It’s simply amazing how you can create such a miracle from a ball of wool! Look at this collection of cats and cats, they look real, like alive! The toys are made using the dry felting technique by craftswoman Natalya Kuznetsova.

I invite you, with great gratitude to the author, to admire the works, and also get inspired to create a kitten, following the photo master class from Natalia.

So, let's watch a master class on felting this kitten in a basket:

For work we will need:

Wool for felting: white, red, yellow in 2 shades, light and dark gray, pink, light coarse undyed wool for the base (sliver, but you can do without it, then the base will be dyed white);

Multi-needle device for felting;

Felting mat

Sponge for washing dishes, body, car;

Air bubble film;

Fimo polymer clay;

Pastel crayons: pink and gray;

Glossy varnish for plastic;

PVA glue

A sketch, not necessarily very detailed, but one that conveys the pose and proportions of the intended toy or composition.

We start with the kitten's head. We take coarse wool, form a round piece out of it with our fingers and roll it with a coarse needle so that the ball shrinks by about a third and becomes dense. We wrap this blank in white wool and roll it with a thin needle so that the base wool is not visible on the surface of the future head.

At this stage, we create reliefs on the head - cheeks, muzzle, rolling additional clouds of wool in the right places

Let's make a nose. To do this, we take pink wool and give it a shape on a sponge and transfer it to the muzzle, where we add it completely.

Having twisted a thin strand of pink wool with your fingers into a thin flagellum, we roll it along the line of the mouth.

Now, we roll down the red fur - “draw” the color of the head. Our kitten is sleeping and his eyes are closed, so we add red fur in the eye sockets to form closed eyelids and brow ridges.

The kitten's ears will be red with a white inner insert. We take two identical clouds of red wool and on a felting brush using a multi-needle device (I have 3 needles) we make two triangles at the same time so that the ears turn out the same.

To ensure that the edges are even, we hold the ear between our fingers and carefully work the eye along the edge with a needle, leaving a fluffy edge to connect to the head.

We do the same with the white triangles, only they should be smaller in size than the red ones. After this, we connect the white and red parts and carefully roll them together, inserting the needle not perpendicular to the part, but at an angle, trying not to pull the needle all the way out from the opposite side.

We try the ears on the head and pin them in the right places. Similarly to the head, we felt the oval of the body (we roll the base of coarse wool with white wool).

Let's move on to the front legs. So that they are the same size, we tear off two identical pieces of white wool for them at once. We form oblong-shaped blanks with our fingers and begin felting at the very beginning with a thick needle, then with a thin one. On the side where the “fingers” will be, we thicken the paw by rolling down clouds of wool. Using a needle, carefully make the indentations between the “fingers”. Our kitten hugs his favorite toy in his sleep and therefore his paws should be curved. We create these curves with a needle, bending the foot and pushing the needle through this curved shape.

For the hind legs you will need 4 parts: 2 hemispheres for the upper parts of the two legs and 2 parts for the feet. We perform them at the same time to achieve the same size. We form the “fingers” in the same way as we did on the upper paws.

When the 4 parts are ready, we weld the upper parts of the paws to the lower ones. Plastic pads will be glued into the paws; to do this, we make indentations with a needle in the places where the future pads will be.

While the paws are not connected to the body, we will make pads. To do this, cut off a piece of white plastic and mix a slightly smaller amount of translucent plastic into it.

On a non-sticky surface (for example, paper), roll out the sausage and cut into 16 equal pieces for “fingers” and 4 equal pieces bigger size for center pads.

Roll 16 ovaloids and lightly flatten them into oval shapes with your finger.

For the central pads, we form triangular blanks, with which we make indentations on three sides with some object of a suitable diameter - for example, a wooden manicure stick.

We tint our blanks with powdered pastel using a thin soft brush or just a finger.

Bake according to the instructions and, once cooled, glue them with super glue into the recesses on the legs. Cover with plastic varnish.

Now that all the parts are ready, let's start assembling. We sew the head to the body and cover the junction with white wool, forming a smooth transition of the neck from the back. We also lay down the paws, giving the toy a pose according to the sketch. We also fill the joints with clouds of white wool. Using red fur we “draw” spots in accordance with the intended color.

