Needle Felted VW Beetle – Sweater Upcycle

This needle felted VW Beetle convertible has a secret DIY cheat! I love the shape and form of a VW beetle and was sad when Volkwagen discontinued them. They certainly had the cool factor going for them. So I’m going to show you how to sculpt your own out of wool!

After taking a beginner course in needle felting at my local stained glass studio just over a year ago, I quickly became enamoured with sculpting wool – and ‘breaking the rules’. When you’re new to a craft, it’s easy to get creative with your own techniques because you don’t know what you don’t know!

International Blogger’s Club (IBC)

The IBC is a group of bloggers from all over the world who challenge each other to make something using a common upcycling theme. This month’s challenge, is “Don’t Sweater the Small Stuff“. Last month’s challenge was Cast in Concrete and we showed you how to make a cement planter.

You’ll find all my friends’ sweater creations at the bottom of this post and they’re all spectacular. So don’t forget to check them out before you go. And if you don’t have time to browse today, pop back in later in the week to pick up where you left off.

The Inspiration Behind This Project

We jumped on the sustainable bandwagon in 2016 when we wrote a series of blogs for IKEA’s sustainable living project and never looked back. As part of our later Sustainable Sunday series, I used this picture of our friend’s cabriolet, taken at the wedding of her son, to introduce the first post. This beetle convertible is the inspiration behind my needle felted version of this vintage car. And, of course, my miniature version is sustainable because we’re using a thrifted sweater as the base.

Sustainable Sunday

Foray into Needle Felting

Besides the stress reduction that naturally comes from poking a felting needle in and out of a mound of wool thousands of times, I love that one can easily stop and return to a project at any time. Needle felting is a great craft for busy people who only have limited time.  Broken up into half hour increments here and there, it’s a delight to see it come together.

My needle felted VW Beetle is a LOOOONG project so I’m just going to touch on some of the highlights in the written version. For anyone who’s ambitious enough to give this a go and work along with me, there’s a 2-hour video tutorial near the end of this post.

You’ll find details on how to get the free pattern at the bottom of this post.

The Sweater

Start with a 100% wool sweater and felt it in hot water in the washing machine. Then toss it into the dryer to shrink and felt it even more. It will likely pill, but that doesn’t matter because you won’t even see it.

And, We’re Off!

I started this project on a cold winter night. Hubs had gone to bed and I was snuggled up in a blanket by the warmth of the fireplace. Instead of reading, I suddenly had the urge to  craft. So apologies that the following pictures aren’t better against my brown blankie.

As a trained fashion designer, I’m no stranger to taking 2-D patterns and making them into 3-D objects. For the needle felted VW Beetle, I’m using the same principles. Start with a paper pattern, then pin it onto the sweater:

Cut the pattern out.

Be sure to put a piece of foam under the work so you don’t stab yourself with the felting needle. Since this is an impromptu crafting session, I’m use a small scrap of foam.

Bend the pattern into its 3-D shape and overlap the seams. Poke the felting needle along the seams to bring the VW beetle shape together.

After the shell is formed, insert a rolled wad of core white to support the base.

Now you can needle felt the sweater to the core all around the exterior to further shape the foundation. You’ll see the familiar beetle shape start to form when you needle felt a line into the hood of the car.  I ran a marker along the seam lines so they would stand out for you to see below:

Needle Felted VW Beetle Shaping

If you’ve been reading Birdz of a Feather since the beginning, you’ll know that Hubs and I are VW fanatics. So of course I have this toy beetle convertible to compare against.

See how the sweater really helps nail the initial shape of the felted VW Beetle? Using this sweater method takes all the guesswork out of sculpting the shape from scratch!

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Here it is the sweater foundation from the front. Hold onto your pattern pieces because they’re going to be used to help sculpt all the layers of the beetle.

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In the morning, I move everything over to the dining room table and a proper felting pad. I top the felting pad with pink felt to extend the life of the pad from all the needle pokes.

