Needle Felting Foam

Whe recommend “a high-density foam” as a basis for needle felting.

While some people prefer needle felting on rolled up towels, brushes, or styrofoam (I’ve even heard of people felting on bags filled with rice), a high-density mattress foam has a number of advantages:

1. You’ll go through fewer needles - with a thick foam felting surface you won’t have a hard base to hit and snap the needle on; the foam will also absorb some of your downward pressure but will have a little tolerance to allow a little twisting if you make a mistake and do not restrict the needle to travelling straight up and down

2. Firm support - having a backstop to push against allows you to felt faster than if you try to needle felt mid-air; the foam also makes it easier to felt flat shapes, keeping the underside consistent even as the needle passes through the wool

3. Less “Noise” - not only is needle felting on foam quieter than options like styrofoam, it also is less likely to pull up your base material into the project like a towel or brush tends to do as they breakdown over time

4. Inexpensive - No matter what you needle felt on, eventually the base material will start to break down and need replacement. Foam will last as longer than options like styrofoam and towels, but is considerably less expensive than brushes

A couple pro-tips for needle felting on foam:

• Frequently lift, flip, and rotate your project; if you needle felt in one place for too long the wool fibres will start to migrate into the foam which will stick to your project

• Keep the foam out of direct sunlight and sealed in a plastic bag when not being used to lengthen the life of your foam; if the foam starts to crumb, you can extend life by covering it with a piece of fabric

This product includes 3 felting needles: (1) Coarse for base work, (1) Medium for shaping, (1) Fine for detail work.