Glue the eyelashes under the eyelids. We tint the paws and face with pink pastel. The cat is ready! Well, now it won’t be difficult for you to make a mouse-toy for a cat :-)

In order for a kitten to sleep sweetly, in addition to a mouse, he will need a comfortable bed. I decided that a wool basket would look more organic than a regular one.

The bottom will be made using the wet felting method. To do this, outline the kitten on a piece of paper and add 2 cm to the edges of the resulting oval for fur shrinkage. Dump the workpiece using a soap and water solution.

We sew the resulting oval with a needle with beading wire threaded back and forth, leaving “tails” equal to the height of the basket with a small margin on the sides of the wool oval, so that later they can be bent and hidden.

Leave a wider gap somewhere and sew a “tail” there without a pair, since there should be an odd number of them. We twist the “tails” - this way they will be stronger

Now we tear off long thin strands of yellow wool, with a drop of glue we fix the tip of the strand on the wire at the base and wrap the wire from the bottom up and back to the base, and also fix the tip there. We do the same with all wire “tails”.

We are preparing strands to imitate vines for weaving baskets. We tear off a long strand from wool of two shades of yellow and one from red wool, put them together, moisten them with soapy water and begin to gently roll between the palms, moving along the entire length of the strand, only leaving six unfelted at the beginning and end. Gradually increase the pressure and roll until the tourniquet becomes dense and elastic. We will make several such bundles and connect them into one with the help of a needle and then roll the joint wet.

We begin to “weave” the basket by passing the strands between the wire “tails”.

When there is about 1 cm left to the end of the “tails”, we finish weaving, carefully move the end of the strand deep into the basket and unnoticeably hem it. We bend the ends of the wires wrapped in wool and hide them between the strands.

Bottom edges hidden seam sew to the bottom harness. We moisten the finished basket with a solution of PVA and water and decorate it with a satin ribbon.

Well, now everything is ready to put our kitten in a warm and soft basket, give him his favorite toy in his paws and wish him sweet dreams!

Have you ever wanted to make a small charming toy or bright decoration for an outfit, but put everything off until later due to lack of skill? All this is quite possible today thanks to the “Wool felting from Western masters” technique. It all depends on your imagination. In this material we will look at easy master class, in which given detailed information for felting wool.

Red kitten made of wool in a master class

Let's see how to make a cute kitten. This wool felting master class is suitable even for those who are just starting to do needlework.

So, we will need:

• Wool suitable color, at your discretion, for example, white and red;
• Two felting needles: coarse and fine;
• Eye beads, black or white, with painted pupils. This can be done using acrylic paints;
• White fishing line for antennae.

We divide the wool into two parts, leaving the second to make the paws, ears and muzzle. We twist the first part as tightly as possible into a ball and secure it with a coarse needle. We need to make a slightly elongated ball so that it looks like a chicken egg.

It is important to sink well inside, for this we use a forward movement!

We stick a needle and perform the movement about four times. And this needs to be done on all sides, all over the ball. It is better to do this on weight, and not on the table, so that the ball is uniform on all sides. And be careful not to prick your fingers!

The eyes need to be marked before we start felting. The holes should be deep enough for the eyes to look natural. We make them slightly above the center.

To check how tightly the wool is felted, we press firmly on the workpiece. If it has flattened a little, you need to continue working with it. You can add fur to make the kitten plump. We do this sequentially, slowly adding fur and wrapping the future kitten. Now the wool is needed for the muzzle, so we do it in the same way.

Now we make the paws. The photo shows how to roll and felt the wool. We also perform all manipulations in the air with our hands.

If you are just starting to do this kind of art, you can use a soft surface and do everything on it.

So, for the foot we felt about a centimeter very tightly, leaving the rest without felting. And we straighten them as seen in the photo.

Let's make the ears red and white. We tear off the pieces, not too small, so that the ear is not thin. We fill the central part of the ball, leaving the edges.

We make a hem to form a corner, folding it well on both sides. We leave the largest part of our corner untouched.

We also make the tail red. We roll the wool into a shape approximately like a finger and felt it well, leaving the base of the tail.

