How to make needle-felted Christmas trees
Make a trio of mini needle-felted Christmas trees by Gretel Parker, complete with teeny baubles and tiny tinsel, as this year’s festive table centrepiece…
Around noon, on Christmas day, with a table crammed full of hot food and loved ones sporting paper crowns, we’ll all be set to eat Christmas dinner. Luckily for this festive make, it’s only dinky and can quite happily sit between the sprouts and roasties without taking up any room at all.
Crowded table like no other? Place them atop a paper doily on the mantelpiece or plant on the windowsill for passersby to enjoy. They’re even cuter in real life! Here’s how to make them…
You will need:
• One felting mat (sponge or brush)
• Multiple needle holder
• At least three size 40 felting needles, spiral or triangular
• Beading needle and thread to match
Large tree materials
• 2 x green roving, 50 x 4cm
• Red roving, 25 x 2cm
• 1m of trace gold chain
• Colourful assortment of 8mm and 4mm beads
Finished tree size 12cm, 7cm diameter at the base
Medium tree materials
• 2 x ivory or cream roving, 30 x 4cm
• Red roving, 20 x 2cm
• 21 x 4mm red glass heart beads
• 10mm red glass heart bead
Finished tree size 9cm, 4.5cm diameter at the base
Small tree materials
• 2 x green roving, 15 x 3cm
• Red roving, 15 x 1cm
• 40 x red seed beads
Finished tree 6 cm tall, 4cm diameter at the base
How to make needle-felted Christmas trees
Step 1
Follow the steps for all the trees. Tease the fibres of one length out a little and fold over so that you have a tall triangular shape.
Step 2
Take the other length and fluff it into a ball. Then insert it inside the triangle so that it has a fatter end tapering to a point like a carrot. Pull the sides of the outer wool around to encase the filling.
Step 3
Begin shaping a cone. If you are making the large tree, use three needles for quickness. Otherwise, use two.
Step 4
Take care to turn your tree as you work so that you get a uniform roundness.
Step 5
Use the cup of your forefinger and thumb to hold the wool in place as you shape the flat bottom.
Step 6
Squeeze the wool together at the top of the tree and carefully use one needle to get a fine point.
Step 7
When your tree is firm and nicely formed. take thin layers of wool and layer a neat surface over it, for a fine, even finish. Start with two needles and finish with one.
Step 8
Wrap the length of red wool (as specified for the size of tree) around the bottom of the tree and needle it into place to make a base. Tuck any spare wool underneath the tree bottom.
Step 9
Use pins to mark and measure where your trimmings are going to be fixed.
Step 10
When you have positioned your beads, stitch them on with a beading needle. Add as many bead baubles necessary to get everyone into the festive spirit. Happy making!
Gretel is a professional needle felter from rural Shropshire. www.gretelparker.com
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