Felting Needles

Needle felting needles how to choose.

What needle felting needle to use. Felting needles range from size 19 to 42. Each needle has a use and depending what type of felting you are doing you will need to choose the right needle to get the right result. See our range of needle felting needles

Triangular Felting Needles – Barbs on 3 sides

32 Gauge – This is a sturdy needle good for working with course fibres such as core wool and for firmly attaching pieces. These needles are not great for detail or a neat finish.

36 Gauge – A good needle for making the bulk of a 3D piece. They are good for attaching pieces. These needles are not great for detail or a neat finish.

38 Gauge – A good all-rounder needle good for doing bulk work and adding some detail. Good for sculpting with but not so good for course fibres. These are the needles we use in all our kits.

38 triangular needle
38 Triangular felting needle

40 Gauge – A fine needle for detail work and getting a neat surface. Best not to use it when working with course fibres or bulk work.

42 Gauge – An even finer needle generally reserved for adding fine hair, tiny wisps of wool etc.

Star Felting Needles – Barbs on 4 sides

36 Gauge – This is good for quick firm felting, for using with courser wools and for joining pieces together.

38 star needle
38 star felting needle

38 Gauge – Similar to the 36 Star but also good for slightly finer work and finer wools such as merino. These are great all round needles. They work well for doing bulk sculpting work and adding detail. These are the needles we use in all our kits.

Spiral Felting Needles – Barbs that twist around the needle

38 and 40 Gauge – The barbs on these needles twist around the end. This makes them felt quickly and gives a neat finish minimising the surface holes you can get with other needles. Ideal for finishing your felting creations. These needles don’t work well when doing bulk sculpting work.

Reverse Felting Needles

The barbs on these needles go the other way hence the name reverse. These needles, pull the fibres out rather than pushing them in. This is useful to create a fluffy finish on a well felted piece. Examples fluffy squirrel tail and chick.

Reverse needles
20 reverse felting needle