Now let's collect the cat. We start from the tail, the location will be in the center of the back of our ball. Pressing tightly, we begin to roll the tail, first at the base, then the rest of the wool.

The ears will be located above the eyes. We roll them a little deeper, a couple of millimeters. Then we bend the ear like this and roll the remaining wool to the base.

We roll the legs using the same principle. Hind legs first but we don’t completely roll it down, we just kind of baste it.

Then the front legs. The photo shows their location relative to the muzzle.

We need to check whether all the paws are the same, so we place the kitten on a flat surface.

If everything is smooth, then fill in the remaining wool. If you want, you can make a couple of red spots on the cat. We pass the needle over the entire surface of the kitten, checking that everything is smooth.

We glue the eyes with what we are used to using, regular glue or a gun.

We make a nose from a small ball of wool and place it between the eyes. We also roll the wool under the nose for the cheeks. To make the cat cheerful, first mark the center of the mouth, then make a smile.

We go through the cat itself with a needle, only slightly winding it up, but very often, in the end our pet will decrease a little in size.

To make antennae, we pass a needle through our cheeks, drag it through and leave two antennae on one side. Then the needle back, back again, after which you get four antennae on each side. The cat is ready.

First of all, for clarity, I made a sketch of the cat on paper, and then redrew it in Illustrator. Here's what I got:

I advise you to always make sketches of future toys, especially if they are quite complex and consist of many parts. Especially for you, I have prepared a kitten template, on which you can clearly see all the details that need to be felted. You can download it by this link.

It is also easy to check the dimensions of the parts using the finished drawing.

Here's a template:

Master class on felting a kitten

So now you have a template and a list necessary materials, you can start felting. The main color of the kitten is white.

Felting the main parts

Start with the head. I used two #38 needles (you can use a #36 needle at this point if you prefer) to give the original shape to the piece.

This is the shape of the cat's head. Now it is very soft and easily wrinkled.

Now all that remains is to thicken the cat's head by adding fur. required quantities and trying to stick to the original form. Stick the needle deep, knocking down the inside of the toy first.

When the head becomes more or less dense - be careful here, do not overdo it - you can move on to felting the body.

Separate a long strip of wool from the combed ribbon and roll it into a tight cylinder.

Here, you see, what is the difference between the parts that are covered and those that are not =)

Work the cat's body well, giving it a cone shape.

To felt the paws, separate two identical pieces of wool from the tape and fold them in thirds.

It is best to felt paired parts in parallel, this will make them more or less identical

Smoothly turn the workpiece over, compacting evenly on all sides. For felting feet, it is convenient to use several needles in a holder or simply hold two needles at once

If you feel that right size and the shape of the paws has already been achieved, but the density is not sufficient - add a little wool. Before felting, I advise you to roll the piece in your hands, forming a “wool cloud”, this will allow you to felt the wool evenly, without sharp transitions.

These are the paws you get. Very soon the cat will be able to hug =)

In accordance with the template, our wool kitten's ears are of two colors - red and gray. Separate the required and equal amount of wool of each color.

Fluff the wool for felting using a slicker. Then place two identical triangles side by side - this will become the basis of the ears. Wool slightly tangled with a slicker is much more convenient to felt, you can see this for yourself.

Use several needles, this will greatly simplify and speed up the process. First, go over the surface of the ear on one side, then turn it over. Form a triangular shape.

Leave the fur on the bottom of the ears free - with its help the ears will be attached to the cat's head.

Using one needle, work along the edges of the ears, tucking any loose hair inward and improving the shape of the ear.

At the final stage, treat the surface with a fine needle No. 40.

These are the ears I got:

Well, you can start assembling the head

In the photo you can see everything you need: the base of the head, ears and clouds of gray and brown wool to give the desired color.

Fluff the bases of the ears, place them on your head and lightly run the needle over the surface, securing them.

Here's the front view. a cat's face is drawn, isn't it?)

Felt the ears a little, then to create the desired pattern and a more uniform transition between colors, take a little wool.

Form a cloud and lay it down. Do the same with the second ear.

