Needle felting goes back to the 1980s. It was created by David & Eleanor Stanwood. They took needles from a wool factory and used them to create tiny pieces of felt without any water or soap. The skills for needle felting were then taught to Ayala Talpai who wrote books and taught others to needle felt. Today, needle felting is still not as popular as wet felting. However, it has a strong following with people who enjoy to do arts and crafts.