I like to hold my needle with a grip similar to how I would hold a pencil, but with my thumb and pointer finger at the top hook of the needle, and my middle finger resting on the shaft of the needle.
HOW DEEP SHOULD THE NEEDLE GO
If you’re felting and your needle is pushing through your sponge, you’re not really felting the wool on the surface. Keep in mind where the barbs are located on your needle - about the bottom 4th. So that part of your needle is where the magic is happening, and should be spending more time inside and on top of your wool, and not your sponge.
Of course, when you’re felting on fabric you won’t be able to avoid the sponge as much, but you still want to be aware of how deep into your sponge you’re letting your needle go.
WHAT’S THE RIGHT MOTION
Needle felting is more of a wrist movement, and less of an arm one. Thus, you should rest your hand on the side of your sponge while felting, as you shouldn’t be moving your arm. This will also prevent unnecessary injuries as your hand won’t land from far lengths while holding your needle - keep it in the wrist and you’ll have more control over your needle.
HOW TO TRANSFER AN IMAGE ON FABRIC TO FELT
Interested in felting a very specific image without having to freehand it? You’ll need to print the picture on paper, and pin on top of your fabric and sponge so that it doesn’t move. Using your felting needle, poke holes through the outline of your image. Once you’ve got enough holes, make dots with a pen or small marker through the holes. You can then remove your paper and begin filling in your dotted outlines with wool. No worries about the dot marks, they will be covered by the time your felted drawing is complete!