At this stage you have the opportunity to adjust the shape of the head by adding hair in the right places. For example, increase the convexity of the nose. Don't forget to check the template.

Use finer needles - #40 triangular and spiral triangular to level the surface.

When the kitten's head is ready, use a thick needle to form indentations under the eyes. Use nail scissors to make holes.

We tried on the eyes. Already cute ^_^

By the way, all kitten lovers can make themselves a cute Christmas tree toy as .

Assembling a wool kitten

Continue assembling - it's time to felt the body. Walk the needle around the circle, sticking it deep.

Use clouds of white wool to mask the joints.

Somehow I got carried away and didn’t take pictures of the stages of creating the legs. But don't worry, it's lying around the same way as the front legs.

When the hind legs are ready, you can roll them to the body.

Fluff the loose fur at the ends and get started! Work out the joints well on all sides, achieve a high density of wool.

When both legs are felted, you can start making the pattern. I'm leaning on one side brown spot free form.

On the other side there is a small gray spot, slightly extending onto the leg.

Felt the front legs in the same way. Something's missing, isn't it?

You guessed! We haven't made the ponytail yet =)

Use the same white base wool

First, felt the straight tail, and then give it the desired bend. Just bend the workpiece and evenly felt it in this position, paying more attention to the place of the bend.

A wool kitten will stand on its tail, so make it fairly firm and long.

Felt the ponytail

Go over the surface of the toy again with a thin needle, finishing it. Sticking fur can be trimmed with scissors.

The kitten is ready! All that remains is to decorate the face: glue in the eyes, felt the nose and mouth from a thin strip of wool and sew in a mustache. And don't forget about the belly button;)

Do you love cats as much as the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun love them? Cat cafes, famous brand Hello Kitty- these are all their inventions. And now here's another thing - felting cats!

"Cats-fellings" Japanese spill

The artist Akemi from the Soranosuke company has already “rolled” the purr of all her friends, as well as her own cats Sora and Riku. And now he works for the general public.

Just don’t suspect the girl of sadism. She throws her purr not on the floor, not on the ground, but made of felt. Customer reviews are filled with delight, and the words “unbearably cute” appear in every second sentence.

Before starting work, the master asks to send her several photographs of the pet. As a result of felting wool, the cat turns out to be like a real one! Of course, Akemi modestly warns: you shouldn’t expect an exact copy, but some similarity is guaranteed.

As a bonus, clients receive little pussies with wishes. You can also order a three-dimensional panel.

A cat made of wool is a work of art

They say that the craftswoman has no end to customers, and this despite the presence of serious competitors. For example, this phlegmatic Scot is made by Nekolabo.

And this is the head of Professor Housetu Sato and his students. I mean, it's their doing. The work was created specifically for display at the Tokyo Museum of Art.

One can only guess where else their great love for cats will lead the inventive Japanese...

However, why don’t you and I try something like this, especially since not much is required: wool for felting, a model cat and a good mood.

Tatiana Larionova

What canned food tastes best for cats?

RESEARCH ATTENTION! You and your cat can take part in it! If you live in Moscow or the Moscow region and are ready to regularly observe how and how much your cat eats, and also remember to write it all down, they will bring you FREE WET FOOD SETS.

Project for 3–4 months. Organizer - Petkorm LLC.

Felting wool is a skill that requires care, especially if we are talking about the so-called “dry” method, because it uses sharp needles. But the “wet” felting technique is suitable for original panel, which can be used to decorate the wall of your home to create coziness, because what could be cuter than kittens! With this technique you can easily create wonderful gift, souvenir or toy for a child.

If you want to try your hand at felting or wet felting, stock up on imagination, a sketch that will help you maintain proportions, and choose a execution technique. From small strands of wool you can easily get a small simple keychain in the shape of a Cheshire cat, or a beautiful picture-panel depicting cats, or even a real cartoon character - Kitten Woof. You can create beautiful composition from figures: Cheshire cat near the house.

In addition, you need to select the appropriate tools. For different types felting it will be different. Moreover, for each specific master class you will need additional materials.

