Sleeping Baby in a Cabbage Needle Felting Kit by Charivna Mit V-86C

Felt the Sleeping Baby in a Cabbage, a needle felting kit by Charivna Mit: a sleeping baby in a lilac sleeper and green hat curled up inside a pale green cabbage.

Old nursery tales across Europe said babies were found in the cabbage patch, and a sleeping baby curled in a felted cabbage is a sweet nod to that story.

Why this kit: needle felting needs no sewing and no counting, only wool and a barbed needle, and Charivna Mit sorts the wool by color and adds a color scheme so you always know which shade goes where. 7 wool colors give it lifelike shading without being fiddly.

Kit includes: 7 colors of Corriedale wool, 1 color of Madeira floss, felting and embroidery needles, a color pattern and an instruction chart. Made in Ukraine. Not included: a foam felting pad to work on and small scissors for trimming stray fibers.

How to felt it: pull off small tufts of wool, roll them loosely and jab them with the felting needle, turning the shape as you go so it firms up evenly. Build the body first, then the head, legs and colored details, following the color scheme. Then add the embroidered details as the instructions show. Work on a foam pad, keep your fingers clear of the needle tip and store the needles safely after use.

Finished size: about 11×11 cm (4.3×4.3 in). Stand it on a shelf, desk or windowsill, or give it as a homemade gift for dreamers, fairy-tale fans and friends; the kit itself is an easy present for teens and adults. Recommended for ages 14 and up; the felting needles are very sharp, so keep them away from young children.