How to Needle Felt Art on Easter Eggs

Since becoming a grandma it’s great that the Easter eggs can be unbreakable! Further in my exploration of using wool roving to make art I am making the forms and decorating eggs. Here’s my tutorial how to needle felt art on easter eggs.

Introduction: Easter, a time of renewal and celebration, is the perfect occasion to infuse creativity into your traditions. Move beyond the conventional by exploring the world of needle felting, a versatile and tactile craft. In this guide, we’ll delve into the enchanting art of needle felting onto eggs, creating uniquely adorned Easter decorations that are sure to captivate and charm.

Needle felting; the art of transforming fluffy wool roving into charming treasures, isn’t limited to just toys and ornaments, it’s a great artistic expression! You can use this technique to create stunning two-dimensional pictures, bursting with colour and texture. But how do you achieve those smooth transitions and vibrant hues? This blog post will guide you through the delightful world of needle felting pictures and the art of mixing roving colors!

Tools needed:

1. Felting wool/roving in various colours
2. Felting needles (fine and coarse)
3. Foam pad or felting mat
4. Small scissors

Working with Colours of Roving:

Creating images with any media whether paint, pencil or wool roving depends on what colours that you have, as an illustrator I have decades of working with paint and realize the challenge of having enough colour choices. Don’t despair as there is usually some way of adapting with what you have… Advanced felters become like painters; having their own style show through.

How to felt an egg shape:

To make your base egg form there are a few supply choices. You can use inexpensive styrofoam eggs. I did not give the a try as I often felt quite densely and thought that that would make the foam disintegrate.

You can also make the shapes by using a core wool or some polyester batting. Roll the batting tightly, or even tie in a knot. (see video) I like to reuse things when I can so I used a combination of polyester stuffing fibre from pillows. Another way to create a dense form is by wrapping with leftover yarns. Test the poke-ability of your fibre as not all fibre allows the felting needles through. These are quite stiffly felted before starting to create the pictures.

Mixing Magic: Transforming Roving Colors

How lovely are the hues that can be created once you cross the boundaries of just using prepared colours! It’s much like the difference between a cartoon and a masterpiece painting. There are two main methods for blending roving colours in your needle felting pictures:

• Layering: This technique creates a smooth transition between colours. Tear off small pieces of each colour and layer them on top of each other in the desired pattern. Use your needle to stab repeatedly through all the layers, blending the colours together.
• Pre-Blending: For a more mottled effect, tear off small bits of your chosen colors and gently pull them apart, mixing the fibres slightly. You can also use a carding brush (or small dog groom brushes) specifically designed for wool to achieve a more even blend.

Understanding Colour Mixing:

Creating artwork in this media is much like drawing with a limited selection of colour pencils. Think of each strand of wool fibre (each hair) like a line of drawing. The primary colours (red, yellow and blue) plus white and black can be used to ‘mix’ colours. If you see the individual colour strands squint your eyes, you will then see the mixed colour – my ‘artist trick’!

These scribbles show how colours blend when you see them from a distance. It is the same principle as colour theory when mixing paint.

This colour wheel describes how the colours mix to create the variety needed. The addition of darker colours (dark purple, brown, black will also make darker shades. On the opposite; adding a light colour like white or grey will give lighter versions of colours.

Choose your reference images and then assess the colour range you will be working with. It only takes a tiny amount of roving to mix colour variations. If you are nervous you could draw i with colours of pencil as the wool will be much the same.

In these needle felting techniques I chose Heuchera Flowers which were predominantly the fuchsia colour. Sketching the picture on the egg with a marker can plan the image. I left the planning to chance and worked on flower after another…

Adding some of the purple, light blue, white, to the bright pink created some dimension of the flower petals. The great things about flowers is that they are quite forgiving! ‘Suggestion’ of leaves and petals is often enough to look believable.

Tips for Vibrant Pictures:

• Start with a Dark or contrast Base Colour: Layering a dark-coloured wool (or opposite on the colour wheel) behind your design can make the brighter colours appear even more vibrant.
• Work in Small Sections: Don’t try to tackle the entire picture at once. Focus on completing small sections with detailed blending and continue adding for a polished look.
• Add Dimension: Use different wool textures like merino wool for smooth areas and carded wool for a fluffier effect, creating depth in your artwork. Lighter highlights can be added on top (similar to when painting)
• Embellish (Optional): Once the main picture is complete, you can add details using embroidery floss, beads, or other embellishments.

Twisting small wisps of wool allows the making of lines for whiskers and stamens. The details can be added as finishing touches. That stage is always my favourite as it brings the art to life! Since these felting projects are for home decor, not for wearables they do not require wet felting.

My general rule is to try to avoid using black outlines. ‘If’ you think it is needed perhaps some extra shading or highlights can bring out the shapes to define better. Don’t be nervous; using a pair of tweezers will allow you to pull out the wool that you think is not working, or add more on top.

I enjoy the relaxing quality to working with wool roving – easy needle felting; there is no paint drying or dirty palettes! I hope I have given you the inspiration to needle felt art on Easter eggs … Happy poking!