I could not find a buttery yellow wool felt, so I created my own! Take equal parts lemon yellow and core white then pull and stack them together to blend them into a cohesive soft yellow.

This needle felted VW Beetle started as a wool sweater! Come grab the free pattern and tutorial :). Birdz of a Feather | needle felting | needle felting tutorials | needle felting ideas | needle felted VW | needle felted beetle | needle felted vw beetle | wool felted | wool felted projects | wool felted projects free pattern | free pattern | needle felted tutorials | needle felted projects | free pattern felt | felt toys | felt ornaments | felt ornaments patterns free

Materials

[If you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered (disclosure): Most of the links below are not affiliates but we may receive a commission from Amazon for qualified purchases there. But don’t worry, you don’t pay a cent more and it helps us make more unique crafts to share with you! Thanks for helping to support our blog!]

Needle Felted VW Beetle – Using the Paper Pattern

From here forward, I continue to use the pattern to its fullest advantage. For the body, tear off some yellow roving for the sides, then needle around the perimeter of the pattern. Once secured to the felting pad, fold in the edges and you’ll have the exact shape you need. Lift it off the felting pad, work it a little further, then needle felt it directly onto the sweater foundation.

This needle felted VW Beetle started as a wool sweater! Come grab the free pattern and tutorial :). Birdz of a Feather | needle felting | needle felting tutorials | needle felting ideas | needle felted VW | needle felted beetle | needle felted vw beetle | wool felted | wool felted projects | wool felted projects free pattern | free pattern | needle felted tutorials | needle felted projects | free pattern felt | felt toys | felt ornaments | felt ornaments patterns free

I didn’t end up shaping the wheel wells until the side pieces were actually on the car. That part gets sculpted once all the yellow wool is needle felted to the sweater.

This needle felted VW Beetle started as a wool sweater! Come grab the free pattern and tutorial :). Birdz of a Feather | needle felting | needle felting tutorials | needle felting ideas | needle felted VW | needle felted beetle | needle felted vw beetle | wool felted | wool felted projects | wool felted projects free pattern | free pattern | needle felted tutorials | needle felted projects | free pattern felt | felt toys | felt ornaments | felt ornaments patterns free

At this point, it will look like a billowy yellow blob for a while until all the needle sculpting work is done. It’s necessary to keep the base layer fluffy as each section is ready to be worked.

This needle felted VW Beetle started as a wool sweater! Come grab the free pattern and tutorial :). Birdz of a Feather | needle felting | needle felting tutorials | needle felting ideas | needle felted VW | needle felted beetle | needle felted vw beetle | wool felted | wool felted projects | wool felted projects free pattern | free pattern | needle felted tutorials | needle felted projects | free pattern felt | felt toys | felt ornaments | felt ornaments patterns free

Needle Felted VW Beetle Windows

The smaller pattern pieces are fiddly, but I use the same technique as the body of the car to shape the windows. First, stab around the perimeter into the felting pad.

Remove the pattern, then fold all the edges in. Lift the piece off the foam and continue felting with the needle to further solidify the shape.

Then use the negative space of the pattern. Pin the window shapes onto the car body, as shown, and tack them right in place. In this case, the pattern takes the guesswork out of placement!

Remove the pattern and finish felting the windows onto the car body completely.

This needle felted VW Beetle started as a wool sweater! Come grab the free pattern and tutorial :). Birdz of a Feather | needle felting | needle felting tutorials | needle felting ideas | needle felted VW | needle felted beetle | needle felted vw beetle | wool felted | wool felted projects | wool felted projects free pattern | free pattern | needle felted tutorials | needle felted projects | free pattern felt | felt toys | felt ornaments | felt ornaments patterns free

Do all the windows in the same manner, tacking them at the corners to hold them onto the car, then lift the pattern off.

