My completed work with needle felting and embroidery added. Follow the instructions below for each stage of the completed tutorial clicking on each image to get a larger view..
Stage 1:- Needle felting the stones at the bottom of the picture.
Using a variety of darker wools, needle felt the stones. I made three large ones leaving a small space in between each, so that I could add tiny needle felted balls. I then added a lighter green wool on the stones for moss, needle felting strands upwards for small tufts of leaves.
Stage 2:- The addition of the white bell flowers and stems, bottom left:-
Make a small piece of thin white wet felting. It must be thin otherwise it will be to bulky. Cut out small semicircular shapes and roll around into a bell shape. You will have to experiment with this first to get the correct shape. I made a paper pattern first. Join the two pieces together with white embroidery thread starting at the top inside and embroider along the seam with three stamens in a fan shape. I made seven of these to add on.
When these are completed, position on your piece and attach with button hole stitch along the top.
Using light green embroidery silk, bring your needle up at the top of the bell flower and down again where you want the stem to end, allowing for the curvature of the stem where it comes away from the flower. With a different thinner,lighter green thread couch the stem thread down.
Stage 3:- Enhancing the velvet flowers.
Because the wire stems had to be taken out of the flowers, you will notice that there is a central hole in each one. Needle felt in this hole and where you think necessary use embroidery to divide the petals.
Stage 4:- Embroidered flowers on the stones.
For the yellow embroidered flowers make petals using a chain stitch, securing each side of the petal with a slip stitch. Fill in each petal with a French knot.
Stage 5:- Embellishing the stamens that were added in the wet felting process.
If necessary needle felt the ends of the stamens making sure that you take the wool over the stamen end.
My stamens originally had lovely red tips, but during the felting process the dye came out which is the reason for the needle felting addition.
Stage 6:- Adding the butterfly.
Make a small piece of wet felt using different colours on each side. It needs to be a thick felt. When the felt is dry, draw a pattern of a butterfly and cut away the body leaving just the wings. Draw around each wing on the felt using a ball point pen and carefully cut out. As the felt is thick you will be able to shave away (with scissors) some of the felt from the inside wings where they attach to the body. This will make them stand out when attached showing the underneath colour.
Decide where you would like the butterfly to be positioned and needle felt the butterfly wings onto your piece, leaving a space between them for the body. Only needle felt along the inner edges of the wings and you will see them raise up from the background work. Now you can fill in the gap between the wings with needle felting in the shape of the butterflies body. Using embroidery threads, embroider the two antennae using a long stitch finishing with a French knot.
Stage 7:- Completion and hanging.
You can either frame your work or hang it as it is. I like the finished shape of the felt so I am going to mount it on a board and attach a hanger.
I am so pleased with what started off to be an experiment that I have decided to give it as a present to my son's partner, I am sure she will love it.
Please try out this tutorial and if you are happy with it leave a comment. If you think I've missed anything out or need to include more detail then I will alter it, so that we can all learn from this.
Good Luck