To create a cat using the felting technique, stock up on:

• A felting sponge or mat on which the wool will be placed during the work process;
• Felting needles of different sizes;
• Skeins of wool of different colors;
• Glue “Moment” or special “Moment-Crystal” for needlework;
• Shilom;
• Scissors.

Needles for felting vary in size and shape: you will need a thick needle (No. 36), which will allow you to felt the main parts, a thinner one (No. 38) will need to work out small details and form a relief, and the thinnest needle (No. h0) will be needed for processing edges and smoothing out deficiencies.

Star point needles and reverse felting needles are also used.

For the “wet” method, the tools will be safer.

In addition to wool, you will need:

• Polyethylene film and bubble film;
• Scissors;
• Sliver is the basis for felting;
• Boiling water;
• Dry grated soap or liquid soap;
• Rolling pin or stick;
• Watering can;
• Dry rags.

After this, you can proceed to the most interesting stage - the actual creation of a cute cat with your own hands.

Cats made of wool: wet felting panels

Let's try to create a picture of a cat. Such a panel can be placed in a special holder or frame. For it you need to take equal parts blue and dark blue wool, red and green wool, and sliver. Brown wool threads will also come in handy.

In order to accurately place the skein of wool on the future panel, draw the future picture on a sheet of paper and place it in front of you. The scheme will not allow you to miss and make the image disproportionate.

Now lay it out on the table bubble wrap(it will serve as the basis for felting) and begin to create panels.

Step-by-step instructions for felting the “Cat” panel:

• We cut strands of sliver according to the width of the panel + approximately 30% - for wool shrinkage;
• We lay the warp strands in an even layer, forming the back of the picture, directing the fibers in one direction. Then place the second layer on top in the opposite direction. Knead both layers with your hands;
• On top of the sliver we lay out the background of the picture made of wool in blue or dark blue shades. The transition from one color to another will look very interesting, which can be easily achieved by laying out layers of wool of adjacent tones with a slight overlap;
• In the place where the silhouette of the cat will be located, we lay out small strands of orange or red wool according to the shape of the figure. Don’t forget to form conical ears and a tail;
• We lay out a woolen thread along the contour of the figure - it will give a clear outline. We form eyes on the cat’s face from green wool and outline them with thread. Narrow pupils can be cut out of thread;
• Make a soap solution in boiling water and pour it into a watering can. From it, pour a little solution onto the wool over the entire surface;
• We wet the film with the solution and cover the picture with it. We begin to rub over the film with our hands so that the wool becomes a little matted, about 5 minutes. If moisture is squeezed out from the sides, wipe it with a cloth;
• We roll the picture with the lower and upper films into a roll using a rolling pin, fix it with rubber bands or rope, and wrap it in fabric on top and fix it again;
• We roll the roll in one direction for about 15 minutes, after which we unwind it, tuck in the loose edges and wind it again, but we wind it across the panel. Roll the roll on the table or floor for about an hour. During this time, you can change the winding direction a couple more times so that the picture falls evenly;
• We unfold the resulting panel and straighten the edges with our hands, cutting off any stray strands.

We frame the finished picture and admire the resulting result.

Fun felting from wool: cat and hippopotamus

In order to master felting, let's try to felt a miniature funny cat. In addition to materials for felting, two small dark-colored beads and a silk cord for the paws will also be useful.

In order to felt dense parts, try to pierce the wool deeper, pressing on the needle so that the inside rolls faster and denser.

We begin to felt the cat Behemoth:

• Pinch off some fur of blue color and roll it into a ball with your hands, and then flatten it a little. We place the workpiece on the sponge and begin to pierce it evenly with a needle over the entire surface. Turn the ball over and back side we also go through with a needle;
• On one of the tops we form a recess and two conical “tops” - ears;
• We take a thin strand of contrasting wool and carefully wrap it around the cat’s body in the middle, then press it with a needle. We do the same with several more strands - we get stripes;
• We roll a nose ball out of black wool and felt it a little with a needle, after which we roll it onto the muzzle with a thin needle. We make mustaches from thin strands of the same black wool and attach them with punctures;
• Use a needle to make a depression under the eyes. Their role will be played by dark beads. Pour a little Moment glue into the recesses and insert the beads, lightly pressing them;
• We make paws from the cord, tying its pieces into knots at the ends. We glue the paws to the body - and our cat is ready.