This needle felted VW Beetle started as a wool sweater! Come grab the free pattern and tutorial :). Birdz of a Feather | needle felting | needle felting tutorials | needle felting ideas | needle felted VW | needle felted beetle | needle felted vw beetle | wool felted | wool felted projects | wool felted projects free pattern | free pattern | needle felted tutorials | needle felted projects | free pattern felt | felt toys | felt ornaments | felt ornaments patterns free

For the hood, use the pattern as a guide. Lay the black roving directly onto the car then build it from there. It’s helpful to have pictures, or in my case, the model car to help with elements like that.

Use the pattern again to position the headlights in the negative space. In this case you can roll a piece of wool also needle felt directly onto the body: no need to shape first as I did the windows. The pattern helps maintain the circular shape and also keeps things symmetrical.

This needle felted VW Beetle started as a wool sweater! Come grab the free pattern and tutorial :). Birdz of a Feather | needle felting | needle felting tutorials | needle felting ideas | needle felted VW | needle felted beetle | needle felted vw beetle | wool felted | wool felted projects | wool felted projects free pattern | free pattern | needle felted tutorials | needle felted projects | free pattern felt | felt toys | felt ornaments | felt ornaments patterns free

Needle Felted VW Beetle Video

I’ll leave you with this video of the full tutorial to follow along. Visit us on YouTube for a listing of time stamps. Once there, you’ll be able to click on an individual time stamp and it will take you to the exact spot in the video so you can pick up where you left off!

Here’s a reminder of the sweater base we started with:

This needle felted VW Beetle started as a wool sweater! Come grab the free pattern and tutorial :). Birdz of a Feather | needle felting | needle felting tutorials | needle felting ideas | needle felted VW | needle felted beetle | needle felted vw beetle | wool felted | wool felted projects | wool felted projects free pattern | free pattern | needle felted tutorials | needle felted projects | free pattern felt | felt toys | felt ornaments | felt ornaments patterns free

You can embellish as much or as little as you like. Here’s how the final needle felted VW beetle looks now after adding details like the bumpers, running board, tail lights and wheels.

This needle felted VW Beetle started as a wool sweater! Come grab the free pattern and tutorial :). Birdz of a Feather | needle felting | needle felting tutorials | needle felting ideas | needle felted VW | needle felted beetle | needle felted vw beetle | wool felted | wool felted projects | wool felted projects free pattern | free pattern | needle felted tutorials | needle felted projects | free pattern felt | felt toys | felt ornaments | felt ornaments patterns free

Who would ever guess it all started with an upcycled sweater?

This needle felted VW Beetle started as a wool sweater! Come grab the free pattern and tutorial :). Birdz of a Feather | needle felting | needle felting tutorials | needle felting ideas | needle felted VW | needle felted beetle | needle felted vw beetle | wool felted | wool felted projects | wool felted projects free pattern | free pattern | needle felted tutorials | needle felted projects | free pattern felt | felt toys | felt ornaments | felt ornaments patterns free

Want an easy project you don’t have to felt yourself? Try your hand at felt appliqué.

Pin Needle Felted VW Convertible

Pinning is always welcome and appreciated!

This needle felted VW Beetle started as a wool sweater! Come grab the free pattern and tutorial :). Birdz of a Feather | needle felting | needle felting tutorials | needle felting ideas | needle felted VW | needle felted beetle | needle felted vw beetle | wool felted | wool felted projects | wool felted projects free pattern | free pattern | needle felted tutorials | needle felted projects | free pattern felt | felt toys | felt ornaments | felt ornaments patterns free

International Bloggers Club – Don’t Sweater the Small Stuff

And now onto the rest of the uber-talents participating in this IBC this month. Check out these sweater upcycle ideas:

  1. Meegan Makes
  2. Interior Frugalista
  3. Unique Creations by Anita
  4. Birdz of a Feather – that’s us!
  5. A Crafty Mix

Free Needle Felted VW Pattern

To gain access to the free pattern for the needle felted VW Beetle, if you’re not already an e-mail subscriber, you need to become one by filling out the form below.  After you confirm your e-mail, you’ll receive a welcome message with the password (sorry but Bloglovin’ / WordPress subscribers won’t have access to the password unless subscribed through this form). We change the password periodically, so check the newsletter often. You’ll find our freebie library at Birdz on the Fly.

