Today’s review is another Japanese craft book that has been translated into English by Nippan IPS. It’s really amazing and I’ve never seen the likes of this level of artistry before. You really have to see it to believe it! The book sample was provided by Nippan IPS and they are also generously sponsoring a giveaway prize which I will talk about at the end of the post. Let’s have a look at the book first!
The title of the book is called Needle Felted Kittens, by Hinali, a needle felting artist. Hinali is a self taught needle felting artist who started felting in 2011, and participated in exhibitions at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. After her creations were shown on TV, they quickly went viral and she’s super popular on IG. You can follow her on her Instagram account @hinali_felt for all of her felting creations. There are even some videos of her making the felt kittens and it’s really fascinating to watch!
The book starts off with a photo collection of needle felted cats that Hinali has made over the years. Then there is this page called Hinali’s cats, which I thought was a series of photos of her cats in real life that inspired her to make such life-like cats, before I took a closer look and realized they were actually needle felted cats. Hmm.. or are they are real cats? I can’t tell!!!
So how does one go about getting started on making such life-like cats? The book begins with the most basic techniques, and introduces you to all the materials and tools you need, how to blend wool to create different colors. There are even detailed photos to show you how to to hold a needle and prick wool correctly. Really beginner friendly.
There are also additional tips for creating very fine details, including how to create a cover to stop pricking your own fingers (those of you who have tried felting must have jabbed yourself before – like me! :P) as well as creating a longer needle to reach hard to reach areas.
There are also tips for cutting wool tufts, a Q&A section about very frequently encountered problems during felting and how to resolve them. I would say this is a very very detailed book with lots of hinali’s own needle felting techniques that will help you create not just kittens, but any other object you want to create.
The book then progresses to the projects you can make from this book. And the projects cover a variety of cats with different fur patterns and poses, so that you create your very own variation with your own cat! The projects include
Orange and white tabby kitten (in a sitting down pose)
Scottish Fold Cat (half-sitting up)
Tortoiseshell Cat (sitting catloaf style)
Tortoiseshell Point Siamese Cat (sitting) / Tortoiseshell-and-White Cat (lying down)
Cats with just their Faces , Cats inside Frames
Each of the project comes with really detailed step by step photos, plus all descriptions of the steps in English, so there is absolutely no problem understanding it!
If you are a cat owner or lover, or just want to try your hands at making one of these lifelike needle felted kittens, how about a giveaway?
GIVEAWAY
Want to learn how to make your own felted kitten? You might have a chance to win a copy of this book –
NEEDLE FELTED KITTENS by Hinali
generously sponsored by the publisher NIPPAN IPS!
This giveaway will run on my Instagram account only. Hop on over to take part!
IG page – https://www.instagram.com/japanesesewingbooks/
The giveaway will run for a week from today till 9th February (Sat) 0900hrs (UTC +8)
WHERE TO BUY
Can’t wait for the giveaway and want to buy own your own copy? Needle Felted Kittens (in English) is available on Amazon.com (Aff link)
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