It's a Small World Felted Friends

April 1, 2017

Japanese artist Susa brings her delightful designs to an English-speaking audience in this collection of tiny needle-felting projects featuring people, animals, and icons worldwide. Fifteen different countries are represented, from Australia (koalas and kangaroos) to the United States (hamburger and donut charms) to India (an elephant decked out in festival finery). Also included are designs perfect for creating a rustic scene, such as the Dutch girl with a windmill and tiny wooden shoes. Each pattern includes diagrams showing the size of the individual pieces, with an approximate weight of wool roving to use. VERDICT Susa's instructions give the order of assembly, but not much else, so these pieces are best attempted by experienced needle felters who have a sizable roving stash and are comfortable working with intricate details.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2017
Miniature projects continue to be popular in the fiber arts, and these needle-felted figures range from palm-of-your-hand small to charm-bracelet tiny. Made by punching wool roving with a single-, double-, or triple-pointed felting needle to create firmly formed shapes, these projects take the forms of iconic symbols of countries around the world, many of them animals. China is represented by pandas, Australia by kangaroos, and New Zealand by sheep. Other countries' objects are landmarks, such as Germany's castle (not exactly Neuschwanstein, but close) and France's Eiffel Tower. Samples of each project are pictured in full color close-up photographs on glossy paper, and instructions are in monochrome on matte pages with a sketchbook feel. Weight in grams is listed for each color of felting wool required, as are heights of the finished items. A few directions are listed for each item in addition to diagrams showing how to form each. Readers are expected to bring the ability to match the shape pictured by eye, which may take some practice.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)