In the photo above you can see angel and unfinished elf, with the pipe cleaner armature I used to help make the form in the center. First, I wrapped the limbs of the armature in white core wool, then lightly and carefully needled it in place. The nap on the pipe cleaner helps "grab" the wool, so only light needling is needed (more if you are making a doll for a child to play with).. I needed to be careful of the wire inside the pipe cleaner, though, as it is easy to break a needle if I hit it directly. Then, I loosely created a ball of core wool, and inserted it into the loop on top, to start to form a head, covering it with more core wool and needling it into shape. For the angel, I then simply draped a hank of core wool to for a skirt, wrapping a long pieces of core wool around the waist to anchor it and needling that into place, I wrapped wool around to form a bodice, then added curly lock hair. I made the wings separately, and attached them to the back.
The process for the elf was similar, though I striped the legs with green wool, and added a waist band with bow in back (I lightly needled a ribbon of green wool to form the tie). I also added a short shirt, so the striped stockings could be seen. I intend to add a hat to the elf and a few other embellishments.
Have fun!
Her little striped legs and shoes remind me of something I've seen on The Wizard of Oz. :) Both will be lovely on someone's Christmas tree.
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