Needle Felted Whimsical Owl Ornament Tutorial 1 (with core)

This whimsical little owl uses cheap wool to create a core under a smoother softer wool top coat. The core should be a similar color to the top coat so it doesn't show. In this case, a light grey top coat over a white core, works perfectly.    

First, roll the "core" into a fat little cylinder. 

Then stab/felt until fairly compact (but still squishy, not hard).

Then spread the light grey top coat a bit. 

It's easier to wrap the top coat around if one end is felted down first.

After wrapping the top coat all around, felt it down until a smooth coverage is achieved.

Roll a small amount of wool between your fingers to create a small pink ball for the belly.

Stab the pink ball in a circle to make the belly.

Roll two more pink balls about half the size of the belly.

Felt the pink balls in circles above the belly, making sure to felt the center in extra firmly and felt the sides neat but loosely. You can use your needle to poke sideways under the edges to tuck them in and keep them raised.

Take 2 equal size bits of wool and roll them in your fingers loosely to make long rolls.

Place on sides and start felting from the top.

Felt into a wing shape by only poking where you want the pink to be. Felt firmly.

Pull off a small wisp of yellow.

Wrap the yellow tightly around the needle twisting it between your fingers until all ends are smoothed down. Then slide your tube off the needle.

Take the yellow tube, fold in half and felt the ends into place so the bend becomes the end of the beak.

Roll two more small balls in yellow.

Felt the yellow balls into pear shapes for the feet.

Roll 2 very small balls in black.

Roll 2 tiny bits of white into tiny balls.

Felt the black into the center of the pink circles, and gently poke the white bits into the black. A smaller gauge needle is helpful for adding the white.

Roll up a very small bit of pink into a pear shape.

Felt the small end of the pink into the back for the tail.

Pull a thin wisp of pink from your wool

Poke only the middle of the wisp leaving the ends free.

Trim the ends of the pink wisp even at desired length. Add a string to hang by running a needle and thread down through the body and back up at the same spot. This will ensure the thread will not pull free.