You don’t have to take a course in needle felting for beginners to create your own needle felted projects. It’s actually a lot easier to get started than you might think. Keep reading to learn how you can get started in needle felting with this easy DIY needle felted wine bag that’s perfect for Mother’s Day!

While this project is easy enough to complete solo, I highly recommend getting a friend (or friends) involved. Not because this project is difficult to do, but because it’s a great way to beat the last of those winter blues.

This past winter was tough on me. Like many of you, in addition to a small bout of seasonal depression, I was also dealing with my own set of trials and tribulations. This included moving over Christmas weekend into my best friend’s house and ending a marriage that lasted a brief six days shy of six months. While not my best moment, great friends and a terrific holistic therapist helped me through it.

One of the things that I wasn’t quite up to during this time period was crafting. So while I tried to keep up with sharing new skin care recipes on the blog, there were no DIY craft nights with the ladies through the entire winter season. Those nights are something I have truly missed. So my first DIY night this spring was needle felting for beginners.

My friend, Hillary, actually hosts a local Wine & Art Wednesday. So while I technically attended a course to learn needle felting, it was a lot like a DIY night at home with some of my favorite people. My friend and roommate, Bambi, also accompanied me and we had an absolute blast!

I’ll admit I was a bit intimidated by needle felting at first. It looked hard, and therefore I mistakenly assumed it would be hard. It wasn’t. By beginning with a DIY needle felted wine bag, it made the process of learning needle felting even easier. As you’re working with a flat, rather than a three dimensional surface, it also takes less time.

Of course, realizing this made me kind of regret giving away that needle felting kit for beginners I’d bought some time back after promising myself to learn new things. (I am now shaking my fist at my own procrastination.)

While playing with sharp objects and drinking wine was probably not the best choice, no one was hurt in the making of this project. So grab a friend or two, split the cost of materials and make your own DIY needle felted wine bags for gift giving.

Getting Started

As Wine & Art Wednesday is only a two hour class it was impossible to learn everything there is to know about needle felting in such a short time frame. Hillary covered just the bare bones basics with us.

However, I found as the night went on, I learned more about what techniques and needles did what simply by using them. So don’t feel like you need to become a book expert on needle felting for beginners prior to getting started. Besides, sometimes it’s a lot more fun to just dive right in.

Tips for Making Your DIY Needle Felted Wine Bag

Here are some basics to needle felting that will make the process of creating your DIY needle felted wine bag more enjoyable.

• Use a stencil or cookie cutter to easily create shapes.
• Pull the needle out of the wool in the same direction it went in to avoid breaking your needle.
• Work around the side of your object to firm up its shape rather then from the top. Insert your needle at an angle to do this, but be sure to pull it back out at the same angle.
• Occasionally pull your wine bag gently apart to keep the wool from sticking to the  other side or place the foam pad/cushion inside the bag rather than under it.
• Be sure to check out these 5 common needle felting mistakes before getting started.
• Once you get the knack of needle felting, purchase a book for more information to hone your needle felting skills.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment. If you don’t like what you have, you can always start over. My philosophy is that a mistake is never a mistake. It’s a learning experience.
• Use your friends for ideas. Friends are great with helping you execute your vision because they know you so well. You can also help one another out as you learn new tricks of the trade together.

For more great tips on needle felting, be sure to check out these needle felting tips & tricks from Kawaii Felting. Or check out the books Needle Felting From Basics to Bears, Fast, Fun & Easy Needle Felting and Making More Needle-Felting Magic.

Ready to craft your own DIY needle felted wine bag? Following you’ll find a list of the tools & supplies we used in Hillary’s class along with in progress photos of the needle felted wine bags that Bambi and I made!

DIY Needle Felted Wine Bag

Tools & Supplies:

Roving Wool in Assorted Colors
Basic Needle Felting Kit
Reusable Burlap Bottle Bags
Metal Cookie Cutters in Assorted Shapes
Your Imagination!

What To Do:

Begin by deciding on a design you’d like to create for your DIY needle felted wine bag. Then choose the colors of roving wool you’d like to use. Don’t be afraid to mix and match and even blend different colors of wool together. Once you’ve decided on your design – the hardest part! – gather the materials and tools you will be using.

You’ll begin by using a smaller gauge needle to get started on your DIY needle felted wine bag. As you move through this project, you will switch over to a larger gauge needle for detail work and finishing off your pieces. A 36 gauge needle is the most commonly used, however finer wools such as merino wool may require a 38 gauge needle. (You can find a guide to felting needles here.)

Hillary provided us with some informational teaching materials on needle felting, including information on felting needles, during the course. We didn’t really give those more than a cursory glance, however. Hillary gave us the basics and off we went. But we did gain some amusement from them. (I know. I know. Sometimes I have the sense of humor of a twelve year old boy.)

Once you’re ready to begin, pull apart the roving wool with your hands until it’s fluffy. You can then blend several colors of wool together if you like.

Now place the wine bag on top of foam pad. Follow with the cookie cutter you’ve chosen for your first shape. Then fill the cookie cutter with the color(s) of wool you’ve chosen to use. Use a smaller gauge needle in short, stabbing up and down motions on the wool inside the cookie cutter. Continue until the wool starts to firm up and create a more solid shape.

Once you have the basic shape of the wool down, remove the cookie cutter and use a larger gauge needle on the top of the wool to felt it further. Then use the needle gently along the sides, making sure to pull the needle out the same direction it went in, to further define the edges of your shape.

You can also add wool in the same manner free hand to create your own unique elements.

That’s really all there is to it! Keep adding to your design as desired until you’re satisfied with your DIY needle felted wine bag. Then it’s ready for gift giving!

Here’s a look at our finished needle felted wine bags. Bambi made the DIY needle felted wine bag with the flower and leaves and I made the one with the stars and planets.

We were really excited by how our wine bags turned out and are both looking forward to what was an inspiring and social DIY craft night again soon.

More to Explore

If you prefer a needle felting kit, like this Prickly Pear Needle Felting Kit from Benzie Design, then be sure to check out some of the amazing needle felting kits available from Etsy here. Or shop from among some of my other handmade, artisan favorites!

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