First Needle Sculpting Project

I just finished my first needle sculpting project, a gray rabbit! I bought a needle felting kit from etsy seller fancytiger. She has a nice assortment of kits available to purchase in her etsy shop. I think I might pick up the strawberry or mushroom kits next... It was useful to start learning the techniques by following the directions. I opted to felt some of the hair from our foster rabbit Strider into the project. He was going through a pretty good shed when I started the project.

For those of you who do not know how needle felting or sculpting works - it's really quite simple! It consists of repeatedly stabbing roving (combed, washed wool) with an incredibly sharp needle. I stabbed myself quite a few times during the process, so I can testify to the needles' tenacity. In the photo above I am attaching two seprate balls I had felted to form the head and body of the rabbit.

I often held the project in my hands, which is probably why I ended up pricking my fingers a couple of times. The kit did come with a sponge felting pad that I used during the beginning phases of the project.

In the photo below, I am attempting to smooth out some of the bumps in the project.

And here is what my little friend looked like after I finished sculpting him!

He even had a little bushy cottontail.

I have a feeling that this is the first of many (hopefully increasingly advanced) needle felting projects I will tackle. The process was really quite relaxing. I'd like to also continue to use the hair from animals I am fostering for the shelter. It's kind of a fun way to create a project that will always remind me of them.