Mini Needle Felted Gateau

Use just under 1g of the dark brown Portuguese Merino wool batts and felt down flat with your medium needle. Stab a circular line of approx. 6cm in diameter (see white lines) and tuck the fibres inward (see red arrows) to form a nice round, flat ‘disc’ shape.

Take a good pinch of Hot Pink with a little less of the short fluffy white Cape Merino so it makes a total of about 1g. Mix together. Make another disc shape as before. Then make three more discs of a similar size and thickness in the Bright Pink, Cape Merino and Hare Brown wool. If you have a 7-Needle Multi Tool and Brush Mat, they help to make a flat shape really fast; use instead of your single needle once you have felted the wool down a little.

Next lay all shapes on top of each other in the right order: dark brown, pink, white, tan brown and pink/white mix. Trim them to the same size with sharp little scissors. Make sure not to cut too much off!

Then use your fine felting needle and give them a few stabs so the discs will ‘stick’ together. Don’t felt them too much so that they reduce in size or start ‘melting’ into another.

Next take most of the White Rainbow Drops wool and, as with a real cake, lay over the top like icing.

Using your fine felting needle start felting it down gently into place pulling it down the sides. Your stabs need to be shallow and plentiful.

Do not cover the brown underneath the cake. The fine needle will give it a smooth and even finish. Shallow stabs prevent too many white fibres being pushed into the coloured layers of the cake.

Next mix wool to make the decorations, using just wisps of white Cape Merino, Poppy Red and Bright Pink. Mix as before.

Make a short strand of a tiny amount of this mix by rolling the wool between your fingers, then felt on with your fine needle into the shape of a twirl on top of the cake. Repeat around the edge to make 5 swirls.

Use tiny wisps of Pea Green wool and make tiny little leaves on each side of the rosy twirls.

Let the fun begin by cutting a slice out of your cake. You can use sharp scissors or a sharp knife (not serrated).