 

36 thoughts on “Needle Felted VW Beetle – Sweater Upcycle

    • We are a VW family too. Hubs owns the oldest restored 1953 truck; it was the very first one in Canada!

  1. I am completely blown away with what you did Sara. Oh my goodness!!!! This is incredible. I love Beetles and you’re right they are probably the coolest, iconic cars ever. I’m book marking the video for this coming weekend. I so want to learn how to make something like this. Brilliant

    • I’m pretty smitten with this craft! I hope you can find the wool roving there. The project is small so doesn’t take a huge amount but some commercial prices are expensive! There are a few things I couldn’t tape in the video because I couldn’t work with the camera blocking my view, so if you get stuck on anything, you know where to reach me – lol! I think with your artistic flair, yours will turn out even better :)!

      • I have some in the craft cupboard 😀 It’s purple but who cares. I can’t wait to give it a try

        • Purple is my second favourite colour! You have to show me pics when you do this :).

  2. Omg! You just wowed me! The cutest car craft I have ever seen

    • Aw, thanks so much Maria! I seen a few different needle felted cars but there’s no tutorial so hopefully the video will be helpful to anyone wanting to try it!

  3. I’m so blown away by this, Sara, for many reasons! Back in the day my dream car was the iconic Beetle. Sadly that dream was never realized but it’s always had a soft spot in my heart. I was mesmerized watching the video and impressed with your manual dexterity skills. Girl, you have the patience of Job and totally rocked this challenge!

    • Thanks Marie! It is so iconic and Hubs has such a knack for restoring beetles and VWs. We have a little red bug. Hubs wants to sell it soon; we just don’t have room to store it. It’ll be sad to see it go; it’s inspired so many previous projects – lol!

  4. This is a brilliant project and the attention to detail is amazing. And your video is so helpful. Did you go off camera to do the project or answer the phone lol

    • Thanks Anita :). The answer is both – it was a welcome break – lol!

    • Thank you Deana! I try to upcycle at least one thing in my projects; waste not want not!

  5. Oh I have been meaning to try this! Pinned so I can come back and go over all your details. I need to figure out what to make now!
    Kim

    • I learned at Christmas time so made a little elf. I’ll be posting an easier duck tutorial this month. It’s probably something a beginner can tackle.

  6. What an amazing project. This turned out beautiful. The details are perfect and am in inspired by your pictures and video. Thank you for sharing your talent with us.

  7. You are so amazing, Sara! This is just as cute as can be! I haven’t ever tried needle felting. I have always been intimated. But with your detailed tutorial, you have given me the confidence to give it a try. Thanks.

    • You should definitely try it Meegan; this is only my third project so if I can do it, you can too 🙂

  8. This is an amazing transformation!

    Alexandra
    EyeLoveKnots.com
    OnRockwoodLane.com

      • I really do! You’ll find this featured at this weekend’s Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make Link Party.

  9. Sara, this is SO amazing! You are such a patient crafter! It was worth the effort, though. The VW Beetle is adorable and unique! Thanks for sharing at Celebrate Your Story! Link Party. You’ve been featured this week 🙂

    • That’s awesome Rebecca; such an honour to be featured 🙂

  10. I miss the VW Beetle too. You put a lot of work and creativity in to this projects. It is so adorable. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us at #HomeMattersParty this week.

    • We still have our 66 but the convertibles are so fun 🙂

    • Thanks Rebecca! My sisters aren’t crafty either; I got their dose of genes I guess :).

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