{"id":34,"date":"2012-06-13T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-06-13T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypoppet.com.au\/?p=34"},"modified":"2018-08-24T21:01:52","modified_gmt":"2018-08-24T11:01:52","slug":"how-to-needle-felted-rattle-ball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mypoppet.com.au\/makes\/how-to-needle-felted-rattle-ball\/","title":{"rendered":"Make a Needle Felted Rattle Ball Toy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/mypoppet.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/rattleball-title.jpg\" alt=\"How to make a Needle Felted Rattle Ball Toy - mypoppet.com.au #needlefelting\" width=\"600\" height=\"755\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s been a while since I posted a needle felting project, so I thought I would treat you to something a little bit special. I really love the idea of children playing with toys made from natural materials like wool, it&#8217;s really important developmentally to give them a rich sensory experience that plastic toys just don&#8217;t offer.<\/p>\n<p>This <strong>needle felted rattle ball<\/strong> is a simple project, and I guarantee you will want to make more than one. A perfect gift for a special newborn or toddler. With a melodic jingle bell as a chime and it&#8217;s woolly tactile surface, both child and parent will appreciate this fun toy.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">HOW TO MAKE A NEEDLE FELTED RATTLE BALL<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/mypoppet.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/you-will-need-rattle.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>You will need:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Wool roving in your choice of colours, about 50g should be enough<\/li>\n<li>Felting needles<\/li>\n<li>Foam pad<\/li>\n<li>Sewing thread<\/li>\n<li>Rattle Insert &#8211; pre-purchase ready made, or see below to make your own.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\namzn_assoc_placement = \"adunit0\";\namzn_assoc_search_bar = \"false\";\namzn_assoc_tracking_id = \"mypoppet-20\";\namzn_assoc_ad_mode = \"manual\";\namzn_assoc_ad_type = \"smart\";\namzn_assoc_marketplace = \"amazon\";\namzn_assoc_region = \"US\";\namzn_assoc_title = \"Need Supplies?\";\namzn_assoc_linkid = \"35ebc5d86bb8956c3eceae751d3b460b\";\namzn_assoc_asins = \"B071LTSBV2,B00172TD5S,B01I37SEC2,B01M15MBNG\";\n<\/script><br \/>\n<script src=\"\/\/z-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/onejs?MarketPlace=US\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/mypoppet.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/make-rattle.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>Making your own rattle insert<\/h4>\n<p>Supplies needed:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jingle Bell<\/li>\n<li>Hollow plastic Container<\/li>\n<li>Duct Tape<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It took me a while to find an adequate way to make a nice chiming sound inside the ball. If you use a bell on its own, the wool will muffle the ring.<br \/>\nI found if you put the bell inside a little plastic container, it will jingle about freely and make a lovely sound.<\/p>\n<p>I have used a small plastic Easter egg container available from craft stores around Easter time.<br \/>\nSome other possible suggestions include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Glove containers, from packs of hair dye<\/li>\n<li>Film canisters<\/li>\n<li>Cat bell from a pet shop<\/li>\n<li>You may also be able to buy ready made rattle inserts from craft stores<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Put the bell inside the container and secure it firmly with duct tape.<\/p>\n<h3>How to:<\/h3>\n<p>For those of you that aren&#8217;t familiar with the technique of needle felting you may want to read about <a href=\"https:\/\/mypoppet.com.au\/makes\/needle-felting-basics\/\">Needle Felting Basics<\/a> first.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/mypoppet.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/blank-ball-.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-family: inherit;\">\n<p>1. First we need to make a solid ball around the rattle, this will be your blank base that you can later decorate as you please.<\/p>\n<p>2. Start by firmly wrapping a layer of roving around whatever you are using as the rattle and secure it with some sewing thread.<\/p>\n<p>3. Repeat this with a few layers of wool roving and thread until you have your desired size (about the size of a tennis ball).<\/p>\n<p>4. Time to get your needle out. The idea is to poke or &#8216;needle&#8217; the fluffy loose wool on the surface into a firmish ball without any lumps and that will hold its shape.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DON&#8217;T<\/strong> Poke towards the center. Because the rattle in the center is a hard object we need to avoid poking the needle towards the middle as we risk breaking the needle (it&#8217;s very brittle).<\/p>\n<p><strong>DO<\/strong> work around the sides. A better technique is to &#8216;needle&#8217; the outer surface towards the side of the ball, keep the sharp end directed at the pad.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/mypoppet.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/ball-final.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>5. Now it&#8217;s time to get creative and decorate the felted ball. I&#8217;ve chosen to do a three colour dip dyed effect.<\/p>\n<p>6. Take small amounts of coloured roving and lay over the section of the ball you want to decorate, &#8216;needle&#8217; in gently, taking care not to hit the rattle.<\/p>\n<p>7. Go over the whole surface till the wool is firmly felted and you can not peel it off.<\/p>\n<p>8. Periodically roll between warmed hands to keep the shape even and remove needle marks.<\/p>\n<p>9. Finally to tidy up any stray fibers, give the ball a &#8216;surface needle&#8217; (rub the needle across the surface).<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;re done!<\/p>\n<p>Get creative with your needle felted decorations to make a very special personalised needle felted rattle ball gift. I&#8217;m sure the recipient will enjoy it for years to come.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You may also like:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mypoppet.com.au\/makes\/how-to-needle-felted-fruit-strawberry\/\">Needle Felted Fruit &#8211; Strawberry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mypoppet.com.au\/makes\/6-wet-felting-projects-id-like-to-try\/\">6 Wet Felting Projects to Try<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mypoppet.com.au\/makes\/how-to-needle-felt-heart-garland\/\">Needle Felted Heart Garland<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s been a while since I posted a needle felting project, so I thought I would treat you to something a little bit special. I really love the idea of children playing with toys made from natural materials like wool, it&#8217;s really important developmentally to give them a rich sensory experience that plastic toys just don&#8217;t offer. This needle felted&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[158,91],"tags":[36,29,8],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This needle felted rattle ball is a simple project, and I guarantee you will want to make more than one. 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