pop over HERE for the video tutorial.

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado... 

Do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

Woolly Bumble Bee WIngs

I've been working on those fuzzy bumbles, channeling my inner Goldilocks (or is it three bears?) and made three different sizes.

I've been working out the kinks, using different techniques, so that I can do a good and proper tutorial which will be on the way, hopefully by the end of the week.

Too small and things get fumbly and difficult to work with. Too big and the stability of the wings becomes an issue. So I'll be showing how to create the medium sized bee later this week.

I've had a load of questions about those wings. They're bee wings printed on transparency paper. I have a new half sheet with a load of various sized bee wings available from my etsy shop.

I also have a full sheet of Bee Wings Download available if you want to print your own.

Be aware that neither of these contain the extra large wings. To be honest, working on that scale the wings get a bit floppy and I figured that offering more medium and small wings would be more useful to most people.

If you'd like to gather supplies to be a total keener and pre-prepared for the tute, here are all the things you'll need to gather:

- felting wool in white/cream, yellow and black

- felting needles

- fine black wire (initially I used green florist wire and painted it black

- wings (Bee Wings Download, Bee Wings Transparency Half Sheet or your own!)

- crazy/super glue

- hot glue

Note: I already had some supplies on hand but bought THIS needlefelting kit because I needed some yellow wool (also, it was on sale). The wool packets are tiny, but if you're working on a small scale it may work for you. The leather finger protectors are a nice addition. The needles aren't great, but if you want to get started quickly and don't want a huge investment, this might be something you'd be interested in. Not affiliated or anything, just thought it may be useful.

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado... 

Do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

A woolly bumble

I saw a pictures of a fuzzy needle-felted bumblebee before Christmas and have been itching to make my own.

Granted, the dudes wings are a bit big, but I like him just as he is.

I'm going to make a whole family of bees! A slew of bigger and even more bumbly bees!

Supplies? Wool, wire, acrylic paint and transparent wings. That's it!

Hope the new year is being kind to you.

xoxox

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado... 

Do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

Something nice to end the year.

I thought I'd end the year (and the whole decade come to think of it!) gently, not with a whimper exactly, but with a sweet whisper.

Months ago a local thrift shop posted about an album had recently been donated. They were concerned that it had been given in error and wanted to ensure that it was intended for donation.

Immediately I said "It's not mine, but if no one steps forward, I'll gladly adopt them."

Months later I got the message to come an pick up my new 'family'.

I understand why the shop was concerned. The little album is packed with the most darling images.

Little boys with wooden swords.

Grandmother knitting.

Children in tasseled hats sneaking up on sleeping uncles.

It is absolutely packed with the most delightful images.

And they are all just so wee!

The tiny pictures are from the 1920's

I am so very thrilled to have them in my collection...

And cannot wait to hear the stories they'll whisper to me almost 100 years after they were taken.

Best wishes to you and yours for a beautiful new year filled with gentle joys.

Love,

Nichola