Supplies Guide.

Your ideal FREE kit for beginners - What You'll Need

50cm of 0.7mm black armature wire or black pipe cleaners / craft stems.

Small batt or sliver of black carded wool

Small batt or sliver of yellow carded wool

Small batt or sliver of white carded wool

perendale wool is a perfect choice.

1 small piece of black craft felt fabric.

1 medium felting needle (40g is ideal)

1 pair of bee wings printed on acetate (available from simply felting and Etsy).

 Tools You Will Need

Essential - sharp scissors, clear drying glue, and 1 dress pin or similar, plain paper.

Optional - ruler or tape measure, black sharpie or other permanent marker, nail file, wire snips and fine flat nosed pliers

Estimated completion time 60-90 minutes. 

FREE picture and template guide included on this page.

Step 1 - Preparation

1. Find somewhere comfortable to sit where you can spread all the materials out in front of you. make sure your hands are clean and grease free and that you have all your equipment to hand.
2. Start off by cutting out a template for the base of the bee, if you want to keep this for future reference you can use it continually. The shape for your reference is at the base of this page. Pin this paper template to the black felt fabric and carefully cut round it with sharp scissors, or free hand directly onto fabric. Once finished remove the pin and paper template and set aside.
3.  Next take the length of black wire or pipe cleaner, measure out and cut using sharp scissors or wire snips if you have them, 2 pieces at 8cm each and 4 pieces measuring 5cm each. Lastly cut 2 pieces 1.5cm each. Set t.5cm pieces aside for later.  These will be your bee legs and feelers.  
4. Fold a piece of the cut wire in half so it has equal lengths, both sides of the fold. Hold the two ends in your fingers or between pliers if you have them and begin twisting, leaving a small loop at the bottom (see picture 1 of FREE picture guide for finished look). Repeat this for all 6 pieces. Take the loops at the ends of your pieces of twisted wire and squash between your thumb and index finger or squeeze gently using pliers. These will create the legs for your bee.  Next take the piece of black felt, cover one half in clear drying glue, I recommend Bostik all purpose, while the glue is still wet lay your legs onto the felt as shown in picture section 2. Finish by covering the other side if the felt with glue and folding over to sandwich the wire legs in the middle. Press down the seal the 2 pieces together and set aside to dry.

Step 2 - Felting

While your legs and base are drying take the yellow carded wool and tear off 2 thin strips approximately 4cm long. Roll them between your palms to make 2 thin sausage shapes (see picture 3). This can take a bit of getting use to and sometimes works better if your palms are warm or if you add a small amount of lip balm to your hands before rolling, set aside.

Next take a piece of the black carded wool approximately 12x3cm and roll up tightly into a cocktail sausage shape. take your felting needle and felt the join. Now begin felting the wool, firstly felt the ends till they become rounded, then stab all over the bee body to firm up. You are looking to create a dome shape which is fatter in the middle and tapers at the ends. Felt the underside of the bee body to create a crease, the finished body shape should be slightly arched like a kidney bean and slightly bigger than your felt base. See pictures in section 4 to help. Once your bee body is finished, take your yellow felted pieces, and wrap round the body and felt into place, picture section 5 will show you the placement.

Why not take a break?  stick the kettle on, have a biscuit.

Rest those fingers and clear your mind.

You’re doing a great job.

Step 3 - Assembly

When you have felted the yellow strips in place and you are happy with the definition of your stripes, set aside. Next, take your bee base, you will need to bend the legs into shape. Each leg should be bend in the middle to form a peak and the small wire loop at the base bend outwards to make a foot. Please see photo at bottom of page as a reference guide. The wire should be easy to bend with your fingers but use pliers if you have them. When you are happy with leg placement check the base stands evenly on its own. The part of the wire legs that run through the middle of the base will allow you to bend it slightly to create an arch, like the bee body. Next, take your scissors and cut out the bee wings, if you have any sharp or jagged edges, rubbing gently with a nail file with smooth them down and give a professional finish, set these aside. If you do not have pre made wings, use some of your white wool to felt thin wings in the shape as soon in picture guide. 

Your Bee is almost done, and he is nearly ready for the finishing touches. Tear of a small amount of white wool, this is the bee’s bottom. Felt this into place on his body, between his back legs will be. It should be visible and left a little fluffy, see picture 6 to guide. When you are happy with his bottom and you are happy the 2 pieces fit together ok, you can add glue to the felt base and push the bee body gently into place. Leave to dry.

Step 4 – Finishing Touches

Next dab some glue on the brown tab part of the bee wing. The wings have a shiny side and a slightly more matt finish on the other side. Which you use, is personal preference. I tend to use the matt side facing. The small part of the bee wing goes closest to the bee body. When you are happy with placement, see picture 7 to help, press the wings onto the bee body and wait until glue has dried. To make your bee look realistic you need the wings to look as if they are part of his body, to do this you need to cover the round tabs. Add a dab of glue to these, tear off a small amount of black wool, just a tiny wisp is all that is needed and press this into the wing tab. Start small and add more wool if you need it. Felt the straggly ends of wool into the bee body. Leave this then to dry.

when ready take the 2 pieces of 1.5cm wire, these are his little feelers. They should be place at the front of the bee between his front legs. Dap a little clear glue on the ends and push into place between the wool body and the felt base, see picture 8 for help with placement. If you want to bend the wire so the feelers are facing outwards and leave to dry. 

WOW, you are so clever, you just needle felted a Queen Bee! 

Well done you are all finished. If you can still see the tabs through the wool once the glue has dried, or if the glue looks a little unsightly around the tabs or anywhere else on your beautiful bee. To save adding more wool if you have a black permanent marker pen, like a Sharpie for example. Colour over the offending areas for a professional finish.