Needle Felted Arctic Baby Seal

This adorable little arctic seal is fun to make and not especially difficult. You just need to pay close attention to the size and placement of the eyes and nose to keep his cute, babyish appearance.

MATERIALS: Wool Core Batt, white top or roving and black

To make a firm middle for his body and head I always start by tying a knot in the wool. Sometimes I double this knot depending on how big I want it to be.

Start wrapping the knots with more wool and felt keep felting down his head and his body until you get to the desired size.

The body has an egg shape, tapered at one end. Felt the head and the body firmly together. Keep adding wool to shape his tummy and make him fat.

Make a plump set of flippers by making a square-ish piece then poking to round off the corners. Then separate the flippers by using your needle to indent the middle bottom.

The arm flippers are made separately. They are fatter at the paw end and the part that attaches to the shoulder is thinner. Make sure you felt the flippers down well. Attach the flippers to the body and felt down firmly.

Add a small ball to the front of the face for his muzzle. Felt tightly. Felt indentations for the eyes on either side of the muzzle.

After the base of the seal is finished, I wrap his whole body in very white top or roving to give him a smooth appearance. Felt down with a #40 needle (makes smaller holes, good for finish work).