Felting for Boys

I love teaching felt-making and I especially love working with people; people of all ages and abilities.

Sometimes people say to me, “Felting... mmm?  That’s fine for girls but what about boys?” 

So here’s the evidence that boys get lured in by the magical sensory process of felt-making too!

Earlier this year I led a felted pictures session at Bilston Craft Gallery. So what do boys like to felt? 

I love the simplicity of this felted ninja design (pictured above) , especially its spooky green eyes. 

Spongebob. (see next photo) 

I am a fan of Spongebob myself so am always happy to see a new variation on this cartoon character. A hand-felted picture will always be unique.

I explain how a backing can be cut from fabric (shop bought industrial felt is good) and then stitched on to the felted picture, filled with wadding and transformed into a cuddly cushion.

I think that this star and smiley face design was going to become a cushion. (see next photo)

Boys love construction too so my magic felted balls have often been incorporated into mixed media sculptures

A lot of inventiveness is required when working with an eclectic range of materials. 

I’ve always said that wrapping a rock in fluffy wool fibres is a really cool idea. Not many boys want a felted handbag but they still love the process and actually purses don’t have to be girly. 

This is a particularly impressive little felted purse that was made by a boy at one of my children’s felting workshops at Bilston Craft Gallery.

Felting over a rock is one way of making a seamless felted item. Another method is to use  a plastic resist. This cute bunny was made using the resist method.

And these football glove puppets were made by an enthusiastic group of young people in a mental health ward at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. 

There is no doubt that felting is a therapeutic process. 

Once introduced to the magic of felt-making boys often get really ambitious ideas for their next felting project.

My son made these lovely stripey felted slipper boots when hew was only 11. 

At first the wool fibres are worked over a plastic resist but in the final stages of the felting process the slippers are actually felted onto your feet. 

So working in pairs, most boys won’t say no to a felted foot massage from their felting buddy! 

There are so many fun processes in transforming fluffy sheep’s wool fibres into hand felted items and 

boys are usually up for an adventure

For details of my Kids Craft Birthday parties visit www.allsensesart.com