Tree with a Cauldron of Felted Bats

Hello My Name is Dulce, since I was a little kid  I have always been interested in creative projects. Whether it be painting, sculpting or learning the arts of crochet, knitting and sewing with my mother. The first time I picked up a crochet hook was about the age of 8 when I told my mother I wanted to learn. She seemed to immerse and enjoy herself into creating beautiful patterns after a long day’s work with just some yarn and a crochet hook. So as a child I wanted to learn the very thing that brought my mother joy during the evenings.

I have always found a curiosity when creating things with my own hands and I love to look at my work and say “wow I made that!”. So when I ran into Clovers Felting tools, and after watching a couple videos online it seemed like something enjoyable and fun. Plus there is nothing like jabbing at  wool to distress yourself from a long day’s work.

 

Here is a small project that will be fun to make for the coming holiday.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and I love to decorate the house in all things spooky.

So if you’re looking for some cute yet spooky decorations that would be a great center piece for your dining room table, follow along to create this “Tree with a cauldron of bats”.

 

Materials

Wonder Clips – Art. No 3185

Flower Pins – Art. No Q2506

Needle

Wool colors:  Black, purple and red.

Needle Feting Mat – Art. No 8910

Pen style Felting Pen – Art. No 8901

Felting Needle Tool – Art. No 8900

 

Step1:

Print and cut out the Pattern Guide.  Download Wing Pattern

Attach it to your Felting mat by poking the pins on two opposite ends of  your guide, then use the wonder clips to hold the pins in place with the mat hair.

Step 2:

Start adding light wool to create the shape of the wings with you pattern guide.

Once the wing has its general shape, remove the pattern guide and start adding more wool onto your wing to thicken it.

Remember work on both sides of your shape by flipping the wool back and forth.

Leave loose wool at the end of each wing. This will be used to attach the wings to the bats body later.

 

Make a pair of wings for every one winged bat.

Dimensions:

5.5 cm long

3 cm tall

.5 cm thick

 

Adding Detail:

With a thin layer of  purple wool.

Use the Needle Felting Tool to quickly attack the wool onto the wing.

Using the Pen style tool  to start creating an inner shape reflecting the wing while leaving a black outline.

Use a thin piece of black wool to create a middle line in the wing.

Step 3: Create The Body:

The body of the bat is made by rolling up wool and creating a shape similar to a cone.

 

Dimensions:

3.5cm tall and 1 cm thick.

Step 4: Create the Head:

To create the head grab a small amount of wool and roll it up with your hands into a sphere shape.

slide the bundle of a head through the pin, and then slide the body.

Stand the pin holding the bat head and body in place on top of  a cotton Trivet.

while holding the top of the pin, start attaching the head, by jabbing the bottom part of the head onto the body.

Then start shaping the head.

Once the head has been attached, and shaped we are ready for the ears. Which is a bit tricky.

But with patience it is well worth it.

Using a wooden pencil like stick, role a small amount of wool onto it, then slide it off . This is the base for your ears. Slide the ear onto the pin as well as the bat head, and start attaching the ear by jabbing the bottom of ear onto the head.

Start shaping the ears, they will have a triangle form.

 

Attaching the wings:

Using the loose wool on your wings, start by positioning your wing on the body then start jabbing the loose wool onto the body to attach it.

I positioned the wings so that the top edge of the wing is above the ears.

The Eyes:

Using a very small and thin amount of red wool we will be creating the eyes of our  bats.

With one needle on your pen style felting tool, start creating the eyes on your bats. Small round eyes.

Hanging upside down Bat:

For your upside down bats, add an extra layer of wool to the top part of the body to create a bulkier top. This is so it looks like the bat is wrapped in its wings.

 

Finishing Touch:

Using a needle and thread, tie a loop onto the bats to hang on the tree.

For the winged bats tie the loop on its head.

As for the upside-down bat tie the loop at the bottom of the body.

 

The End:

Hang your bats onto your spooky tree and love what you just created!