Time for a book review! Trends often seem to come and go in the craft world, but one that is steadily growing and not dying out is needle felting. The process of creating an object using unspun wool can seem like a rather daunting prospect. I had often thought this myself, I have several felted pieces that I have bought from other artists and I often found myself wondering how on earth they were made. Enter Little Felted Animals by Mariie-Noelle Horvath!

This book was very kindly sent to me by the publishers GMC Publications and at first glance I loved it, as you can see from the cover image the book is beautifully photographed. I think the final presentation of a book is very important, this book looks and feels expensive and special (although the RRP is quite low). It is definitely the kind of book worthy of a place on your coffee table. After an initial read through I bought the relevant supplies and set about making the first animal (a little black bird).

I found the instructions a little confusing at first, I think this is largely due to the fact that needle felting is in it’s most basic form very simple. But when you see the end results it’s hard to believe there is so little to it, so you can’t help but imagine you’ve missed a step. The key seemed to be to follow both the text and images exactly.

The end result… well I am well and truly addicted to felting! Jabbing away at balls of wool is both theraputic and satisfying (although be careful not to prick yourself like I did, the needles are very sharp). Here is my favourite little animal I have created so far, with my own twist of creativity.

I really cannot enthuse enough about needle felting, it’s so simple and addictive, I even have my family getting in on the act (my husband made an owl).

Would I recommend this book? This book made felting less mysterious and more accessible and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. It’s also beautiful to look through. If the book alone wasn’t a good Christmas present, then how about gifting one of the creations it teaches you to make!

Could it be improved in any way? The book lists several places to buy supplies from but unfortunately they are all in America. For a British reader like myself this wasn’t particularly helpful, an international listing or two would have been nice. I also think it could have been written a little more basically for a novice like myself. Although once you catch the idea the pictures alone are enough instruction.

Book Details

Title: Little Felted Animals

Author: Marie-Noelle Horvath

ISBN: 9780823015047

RRP: £7.99

Publisher: Watson-Guptill

Publication Date: Autumn 2008.