This simple master class will allow you to master more complex patterns of cat toys in the future.

Special technique: dry felting of a kitten

If you like the adventures of Simon the cat, let's try to make it yourself. For this we will need two colors of wool - orange and beige, white beads, black acrylic paint and some brown pastel crayons.

Another irreplaceable thing for felting is an ordinary cat slicker brush. You can walk through it finished product, so that it seems slightly fluffy.

Making red-haired Simon:

• We make two round pieces from beige wool: one larger for the body, the second smaller for the head;
• When both pieces become dense enough, we roll them against each other;
• On the head we form recesses under the eyes, piercing these places with a needle as often as possible;
• We take thin strands of orange wool and wrap them around the cat’s head and body. We evenly roll the orange wool over the beige wool;
• We make the cat's ears and cheeks from small pieces of orange wool. We attach them to the head;
• Using a needle, we form a chin and a place for a nose on the muzzle, draw the bridge of the nose and the places where the mustache is attached to the cheeks;
• We glue white beads into the eye sockets and thicken the wool around them so that they stick better;
• We form the paws from beige wool, do not forget to bend them when felting. We wrap and roll the orange wool over the beige wool;
• We attach the paws and make the tail in the same way;
• Black acrylic paint draw pupils on the beads;
• We rub a little brown pastel and apply it dry with a brush to the nose, the bridge of the cat’s nose, highlight the brow ridges and we can lightly draw stripes on the back;
• Using a slicker or reverse felting needle, we go over the entire figure, pulling out small fibers.

The finished cat will be slightly fluffy and endlessly charming.

Felting a kitten from wool: master class from professionals

You can also create an anime cat from the cartoon “Kitten T”. It will be useful for him White wool, from which the base will be made, and small gray specks can be rolled on top of it.

For an anime-style kitten, there are a few details to keep in mind when felting:

• Create a pattern for individual parts of the body - it will be more convenient to make blanks using them;
• The cat's head should be made bigger trapezoidal shape. Felt it first from one ball of wool, and then gradually add another, smaller one at the front to create the relief of the nose;
• Felt the body from a small piece of wool, giving it an elongated cylindrical shape;
• Felt small paws, working through their tips with a needle to create fingers;
• Place the body to the head and the paws to the body;
• Form the ears: make two triangles from two identical strands, fluff them with a powder brush and press them with a needle. Leave the lower part of the ears unfilled to attach to the head;
• We make the eyes for the anime-style cat large and use green beads. We draw a pupil on them with acrylic;
• We form a tail and attach it to the body.

All that remains is to go over the figure with a thin needle and complete the work.

Small cat using dry felting technique of medium difficulty

A more complex cat can be made from a photograph of a real animal. Similarly, we felt individual parts according to prepared patterns and attached them to the body.

Let's complicate needlework with small details:

• Form eyelids from thin strands of wool and roll them over the already attached eyes;
• Make the lower eyelid a characteristic “cat eye” shape;
• Felt a little contrasting wool inside each ear to give it volume;
• Make a mustache and eyebrows for the kitten from thin fishing line and secure them with a needle on the cheeks and above the eyes;
• Roll the pink wool into balls and form pads on the paws;
• Don't forget to draw with a needle what is under the cat's tail.

Such a kitten can turn out to be quite realistic if you maintain the proportions of the body and correctly attach the paws and tail.

Original felting: kitten Woof and his friends

To create a Woof Kitten, you can use the anime technique or a more complex version and patterns for one of these master classes.

All that remains is to supplement the product characteristic features character:

• For the base, use soft beige wool;
• Make eyes from turquoise beads or color matching beads blue;
• On the face you need to make a darker “mask” of chocolate wool;
• The same wool should be wrapped around the tips of the paws and tail and felted.

Making a toy for a child: felting a cat with your own hands (video)

Kittens made from felted wool are a wonderful handicraft that will delight both the craftsman during the manufacturing process and the person who will receive such a cute and cute gift. Try to make one of the cats yourself, and it will definitely become a talisman for your home.